As the weather continues to improve for many of us with spring starting to provide warmer weather we look forward future outdoor adventures. Yes, now is the time to plan those summer travels that include hiking and camping trips in the great outdoors. We all look to appreciate and reconnect ourselves with Mother Nature.
For those looking to take a hiking holiday, packing (or even obtaining) the right gear can be an important step. I know across my trek in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca, where we had comfortable cabins the entire time, I’d still realized I didn’t pack properly. Here are a few items I wish I had with me, and would definitely consider taking on a future similar adventure.
Bon Dry
Sometimes the hydration pack never seems to be completely clean or dry. We all know that is what starts the mold process too. But now it can get completely dry with Bon Dry by Fossil Outdoor. This sustainably sourced plant product is the perfect addition to dry your hydration bladder process. So after usage then cleaning use the Bon Dry to ensure the hydration pack is completely dry before your next adventure.
My thoughts, can it work with more than a hydration pack? Why not? Perhaps it can be a substitute for those stuffed newspapers when needing to dry your hiking boots overnight. Thankfully it is washable so the product can be cleaned, so why not? If I had one, I would have used it in my rain soaked boots after our 10 kilometer hike. But no need to mix and match – you can order more than one as they retail about $25.
Duration Health Kit
Really want to be covered when heading out on a longer sabbatical type adventure to a remote destination? Duration Health can be a perfect fit for your adventure.
Personally, I recall taking a prescription Ciprofloxacin and (antibiotic) and also some pain killers (kidney stones) with my on my travel sabbatical adventure and I still pack some meds such as Ivermectin on today’s journeys. But Duration Health provides different packs based on your needs from destination focused travel such as Africa or Europe, to others based on your adventure such as camping or high altitude or even age and also sex (female specific packs). I’m sure it could have benefited a few of my travel partners in the Sierra Norte who could not handle the altitude.
The kit costs $100s but does includes a virtual consultation along with ongoing support for a year along with the eventual prescription drugs sent straight to your door. Often used as “in case something happens” these kits can ease our minds (or the minds of the parent) and truly can be a life saver when you find yourself in a distant foreign land and there is no doctor.
One warning, don’t let such a kit block out the opportunity to utilize and learn about local plant and herbal medicine from your destinations. Sometimes the locals do know best.
Dry See
Hiking outdoors puts you in the elements while pushing yourself across the rugged terrain means you will want to take a first aid kit – health kit. And another item you’ll want to add if you are in a wet environment is a Dry See bandage.
This clear see through bandage seals against the skin to provide a clear (see through) view of the wound and keeps it dry, safe from the water. The bandage even changes colors to let you know it is time to change up too.
These are not normal band-aids nor are the y priced that way. A package of 6 (2×2) will cost you $20, so there is always the balance between do I need to use the Dry See or not? That’s for you to determine, but use them when necessary and when you want to get wet too.
SolLight Design
Electricity isn’t always available in remote places, so having a light powered by solar power can prove extremely useful at times when hiking and camping. Need light inside a tent or even inside a cozy cabin if the power fails in a remote place (or you choose to conserve) Solight Design has a perfect, reasonable priced product to fit the need.
These Solight products harness the power of our sun (solar power) to create a suiteable light fixture for the evening needs. Its highly durable design allows it to handle extreme weather and also float and since it can easily pack flat, it remains a useful items. This items doesn’t take up space or weigh a ton either. Win-win.
This stylish simple square box is the popular product, but the company offers unique designs based on origami art. Award winning and recognizable, the company delivers to product quality working products and continues its crusade to create a better planet through sustainability and giving back and helping those in need too. I plan to take one on every trip I take going forward.
Final Thoughts
Here are four products I wish I had on my recent hiking adventure in Mexico. Consider adding them to everything you need for the best camping experience if a summer outdoor adventures will be in remote, isolate hiking or trekking destinations.
Stay adventurous, Craig
Disclaimer: I was contacted and received these four items (and others) to review and comment for my readership. I researched, tested and used these items and uniquely crafted my words and opinions about them in this post.
