Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides
Reviews and recommendations on outdoor gear appropriate for Florida and where to find it
John’s first backpack is now a museum piece. Sandy went through a parade of packs before settling on an Zpacks Arc Blast. Here’s what we carry and why.
Our detailed recommendations and reviews of the best hiking and backpacking gear for your thru-hike or section hike of the Florida Trail based on our own successful use of certain tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, and more.
Lavender package. Tasty jerky. No hormones, no added sugar, paleo friendly. Date & rosemary chicken jerky from The New Primal turned out to be delicious
Offroad riding means a lot of bounce, especially on a washboarded limerock road like KICCO Grade. Adding trekking bars to John’s mountain bike made all the difference.
A botanically-based natural mosquito repellent that doesn’t touch your skin, Aringel offers a different way to protect yourself against flying insects in Florida.
A field trip, Florida Hikes style, to a lightweight backpacking gear manufacturer creating great products – and jobs – on Florida’s Space Coast.
Hydrapak has served us well as an extremely compact day pack and hydration for both hiking and bicycle rides. Whenever one of us wants to “go light,” we pull the Hydrapak from our wall of packs and go.
Kodiak Cakes Oatmeal Unleashed has a crunchy texture and a nice mix of spices, flax seed, dried fruit, and nuts, making it filling, with 10 grams of protein.
A fan of lightweight backpacking tents (not tarps) since they first became available, my favorites are those produced by Lightheart Gear. We have two. Here’s why
Can you go lightweight on your feet when hiking? John explains his trial and error with lightweight options and preferences for when to wear lightweight shoes and sandals
My primary boot for backpacking in Florida is the Keen Targhee II hiking boot. They are waterproof – which means they’re good anywhere but in a deep swamp – and provide excellent ankle support. They look sharp enough for a wedding, too.
In Florida, you need to worry about your feet getting wet when you hike. Often. My Merrell Moab Ventilator mid hiking boots are my go-to pair for whenever we are headed out on day hikes.
