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
Having received a Blender Bottle GoStak to test some months ago, we’ve been trying to figure out uses for it while backpacking. As hard as we tried, we just couldn’t find a use for them in our very weight-conscious backpacks. It’s just hard to beat a lightweight inexpensive zip closure plastic bag. However, not all …
John trail-tests the Columbia Omni-Freeze Zero T-shirt after being introduced to the new fabric by a Columbia rep at the grand opening of REI Jacksonville.
This question keeps popping up: what are the best hiking boots? John explains how, through trial by trail, he figured out what works for him. His advice? Keep trying.
After finishing a bike ride, I tried one of the Clif Bar new flavors: Sierra Trail Mix with peanuts/chocolate/raisins. They’d sent a box of bars for us to try out and share the results with you. It was really good! It tastes more like a home made soft cookie than an energy bar. I have …
For a couple of backpackers that want to share a sleeping bag, the Big Agnes Cabin Creek turns out to be an economical but bulky solution.
If it’s tick season, or if it’s going to be wet and muddy, we break out our Dirty Girl Gaiters. Here’s why we don’t leave home with this piece of gear.
After months of using my Dorcy headlamp as just an everyday flashlight, the opportunity finally came to give it a real test. I headed off on the Florida Trail with the Dorcy 41-2093 as my do-everything light. Winter is the best time to hike in Florida. Cooler, and often with less bugs. But with winter …
Before we left for the AT, I gave John a few pieces of gear to test for us, which were sent along for my inspection by the manufacturer. Here’s one that we used while backpacking in Florida but it didn’t make the cut for our AT hike – we stuck with headlamps instead. For our …
Impressed with trials of 45N68W, a non-DEET, natural repellant that’s been well worth testing in Florida’s buggy conditions to keep flying insects, especially mosquitoes, at bay.
After trying an array of camp stoves over the years, from Whisperlite to Zip and Esbit, I found the Jetboil. Now I feel comfortable cooking in the woods again.
Smartshield sticks to you, which is essential when you’re hiking in Florida and sweating often. We’re impressed with its longevity after application.
