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Here at Durango Outdoor Exchange we see just about everything outdoors and even some items not made for the outdoors! In this post we want to highlight some of those not-traditionally outdoorsy items that we have come to consider integral to any outing.
Zip ties: Did you know that you can fix anything with enough zip ties? Well, maybe not anything but you sure can fix a lot. We carry these things just about everywhere for in field fixes from bike repairs to zipper pulls.
Crocs: These legendary and wildly stylish shoes just so happen to be great for camping and backpacking. Crocs are comfy, light weight and can get wet which makes them a very practical camp shoe. You can wear them casually, with the strap pulled forward, or in “adventure mode” with the strap secured behind your heel for a quick jaunt near camp.
New Skin: If you haven’t seen or heard of New Skin before, it's a hard drying liquid bandage ideal for sealing off hard to cover cuts. It essentially acts as an antiseptic super glue and we swear by it. As many people who regularly travel outdoors know, it’s a good idea to bring a first aid kit on any outing and this little vial of liquid gold should be the first addition to any basic first aid kit. We love it so much we carry it at the shop for$5.99.
Glitter: We don’t feel like we need to say much about this one. Packs small, is lightweight and dramatically increases morale in all outdoor settings. Of course, we encourage everyone to splurge on biodegradable glitter to avoid putting micro plastics in our natural spaces. It should be noted that tutu’s and other costumes have a similar effect to glitter when it comes to boosting morale but glitter wins as far as “packability” is concerned.
When spending one night (or many) in the backcountry, a warm dinner at night and hot beverage in the morning can make the difference. That invariably involves using a stove of some sort–but which one?
Stove technology has been around for decades, but new tech is making them lighter, more efficient, and more dependable than ever before. Here’s a rundown of the different kinds of backpacking stoves:
If you are camping in bear country, or in any place where food storage is a concern, you should strongly consider using a bear canister–a storage system that is built to keep bears out of your food. And in some places, particularly parks in California, Montana, Colorado, and Washington,backcountry campers are required to have and use bear canisters.
While you may get lucky by hanging your food in a sack from a tree, this is not permitted in many areas and virtually impractical in many alpine anddesert backpacking zones. Bear canisters are the preferred method for storing food and other smelly items, but there are many kinds to be aware of. Let’s look at them in more detail.
For many hikers, summiting one of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks is a lifetime achievement. Others make it their entire personality, working for years and even decades to climb all of them. Some make a goal of climbing them all in a single season while others try to ski them all.
The problem with climbing 14ers for many people is that they are difficult–and we’re not just talking about the thin air. Of the 58 in Colorado, about one-third entrail considerable exposure and require skilled route-finding and ascent/descent skills. About half have either moderate or considerable challenges. Just eight are considered “easy.”
Hikers looking to summit a 14er near Durango will find four that rank generally as easy or the easy end of moderate. They are all in the same two canyons and can be climbed by someone with decent fitness, good shoes, and a penchant for waking up early. The roads to access all these peaks are part of the Alpine Loop and can be driven from Silverton in a four-wheel drive such as a Tacoma, but are generally not in all-wheel drives like Subarus.
Ready? Here goes!