There are times when a medical kit is recommended and there are times where a medical kit is required.  I recently ran the Gore-Tex Trans Rockies Run which is a 6 day stage race through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.  For the race, it was required that runners carry a few things, one of them being a small medical kit.  The reason for this is because we were averaging 20 miles of trail running a day and we had many steep ascents and descents to overcome.

Since trail running can be a dangerous sport, I found it appropriate for runners to carry a medical kit.  On every stage of the run, there were people that had fallen and received big and small cuts and bruises. Another common injury was blisters on the feet, something that can be detrimental for a runner since they are on their feet for a long time.

When I found out I needed a medical kit, I knew that I liked my old ultra light medical kit by AMK and that a smaller version would be appropriate for the run.  That said, I had a .5 medical kit shipped to me for my race.  I used the .5 because it didn’t take up too much room in my compact running pack, but it had most of the supplies I would need if something were to happen on my run.  Luckily for me, I didn’t have any falls and I was able to escape with no blisters.  I was definitely in the minority. One of the features I like with Adventure Medical Kits  Ultralight med kits is that the casing is super light and flexible.  This way, I could shove it in my running pack without taking a lot of room or adding a lot of weight.

The .5 medical kit is meant for a one or two day excursion for 1 or 2 people.  That said, I would not recommend using this for an extended trip unless you are able to restock on supplies along the way if needed.  This is ideal for longer trail runs, hikes, and overnight backpacking trips.  The kit includes; bandages, molskin, tweezers, products used to clean a wound, and a few common medications such as aspirin and Ibuprofen.

And while I didn’t have to use this medical kit on my journey, I was glad to have the peace of mind in case something did happen.  For more information on the ultralight medical kits and other med kits by Adventure Medical Kits, please visit AdventureMedicalKits.com

For starters, the Under Armour-Thermos water bottle is fairly big.  It holds 24 oz. and since it is a double walled water bottle, it adds a little bulk for insulation.  While testing this bottle, I wanted to see if it would keep my drinks cold over an extended period of time.  After using the bottle in 90 degree temperatures, I found the bottle to perform well over extended periods of time.  For warm summer temperatures, I really like to have my liquids cold for both around town and for sports.  The part that I liked best about the bottle is the cap.  This bottle is truly a one handed bottle that is easy to open and close with one hand. This isn’t always a big deal, but while driving in traffic, having a bottle that you can use with one hand is nice. Another feature that often gets overlooked, but is super important is whether the bottle leaks or not.  Over the month and a half of testing, I am happy to report back that I found NO leaking.

In the end, I thought this bottle was a little bulky, but it did a great job at keeping my water and liquids cold and is super easy to drink out of.  These water bottles can be purchased at Sports Authority, Dicks, Thermos.com, and UnderArmour.com.

I admit it. Even though I have a full head of hair without a scrap of male pattern baldness (knock on wood), nostalgia takes over every summer and I shave my head. Okay, not completely shaved – more like buzzed. Really short. The smell of fresh cut grass, the sound of baseball games at Coors Field, and sunsets over the mountains just gets me in that summer frame of mind. Why does that make me shave my head, you ask? Because every summer when it got hot, Dad hauled all three of us boys inside, got the clippers out, and gave us a nice crew cut. We stayed cool, and he saved money on haircuts. It was a win win. Yes, I know I have the choice now, but I just can’t resist it. I like it buzzed, my wife likes it buzzed, and my friends… well, they’re more or less used to me just popping up bald. There’s just one problem, however – that stupid, itchy, red, painful, peeling sunburn that develops right on the top of my noggin, every summer – just like clockwork. Or Incan sun dials.

Thankfully, I’m not the only one – the people at Axe have come up with a solution. And believe me, it’s not just a half-a$$ solution, like the summer I walked around smelling like banana boat in order to avoid the pain. It’s not only sunscreen, but hair product as well; this is nice, ’cause I not only smelled like banana boat all summer, I looked like I styled with Crest brand toothpaste. Axe’s people may have stopped here, because this alone would have been awesome. But true to their sweet commercial phrase, they also made it smell so good I have to pry the women off with a stick. Seriously.

Okay, okay. I don’t even have to pry my wife off with a stick, and she’s supposed to think I’m hot. Or at least put up with me. But she did acknowledge I smelled really good. So we passed test number one – the wife smell test. Axe thought of everything. As for test number two (in which I put it on first thing in the morning, and wore it all day) it seemed to pass this as well. The typical pinkish hue I’d develop from a normal day of walking around in and out of doors was non-existent. So it actually works as sunscreen. I then decided to put it through some rigorous AGR tests – you know, trail running and the like. After I worked up a good sweat by outrunning a few cougars (pun COMPLETELY intended), I cautiously wiped the sweat off of my brow, expecting a sticky mess. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find only sweat. So all tests passed with flying colors.

So there are a few slight drawbacks. One, it’s only SPF 15. I did manage to get burned one day in just over an hour (hey, it’s Colorado – what do you expect). Two, while it’s nice for a buzz cut, keep the hair short. Any length of hair over a buzz and it tends to stick in the hair and not hit the scalp. Three – don’t expect to be a chick magnet. You’re still going to be hopeless with women. Other than that, thumbs up Axe. At $6.99, it’s well worth it. Skip checking it out online, just go buy it – and never get a head sunburn again.

I’ve tested out the towelette form of the product line and found it to be pretty convenient.  The towelettes come in a package of two, which is sure to cover almost any body size.  The package is nice because you can easily stash them in a backpack without taking up a lot of room.  It’s also nice because you don’t have to worry about the package leaking which sometimes happen with bug spray bottles.  The smell of BugBand towelettes isn’t the most appealing.  It doesn’t smell like your standard bug spray, but it has its own unique stinky smell.  This is something that you get used to pretty quick and when in the great outdoors, it’s not something that is too bothersome.  Something that is a little different from spray insect repellent is that you can store the towelette in its package after use and reuse it as long as it has some moisture.  If it dries up, you can also add a little water to it to get more life out of the towelette.

BugBand is base out of Cartersville, Georgia, ie. the south, bug heaven!  You figure that people making a bug repellent in the South have to get it right since it’s so important to protect yourself from bugs in that region of the U.S.  The BugBand Towelettes can be used for camping, fishing, hiking, golfing, hunting, and any other activity where those pesky little creatures might be found.  For more information on where you can buy BugBand products, please visitBugBand.net

Like most people, I get a sweet tooth from time to time, but knowing that so many cookies primarily consist of butter and sugar, I sometimes stay away. After taking a look at the Erin Baker’s cookies ingredients, I was happy to see that I could satisfy my sweet tooth and not put a bunch of junk ingredients into my body.  Now I won’t lie, I do like butter and sugar as much as the next person, but when I can find an alternative that taste just as good or better, I am all for it.

One of the cookies that I found to be super tasty is the Double Chocolate Chunk Breakfast Cookie.  And while it does have Chocolate in the cookie, it also has a number of healthy ingredients that won’t weigh you down.  This is the ingredient list for the Double Chocolate Chunk Breakfast Cookie.

Whole Grain Oats, Unbleached Wheat Flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Prune Puree, Evaporated Cane Juice, Water, Chocolate Chunks (sugar, chocolate liquor, anhydrous dextrose, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), Brown Rice Syrup, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder, Chicory Extract, Molasses, Baking Soda, Vanilla Extract, Sea Salt, Soy Lecithin, Dried Egg Whites, Aluminum-Free Baking Powder, Cinnamon.

The Breakfast Cookies as well as many of the other products by Erin Baker’s are individually packed, so they work out great for throwing a snack in your pack or pocket while hiking, camping, cycling, running, etc.  Aside from being a great snack for outdoor activities, I also like the fact that Erin Baker’s seems to be pretty in tune with the athletic and outdoor industry.  For example, Erin Baker’s has partnered with the world famous Ironman race series and they also have their own triathlon team.  And while sponsoring particular races and having a triathlon team are not completely unique, it does show their support for the active community.

So the next time you are at the grocery store and looking to grab a snack for your next activity, I suggest you give into your sweet tooth and give Erin Baker’s a try!  For more information on Erin Baker’s cookies and other products they make, please visit BBCookies.com

A first aid kit is a great place to start when you are thinking safety.  Depending on your activity and the risk involved, there are different first aid kits that you might want to look at.  Coleman has recently come out with a line of first aid kits that cater to someone going out for a day hike, a person or two headed out for a weekend trip, and a group first aid kit to help take care of 5-10 people.  Now a first aid kit is not going to save your life or apply to all situations and injuries, but the products included in many first aid kits, including the Coleman series first aid kits will have some of the necessities for common injuries.  Some of the items included in the Coleman first aid kits include; different size Band-Aids for cuts and scrapes, antiseptic towelettes to clean out wounds, Antibiotic ointment to help the wound heal, Ibuprofen and cold packs to reduce the swelling and inflammation, tweezers to pick out objects in your skin, scissors, safety pins and a number of other things to help in case of an emergency.

As you might imagine, the smaller and less expensive first aid kits will have less product included, so keep that in mind when you are shopping.  Out of the 3 first aid kits that Coleman sells, I personally like the weekender best.  I find that it has the essentials that I would want in a first aid kit and a little bit more.  The Day Tripper has the essentials, but I like the addition of a cold pack and tape among other items in the larger kits.  I also found the Day Tripper to be a little bigger than it needed to be.  You can pretty much fit the pieces included in a kit half the size.  The group sized first aid kit has pretty much anything you would need with additional internal organization.  It also carries more products for larger groups.

Among a first aid kit, I always bring a few other items with me while hiking and camping.  While you never think it will happen to you, you should always bring along at least the bare necessities in case you get stuck overnight; especially if it is not a well traveled trail.  Items that I like to take along include; a headlamp, small windbreaker in warmer seasons and something with insulation in colder seasons, extra water or liquids, and 2-3 extra energy bars depending on the length of the adventure.  These items should at least help get you through a night or two.  So next time you are headed out for your next adventure be sure that you aren’t just prepared for the adventure, but also for the unforeseen.  For more information on Coleman First Aid Kits, please visit Coleman.com

While chaffage is not an exciting topic to talk or write about, it is something that many runners, cyclist,triathletes, and outdoor enthusiast encounter at one point or another. Chaffage if you are unaware is caused by skin rubbing together or skin rubbing fabric which often causes a rash and/or the to skin break.  This can become very painful during your activity and sometimes up to weeks after.

I am currently training for the Seattle Rock & Roll marathon and sometimes on my long runs, the skin on my legs tend to chafe.  This also happens when I wear particular shorts.  To help prevent chaffing, I have recently started to use a couple products by Skin Strong.  The two products in specific are Skin Strong Slather and Slik.  The Skin Strong Slather is a cream that you apply to area’s prone to chaffage and the Slik is in liquid form and you can spray it on the chaffage prone area’s.  My personal favorite is the Skin Strong Slik because it is easier to apply and drys a little faster than the cream.

Over the past month, I have found the Skin Strong products to be extremely effective in preventing chaffage while running.  It has definitely made my long runs more enjoyable. Outside of Skin Strong products performing the way they say they do, I also really like the smell of the product line.  This so-called smell is the smell of tee tree oil;  I personally enjoy the smell of tee tree oil.  So if you suffer from Chaffage and are looking for a cure, I would highly suggest taking a look at Skin Strong.  For more information, please visit SkinStrong.com

As far as taste goes, we really liked the Grizzly Bear Bar, it seemed to have the perfect blend of chocolate, raisins, rolled oats, peanut butter, and all other sorts of tastey ingredients.  Now all these ingrediants combine to make a super tasty bar, but you have to be careful that you don’t eat too many of these in one sitting.  The nutrition elements of this bar can scare some people off because there is 16 grams of fat in one bar.  This is pretty high, but those fats do include a lot of good fats, so we haven’t worried too much.  As far as calories goes, the original Tram Bar has 360 calories.  Wow I say!  But… if you are out for a long day of hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, etc, it’s important to replace those lost calories to keep your energy levels up.

Today, Tram Bars can be found in a number of retail stores in a lot of outdoorsy cities and states and is growing it’s distribution every day.

Nutritional Info & Ingredients

Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Tropical Blossom Honey, Organic Peanut Butter, Milk Chocolate, Rice Nuggets, Organic Dried Apricots, Organic Raisins, Organic Dried Bananas, Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Sesame Seeds, Sea Salt

Shelf Life: 2.5 months, 6 months if refrigerated

MSRP:
Tram Bars and Grizzly Bars: $2.99
Caz.Bar: $2.29

http://www.trambars.com

Water bottles are all the craze these days.  Each and every company puts a different spin on delivering water to you via the following features: BPA free, stainless steel, extra cool, seal proof lid, carbonation safe, and the list goes on and on.  Clean Bottle puts an entirely different spin to your typical bike bottle by touting that they are 100% leak proof despite having your typical screw off top, while also having a screw off bottom.  The screw off bottom is designed to allow you to truly clean every nook and cranny of the water bottle, thus eliminating the nasty gunk that tends to build up in plastic bottles.

We are all about trying new things and were excited to see how a bottle with two points for potential leaking would perform over time.  After 2-3 months of serious use on the bike, in a backpack on a hike, or simply around town, we have yet to have any top or bottom leaking.  I like to use various powder mixes for energy or recovery drinks and have found the Clean Bottle a great go to bottle because I know that once I am done with my orange flavored beverage, I can throw the bottle in the dishwasher and don’t have to wait for the bottle to lose that orange taste in the next couple of days, which I normally do with my old plain plastic bottles.  The top, bottom, and body of the bottle are top rack dishwasher safe and I have yet to encounter any melting or loss of seal.

Clean Bottle is made of a stiffer plastic which may be great for the longevity of the bottle, but it also makes drinking from the bottle a tad harder.  To get the flow of fluid going you have to put a little more squeeze into it with your hand.  This wasn’t a major deal breaker for us, but at the end of a super long ride I may beg to differ.  The Clean Bottle is also a tad smaller, holding 22 ounces and not your typical 24 ounces.  Once again, not a deal breaker.  The bottle fits easily into every backpack side stash we tried and all the bike cages we have on our bikes as well.

As a bonus, Clean Bottle donates 10% of their profits to cycling and eco friendly organizations, which is pretty cool.  With an MSRP of 9.95 and a special deal if you buy 4, Clean Bottle may be a nice change from the freebie water bottles we all have from various races!

We first tried out the cookies as we wanted to try them at home before we got out on the trail and started experimenting.  I think this is a good idea because you don’t want to go out for a long day hike and find out that the bars or food you bought lacks in taste or doesn’t offer the energy you are looking for.  I am typically not a big chocolate eater, but the double chocolate cookies rocked.  These cookies are made from whole ingredients, so no crazy ingredients you can’t pronounce or read.  If you’re not a chocolate eater, I suggest trying the fruit and nut cookies.  These were also super tasty.  The one complaint that we did have with both cookies is that they were a little fragile, so if you had them in a pack all day long, they might end up being crumbles by the end of the day.  Still edible, but not in whole form as we prefer.

We also had the chance to try out a few packages of Bear Naked’s trail mix.  This stuff was super good!  Our favorite was the Chocolate Cherry Trail Mix as it gives you a nice mix between sweet and sour.  The other mixes include Pecan Apple Flax and Cranberry Protein.  These were also super tasty.  If we had one suggestion, it would be to offer a larger sized portion bag.  The bag sizes were good for one person on a longer day hike or backpacking trip.  For a day hike, there is enough for two people.

For the green and sustainable practicing people out there, Bear Naked has a cool recycling program where you can send in your empty packages and get points towards reusable grocery bags and t-shirts.  Or if you prefer, you can apply those points towards a donation to a school of your choice.  For more info on Bear Naked’s sustainable practices, click here.

Our take, we prefer to eat whole ingredients than manmade ingredients and Bear Naked has offered a good alternative to your average cookie and trail mix.  They are also offering a lot of great promotions, so be sure to check out their website and social media websites.