Hey @itdawson! One of my favorite more fun than challenging areas is the area around Carr-Feeley Lakes. You do need a 4x4 vehicle to get to the trailhead (or be willing to add 3 uphill miles to your trek). You can stay right at the trailhead and do day hikes or pack in a few miles and set up shop near one of the many lakes along the reasonably-flat-for-the-Sierra trail. I've done the trek with kiddos before and it is lovely! https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/tahoe/recarea/?recid=55594 Happy trails! Rachel ... View more

Hey there @katieedwards! How exciting that you're getting into kayak camping! If you love kayaking and camping separately, just wait for the magic of doing them all in one! Where are you thinking of paddling for your first trip? Since you have the kayak set-up and you've got the backpacking set-up, then the first thing you need is the right mix of dry bags to get your gear into your kayak! It's a mix of your kayak and personal preference when it comes to dry bag sizing, but I find that I like several smaller (30L or less) bags that are really easy to get in and out of hatches. If you're a checklist kind of person, check out this REI Expert Advice article for a full kayak camping packing list!  Depending on where and how you currently paddle, you may not have a water safety kit yet. You'll need differen t things if you're on a river, lake, or ocean, but things like a safety whistle  and a more robust first aid kit in a waterproof case  are must haves for any body of water. For river trip, I also really like my waterproof map case.  Now the other best thing about kayak camping compared to backpacking is no weight limits - so start dreaming! What are the things you've always wanted in the back country, cause now you get them! I always pack my hammock and UL chair, plus fun campsite lighting. Unless you've got long portages, bring all your campy creature comforts!  What about you @Sweet-Tater? Do you have any favorite must packs? Happy paddling, Rachel ... View more

Hey Derek! That sounds like an incredible trip! A wilderness experience of any type can be impactful, but I do think there is nothing like paddling to an island and camping on it. This will be the trip of a lifetime for many of these young people, thank YOU for making it happen! Some of my most powerful memories of the outdoors are ones from trips like yours. I hope this turns out to be as meaning for you as it is for your young people! Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help you plan and prepare! Happy paddling, Rachel     ... View more

Hahaha! I am all about the jungle juice! I make myself a mean anti-skeeter cocktail with deet, picaridin, permetherin, and heck I'll take the natural stuff too! And that's good to know! I'm from Michigan originally, so I'm sure the flies aren't as bad as the black flies of the UP. Thanks Mike! See you on the trail - from 6 ft away! Rachel   ... View more

Totally agree @mpust! Emigrant is one of the easiest and prettiest Sierra wildernesses to isolate! I've only ever spent time up there during the buggiest parts of the year, hence the head net in the pic below. When is the best time of year in your opinion? For bugs or otherwise!   I haven't lived in CA all that long, but it was the first of the wildernesses on my list to check out and one of my favorite to go back to! I totally agree!!! Hopefully this latest storm melts off soon! Happy trails, Rachel ... View more

Hey there @D-Rock43! I am so jealous! Canoe trips are by far my favorite overnight trips. Where are you headed to? I used to lead canoe trips for teens in northern Michigan years ago, and this was my breakdown for how I would have the kiddos pack their gear. Each person got a 50L dry bag for their clothing, sleeping bag, and personal items. For kids with smaller sleeping pads, those went into their personal bags too. I always brought along my car camping pad, cause treat yourself, which needed a larger dry bag to fit. For most kids this was their first backcountry trip, so I let them over pack. You could go into a 35L bag for a more pack-conscious crew.  Then we did shared gear (tents and cook gear) in our largest bags.  I have a portaging pack, like this NRS 65L one, well worth it for portage heavy trips, but not worth it for most trips. For the most part you can use something like this one for lighter duty or this one for heavier duty. We were in 4-person backpacking tents, so we used 8 people as the groupings for shared gear. We needed two 65L bags for 8 people, one dry bag held 2 tents and cook gear and the other dry bag held all meals and any snacks for planned stops. For on the water snacks, each person kept a small non-waterproof bag with them that held snacks, water bottle, and sunscreen.  I also used a mesh rig bag for the whole group (this guy in XL), which I bring for things that can get wet: an extra PFD, water bottles, and my first aid kit/emergency supplies, which I stored in a Pelican hard-sided case. This covered most everything for how we were able to pack our gear. It will depend a lot on what gear you have how many bags you will need, but hopefully this gives you a starting point! Let me know if you have any more questions!!! Happy paddling! Rachel   ... View more

Hey there @heyaudra! First of all, good life choice. I am in love with my MSR Lightening Ascents! The 22" snowshoe should be totally good for you. MSR recommends the 22" for up to 180lbs, and if you add tails, you get up to 250lbs. For most applications, that would be the perfect size! The only reason you would consider going up to the 25" is if you live in an area where a TON of powder can drop all at once (think multiple feet) and you are adventurous enough to get out and play in that fresh pow! Or if you plan to winter backpack with an over 40lb pack.  Happy Trails! Rachel ... View more

Hey there @REI-MichelleW ! Spring in Michigan is the best. No wait all the time in Michigan is the best! Oh how I miss it! Here are my favorite water-based camping spots, organized by type of body of water! Lake Michigan: A quick google search and you will easily find the most popular campgrounds along this coast, but I like Orchard Beach SP for a less crowded experience (though weekends will still be packed). You are also close to the Manistee River, which is high on my list of favorites in Michigan! Multi-day River Trip: AuSable River - any of the Huron-Manistee National Forest AuSable River sites are great for more rustic camping, you can day paddle if you camp on one of the ponds. I'm a big fan of the campsite on the island (I thinks it's #84...). For more family friendly and traditional camping, check out Alcona Park.  Lake Superior: Whitefish Bay! Camp at Bay View Campground and from here you can get to Tahquamenon or St. Sault Marie easily and all the sites are right on the water. You literally are camping on a beach, we launched out canoe right from our site, it's about 5 miles to a little baby island you can picnic on. This is possibly my favorite drive-in campground in all of Michigan! Lake Huron: The sunrise side is always beautiful and less crowded than it's western counterpart (check out East Tawas for amazing sunrises), but Port Crescent State Park is the best for paddling! You can head out to some really cool rock formations out of Port Austin and depending on how you drive home, you can check out some cool hieroglyphs on your way! In-land Lakes: Everyone has their own favorite. Pick any of our lakes and you will love it for paddling. I'll let other folks chime in on theirs. Higgins Lake has always held a special place in my heart. And though on any of the larger lakes you will have to deal with speed boat wake, the Southern Campground has Marl Lake you can paddle in as well.  Happy trails! Rachel ... View more

Hey @mallen! Both options are great packs, and @OldGuyot added in the Flash, also a solid option in this category. He also brought up the key point when it comes to comfort in an ultralight pack and that is base weight. I don't own the Arc Haul, but a regular customer of mine (and now triple crowner! woohoo!) does and I fitted him for it in store. He found that he had to reduce his base weight to sub-10lbs so that he would be comfortable in his pack with water, food, and fuel. It brought his total weight to around 15lbs.  The Paragon and Flash will have more padding and will be able to carry a heavier load more comfortably. But you will absolute sacrifice on the weight of the pack itself. I have the Flash 45 for women and I found that I can even carry my winter backpacking loads comfortably, which can get up to a 35lb pack weight depending on how long we are going out for. My pack weight in the summers is about 20lbs, base weight is around 15lbs. I personally found that I like my creature comforts too much to sacrifice for getting to that ultralight base weight, which is what ended me in a Flash instead. This is only a sort of broadly used term, but in my head the Arc Haul versus Paragon is the difference between ultralight backpacking and superlight backpacking. Superlight being lighter than traditional backpacking styles, but not as drastic in its weight cuts as ultralight. (Again, not broadly used term - yet, I'm gonna make this a thing! - but you will see the differentiation in certain tents in particular.) Mostly this will come down to a decision around how low are you willing to go in your pack weight.  Hope this helps!  Happy Trails, Rachel ... View more

This is such a fun question @Marshgarsh! Everyone else already mentioned the big top 5s, so beyond my favorite tent, bag, pad, boots, pack, here are my top 5 that I swear by! 1. Small sewing kit with tenacious tape: I have one of those super tiny (3.5"x1.5"x.5", .45oz) sewing kits inside a little plastic hard case that has a bit of string, a few needs and buttons, and a tiny pair of scissors that I added a bit of tenacious tape (I call it duct tape's better half). It has saved so many pieces of gear that have failed on short and long trips! 2. Luci Pro Lux lantern with mobile charging: I consider this a weight splurge, but I really like having the soft glow of my lantern when I'm cooking after a long day. It's especially great for snow camping winter trips when the sun sets so early. And for longer trips it can serve as my charger for my phone, which I only use as my camera, but still needs it.  3. Sea to Summit pocket hand wash: Another little luxury! This biodegradable soap is in little leaves (think like the old Listerine strips), so it packs down small and doesn't leak in anyway. You get 50 leaves in .5oz, so plenty of uses for minimal weight. And it makes it much easier to follow LNT and get yourself a bit cleaner on the trail! 4. Down booties!!! This is really just for shoulder season and snow camping trips, but I love love LOVE my down booties. I've got an old pair from when REI used to make them and they barely weigh anything, but are so much warmer than a pair of heavy mountaineering socks. And you can wear them on the snow and then right into your sleeping bag. True love is down booties. 5. Titanium chopsticks: another reasonably frivolous thing, but high on my list of favorites. I often times still bring my titanium long spoon, but I just love these for cooking, stirring coffee packets and dehydrated meals, and eating all of my Good to Go Yellow Curry (another favorite, serve it over a pack of ramen and you've got a luxury meal for two).  Thanks for posting this thread! This was a fun one to get me excited for my next trip! Happy Trails! Rachel ... View more