Hiking Backpacking Camping Biking Van Life & Adventures

Family cross country ski day at Tamarack Cross Country Ski Center 📍 Mammoth Lakes, California

DIY backpacking cup cozy The mugs we have for backpacking are single-walled. They are great for boiling water in camp, but they aren't so great at keeping drinks hot, especially in the winter. We had some leftover reflectix so we decided to make our own camp mug cozy and it was easy and inexpensive. It works like a charm!

My heart is full finally getting to see Yosemite Valley from Dewey Point. We just finished an overnight backpacking trip out to this lookout, and it was so serene and peaceful. The 7.5 mile trek can be completed as a day trip, but having the opportunity to see sunrise and sunset from the point was magical. #yosemite #deweypoint #yosemitevalley #snowshoeyosemite

Embarking on my first backpacking trip without kids in over 4 years stirs a range of emotions. It was blend of anticipation, guilt, freedom, rediscovery, and longing. The trip turned out to be an incredible experience, and I am grateful for it. I can't wait to take the kids on the same trail someday. The kids were disappointed to miss out on this big trip, so I set out to find a creative way to share it with them when I returned. I packed a stuffed animal to photograph along the way, having it experience different aspects of the adventure. When I reunited with them I shared the adventure Mickey and I went on and they loved it! Have you found any fun ways to share your trips with kids when you return?

The gondola is not just a ride up for another run, it's been an exciting adventure for our young kids. This video was the first ride our kids ever took in a gondola. The pure joy and excitement as they floated up the mountain is one of our favorite winter memories.

Taking our kids snorkeling for the first time was a highlight of our trip to Hawaii 🐢 We picked one big adventure on our trip and everyone voted for a catamaran snorkel tour to Turtle Canyon along the Waikiki coast. It was the perfect mix of snorkeling and touring the coast, and the kids loved it! Marti saw several large sea turtles snorkeling, and while Luke wasn't quite ready to pop on a mask, he loved swimming and sitting on the trampoline nets up front while we cruised the coast. If you are headed to Oahu there are lots of companies offering tours. We picked one that left mid-morning, which was lovely. Turtle Canyon is open ocean snorkeling so it helped that both of our kids are very comfortable in the water. Even though Luke didn't want to snorkel, he came along with us and just swam around. We saw turtles even from the boat so he got to enjoy them too! If you don't want to get in to swim, we think the boat ride was still absolutely beautiful and relaxing. 🎥 : @insta360 X3

Dirty down is cold down ❄️ Washing down gear with the proper detergent can help revitalize the water repellency and insulating properties so the gear keeps you cozy. 🔥 Tips 🧼Use a gentle detergent that's made for washing down. We use Nikwax down wash direct. 🧼 Front-loading washing machine only (top loaders run the risk of damaging the gear with the agitator. We've successfully used a mesh bag with an agitator but it's risky) 🧼 Wash 2 items at a time 🧼Tumble drying with low heat is recommended over air drying to ensure that the down is dried thoroughly and as quickly as possible. Leaving down wet or damp can compromise the loft of the down. The down will also clumps if it's not tumble dried with dryer balls. #gearmaintenance #washingdown #downcoat #downpuffer #backpackinggear #skigear how to wash a down coat, how to wash a down jacket

3 scenic places to visit near Mammoth Lakes, CA ☑️Save this post for your next trip 🏔️ All of these locations are kid-friendly. Little Lakes Valley starts at nearly 10,000 feet so be mindful of altitude sickness. 🏔️ The town of Mammoth Lakes is a great base camp for these adventures. There's lots of great restaurants and places to stay or camp. 🚮Practice leave no trace. Pack out trash and avoid overfilling trash cans at the trailhead. We packed out our trash to throw away back at our lodging instead. @visitmammoth #visitmammoth #therealunreal

The Thule Chariot Cross double is probably our favorite and most versatile piece of gear. It takes the place of 5 different items that we used to have. It's a bike trailer, stroller, running stroller, beach cart, and ski pulk in one. Helpful info to know if you are considering one: 🚪 It fits through doors easily since it's the same width as a wheelchair. It's much narrower than most double strollers but it's still roomy for two kids. 🛞 The basic wheels included with the chariot do well on roads, dirt, gravel, and even packed snow. There's pretty much no where we can't go with it. If the snow is deep or you are planning to XC ski we'd recommend using the ski kit. ☀️ 🌬️ It has a great sun shade and plastic cover for wind and rain. The plastic cover also works well to keep the kids warm in very cold temperatures. 🚙 It folds and compresses to fit the trunk ⛷️ In this video we are using the cross-country skiing kit to convert from wheels to skis.

One of our favorite places to visit in the winter is Yosemite Valley. The valley with a dusting of snow is surreal. We've been taking our kids every year since they were babies and it doesn't get old. Some of our favorite activities with kids in the winter include snowshoeing, skiing at Badger Pass (Yosemite has a ski resort in the park bounds and it's not crowded), Firefall, and roasting marshmallows at camp in the snow. It just snowed in Yosemite Valley this week so it's looking magical again if you want to check it out! #yosemite #yosemitevalley #yosemitefalls #winterinyosemite

Toddler water bottles with straws are prone to becoming geysers due to pressure changes with flights. Just loosen the lid or leave the straw open to keep the spray at bay. 🦶 Kicking the seat in front can be an issue with some kids. We found that if we took off their shoes they were less likely to do it. We also placed another person from our group in the seat in front of them as well so if they did kick, at least it would be our family's seat. 💺 Car seats on airplanes makes flying so much easier with young kids. Having a car seat on board is safer in cases such as turbulence, but our kids also appreciate their familiar, comfortable seat over an adult-sized airline seat. When they sit in the car seat they are easily able to see out the window too. We also like bringing the seat onboard so we never transfer possession and risk damage to the seats being checked.

Nothing cuter than a little set of helping hands ✈️🧳 #travelingwithkids #travelingwithbaby #flyingwithkids #flyingwithcarseats #flyingwithbaby