Cragmama "Not all who wander are lost…" JRR Tolkien

Category Archives: Gear Reviews

Every climber worth their chalk knows you can never have enough gear! Pros and cons of gear I’ve used, loved, and hated!

A SQUOOSHI Review – and a GIVEAWAY!

A SQUOOSHI Review – and a GIVEAWAY!

  My kid will eat his body weight in fruit, but there are very few vegetables that he will tolerate, so those pouches of pureed fruit/veggie mixes (known as “squeezies” at our house) are a staple for C.  What I like about them is that they are a fast, mess-free way to get some good nutrition into a wiggly body that’s constantly on the go.  What I dislike about them is that they are really expensive and generate a lot of trash.  It was especially frustrating back in C’s younger days when I was making batches upon batches of fresh, homemade baby food – it seemed…Read the rest of this entry →

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Keeping Hot (and Cool!) with Hydro Flask – plus a GIVEAWAY!

Keeping Hot (and Cool!) with Hydro Flask – plus a GIVEAWAY!

A few weeks ago I did a Toddlers at the Crag post about keeping your kiddos warm in winter climbing weather.  The post got a pretty good response, including one from Hydro Flask, a company I’d never heard of, but now I probably won’t forget!  They were convinced that their products were a must-have on a cold day at the crag, so much so that they offered to send a Hydro Flask to me as well as Cragbaby to prove it!  We couldn’t say no, and while we waited anxiously for our Hydro Flasks to arrive, I did a little background digging. …Read the rest of this entry →

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Ducksday Kids Outerwear: A Perfect Combo for Rain and Snow (and GIVEAWAY!)

Ducksday Kids Outerwear: A Perfect Combo for Rain and Snow (and GIVEAWAY!)

  While Ducksday might be a household name to outdoorsy families overseas, this kid’s outerwear company has just recently started offering their products stateside, through the family-owned Ollie and Stella Children’s Outfitters, operating out of Ann Arbor, Michigan.  What first caught my eye about Ducksday gear was that it offers a solution to the annoying part of outdoor play in the wet and cold – so much bulk your kid can’t move!  Not only do all those layers take up tons of valuable packing space, but countless times I have taken more than 20 minutes to get my little guy geared up enough for an F4 tornado only to have him…Read the rest of this entry →

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Stonewear Designs Winter Review (and GIVEAWAY!)

Stonewear Designs Winter Review (and GIVEAWAY!)

I am lucky enough to have access to Stonewear Designs apparel as part of my contract with Trango, and those of you that have been reading for a while may recall the “Review Collage” I did on this company this past summer.  But now that tank top weather is long gone, it made sense to do an updated review of my favorite threads from Stonewear’s Winter Collection.  AERY TOP:  This cute little number transitions seamlessly from Crag to Date Night.  In fact, I wore it at the hubby’s company Christmas party, which was dubbed as “Holiday Casual.”  I’m still not sure what…Read the rest of this entry →

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Jetflow Hydration System: Hydration Evolved

Jetflow Hydration System: Hydration Evolved

There’s a lot of different types of hands-free hydration systems out on the market now – with the grandfather of them all being the well-known CamelBak.  Of course there are plenty of companies that design special backpacks with the purpose of hydration in mind, and they can come in a wide variety of forms (over-the-shoulder pack, “fanny pack,” under-the-bike-seat pack, etc).  But the common theme of these specialty hydration “vehicles” is that the method by which they deliver water is always the same.  A soft, polyurethane bladder is connected to a tube that is secured somewhere close to your mouth, usually via a shoulder strap…Read the rest of this entry →

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“Not all who wander are lost.” —JRR TOLKIEN