Something we are now adding to the blog is a quarterly list of favorite “gear.” We plan to include things we love using, some old standards, and new things we have discovered. We think you might find these items useful as well.
Now if there is something you’ve found hard to get along without, add a link in the comments. We’d love to know. As this is going to be a regular addition to the blog, you can also point us toward things that we might like to add to the list.
Thanks in advance.
Snow Treads
This is something we wish we’d discovered living on the east side of Multnomah County. East winds and ice storms were a major hazard in those parts … walking was nearly impossible on ice covered streets.
To the rescue are these “Trax.” Basically chains for your boots. Some use coiled wire as the grip, however the ones we use have metal studs in the rubber frame and are super easy to put on. They make walking on hard pack snow and ice much, much easier.
Simms Mittens
This is a well trusted name in fishing apparel and we have lots of their gear, from waders to sun shirts.
This winter we added a set of mittens for JQ. These convertible mittens / fingerless gloves have proven invaluable with her photo work.
Warm when you need them to be, but with a few quick snaps your fingers are able to manage the iPhone photo work.
Float Toy
Tip is a fanatical stick fetcher. I’m sure you’ve seen our many videos featuring the little guy endlessly chasing balls, sticks and now a floating toy. The trouble with sticks in the river is they can be hard to see.
The Lunker from RuffWear is a highly visible, very buoyant (even floats on snow) soft, stuffed fabric toy. The rope handle makes it easy to pick up and easy to throw. Most importantly Tip has no problem spotting it and retrieving it safely.
Yeti Mugs
We’ve been fans of Yeti products for years. They just make really well insulated coolers and beverage bottles.
This Christmas we splurged on some new insulated coffee mugs with monograms. If you watch their web site there is a free monogram offer a couple of times a year.Yeti products carry a premium price tag, but they hold temp better than anything else we’ve tried.
Cocoa Packets
A go to addition for the Yeti mug is a packet of Nestle hot cocoa mix … we like the *Rich Chocolate flavor*.
This is great as a winter warming beverage. We started using it to improve the flavor of instant coffee.
Basically you split a package between two mugs, add the regular measure of instant coffee, hot water and mix. On extra chilly days you can splash a bit of whiskey from the flask for an even better belly warmer.
Coat Rack
Winter in Central Oregon comes with lots of variety in weather. One week we bundle up against sub-freezing temps, the next week we’re in rain gear.
Our front entry becomes the staging area and this coat rack system has really made it easy to have coats, hats, scarves and dog leads at hand.
Wireless Temp Gauge
As I said, there is a wide range of weather. We love this about the area. It can be cloudy or sunny, windy or wet. But that’s not always an indicator of the outside temperature. To help us figure it out, we put in a wireless temperature gauge. You can see it’s windy, but how cold is it really?
There are two parts. One sits by the front door the other is tucked under the eaves on the front porch. We don’t go out without knowing what the weather has in store and this makes it easier to judge how many layers you are going to need.
Right after the holidays Central Oregon got a huge boost to the snow pack. In the few years since moving here we’ve grown accustomed to these “foot in a day” dumps of snow. The scene outside our front door can change dramatically in a matter of hours.
Life in Central Oregon affords us the luxury of day trips to a large selection of scenic places. Occasionally we’ll hit a pub or restaurant, but more often these trips are accompanied by a packed lunch and sometimes dinner.
We’ve had the same picnic kit for nearly 40 years. At it’s heart is an old “Frostline kit” with a small nylon utensil bag both gifts from Jack’s older sister. In here is a small ‘billy’ can, tea pot, two bowls, a couple sets of eating utensils, a sharp knife and a white gas stove.
The go to recipe on these cool winter outings is equal portions cocoa mix and Trader Joe’s instant coffee stirred into a mug of water fresh off the boil.
This is one of the few stores where any dog is welcome, so we made a special trip to let Tip look around. He has a bunch of Ruffwear gear, but it is nice to see what is new.
We found a tote to hold Tip’s stuff when we are on the road.
A trip to REI is the easy part. The hard part is going through the huge selection and finding the right one.
