Father's Day Outdoors Gift Ideas!

Is your Dad an outdoor kinda guy? Does he liking camping, hiking, climbing, biking, fishing, hunting, exploring, or other active pursuits in mother nature? Please don't get him a pair of socks, a sweater, or a boring tie again. We scoured Amazon for some great gift ideas that are all on sale! You can get Dad a really rugged, awesome present and still save a few bucks. Everyone wins!

Today we're going to talk about some great Father's Day gifts for the Dad who likes to spend time outdoors. For you forgetful types, Father's Day is Sunday, June 16th, 2013. That's this Sunday! Get moving. Lucky for you, Amazon has a bunch of Prime-eligible gifts that will ship before then.

Victorinox Swiss Army Champion Plus Pocket Knife

First up we have the Victorinox Swiss Army Champion Plus Pocket Knife ($44.95 on Amazon). This knife is an upgrade from the classic Victorinox Swiss Army knife. If you take care of these tools and protect them from rust, these things last forever. I got a Victorinox Swiss Army knife as a present when I was growing up and have had it for nearly 20 years -- it's still sharp. This particular model has 30 different tools on it. If your dad is anything like mine, the most-used tool will be the wine corkscrew... Oh well. The Victorinox Swiss Army Champion Plus is a timeless classic and it's 55% off right now!  It has the classic cross logo emblazoned on the side as a mark of quality. This product comes with a lifetime warranty against defective parts.  It has 535 reviews on Amazon and has earned itself 4.5 out of 5 stars at the time of writing. This multitool is sure to make Dad happy for a long time. If you want to upgrade the gift a bit, you could throw in a Victorinox Cordura Belt Pouch to carry the knife in. The belt pouch is only $7.95 on Amazon and shows you put some thought into the gift.

Coast LED Lenser HP8407 Flashlight

Next on the bill we have the inimitable LED Lenser HP8407 Focusing LED Flashlight P7. I got a Coast LED Lenser flashlight for Christmas last year from my girlfriend's parents and it is ridiculously bright. LED flashlights are so much brighter than regular flashlights that it's not even a real competition. If you flash your eyes with one of these for even an instant you will be blinded for 10 seconds. I really can't put into words how bright and strong the light from these flashlights are. I am going to say something that might be controversial right now: forget those MagLites that you see cops carrying around. I am never using a standard MagLite again. LED flashlights are brighter, stronger, last longer (because LEDs have much longer lives than standard bulbs) and use less energy. The LED Lenser HP8407 Focusing LED Flashlight P7 is usually $120.00, but it's on sale for $27.26 on Amazon. That is an unbelievable 77% discount. This guy already comes with a sheath and belt holster.

Hammock Bliss Ultralight Hammock

One of my favorite Father's Day gift ideas is the hammock! The Hammock Bliss Ultralight Portable Hammock is on sale for $34.95 on Amazon and is a perfect gift for a dad that wants to relax after setting up the campsite. This hammock comes with rope included to hang it up from trees. It weighs 13 ounces and can be packed up into a pouch the size of a football. It has nearly 5 out of 5 stars on Amazon. At $34.95, the Hammock Bliss Ultralight is the best value hammock I could find - a combination of the best price with the highest reviews.


Hopefully this gave you some ideas for gifts for Dad. Let us know if you have any suggestions or comments!

Be safe.

Ariel Castro
Rugged Innovations

Kids Climbing Gear: Choosing the Right Helmet

Choosing the Right Climbing Helmet for Your Kid

Helmets are one of the most important pieces of safety gear you can have. Your child's entire future, their hopes and dreams, their yet-unwritten Ph.D. dissertation; all are contained in those ~1250 cubic centimeters of grey matter (thanks Google). Protect them!

Camp Armour Junior Climbing Helmet

Some people have asked me if they can use a bicycle helmet for rock climbing. The answer is no. While wearing a bicycle helmet is better than wearing no helmet, bicycle helmets are made for very different types of impacts. Climbing helmets are designed to withstand multiple impacts. This is because in very bad situations, a climber may be exposed to the impact from a fall and a subsequent impact from falling rock or debris. Bicycle helmets are designed to simply crumple after one high-force impact. If your child (or you) are wearing a bicycle helmet while climbing you only have one solid impact. Bicycle helmets also have large vent holes in them that could easily let falling rocks through if they were used for climbing. A climbing helmet always has a closed top and is designed to protect you from several impacts. This could save your life!

There are a handful of good products on the market. Let's talk about the options. An interesting thing to note is that all three of the kids climbing helmets that I am reviewing are essentially the same price. They all cost approximately $59.90. This is liberating because it allows you to make a decision based on your needs rather than price.

Our first product is the Camp Armour Junior Climbing Helmet ($59.95 on Amazon). Unfortunately I don't have a lot great things to say about this helmet. Reading reviews of it online it's clear that people find it very comfortable. The praise stops there. Several people have said that the helmet tends to slide off the top of your head during use. This is unacceptable - the helmet needs to stay absolutely still on your head. If the helmet tends to slide back it can move during a fall and expose your kid's forehead to an impact. Why wear a helmet at all if it doesn't fully protect your head? The helmet does not have great ventilation vents. It sits high on the head which is obnoxious when you're climbing. I can't count how many times I've scraped the top of big helmets on an overhanging roof and nearly fallen. The straps are the least adjustable of the three helmets. I can't recommend the Camp Armour helmet in good faith. Fortunately, there are a couple of other good choices.

Petzl Picchu Kids Helmet

The Petzl Picchu Helmet ($59.95 on Amazon) is a really interesting product. It is designed to meet both climbing and cycling safety standards. In my experience, this is a very rare feature. If your kid is a climber and a cyclist this is the clear winner of the group. It has less coverage than the Mammut El Cap and has a higher profile, so it's not perfect for climbing.  It does not have large ventilation holes like bike-specific helmets, so it's not really ideal for that either. I like to think of this helmet as a multitool; it performs several duties well, but not as well as a sport-specific helmet. With how frequently kids change sports, this may be a great purchase for your family!  One feature of this helmet that I absolutely love is the included LED safety light on the back. What an awesome idea! This is great for peace of mind during low-light climbing and biking. It's like a lighthouse beacon for your child. The Petzl Picchu Helmet also comes with a little pack of stickers that your kid can slap all over it.  They love that stuff. Heck, even as an adult I like to slap stickers all over my water bottles, notebooks, snowboards; whatever. Customization is fun :)

Mammut El Cap Kids Helmet

The Mammut - El Cap Kids Helmet ($59.95 on Amazon) is my favorite of the group of helmets for climbing. It's the only helmet with a brim, which is an excellent feature on sunny days. It has the most ventilation holes (12!) that allow junior's noggin to breath when it gets hot. One element of helmets that does get fairly annoying is that they tend to get in the way when climbing overhanging routes. You're climbing a roof section or crammed into a weird corner and the top of your helmet bumps the roof, jarring you and breaking your focus. It's not a huge problem but it can get annoying. The Mammut - El Cap Kids Helmet is low-profile and sits low on your head, limiting the obtrusiveness of the helmet. Additionally, the El Cap is the coolest-looking helmet of the group. It matters! Finally, the El Cap has the most coverage on the back of the head. There's no evidence that this will protect your kid's head any more than the standard helmet design but it makes me feel safer... It's the helmet placebo effect.

To sum it all up, don't bother with the Camp Armour Helmet. If you're looking for a very flexible helmet that your kid can use for both climbing and biking, the Petzl Picchu is a great choice. If your kid is only going to be climbing, get him/her the Mammut El Cap Kids Helmet!

Most Flexible Multisport (Climbing and Biking) Helmet:

Petzl Picchu Climbing/Biking Helmet ($59.95 on Amazon)

Best Climbing-specific Performance Kids Helmet:

Mammut - El Cap Kids Climbing Helmet ($59.95 on Amazon)

Questions? Comments? Holler at us.

Be safe.

Ariel Castro
Rugged Innovations

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Kids Climbing Gear: Choosing the Right Shoes

Choosing the Right Climbing Shoes for your Kid

Today, we will discuss choosing the best pair of rock climbing shoes for your little one. Kid rock climbers, like adult rock climbers, have different needs for shoes. Some kids are new to climbing and need a cheap starter pair that they can really abuse until they learn technique. Other kids have been climbing for a longer period and need shoes that are specific to their climbing style. Some kids have been climbing for a while and are frequenting competitions and outdoor crags. 

There are a variety of different factors that can influence which pair of rock shoes are going to be the best purchase. We want you to make an educated decision because -- let's face it -- climbing gear is expensive!

Getting a Climbing Shoe that Suits your Child's Needs

The most important thing your kid's shoe needs to do is fit properly. I can't stress this enough. If the shoes are too big they will severely impede performance and can create blisters where the material shifts around. If the shoes are too small they will be difficult to put on and painful to climb in. You need to find shoes that fit your kid. This can be challenging because kid's feet grow every year! You will have to upgrade your kid's shoe probably once per year; this is fine, because they will likely wear through them at that speed anyway!

Mad Rock Mad Monkey Kids Climbing Shoe

Climbing shoes tend to run pretty small, so you may consider purchasing one size higher than your child normally wears. This will also allow them to wear socks with the shoes. The shoes should be snug and if they fit well they should be slightly harder to put on than normal shoes. 

One particular shoe that I am fond of (and is an incredibly good deal right now) is the Mad Rock Mad Monkey Kids Climbing Shoe ($29.88 at that Amazon link). You will notice that a velcro strap goes around the heel. Opening this velcro strap and the elastic band beneath it allow you to put the kid's toes in first, then pull the heel of the shoe down and under the kid's heel. It's a breeze to put on. This particular deal comes with a free DVD. At $30, this is one (if not the) of the cheapest climbing shoes on the market; it's nearly half the price of other shoes. This is a great choice for a beginner, because the price is so low that your kid can absolutely destroy these shoes and you're not out a whole lot. One thing to consider is that these shoes have a synthetic (rather than leather) upper, which makes them less stretchy. This is a consideration if your kid is experiencing growth spurts. Still, the elastic around the heel should allow the shoe to stretch moderately as your child grows. This is our choice for a

5.10 Mini Mocc Kids Climbing Shoe

Another thing to consider is that each company uses different lasts to construct their shoes. Lasts are basically the "model foot" that the shoe is designed and constructed around. Since humans have naturally different shaped feet, it make sense that lasts are slightly different. Each company has their own style of shoe design that is more-or-less uniform throughout their product catalog. The company FiveTen shoes have very pronounced heel boxes in my experience. Their shoes use a rubber called Stealth C4 which has great performance and is relatively long-lasting, too.

The FiveTen Mini Mocc Climbing Shoe is a great choice for a slightly more experienced kiddo. These slip-on shoes use the aforementioned Stealth C4 rubber which will let their feet hang onto those impossibly-tiny footholds at the competitions. The leather will, once broken-in, take the shape of their foot. A big elastic on the top of the foot with a velcro closure allows you to put them on easily and adjust the shoe for a perfect fit. The FiveTen Mini Mocc starts at $33.90 on Amazon. This is our choice for a "high-performance gym shoe".

La Sportiva Stickit Climbing Shoe

Another shoe worth mentioning is the La Sportiva Stickit. In my experience, La Sportiva makes the longest-lasting climbing shoe. They are absolutely durable to the end. I have a pair of adult-sized La Sportiva TC Pros and they are older than dirt and still hold a corner. If you are looking for longevity, these shoes are the way to go. The lacing is flexible and allows for a variety of different foot shapes. One cool feature of these shoes is the elastic material around the heel and upper. It's almost like a water shoe! The elastic is stretchy down through the bottom of the heel, allowing the kid's feet to grow a little bit and still fit. This feature, when combined with the overall longevity of La Sportiva's materials and construction, makes the La Sportiva Stickit our choice for "longest-lasting kids climbing shoe". The La Sportiva Stickit is $49.95 on Amazon and worth every penny.

So there you have it, folks! Three solid shoes for three different purposes:

Best beginner kids climbing shoe and best value: 

Mad Rock Mad Monkey Kids Climbing Shoe with FREE Climbing DVD ($30 Value) ($29.88 on Amazon)

Best high-performance kids climbing shoe:

FiveTen Mini Mocc Climbing Shoe (starts at $33.00 on Amazon)

Longest-lasting kids climbing shoe: 

La Sportiva Stickit Kids Climbing Shoes ($49.95 on Amazon)

Be safe!

Ariel Castro
Rugged Innovations

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Kids Climbing Gear: Choosing the Right Harness

Choosing the Right Climbing Harness for your Kid

Let's talk about climbing gear for children! Kids absolutely love climbing. From newbie to veteran, kids are getting more involved in the climbing community. I volunteer at climbing competitions sometimes and I estimate that 90% of the competitors are under the age of 15. Kids are everywhere and they are the future of the sport. Let's make sure they get the right gear so they can stay safe and have fun!

Kids are different from adults with respect to gear in three ways. First -- and most obviously -- they are smaller! One size does not fit all. Second, they have constant growth spurts requiring size changes relatively often. Third, they are much faster learners than us older folk and they are more likely to quickly change between bouldering, sport, trad, and ice climbing (even zip lining, ropes courses, and via ferrata).

Harnesses are one of the most universal pieces of gear, so they're a good place to start. There are some notable decisions to make when buying a harness for a kid. The biggest choice is between a waist harness and a full-body harness. I will describe the advantages and disadvantages of each:

Full-body Harness

Petzl Simba Kids Harness

For very young kids between the ages of 5-10 some people prefer to use a full-body harness like the Simba Kids Harness By Petzl ($59.95 at Amazon). Full-body harnesses have a few advantages. First, the over-the-shoulder straps make it less likely that the kid will squirm his way out of the harness. I have never seen a kid wriggle his way out of a waist harness, but it's a valid concern if your little one is fidgety. Since kids have smaller waist bones, some people claim that a waist harness could slip off their hips.

Another advantage to a full-body harness is that it makes the child less likely to flip over upside down. Kids tend to have a higher center of gravity than adults, making them more likely to flip over when climbing. A full-body harness with shoulder straps would prevent this from causing problems.

There are a variety of great choices for full-body harnesses.

The Petzl Simba is for children between the ages of 5-10 and below 90 lbs (40kg). It's a bit pricey at $59.95, but I can personally vouch for the quality and safety of Petzl products -- I use Petzl harnesses, ropes, and belay devices on a weekly basis. One cool thing about this harness is that the straps are bicolor, with a pattern on the outside and black on the inside. This means you can easily tell if you kiddo's harness is inside-out. Neat feature!

I have two minor issues with the Petzl Simba harness: First, there are no gear loops for quickdraws, chalk bags, shoes, etc. You can clip things onto the loops themselves, but it's not ideal. Second, the straps are not padded. This means it is not ideal for long climbing sessions. An alternative with padded straps is the Edelrid Fraggle Kids Harness ($59.95 at REI). The Edelrid Fraggle also has the advantage of a weight-bearing loop on the back. You could pick up your kid with the back loop and do bicep curls with him/her! Fun for the whole family.

If price is a concern, the cheapest full-body harness made by a respectable company that I could find is the Edelrid Solid Full-Body Harness, which is currently 30% off on Amazon and is going for $46.17.

Waist Harness

The waist harness is used by adult climbers and may be a good choice for slightly older kids. The advantages of the waist harness are many. They are lighter and less restrictive than full-body harnesses, which facilitates more athletic and gymnastic climbing moves. They are more likely to be padded so they tend to be more comfortable for all-day fun. I wouldn't bother with one of those webbing-only waist harnesses (the ones that look like they're made out of seatbelt material); they are really uncomfortable in my experience.

Waist harnesses often come with gear loops around the waist that allow your kid to clip their equipment onto instead of carrying it around. This is more of an outdoor climbing need, but it's still a nice touch. Waist harnesses are simpler in design and therefore leave less margin for error in donning.

Black Diamond Wiz Kid Harness

The model pictured above is the Black Diamond Wiz Kid Harness ($44.95 at Amazon). It is a scaled-down version of Black Diamond's Momentum SA Harness that we have previously reviewed. I have spent countless hours in the adult version of this harness and can personally attest to its comfort and safety. The only difference that I can spot is that the Wiz Kid appears to have one fewer gear loop than the adult version -- hardly an issue unless your kid is doing some major trad climbing or canyoneering. Another factor you can't neglect is that the Wiz Kid is a cool-looking harness. There is a blue one for boys and a pink one for girls. Looking cool is always important to kids, whether you like it or not.

The padding on this harness is almost like memory foam. It's very comfortable and perfect for all-day adventure. The leg loops have speed adjust straps that can be loosened or tightened with one hand and are easy for adults to visually inspect. The harness is appropriate for kids between 35 and 110 lbs., and is said to run a little small in the waist. The only issue I've noticed is that sometimes the leg loops get twisted and flipped over. Always supervise your kid when they're putting on their waist harness.

If price is a consideration, the Black Diamond Kid's A-Bod Harness has excellent reviews. At $39.95 with Free Shipping on Amazon (and Prime eligible), it's the best deal on a kid's waist harness from a reputable company that I can find.

That's all I have for harness reviews and recommendations! There are good products from many different company and this article is just a small sampling of what's available. Hopefully you found this useful and know what to look for. If you have any questions about specific products or companies that are not included in this article, feel free to get in touch!

Be safe.

Ariel Castro
Rugged Innovations