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As we put together to welcome in 2024, we’re taking time to look again at the place we’ve traveled. Particularly, we’re the place the world-renowned Gentle Toes weblog has taken us over these final 12 months.
Our aim is to make Gentle Toes our neighborhood’s go-to vacation spot for uplifting interviews with out of doors fanatics, helpful suggestions and tips for the path, adventuresome tales from the backcountry, useful gear highlights, and all issues light-weight backpacking. Due to visitor contributors, professional interviews, and our top-shelf, in-house inventive brainstorming group, we’ve revealed some fairly enjoyable content material this 12 months, if we do say so ourselves.
To find out the perfect Gentle Toes blogs from 2023, we used a extremely scientific course of that concerned wanting on the variety of views every of our articles acquired this 12 months and mixing that with an total vibe examine. Following this thorough assessment, we’re excited to current you with the highest 15 Gentle Toes weblog posts from 2023!
We kicked off the 12 months with an academic piece on the seven ideas of Go away No Hint (LNT). Curiosity within the outdoor has continued to extend annually, and we wished to offer some accessible data on how we will all cut back our impacts on the surroundings whereas we discover. Take a look at the article for a historical past of LNT ideas, who ought to use them, the place to make use of them, and particulars on every.
This 12 months, we had been excited to launch our Quick Kumo 36 backpack, a pack made for path operating, fastpacking, and record-setting. To rejoice the latest member of our line, we additionally kicked off a weblog collection all about fastpacking, together with this introductory weblog in regards to the sport.
Our fastpacking weblog collection additionally included three visitor posts from record-setting fastpacker Jeff Garmire. He supplied tales about his background with fastpacking, suggestions for rookies, and different ideas on how you can make fastpacking be just right for you primarily based by yourself private objectives.
The Gossamer Gear group begins getting enthusiastic about our April Idiot’s Day weblog months prematurely annually. After a protracted checklist of questionable concepts, this 12 months we settled on helium-filled backpacks. As a result of why take much less when helium can let you take extra?
For Mom’s Day, we shared a visitor submission from Jennifer Stoneking-Stewart, who has hiked 1,000+ miles along with her two kiddos, now 8 and 10. The weblog was as cute because it was informative. Jennifer detailed the “ten necessities for youths” whereas on path and mirrored on a few of her favourite reminiscences from their time collectively within the outdoor.
We launched you to our phenomenal design group this 12 months in an interview with Greg and Carrie Fritsch. We’re happy with our small, family-oriented method to every Gossamer Gear product. You can even study extra about this father–daughter design duo in a brief movie we launched about them earlier this 12 months.
Relying on the place you reside, you would possibly encounter extra rain throughout the spring and summer season months. Wet hikes throughout hotter climate require particular planning, so we shared some suggestions to assist maintain our neighborhood adventuring all through popup rainstorms within the spring and summer season months.
Courageous Trails is a nonprofit working to cut back obstacles that LGBTQ+ youth face to getting exterior. By a wide range of outdoor-focused management actions, they assist LGBTQ+ youth construct neighborhood and profit from the constructive results of time spent in nature. We interviewed Thursday Sadler, who developed and coordinates the group’s backpacking program, to study extra about their work.
Our weblog editor’s (me!) thorough, private assessment of the Crotch Pot drove roughly a million gross sales of the treasured backcountry kitchen merchandise. I imply, kind of that many, ya know? We did obtain one Instagram remark about it that stated it was the primary assessment this particular person had learn that really made them need to strive it. Our weblog editor will maintain onto that flatter for the remainder of her life, so thanks @johnpriddle. Additionally, it created many confused questions from her members of the family and shut associates.
It was actual sizzling in Texas this summer season, y’all. Ky Harkey, the chief adventurer at LoneStarParks.com, who has frolicked as a NOLS backpacking chief, Wilderness First Help teacher, and director of interpretation for Texas State Parks, wrote a visitor put up for Gentle Toes on how you can maintain adventuring within the warmth safely. We’re grateful for the break within the warmth and know we’ll flip to this weblog for good reminders come subsequent summer season.
We had been excited to launch the DCF Whisper ultralight shelter this 12 months. This spacious, storm- and bug-proof shelter weighs simply 9.8 ounces and is our founder’s go-to set-up. Glen wrote a visitor weblog for Gentle Toes sharing how he developed this design over time. There are solely 100 of those restricted version shelters out there.
Our light-weight tarp shelters, the Solo Tarp and the Twinn Tarp, are nice for backcountry sleeping, however we wished to focus on a few of their different makes use of this 12 months too. So, our group gathered collectively to checklist 21 very sensible makes use of for the tarps that our neighborhood of light-weight, multi-use fanatics can discover. We additionally determined to launch the #GGTarpChallenge. When you can show to us that you simply’ve used the Solo Tarp or Twinn Tarp for all 21 of those makes use of, attain out to our group for a particular prize bundle!
This 12 months, we acquired to interview Bryan Conant, the chief director of Los Padres Forest Affiliation (LPFA), and Paul Cronshaw, one among our great model ambassadors and an LPFA volunteer, in regards to the group’s work. Their ideas impressed all of us to seek out extra methods within the new 12 months to assist to our public lands. You can even study extra about their annual used gear fundraising sale, which presents a number of Gossamer Gear merchandise at nice costs!
We additionally acquired to interview Gabe Vasquez, a Marine Corps veteran and lengthy distance hiker, about his work to help veterans’ psychological well being. By a wide range of out of doors adventures, Gabe has raised greater than $40,000 for Semper Fi & America’s Fund (SFF), a nonprofit that cares for the nation’s critically wounded, in poor health, and injured service members, veterans, and army households.
This 12 months, we launched a brand new daypack, the Loris 25. We additionally up to date our common Vagabond Jet to recycled cloth and launched the Minimalist 19 in our fan-favorite colorwave, tropical mist. Having the proper daypack alongside to your adventures could make a giant distinction. We put this weblog collectively to focus on the options to search for in a daypack and evaluate 5 daypack choices we provide at Gossamer Gear.
Thank You and Completely satisfied New Yr!
From all of us at Gossamer Gear, we need to categorical how a lot we respect you being part of our neighborhood. You made the journey an excellent one this 12 months and we’re excited to get to maintain mountaineering with you into the grand vistas of the longer term. As we shut out the 12 months, we want you all of the happiest of trails in 2024!
Be certain that to share your adventures with us by tagging tagging Gossamer Gear on social media (@gossamergear) and utilizing the hashtag #takelessdomore. And when you have an thought for a visitor weblog, be at liberty to succeed in out to korrin@gossamergear.com!
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