Hunter’s Holiday Gift Guide

 

Well, it’s the most wonderful time of the year. Family and friends gather near and we wax nostalgic over some of the happiest times of our lives. We also double fist cookies and eggnog…maybe that’s just me. Gift giving is a big part of this holiday season, but that doesn’t mean that it should stress or overwhelm us. Sometimes, it can be hard to find the right gift for the outdoorsman or women in your life. To help alleviate some of the stress of gift giving, I’ve compiled a holiday gift guide to fit any budget.

Stone Glacier Sky 5900: For the person on your list who’s been really nice, I recommend a Stone Glacier Sky 5900 pack. Stone Glacier specializes in ultralight gear for adventuring. The Sky 5900 is a highly versatile pack. Whether you hunt or hike this pack can handle it all. With an integrated load shelf, this pack can haul your elk quarters off the mountain or shrink it down to a compact daypack.

Price :: $659

BUY IT HERE

 

Garmin inReach Mini: Of all my recent purchases, my Garmin inReach has been one of my most valuable. Because Garmin interfaces with dual satellite systems, it has the capability to not only help you navigate, but also send messages from anywhere and an SOS signal if things go sideways. It’s a powerful tool for outdoor adventuring and provides a lot of confidence. Garmin now offers a mini version that I highly recommend. It’s lighter and uses your phone as the interface for the device.

Price :: $349.99

BUY IT HERE


The OnX App: The OnX App is one of the most dynamic tools for modern-day adventuring. I use it both for scouting and planning out my trips, as well as boots on the ground navigation. Because it shows land ownership, OnX helps individuals find places to legally pursue their outdoor adventures. OnX offers a multitude of membership options and covers all 50 states.

Price :: $29.99-$119.99

BUY IT HERE


The RazorLite EDC from Outdoor Edge: For the first few years I hunted, I carried a traditional hunting and skinning knife. This also meant that I needed to carry a means for sharpening these knives. While these items might not add up to a lot of weight, ounces make pounds and pounds make pain, and I’ve been on a mission to cut weight where I can. This year I switched to the 3″ RazorLite EDC from Outdoor Edge. It weighs in at 2 ozs. (57 grams) and comes with four replacement blades. This year I was able to debone an entire elk with one blade. These knives offer a sharp, durable, but ultralight alternative to the traditional hunting knife.

Price :: $29.99

BUY IT HERE

 

Peak Design Shell and Capture: For the photographer in your life two of the tools that have really made a big difference as I’ve documented my adventures are the Capture and Shell from Peak Designs. The Capture is a clip allows you to attach your camera to a backpack strap or belt, leaves your hands free, and keeps your camera close at hand for easy access. The Shell is a sleeve that protects your camera from dust and water. By pairing these two pieces together, your camera is ready for any adventure.

Price for Capture Clip :: $69.95

BUY IT HERE

Price for Shell :: $39.95-$49.95

BUY IT HERE

 

I hope these recommendations have helped you with your holiday gift giving. If you have any questions or need additional ideas, feel free to hit me up on Instagram, Facebook, or by email at urbantocountry@gmail.com. Happy Holidays!

The Urban to Country Podcast Gets 2% Certified

One of my personal core principles and a core tenant of Urban to Country from the beginning is that we will always seek to make the world a better place through the content I create. I’m proud to announce that the Urban to Country Podcast recently received the coveted 2% for Conservation certification. 2% for Conservation is a conservation organization that certifies organizations and individuals who give back 1% of their time and 1% of their money back to conservation efforts. It’s truly an honor to have the work I’m doing be recognized and mentioned in the same breath as some of the giants in conservation.

Whether you want your work recognized or not, I implore you to consecrate a portion of your time and resources to ensure the future of wild places and wild things in perpetuity. You may be a mountain hunter in Montana or you may be a Pokemon blogger in Florida; but regardless, the robustness of our individual existence is inseparably connected to the quality of these wild places. It might be for clean air and pristine drinking water or for it may be that we enjoy bugling bulls, but we must acknowledge that the quality of our lives depends on proactive conservation by individuals and business like you and me.

If you think your organization or you as an individual qualify for this incredible honor, check out 2% for Conservation HERE.

Food for Dayzzz: Packing Food for Adventures

Ever wonder what you should be eating when you’re out adventuring to give yourself the best chance at success? I know I did for a long time. I struggled to find the balance between getting the right calories, minimal weight and

space, and cost. After a lot of research and trial and error I’ve come up with a system that works extremely well and I am constantly refining this system.

When planning my meals for my time in the mountains I try to hit between 3,100-3,500 calories a day. While this can be challenging, focusing on fats and protein puts me right in this target range. I’ve found that shooting for 135-160 calories per ounce helps me reach this goal. Everybody is different, so do some research, try some different strategies, and see what works best for you.

Keeping the weight of my food down is also a high priority for me. I tend to lean more towards meal replacement options (i.e. bars and powders) because they are light, high in calories, and don’t require me to bring cooking gear with me. However, there is something comforting about a warm meal while spending time in the mountains and when the opportunity presents itself I bring a hot meal with me.

Packing in traditional, dehydrated meals takes up a lot of space, as does packing in enough “real food” to meet my caloric needs. Many new companies, such as Heather’s Choice, have shaved down the size of their packaging making them more compact. Naturally, meal replacement bars are the most compact option. ­

Finally, considering the cost of food is typically where the rubber meets the road. After researching my options, while the cheapest option would be to make my own meals, taking into consideration the time and resources that it would take to make my own food, I chose to purchase my food for the time being.

If you’re looking for a place to start, here is a list of the food I use during my outdoor adventures.

  • Heather’s Choice: Born in Alaska, these meals are light, calorically dense, and taste amazing. Designed by Heather herself, she brings a wealth of knowledge on nutrition and you can trust that these meals will fuel you right. And taste good. Did I mention they taste good?
  • Good 2 Go: G2G meals, much like Heather’s Choice, are responsibly sourced and extremely healthy. With recipes like Pad Thai, G2G provides a nice variety. While the packaging could be smaller, these meals are very light.
  • MTN OPS: MTN OPS is a supplement company geared towards hunters and outdoorsmen. For hunting, I like their Ignite product for sustained energy, Enduro for cardio enhancement (i.e. when you gotta hike your butt off), Ammo and Magnum for quick meals in the morning. These are just a few of the products they offer and I suggest looking at their website to see what products fit your needs.
  • Pro Bar: Whether I need a snack or a meal, Pro Bar has a solution for whatever I need. I like their coconut, chocolate chip meals and Bolt energy product.
  • Jerky: When it comes to buying jerky, I like the thick cut beef strips from Costco. Their only drawback is they have a short shelf life (3 days) once opened. Ideally, I prefer to make my own.
  • Green Belly Meals: GB meals were designed by adventurer Chris Cage. They have 1/3 of your daily nutrients and are light and compact. I recommend the cranberry almond.
  • F-bombs: F-bombs aren’t your traditional nut butter. These will knock your socks off. With their various flavors and dense caloric nature, these are a great snack when you’re in a hurry.

 Have fun, shoot straight, and make your life an epic one!

 

What’s That in Your Pack?

If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know by now that I’m a passionate big game hunter and the gear I use allows me to pursue that passion. Many new hunters wonder what gear they should get when they begin hunting. I know I did.  Here is a brief overview of what I take with me when I go hunting. My gear list is ever-evolving and to help me stay organized, I use an Excel sheet made by Brady Miller of goHUNT and I’ve attached my version for your use at the end of this article.

Clothes

This season I chose to wear the Danner Powderhorn. They are a solid, all-around boot that performs equally well chasing elk through the mountains or hiking to a tree stand along a river bottom. For camouflage, I wear King’s Camo. It’s a high quality, low-cost camo that can be found through many different dealers. Whether one believes that camouflage is needed or not, having comfortable clothes while hunting is essential. My number one rule of clothing is to avoid cotton due to its tendency to absorb water and cause chafing.

Pack

The ideal pack is one that can be used as a daypack or as a multi-day pack. I resenting started using the Sky 5900 from Stone Glacier, an expedition pack that can convert down into a daypack. It’s got a load shelf that is rated at 150+. I recently helped a friend pack out an elk with the 5900 and it was a lifesaver.

Day Hunt

On day hunts, I always carry these basics:

Multi-Day Hunt

For a multi-day hunt, my list is a little more involved. The attached Excel sheet is a complete list of everything I used on my seven-day backpack trip for elk this fall. This is a good starting point and checklist for you to use as you plan your next adventure. Download the file and adjust it to fit your needs. If you have any questions about gear, feel free to contact me, I’m always happy to talk. Good luck out there and shoot straight!

Click HERE to download gear list

(Photos by Nate Harris)

Feeding Yourself Right with Heather’s Choice

My introduction to back country meals was lackluster. I grabbed whatever I could find at Walmart and some protein bars. I was under-fueled and carrying too much weight. The meals were salty and tasted like cardboard. I reasoned that my newness to the world of backpacking was to blame for my dislike of the meals I had tried and that if I just kept trying them I would come to enjoy them. After all, everyone else seemed to like them. But I wanted better. I busted my butt eight months out of the year training and watching my nutrition and I lost so much of that progress during hunting season because of my poor nutrition. 

While stuck in this quandary I heard about this little start up in Alaska called Heather’s Choice that was making back country meals made from Paleo and organic ingredients. I read some killer reviews. People had nothing but good things to say, but the thing that sold me on Heather’s Choice was listening to Heather talk about Heather’s Choice. Her philosophy on nutrition and her attitude on adventure sold me. I decided to give it a try.

I first took Heather’s Smoked Sockeye Salmon Chowder into the field while on an 11 mile trip into Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park. Something about testing out these new meals at a glacier just seemed right. Sitting on the edge of the glacial lake watching chunks of ice lose their grip on the cliff and fall to the lake below as I chowed down on Smoked Sockeye Salmon Chowder (let that sink in), I came to the conclusion that life couldn’t get any better.

(Smoked Sockeye Salmon Chowder, Grinnel Glacier adventure, 2016)

Since then I have used Heather’s Choice as my main staple for my adventures in the field. As an elk hunter I need nutrient dense fuel, that is light, compact, and tasty. Heather’s Choice checks all of these boxes for me. My two favorite meals are the Dark Chocolate Chili and, of course, Smoked Sockeye Salmon Chowder. While these are my favorite, Heather has many different flavors, so check them out HERE. I must warn you that Heather’s packaroons are addictive and I’m hooked. No help needed.

(Blueberry Buckwheat Breakfast, scouting trip 2017)

When I started Urban to Country I made a commitment to only partner with quality people and brands. This statement from Heather sealed the deal for me:

“My mission is to provide healthy, delicious, packable food for adventurers worldwide! Whether at home, on the road, or in the back country, you deserve to eat well. I hope to encourage more people to improve the quality of the food they eat, whether that is at home or in the back country.”

So next time you need to fuel your adventure and make it epic, give Heather’s Choice a chance, you’ll be glad you did.

(Chipotle Cherry Chili, elk hunting, 2016)