Posts Tagged kids’ gear
Baffin Candy Boots Let Girls Fight the Winter
Do you want your daughter to have warm feet, dry feet, and the ability to stay upright on packed snow and ice? If you outfit her in these Candy boots from Baffin, she’ll be next to indestructible from the calf down—but she’ll look cool too.
Baffin is probably Canada’s best-known footwear brand and they know a thing or two up there about dealing with frigid winter weather. When local conditions aren’t bad enough to test out their boots’ performance in sub-zero weather, the president has been known to trek to the North Pole for a test run. These are serious boots with the technology to take on whatever wintry conditions you may encounter.
This particular Candy version is a great example of the toughness. There’s a thick rubber sole with serious tread, but the boots have some bend to them even in extreme cold. The rubber extends over the tops of the toes, with an extra layer over the front. The whole upper is waterproof. The laces and tassels on the side can be left as is for show, but they are functional if it makes sense to tie the boots tighter around the calf.
Inside there’s a removable 5-layer lining that makes these really warm and snug: they’re rated to -40 degrees F. Brrrr! Despite that and the lack of scrimping on the rubber, they are surprisingly light, weighing in at 1 pound 6 ounces each.
No girl or tween worth her doll collection wants to be seen in a clunky pair of boots with no style though, so these Baffin Candy ones look as good as what Mom wears, with a healthy dose of pink. The fake fur on the cuffs along the top helps too. There’s also a solid black version if she’s too cool for pink.
So far my daughter has just worn these in barely freezing weather in Virginia, so I can’t vouch for that minus-40 claim yet. She didn’t whine when we asked her to put them on and when it’s time for a ski trip or a journey to an icy place, we’ll be ready.
The Baffin Candy boots list for $80, but check prices online at Backcountry and Altrec. See the full line of Baffin boots for kids here, including some more boy-friendly versions.
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Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, Kids and Family on January 11th, 2012
Travel Gear Under $20 for Fall
Polarized sunglasses for 10 dollars?
We don’t highlight travel gear sales too often on this blog since they can come and go so rapidly. As I’ve said before though, if you can wait until the hot new items is last year’s model, you can often get it for 25 to 50 percent off. Occasionally a fair bit more than that.
I just got the fall 2011 catalog from Campmor in the mail earlier this week and since it’s a print version, these deals should be around for a while. They’re all “while supplies last” and you may have to compromise on the color now and then, but these are sweet values for the cheapskates like me always trying to avoid paying the list price. If you order $100 worth of stuff, you get free shipping. (See the link at the end.)
A woman at Sunglass Hut once told me in a huffy voice that I could not expect to find polarized sunglasses for less than $100. She was off by 90% because there are five models of Scin polarized sunglasses on sale now for 10 bucks.
Getting geared up for ski season? You can get a pair of Bolle Mojo ski goggles for just $15.
This Princeton Tec Quad Headlamp pictured above is usually $35. Right now it’s $19. Four bright LED bulbs that will last for ages on one charge.
Like REI, Campmor has its own line of travel quick-dry basics clothing that’s significantly cheaper than the brands everyone knows. They have a long-sleeve shirt for men that’s a tad over $20, but three items for women that are less: a shirt-sleeve adventure shirt, a skort, and capri pants. There are also a whole lot of under-$20 items for kids, including convertible pants. Here’s a link to the adventure shirt for women. Do a search for “Campmor Adventure” after landing for the others. 
Speaking of kids, here’s an array of screaming bargains: how about a Marmot Girl’s Lumina Fleece or a Columbia Benton fleece for your little girl? Or get girls and boys some quality Terramar wicking long underwear sets for $15.
This isn’t the half of it (I didn’t even touch on all the socks) and if you go up a few notches in price you’ll find Timex watches, camping lanterns, and other great goodies for half price. Happy hunting! Free Shipping on Orders of $100 or More
Looking for reviews? See our adventure travel gear reviews or items that will help you travel light.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on September 21st, 2011
Inexpensive Travel Staples from Columbia Sportswear
I’m willing to pay for quality travel gear sometimes, but I’m also a big fan of clearance ranks and end-of-season sales. Because Columbia Sportswear cranks out so many new products and styles each year, you can often get their travel clothing at a very reasonable price if you time it right. Here are a few staples of theirs I’ve bought in the past 18 months that were well worth their (discounted) price tag and another one to consider right now for a son or nephew.
I spent all of $15 on a reversible bucket hat on sale at a sporting goods store more than a year ago and somehow she managed to not lose it in all that time. It held up well through a few washings and she still wears it. The one pictured here is not an exact match, but it has the same SPF30 sun protection and two looks to sport. There are a lot of colors to choose from and it’s just $10 at Amazon.
I bought two pairs of Columbia shorts at 50% off at a June sale in 2010 and both styles are off the map now online. I’ve worn them both a lot though in the meantime and they’re still going strong. So check out the available Columbia shorts at Campmor, where they have several styles $25 or less right now, deeper discounts coming later probably when it gets closer to autumn.
Columbia sent me a Silver Ridge travel shirt to review way back when it came out, so I didn’t have to wait for it to go on sale. That time is now though if you want to get a cool travel shirt for your own boy or someone else’s at a bargain price. The boy’s Silver Ridge II long-sleeve shirt is comfortable, wrinkle-resistant, and quick-dry—all for only $16.47 right now at Backcountry.com. A steal for something with vents and roll-up button sleeves.
Look for other Columbia items on sale regularly at Backcountry, Campmor, Rock Creek, and REI.
See more reviews of Columbia Sportswear items here at Practical Travel Gear.
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Kids and Family on July 14th, 2011
CamelBak Water Bottles for Kids
My family has been using CamelBak products for years — namely its backpack hydration systems for easy access to water while hiking and biking in our beloved Colorado mountains. I didn’t realize until recently that the company was my answer to the ideal water bottle for my kids’ lunchboxes, too.
For the past few weeks, my 8- and 10-year-old have brought to school these BPA-Free Tritan Kids’ Water Bottles by CamelBak. They are the perfect height (about 7 inches) and diameter (about 2.75 inches) to fit in their soft-sided lunchboxes. They come in a variety of colors and designs — from the “Light Blue Lake” pictured right to “Green Dinos” to “Berry Pink” (any kid can find a style he or she likes among the 10 options).
Carrying 12 ounces of liquid, this bottle is spill proof. The spout consists of a Bite Valve (kids must bite down to get water out), stem tube and a removable straw; the Bite Valve (pink in photo at left) folds forward and out of the way for storage, which also helps prevent any leakage.
The straw detaches for easy cleaning, and all parts are dishwasher safe. So far, we have managed not to lose a straw — but I can see how that might be a drawback for some moms who have dishwashers that tend to “eat” small items (sort of like dryers that eat single socks).
The lengthy FAQ (the most Q&A I’ve ever seen for a water bottle!) details the safety of drinking from the plastic container: more specifically, Tritan, a “copolyester polymer” that does not contain any BPA (Bisphenol A, which may or may not be harmful to your health, depending on whom you ask) or phthalates (another compound that may or may not be toxic in low doses). In any case, these bottles are BPA- and phthalate-free.
But if you’d like your child drinking from something other than plastic, check out the stainless-steel options from CamelBak. These are the same size – 12 ounces – as the plastic versions, and also come in fun designs, such as dinosaurs, pink dots, a waterskiing mermaid and a skateboarding pirate…
I’ve seen the plastic ($14 MSRP) and stainless-steel ($20) bottles for sale at my local sporting-goods store, but you can also find them online at sites like Amazon.com and BackCountry.com (where the plastic version is currently selling for $10.36).
CamelBak Kids’ Stainless Steel Water Bottle – .4L
Related post: Camelbak’s Podium Chill insulated bottle
Posted by Kara in Kids and Family, Travel Light on November 12th, 2010
Bollé Sunglasses for Kids
Finding kids’ sunglasses that fit well, will last a while, are reasonably priced, and aren’t pieces of junk isn’t easy. These Bollé sunglasses fit the bill and have three great attributes on top. 1) The kid likes them. 2) I like them. 3) They haven’t broken yet.
As I mentioned in this review of Chums sunglasses straps earlier, it’s hard to justify spending good money on sunglasses for kids because odds are they’re going to either lose them or break them in no time flat. The problem is, their eyes are even more sensitive than ours, so you feel like a guilty parent outfitting them in dollar store cheapies of questionable sun blocking ability. This is especially important if you are taking kids hiking at high altitude, boating out on the water, or to a mountain for spring skiing.
These Bollé Breezy sunglasses generally run $30 to $40 at retail, about the price of a good pair of kids’ sneakers, but for that you get shatter-resistant polycarbonate lenses that block 100% of UV rays and very strong but flexible nylon frames. There are absorbent rubber grips on both the nose and the ears so they stay on the little one’s head easily.
The key attribute for me is that these are cool enough and comfortable enough that there’s not much whining involved when I give the order to wear them all the time when we’re in the bright sun. My daughter’s version picture here is girly pink, but there are three other colors including the Crystal Lime ones at the bottom.
These are meant for kids 7-10 years old, but Bollé has a whole line of other options. They start with strap ones that are suited for tiny toddlers on up to the very suave Sarah style for ages 9-12. The Bollé site is in Flash, so get on something not using the iPhone operating system to check out the whole product line for kids, men, and women—sunglasses and goggles.
Posted by Tim L. in Kids and Family on April 14th, 2010
