ODT Yeti

5 Things to Love About Our New Bluetooth Speaker, Earbuds, and Headphones

There are a lot of new Bluetooth products from Outdoor Tech this year. So far, we’ve launched five new audio products (one speaker, two earbuds, and two headphones). That is quite a big feat for us (or any company) and I am proud of the Outdoor Tech team for getting it done. Here are some of my favorite features for each product, which might help you find the best one for yourself or someone else.

Adjustable Pivot Points on the Twin Peaks Speaker

What would happen if a Rubik’s Cube and a Turtle Shell speaker had a love child? The Twin Peaks Bluetooth speaker would happen, that’s what. We’ve never made a speaker like this: you can twist each speaker to direct the audio while changing the shape and form of the speaker itself. This makes the speaker fun and just plain cool. If you’re looking for something unique, the Twin Peaks Bluetooth speaker is for you.

Twin Peaks Bluetooth Speaker
The Twin Peaks Bluetooth Speaker

Minimal Style of the Pearls Bluetooth Earbuds

I love the Pearls Bluetooth earbuds because of their minimal aesthetic. The way the Pearls pop into your ear and stay put makes them ideal for when I’m watching YouTube on my phone. I’ve been on a pretty serious tool restoration watching binge for a while now. The kids know that when I’m in my chair with my Pearls in, I’m probably watching some guys make a rusted corn sheller from the 1890s look like new. (The YouTube account is Lost and Restored, by the way.)

Pearls Bluetooth Earbuds
Pearls Bluetooth Earbuds
Komodos Bluetooth Headphones

Easy to Use Controls on the Komodos Bluetooth Headphones

The large button surface area on the Komodos headphones makes them amazingly easy to control. What I like is that after using them a few times, I intuitively know where to push when I want to raise the volume or skip to the next song. It’s all about making things simple, intuitive, and not complicated with a clunky interface.

8 Hour Playtime on the Ravens

Have you ever had one of those workdays where it is just Zoom Meeting to Teams Meeting to a conference call and then back to Zoom? Yeah, I’ve been there too. The 8-hour playtime on the Ravens Bluetooth earbuds makes sure I can hear every word and chime in when I need to (they have a built-in microphone too). When I’m grinding through a heavy day of virtual meetings, the Ravens grind with me.

Ravens Bluetooth Earbuds

Active Noise Cancelling on the Sequoia Bluetooth Headphones

When it’s time to shut everything else out, The Sequoia headphones are my go-to whether I’m writing blog posts (like the Mothership Classic recap) or I need to crank through some emails. I switch on the Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) feature, play instrumental music, and get stuff done. I haven’t traveled recently with them yet but I know they will be on me when I do.

Sequoia Active Noise Canceling Bluetooth Headphones

Of course, there are other features that I find useful and think you would too. Check out the individual product pages for more details about our new speaker, earbuds, and headphones.

Mothership Classic 2022 Recap

This year’s Mothership Classic fundraising event (organized by the High Fives Foundation) has wrapped. The stoke was high, the fits were funky, and laps were plentiful.

Here are some initial stats:

  • 288 Participants
  • 44 Laps From The Top Team
  • $177k Raised

While everyone had a good time, the most important detail is that over $177,000 was raised! That’s over 70 thousand dollars more than the original goal of $105,000.

Thanks to Palisades Tahoe, all the dedicated sponsors, and participants, KT-22 has never looked better.

The Mothership Classic is a pledge-driven ski-a-thon event held each Spring in Lake Tahoe, CA at Palisades Tahoe (formerly Squaw Alpine) at the KT22 chairlift. On the day of the event, each participant tests themselves to hot lap KT22 as many times as possible from the first chair to the last. They will be on skinny skis, retro snowboards, mono-skis, snow blades, etc. Nostalgic ski attire is encouraged.

  • adaptive skiing
  • palisades Tahoe chairlift
  • mothership classic
  • mothership classic group photo
  • mothership classic youth skiers
  • palisades tahoe skiing
  • skiing and pizza
  • mothership classic awards
  • roy tuscanny mothership classic speech
  • mothership classic group
  • palisades skiing air
  • skiing tricks
  • skiing carve palisades tahoe
  • mothership classic youth winner

Awards are given out for a variety of categories including:

  • Most Laps
  • Most Money Raised
  • Best Costume
  • Raddest Goggles
  • And More

Via The High Fives Foundation, all funds raised go directly to the healing efforts of athletes that have suffered life-changing injuries.

It looks like everyone had a great time. The only thing missing was YOU! Maybe you should participate next year. C’mon, you can win prizes, have a huge amount of fun, and support an amazing charity.

Fat Ski-A-Thon 2022 Recap

On March 6th, the High Fives Foundation celebrated the annual Fat Ski-A-Thon Fundraiser at Sugarbush in Vermont. As part of our sponsorship for this great organization, Outdoor Tech was there.

Thanks to everyone’s efforts, the Foundation raised $380k, surpassing their $350k fundraising goal. Everyone had a great day of skiing with positive vibes all day long. The stats:

  • 30 teams
  • 190 participants
  • 1,724 donations
  • and a load of happy participants and athletes!

Catch the High Fives crew at the 8th Annual Mothership Classic March 27 at Palisades Tahoe, and shortly after, the Retro Shred-a-thon in Winter Park on April 16th! Maybe we will see you there.

Need more? Check out the recap video and slideshow:

Fat Ski-A-Thon Recap Video
  • Sugarbush Vermont Ski A Thon
  • Skiing Group in Sugarbush Vermont
  • Roy Tuscany Skiing Sugarbush
  • Sugarbush chair lift

The 11th Annual Fat Ski-A-Thon is Here!

Where: Sugarbush Resort
When: March 6th, 2022

The High Fives Foundation regularly organizes a Ski-a-Thon event where participants, either as a team or an individual, raise funds for the non-profit and get rewarded with prizes depending on the number of completed laps and by how much you raise.

Outdoor Tech is happy to help sponsor this year’s event. It’s no secret that we are big fans of the High Fives Foundation and the amazing service they provide.

The 11th Annual FAT Ski-a-Thon takes place March 6, 2022, at Sugarbush Resort in Vermont sponsored by Vermont North Ski Shops. The FAT Ski-a-Thon was launched in 2012 with 38 participants, the first-ever in the series. Since then, it has become the highest-grossing event raising a total of $272,532 by 144 participants in 2021.

“Combining philanthropy with outdoor activity is the best way to get people in the fun component of FUNdraising.”

Roy Tuscany CEO of The High Fives Foundaton

Check out the 2020 Fat Ski-A-Thon Video

Similar to the 2021 Ski-a-Thons, this year’s series will be designed as hybrid-virtual events. The High Fives Foundation will follow CDC guidelines regarding COVID and adjust its event protocol accordingly.

Interested sponsoring brands, donors, and participants can register on the event website: fatski.highfivesfoundation.org

  • Adaptive Skiing
  • Fat Ski-A-Thon Group
  • Ski-a-thon girl
  • splits on skis
  • High Fives Foundation Fat Ski-A-Thon

You can help out the High Fives Foundation by sponsoring one of the teams or an individual.

Now go share this post everywhere to spread the word. Let’s help the High Fives Foundation have the best Fat Ski-A-Thon ever!

The High Fives Foundation and Outdoor Tech Continue Their Partnership

What is The High Fives Foundation?

The High Fives Foundation is a non-profit adaptive sports organization on a mission to provide hope and resources for athletes. This nonprofit organization serves athletes living with life-altering injuries, such as spinal cord or traumatic brain injury.

How is Outdoor Tech Involved

Outdoor Tech is happy to announce that we are continuing our long-standing relationship with the High Fives Foundation. We are overjoyed to help Roy and his team raise funds via product raffles, donations, and spreading the work. We won’t get into all the details yet but let’s just say you will see a lot more collaboration between us.

One Athlete at a Time

Life-altering accidents that cause physical and or cognitive disabilities potentially resulting from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) are more than challenging but the High Fives team is there to help.

Many High Fives Athletes have returned to active lives with some going on to participate in the Paralympic Games and Special Olympics.

High Five Foundation Events

It seems like the High Fives crew is always holding fundraising events so that they can help more athletes. The Fat-Ski-A-Thon, Mothership Classic, and Retro Shred-A-Thon are just a few of the events throughout the year. Check out all their events here.

  • adaptive skiing
  • adaptive mountain biking
  • Roy Tuscany adaptive surfing

The Next Chapter

There is so much more to say about this rad organization but we will keep it short and sweet. Outdoor Tech is committed to growing our relationship with the High Fives Foundation. Be on the lookout for upcoming events, activations, and collaborations. You can learn more about the High Fives Foundation at https://highfivesfoundation.org/. Make sure to connect with us on Facebook or Instagram to get all the latest updates.

Top Camping App, The Dyrt PRO, and 70 Outdoor Companies Form New Partnerships to Gear Up for Increasing Camping Demand

  • Camping equipment purchases are projected to grow 30% over the next 5 years, with some companies currently seeing 200% more demand for their products.
  • The Dyrt PRO, the top camping app, is on track to grow 400% in 2021

PORTLAND, Ore., April 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, top camping app The Dyrt PRO confirmed that it has entered into partnerships with over 70 outdoor companies already this year to combine forces and meet the growing demand for camping.

Increasing interest in outdoor activities has put a spotlight on the need for campground information. The Dyrt PRO, with over 1 million+ campsites, reviews, and tips, addresses that need, and outdoor companies can now offer that value to their customers.

Customers of these 70 companies can now get free memberships to The Dyrt PRO, The Dyrt’s quickly growing premium membership. In return, The Dyrt will feature some of these companies in The Dyrt Magazine, and some as prizes in The Dyrt’s Campground Review Contests, which fuel their crowd-sourced campground review platform.

“From day one our focus has been on building the biggest camping community. Community allows us to provide the best camping information from the most trusted source — other campers,” explained Kevin Long, CEO of The Dyrt. “Increasing that information flow, with help from our new outdoor partner companies, will now make going camping even easier.”

The 70+ companies see the relationship as mutually beneficial as well.

“As a company, we strive to not only fill the needs addressed by our products, but to also improve overall outdoor experiences,” says Andrew Kinsman from Midland Radio Corporation. “Giving our customers The Dyrt PRO does just that.”

Customers of these 70+ companies will automatically receive free 90-day memberships to The Dyrt PRO with any purchase, effective immediately:

686, A Cajun Life, Action Heat/The Warming Store, AIYRE, Alpine Start, Amazing RVs, Banner & Oak, Basecamper, Boost Oxygen, Boulder Denim, CampFare, Capitol Hill Outfitters, CloudLine, Crazy Creek, Cruise America, CS Coffee, Cusa Tea & Coffee, Eddie Bauer, Four Points, Full Windsor, Good To-Go, GourmetNut, Gravel Travel, GrowlerWerks, Hammock Bliss, Hammock Gear, Heroclip, Hollywood Racks, Hybrid Light, Kalahari, Kelty, Kovr Sunscreen, Life in Tents, Liquid IV, LivBar, Marie Originals, Midland Radio Corporation, Native Camper Vans, Ncamp, NW Alpine, Out Van About, Outdoor Element, Outdoor Tech, Peace Vans, Pladra, Point6, Raw Rev, RedLedge, Shamma Sandals, Sierra Designs, SockGuy, Speedy Blaze, Supernola, Texas RV Rental, This American VanLife, Titus, TrailTopia, Travellers Autobarn, Tru Flask, US RV Adventure, Vintage Surfari Wagons, Wandervans PNW, Wandervans.com, Wandrd, Watershed, Wenzel, Wigwam, Wraptie.

About:

The Dyrt PRO
With over 1 million+ campsites, reviews, and tips, The Dyrt PRO offers the most comprehensive campground search features and camping discounts. Available on the web, iOS, and Android.

Sources: Camping equipment sales growth: https://www.forbes.com/sites/timnewcomb/2020/12/09/small-and-mid-size-outdoor-companies-see-quick-growth-face-major-decisions-amidst-pandemic/

Press Contact: Maggie Fisher mfisher@thedyrt.com

How to Choose The Right Outdoor Apparel for Weather Conditions

Whether you’re heading outside for a vigorous run, a lengthy hike, or just a quick stroll around the neighborhood, you should take the weather into account when selecting your outfit. Wearing the wrong clothes on the wrong day could be uncomfortable and even dangerous. Choosing the right clothes, on the other hand, will help you have a more enjoyable experience.

Always Keep Yourself Dry

Nothing will ruin an outing like getting drenched to the bone. When your clothes become wet, you’ll feel cold, itchy, and uncomfortable. You’ll have a hard time enjoying whatever it is you’re doing, and you might even develop a rash. You can avoid this problem by wearing waterproof outer garments. Rain jackets are an essential wardrobe item for anybody who doesn’t live in a desert. You should also keep your legs in mind. A soaked pair of jeans can ruin your day, no matter how nice a jacket you have covering your upper body. A nice pair of waterproof pants or a waterproof Bluetooth speaker will allow you to enjoy the great outdoors no matter the extent of the precipitation.

Choose The Right Material For Your Clothes

There are all sorts of outdoor clothes to choose from, and what separates them is usually the type of material they’re made from. You should make sure you buy a wide range of materials so you’re prepared to head out in any weather. As mentioned above, waterproof materials are important for rainy days. You should also invest in some sun-protective fabric for particularly sunny days. These will allow you to spend hours in the sun without putting your skin at risk. Breathable materials are also great for hot weather, while some athletic gear has the added benefit of slicking away sweat. With a sufficiently diverse outdoors wardrobe,you’ll be able to create the right outfit for any weather imaginable.

Put Thought Into Your Footwear

Keeping your feet comfortable is essential if you really want to enjoy your outdoor activities. Nothing destroys an outing like nasty blisters or shivering toes. If you’re going to be out in the rain or snow, then you should make sure you’re wearing waterproof boots. Letting snow into your shoes could even be dangerous, since frostbite is often quick to set in. You also need to make sure your treads are appropriate for the weather and activity you have planned. Hiking in the rain with indoor soccer shoes puts you at risk of serious falls.

Use The Proper Headgear

In addition to covering your body, you should make sure you have the right gear on your head. Hats are especially useful for keeping the sun off your face and protecting the back of your neck. While baseball caps are stylish, you might want something with a full brim for complete protection. In the winter, opt for a thick, comfortable hat that pulls down over your ears. This will keep you warm while protecting your skin.

Opt For Reliable Brands

Not all outdoor attire is created equal. The clothes you wear for your outdoor adventures will be subjected to the full forces of Mother Nature. That’s why you need reliable, high-quality garments that will stand up to the heaviest of rains and hottest of summer afternoons. While it can be tempting to snatch a cheap jacket from a discount retailer, these clothes might not last as long as you’d hope. In the long run, you might actually save money by buying a more expensive product that will last a few seasons.

Always Prioritize Safety And Comfort

When choosing outdoor apparel, it’s important to have your priorities straight. The first order of business is to do what it takes to keep yourself safe. That’s why waterproof jackets and sturdy boots are so important. The second priority is to provide for your own comfort. Outdoor activities are normally quite physical, and you won’t want your clothes to restrict you or cause you pain.

Last But Not Least, Consider Style

While safety and comfort are your main priorities, there’s plenty of room for fashion in outdoor wear. Lots of brands provide exciting styles that allow you to really glow out on the trail, bicycle path, or basketball court. With a bit of patience, you should be able to find clothes that allow you to look your best and feel your best in any kind of weather.

Kodiak Mini 2.0 Helps During Texas Snow Storm

We love hearing from customers that use our products. Check out this note from a snowed-in Texan. Those power banks really do come in handy sometimes.

Hello! My name is Isaac and I’m writing this short email to say thank you for your awesome products. I’m from Eagle Pass, Texas and as many are aware, Texas was hit hard with a snowstorm last week. My family and I were without electricity and running water for a couple of days, but thankfully they have since been restored. 

It was definitely a strange couple of days, it felt like camping in our own home…it was cold and dark once the sun set. Like most, we were not prepared for what came…it has only snowed in our city three times, so it’s beyond rare. Luckily for us we had a few candles around the house to keep it lit…but not many (My mom isn’t a big fan of candles, she usually gives them away [or regifts them 🤫]).

I myself own one of your products, a little red Kodiak Mini 2.0 and it proved to be quite the lifesaver during those strange days. I had purchased it a while back because I thought it was neat by the fact that it can charge my phone in an emergency but more importantly the powerful light that comes from such a little device.

This little device was beyond helpful for those days we didn’t have electricity. I would prop the light on top of the kitchen cabinet and it would light the area for us to be able to prepare our food for dinner. It helped us walk around the house and not bump into things at night, haha… so much easier than carrying around a candle.

Before the snowstorm came I always had the little Kodiak Mini 2.0 on my desk….only using it occasionally when I needed a flashlight on the fly. It usually sits on my desk for weeks or months on end without being used or charged. But something I find amazing about your products is that they hold their charge for a really long time. I know this because on occasion I press the battery check button and I’m surprised that it still has a full charge after months of just sitting on my desk.

I just wanted to say thank you for making quality products. I definitely want to add more Outdoor Tech to our “Emergency Kit” that my family and I have started creating, now that we’ve experienced such a bizarre and unexpected event, because we definitely want to be better prepared next time.

Well, I guess this email was a lot longer than expected…Thanks again

-Isaac🙂

6 Ways to Make Your Camping Experience More Convenient

For some people, the hardship of roughing it is part of what makes camping fun. They like pretending to be Bear Grylls or on the set of “Survivor,” pulling their food out of a river and starting a fire by hand. It’s part of “getting back to nature” for them.

But that’s not you. You love being in the great outdoors, but the more convenient and comfortable you can make the experience, the happier you are. You probably have a portable charger. There’s nothing wrong with that (no matter what your survivalist neighbor might say), and there are plenty of gadgets to support that preference. Here are our six favorites.

6 High-Tech Gadgets to Enhance Your Camping Experience

1. Portable Solar Power

Although getting at least a mile away from the nearest power outlet is the whole point of camping for some, access to electricity for light, cooking, and music can make the whole experience more enjoyable. Reliable phone charging can also give an otherwise rough camping site an extra margin of safety.

In the past 10 years, breakthroughs in solar technology have made solar charging and power cheaper, portable, and more reliable, resulting in solar charging stations you can easily pack.

Camping solar units are foldable or rollable for easy portability and come with or without batteries (or with detachable batteries to give you the option). Be sure to get the outdoor or ruggedized models, as opposed to the more fragile units designed for urban or academic use.

Some of the most highly recommended camping solar units for this year include:

  • BigBlue 28W
  • X-Dragon 40W
  • Goal Zero Nomad 7 Plus
  • Goal Zero Boulder 100
  • Renogy 15,000maH

2. Pressure Showers

Camping showers have been around for a long time, but they’ve been far from perfect. Mostly, they consisted of a bag — or, in earlier years, a bucket — attached to a tree above your head, which you filled by hand and let the sun warm up. These showers sort of got you clean and were slightly better than just washing in the nearest river or lake.

A pressure shower improves on this model by attaching a foot pump to the unit. As you stomp on the pump, it fills an internal bladder with air, pushing the water out through the hose. That means you don’t have to elevate your water reservoir, and you can get reasonable water pressure. It also lets you use the shower for other things like washing dishes and winning squirtgun fights with your kids.

As a bonus, most come with a trigger nozzle so you can avoid wasting water between sprays. A few come with solar or electric heating so you can take a hot shower in the wild.

This year’s top pressure showers for camping include:

  • RinseKit Portable Outdoor Shower
  • NEMO Helio X
  • Advanced Elements Summer Shower
  • Sea to Summit Pocket Shower
  • Reliance Outdoors Flow Pro

3. Water Treatment Tech

If you’re reading this blog, you’ve been camping and hiking enough that we don’t have to go into detail about how heavy water is to carry and how much water you need per day to stay hydrated, healthy, and clean. You already know how convenient it is to be able to use whatever water is on-site.

Water treatment used to mean boiling it or screwing up the taste with iodine tablets, but recent technology has added two new options. Portable, fast-acting water filters have come so far you can drink water you found in a stream through a straw that delivers drinkable H20 by the time it gets to your mouth.

Further along the sci-fi spectrum, you can find UV light water treatment that feels like you’re using something from “Star Trek.” You just insert the battery-powered UV light into your water, follow the directions, and kill all the bugs.

Filter straws for camping we recommend include:

  • Sawyer Products MINI
  • LifeStraw Steel
  • LifeStraw Personal
  • Membrane Solutions Water Filter Straw
  • Survival Hax Outdoor Water Filter

UV camping water purifiers on our list include:

  • SteriPEN Adventurer
  • SteriPEN Aqua
  • CrazyCap Deep UV

4. Sandless Mats

If you have trouble finding sandless mats in the camping section, look for them in beach gear. These mats and blankets are made with a weave and material that actively repels sand and dirt. If you set one down in front of your tent, it keeps the tent cleaner because you track in less dirt and dust. When you pack up to leave, the mat is grit-free, so you don’t end up with gunk in your pack or gear bag.

For added convenience, most models come with attached pockets you can fill with sand (ironically), dirt, or rocks to keep them laying flat and prevent them from blowing away in the wind. Our favorite makes and models of this simple but helpful camping tool include:

  • Wekapo Sand Free Beach Blanket
  • WELLAX Sandfree
  • Wildhorn Sand Escape
  • FUTERLY Sand-Free Mat
  • CampMe Premium Beach Blanket

5. Next-Level Tents

For a very long time, tents came in various configurations but with only a couple of basic structures. They all required setup using those bendy poles you slid in through the loops even though you were tired and it was probably already getting dark. They were fine, at best.

Newer models offer multiple other solutions. Some spring out and pop up, fully assembled and ready for use. Some have inflatable ribs you can pump up, possibly using an electric air pump powered by your portable solar unit. And some versions come with hammocks on the inside for extra-comfortable, warmer camping.

The specific features you’ll want will depend on what you like and dislike about your current tent and about how deep into the wild you like to go. The fancier the tent, the bulkier or heavier it tends to be.

Depending on what you want, check out the following prime examples of the various types of upgraded tent options:

  • Hemiplanet Inflatable Geodesic Dome Tent
  • Vango Odyssey Air 800
  • ICOrer Automatic Pop Up Tent
  • EDMBG Instant Tent
  • Kammok Roo Double
  • ENO JungleNest

6. Cooking With Style

We know you love your classic Coleman gas unit. You’ve built a lot of great memories making simple, nutritious meals with it over the years. But there are ways to make cooking and eating much more enjoyable —  dare we even say decadent — in the 21st century. Consider the following additions to your camp kitchen loadout:

  • Portable electric cook pots like the Biolite KettlePot
  • Gelatin-based edible cups so you don’t have to pack or burn the trash
  • The Bearbowl, a cooking pot that folds flat for packing
  • The Roccbox, a stone bake oven you can fold and pack

Final Thoughts

Just because this article focuses on high-tech camping conveniences, don’t forget that there are many low-tech camping survival items you shouldn’t leave out of your planning.

If you combine these old-school tools with new-school technology, you can turn your next camping experience into something as easy and luxurious as a stay at a five-star resort. Well, maybe not that luxurious, but it will be very comfortable.

Charles Greene grew up on the East Coast roughing it with his family on camping outings. But as an adult, when he camps, he enjoys some of the luxuries mentioned above.