Dec 2, 2020
We have often believed that
experiences were more important than things. In light of the
holidays and people having gifting on the brain I am sharing some
of our favorite things and offering some examples on how we have
gifted adventures.
Active/Outdoors:
We have found that if we are
comfortable being outdoors we are more apt to stay longer and enjoy
it. Through the years we have leaned on some of our favorite
things and brands.
- Cold
weather gear: Gloves, boots, fun hats. While we often hit
sales at the Columbia Outlet, I also have good luck grabbing these
as essential items from Costco. We’ve had really good luck
with the $12 kids winter gloves, and the base layers (which double
as PJs for my kids because they are silky and
cozy).
- Used
Sporting Equipment: Because we do so much adventuring
throughout the seasons and the kids grow so fast we rarely buy new
equipment. Some of the items we have gifted to the kids are
Downhill ski boots and skis, snowshoes, ice skates. These can
all be found relatively inexpensive at a place like Play it again
sports. Last year my son wanted to up his mountain bike game
and so we worked with a local bike shop to outfit a used bike that
would work well for him for the next 5
years.
- Bikes: In general are a good active gift.
If your kids are young (under 5) I highly recommend a strider or balance bike, or a
family gift of a bike trailer. We used a Double Burley bike
trailer for well over 10 years. It’s also helpful for other
things if you are someone who likes to bike. I know people
who use it to get groceries, to haul water back to their campsite
or garbage away from the campsite. It may have also been
alternative transportation when a car needed
fixing.
- Roller blades are also a school-aged gift that
was highly sought after.
- Things to help enjoy time outdoors. Last
year my daughter received the big swing, it looks like a flying
saucer, not sure exactly what it’s called. That swing has
seen more attention this year than most other items in our
house. I even enjoy laying on it. It does require a
stable tree branch or a beam to hang it from. If you are
looking for something for the young adults, a hammock is ideal. Ours is nylon
and packs up into a small sack and we bought the adjustable bands
and carabiners so we had the ability to take it with us many
different places.
- Hiking Shoes: last year we were introduced to
Saloman Speedcross hiking shoes and I am telling you the entire
family is now addicted to those and Darn tough
socks.
- Camping Gear: Sleeping bags- we had really good
luck with the kids sleeping bags from
Cabela's (this isn't the exact one, but very similar)
which were inexpensive, but much warmer than the princess and
superhero style at most box stores. We upgraded our older
kids to adult sleeping bags - it’s important to look for the
temperature rating and be mindful of any texture issues your family
members might have. My kids all like the silky texture and no
one likes their feet constraint with the mummy style bags. Or
other fun things like water jugs, percolators for coffee, cute
storage bins for the camper, a new air mattress- practical things
that will help adventure be more fun.
Travel
Many of our gifts have
previously revolved around a family travel experience so we have
slowly built their gear to accompany and make travel more
manageable and delightful.
- Each
kid got their own carryon bag (Owl and Monkey bags) wheelie bag and the
coordinating travel pillow. We invested in an Osprey Duffle
that converts to a backpack- it’s not small enough to be a checked
bag, but in our world of having so much gear, the ability to
quickly throw it on your back is great. (We actually bought
while out west on an Amtrak trip. The
Mother Lode travel backpack is on my wish list this
year.
- Other
travel essentials: Packing
cubes, toiletry bags, Kanteens (Klean Kantean once through
security we fill our water bottles), Bentigos were really helpful
for our road trips- each kid packed their own lunch (coincidently
they also are really helpful for homeschooling- having 3 kids with
different lunch schedules they all make their own lunches each day
now.
- Tools
to help them document adventures: Camera, journals,
Etsy Poster for all the MLB Stadiums
- Some
bigger gifts for adults were our Thule bike rack (attaches to the
hitch and swings out so you can open the back hatch) and our Yakima
car top carrier.
Location
specific accessories or gifts that are inspired by a
location
- Last
year we gifted the family a trip to Hawaii (which will now be in
2021) so everyone got snorkel gear
- When
we went to Disney I designed t-shirts for each of the kids, and
also bought some helpful things like cooling towels
- For
our stay at the Dude Ranch my daughter got cowboy boots
- We’ve
also done things like personalized beach towels, or a cool beach
gadget.
- A
book or movie to learn more about or where the movie was filmed
(Older son- Major league for our MLB trip to Cleveland, Forest Gump
for Savannah, and Jurassic Park last spring for our trip to Redwood
National Park and our hike in Fern Canyon).
- Things to remember a place by: Ghirardelli
chocolate for our San Francisco trip, Jelly Belly’s for our weekend
getaway to Racine
Apps or
subscriptions
- OnX: My
brother introduced this to us to give us downloadable maps that
provide GPScoordinates. He uses it for hunting, we used it
for camping and hiking out west. It’s great for when you
don’t have a cell phone signal. The free trial you can
download one map, and with the subscription we were able to
download several- not sure if there is a limit.
- All
trails: again a free version to simply find trails to hike,
great for planning our adventure trips and finding places to
hike. The subscription allows you to download the maps so
again don’t need cell signal to find the trails. I only use
the free version. They have the ability to record your hikes and
share with others so they know where you are. We already had
OnX so will consider what we will do next.
- Scott’s Cheap Flights: Gearing up for
airline travel, this is a subscription service (I highly recommend)
that got us $200 flights to Alaska from Green Bay. You can
set your airports that you want to watch for deals from and
destinations that are on your list and they email you any deals
that pop up. I have found great value from this and will be
continuing.
- State
or National Park passes- reminder for National Parks 4th graders,
and veterans get in free.
- If
you are interested in RV camping: Harvest Hosts or Boondockers
welcome are memberships we’ve explored. I haven’t used them
yet, but it’s on our list for when we are RV traveling more
frequently. I am in several groups and have heard really good
things. Also if this is of interest, something like mobile
hotspots or flexible wi-fi. We have looked at skyroam a few
times. Again, we aren’t there yet but if you are traveling a
lot it might be worth exploring. If you travel internationally, SIM
cards for those locations are needed items. Also things like
portable battery packs are helpful.
- Kids
subscriptions to magazines or activities: Nat Geo Kids magazines or
Kiwi boxes
I will close with one of our
favorite indoor activities is my son’s current set of Laser Tag set. If you are
someone who needs to switch it up, my nearly 70 yo dad sits in his
chair and plays with my 5 YO and it’s been a good family activity
to play. A set of 2 were about $30. We have 2 sets and
have a ton of fun playing with those this winter. And don’t
forget you can also get something like the Adventure
Challenge book, with scratch off adventures for friends,
couples, or families (Use Code ORDINARYSHERPA for 10% off).
And for 2 more weeks we still have the giveaway happening.
For anyone who leaves a written review will be entered in a drawing
to receive a Advent(ure)
Calendar to offer scratch off adventures for the 12 days
leading up to Christmas.
Given 2020 is the year for
making new traditions, you might want to consider how to add
adventure into how you open gifts this year. Maybe a new
tradition of having them complete a scavenger hunt to find their
gifts, or wrapping their first gift as a clue to where they can
find their second gift. Another tradition we enjoy is that
that last gift opened is a family gift and the person who opens it
is the person who finds the pickle ornament on the tree.
(Note: don’t do this if you are worried about your tree getting
slightly undecorated in the process)
While we are not here to
reinforce consumerism, and acknowledge that many adventures can be
done by simply putting down your phone. We also wanted to
inspire you to explore how you might make adventure have a more
prevalent role in your family story in 2021 and beyond, and if one
of these items would help you than I have accomplished my goal
today.
This week we have 2 winners of
the Advent(ure) Calendars. Thank you to everyone who left a
written review. I love reading them and appreciate the time
you took to share them with me.
1. Investor Mama writes:
Loving this podcast! Can't wait to learn more from Heidi. W
are trying to instill more adventure in our family and I know Heidi
is an expert in this area. Can't wait for more
episodes!
2. Goatrider22 writes: Excellent
first podcast! I love the word hazardous in the definition of
adventure. Looking forward to connecting with a community of
Sherpas!
If you would like to be entered
to win a scratch off advent(ure) calendar, leave a written review
on the podcast platform you are listening on. Take a
screenshot and email it to info@ordinarysherpa.com Each
week we will pick 1 winner for every 5 written
reviews.
Thank you for joining us on this
journey.
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