Perfect for stashing in the cooler and hauling it wherever you’re headed.

Cans don’t break when empty, you can crush them to save space, and you can fit more in the cooler.

This isn’t post-prohibition rice water; no Schlitz or PBR (sorry hipsters) or Olde Frothingslosh.

This is honest-to-goodness craft beer, packed with hops, balanced with malt.

Some purveyors of such awesomeness?

Oskar Blues.

Six Point.

21st Amendment.

Caldera.

And tons more.

And these breweries? Totally screaming to be waypoints on your next road trip.

Don’t worry, if the bottle opener on your racks gets lonely, we won’t judge if you buy a six of bottles.

The post Road Trip Tools #36 | Yes You (Beer) Can appeared first on Road Trips.

Sound familiar? No? Well, that’s ok.

Rock climbing is kind of in it’s own little isolated world of awesomeness. Still, it can be a pretty intimidating (and weird) environment in which to dip your toes without proper guidance. Fortunately, the climbing community is one of the most welcoming in the outdoor industry.

Take more friends? Yeah, climbers are all about that.

Let’s face it, everyone needs to start somewhere. No matter who you are, you can learn climbing. There are a lot of resources.

Go online to see if there is a local climbing wall or gym in your area. If that’s not an option, but you’re still looking to learn the ropes, head over to Mountain Project, a climbing-dedicated wiki that has a fantastic option to find partners in your area.

Once you get going, you may find all the knots, techy-looking equipment, and jargon intimidating. “Belay On!” and “bomber placements” are enough to bamboozle even the most adventurous first-timer, but don’t worry. It takes time. Your local climbing shop can connect you with the right books and the right people with ease.

Remember that friendly climbing community? That means more experience from which to draw.

According to a 2010 US Forest study, climbing’s most recent decade saw an almost 10% increase in participation, with more growth in the 2nd half of the decade. And it’s only going to continue growing.

This means there’s never been a better time to start climbing.

A group of friends hangs out at the top of a climb in Idaho. Photo by Climberpost.com

Resources:
a. http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/40453

The post Learning The Ropes, Literally appeared first on Road Trips.

The other 50 percent? Better left unsaid.

And sometimes, no matter how many compadres are along for the ride, you may find yourself the only one awake, sitting at the wheel.

The lone captain of the highway.

And you’ll be wanting coffee. Good coffee, too.

So here are four easy ways to avoid coffee that tastes like ashes and looks like tea.

Camp espresso maker
Highlight: Quality espresso when you need it most.
Bonus: No mechanical parts to break.

French Press
Highlight: If you can push down, you can have coffee. It’s that easy.
Bonus: You can almost hear accordion music from Paris when you sip your coffee.

Pour Over Cone Filter
Highlight:Perfect for one person or a carload of friends.
Bonus: Easy to pack, use a mug or a pot.

Starbucks Via
Highlight: Tasty java in no time flat.
Bonus: We’d put super secret Via microcrystals up against whatever’s in that styrofoam cup at the gas station.

Don’t forget: grinding your coffee in advance and a way to boil your water.

The post Road Trip Tools #35 – Coffee To Go appeared first on Road Trips.

But here’s the thing: You don’t have to take everything including the kitchen sink. Keep it light, fast, and ready to roll at all times.

Here are four essential road kitchen components:

Camp Stove 
Keys: durable stainless steel, collapsible, compact and easy to clean. Environmentally conscious chefs will opt for the white fuel variety over disposable propane canisters.

Cookware
Keys: 2 quart sauce pan with heavy bottom and tight fitting lid; high quality non-stick skillet. Well-seasoned cast iron works well, too.

Prep and clean-up kit

Prep kit Keys: cutting board, at least one sharp knife, a rubber/plastic spatula (especially if you’re packing non-stick), large spoon (wood, metal or plastic), an aluminum bowl (super durable and lightweight), a hot pad, a kitchen towel. Apron is optional.

Clean Up Kit Keys: dish soap and bleach (in film canisters if you can find them), scrubbies (plastic or metal), paper towels, and a collapsible water jug for low-flow dishwashing water.

Kitchen box:
Keys: tough container big enough to hold all your stuff  but not so big that you can’t lift it. Don’t forget essential dry goods (jars of steel cut oats, coffee and hot chocolate, and pancake mix, compact spice kit). To be uber-efficient, pre-measure your  ingredients and put them in individual containers .

Get all your ducks in a row with these tips and you’ll be master of the road, never worrying how far it is to your next meal again.

The post Road Trip Tools #33 appeared first on Road Trips.

Close Encounters of the Weird Kind — A road trip just isn’t complete without a brush with America’s oddball underbelly. Fortunately, there’s the Roadside America Map Tool. You can find delightful derangements by city and by state, and their site has a bevy of featured destinations worth a quick stop and a Facebook photo. Your friends will die laughing when you pull off the highway and explain you’re all stopping at The World’s Largest Armadillo (Granbury, Texas) or the Giant Apple Core in Dunbar, Pennsylvania. Be sure to download their iPhone app before you depart.

The post Road Trip Tool #31 appeared first on Road Trips.

To find that sort of fun along the way, try these:

Get Off the Beaten Path, But Not Lost — Interstate driving is lame: It’s sterile, and every exit has the same gas stations and fast food. Your road trip posse will be much more intrigued with the route you plan with help from America’s Byways. They’ll help you map every National Scenic Byway and All-American Road, as well as the must-see sights along the way.

The post Road Trip Tool #30 appeared first on Road Trips.

“Whether you get into it for fitness or not, you’re going to see changes in your body,” said Gregg, who’s now based in Oregon’s Hood River area and has dedicated herself to all things SUP. “The muscles you haven’t been using are going to wake up and talk to you.”

Gregg said that most SUP newbies will feel the workout in their feet, then ankles, then calves.

The legs burn before you really feel an arm workout, she said, because the real test is in learning to stand on the board.

Then it hits the core muscles, your abdominals and the lower back that help you stabilize — and improve your posture while slimming your waistline.

“A lot of people are surprised, because they think it’s going to be a complete upper body workout,” Gregg said. “It’s a toes-to-nose workout.”

(Photos courtesy of Nikki Gregg/Starboard)

The post Building A Body By SUP appeared first on Road Trips.

And it hasn’t.

Their daughter, Chloe, was 5 weeks old when they made their first foray back into the wilds.

“At 5 weeks, you’re in the throes of breast feeding and getting used to what it’s like to be interrupted all night,” Mark says. “I distinctly remember parts of it that sucked. But, what’s the alternative?”

Can’t wait to introduce your little ones to camping? Mark has these tips:

• Plan for everything
• Start with small trips
• Mix in nights with lodging and facilities on longer camping trips
• Take more friends, take more kids
• Be flexible

The post Advice For Dad On Kid-Camping appeared first on Road Trips.

“It’s one of the biggest questions people are searching for,” says Brooke Stephens.

“If the men are searching, it’s usually ‘how can I convince my wife it’s OK?’” she says. “And if it’s the women, they want to make sure they’re being a good mom and not doing anything that will inhibit their child’s growth.”

Brooke and her husband, Mark, publish AdventureParents.com where they document their outdoor activities and the outings of other families.

When Brooke got pregnant, it was like people started warning them with ominous prophecy, she says.

The in-laws, even their friends, they were telling Mark, it’s a good thing you’re getting all this climbing and backpacking out of your system now.

They were telling Brooke, it’ll be 18 years before you get your freedom back.

Not completely true. The key, Brooke says, is adapting.

Kids make you plan out all the little details, she says. There’s no picking up and taking off at the spur of the moment.

The activities change a bit, too. They transitioned from backpacking to more car-based camping and sight-seeing.

They often take trips with the grandparents, or Mark’s brother, who also brings along his daughter. A few more people on the trip can help, and more kids means more fun for them, Brooke says.

“There’s no definite answer,” she says. “But from people we’ve interviewed, if you start before first grade, the kids grow up thinking of camping trips as something fun and special.”

 (Photos courtesty of Mark Stephens/AdventureParents.com)

The post Too Young To Camp? appeared first on Road Trips.

Appease the Type-A’s — Spontaneous is definitely more fun, but you might have a hyper-organized road trip buddy, or maybe your trip is the kind with lots of can’t-miss dates or details. In that case, check out Tripit or Dopplr. Both of them let you easily make consolidated calendar-based itineraries and share them with all your friends on your road trip crew.

(Photo by Gabriella Corrado/Flickr Creative Commons)

The post Road Trip Tool #29 appeared first on Road Trips.