A retired science teacher, an eight-year-old, and the one piece of gear that quietly ended the every-ten-minutes water stop.
Eight months, about thirty Saturdays, and one eight year old who stopped asking me for water. Here is what held up, what did not, and who this pack is actually for.
A retired teacher compares the pack she bought for her granddaughter with a simpler kids pack, and explains which child fits which.
Eight months of Saturdays at Mammoth Cave, and the change that mattered most was not the boots.
A retired science teacher, an eight-year-old, and the one piece of gear that quietly ended the every-ten-minutes water stop.
A retired science teacher's five-step routine for getting a child to drink while she walks instead of stopping every ten minutes to ask for the bottle.
A retired teacher's honest notes on the kids hydration pack that ended the every-ten-minute water stop, including the missing hip belt and the reservoir that takes overnight to dry.
Nora Pruitt put the Merrell Chameleon kids hiking boots on her granddaughter for about thirty Saturday walks. Here is what held up, what got muddy, and who should skip them.
A retired science teacher compares the Merrell Chameleon she bought for her granddaughter with the KEEN Targhee she handled in a store.
I took my granddaughter to Mammoth Cave in sneakers once. We turned back after a mile. Here are the ten things a real hiking boot fixed, in plain terms.
A February morning in old sneakers ended after a mile. About thirty Saturdays later, here is what actually changed.
Five steps I learned the hard way, from a wet February morning at Mammoth Cave to about thirty Saturdays in one pair of boots.
An honest look at the kids' Merrell Chameleon after about thirty Saturdays of real trail use, including the parts that are not flattering.
Eight months, about thirty Saturday walks, and one child who quit asking about birds and started writing them down instead.
One pair is a preschool toy with fixed 2x and no focus. The other is a real 8x21 binocular that asks a child to learn something. Here is which one fits which child.
A retired science teacher on what happened when her 8-year-old granddaughter started carrying the Think Peak 8x21 pair on Saturday walks.
A retired science teacher's notes on the pair that got her granddaughter to stop and look.
A retired science teacher's step-by-step method for getting an 8-year-old to find a bird, hold still, and focus before it flies.
Eight months, about thirty Saturdays and thirty-one species in a notebook. What these compact binoculars do well, what they cannot do, and which children will get nothing out of them.
Eight months of Saturdays, one fall down a stone step, and about thirty refills later. What the Owala FreeSip Kids bottle actually does for a family that walks every week.
One of these bottles has been riding in my Forester's cup holder and coming apart for hand washing for eight months. The other one I have only handled on a store shelf. Here is the honest split.
A retired science teacher on the bottle her eight year old granddaughter actually carries, and the jobs it should not be asked to do.
A retired science teacher's notes on the one bottle that has ridden in the car on every Saturday since March, dents and all.
After one wet, miserable February walk, I bought five pieces of gear in a single order. Eight months later, here is what I know about the bottle part.
Eight months, about thirty Saturdays and one small puddle in the cup holder: what a 16 ounce Owala FreeSip Kids bottle actually does well, and where it runs out.
Eight months, about thirty Saturdays, one real downpour. What a nylon shell actually does for an eight-year-old on the trail, and what it does not.
Eight months of Saturday walks behind one of them. A store rack and a listing behind the other.
One February walk ended at a mile with wet socks and a torn poncho. Eight months and about 30 Saturdays later, here is what a plain nylon shell actually fixed.
One February walk in sneakers went wrong in every way it could. Eight months later, the fix is a nylon shell that lives rolled up in a pack.
A retired science teacher on the order she dresses her granddaughter in, the layer most parents skip, and the two mistakes she made in the first month.
It kept my granddaughter's top half dry through a real soaking at Mammoth Cave. It did nothing at all about her being cold. Eight months of Saturdays, both halves of that sentence.
Eight months, about thirty Saturdays, and one eight year old who stopped asking me for water. Here is what held up, what did not, and who this pack is actually for.
A retired teacher's honest notes on the kids hydration pack that ended the every-ten-minute water stop, including the missing hip belt and the reservoir that takes overnight to dry.
Nora Pruitt put the Merrell Chameleon kids hiking boots on her granddaughter for about thirty Saturday walks. Here is what held up, what got muddy, and who should skip them.
An honest look at the kids' Merrell Chameleon after about thirty Saturdays of real trail use, including the parts that are not flattering.
Eight months, about thirty Saturday walks, and one child who quit asking about birds and started writing them down instead.
Eight months, about thirty Saturdays and thirty-one species in a notebook. What these compact binoculars do well, what they cannot do, and which children will get nothing out of them.
Eight months of Saturdays, one fall down a stone step, and about thirty refills later. What the Owala FreeSip Kids bottle actually does for a family that walks every week.
Eight months, about thirty Saturdays and one small puddle in the cup holder: what a 16 ounce Owala FreeSip Kids bottle actually does well, and where it runs out.
Eight months, about thirty Saturdays, one real downpour. What a nylon shell actually does for an eight-year-old on the trail, and what it does not.
It kept my granddaughter's top half dry through a real soaking at Mammoth Cave. It did nothing at all about her being cold. Eight months of Saturdays, both halves of that sentence.
