As we put together to welcome in 2024, we’re taking time to look again at the place we’ve traveled. Particularly, we’re taking a look at the place the world-renowned Gentle Toes weblog has taken us over these final 12 months.
Our aim is to make Gentle Toes our group’s go-to vacation spot for uplifting interviews with outside fans, helpful ideas and tips for the path, adventuresome tales from the backcountry, useful gear highlights, and all issues light-weight backpacking. Because of visitor contributors, professional interviews, and our top-shelf, in-house inventive brainstorming staff, we’ve revealed some fairly enjoyable content material this 12 months, if we do say so ourselves.
To find out one of the best Gentle Toes blogs from 2023, we used a extremely scientific course of that concerned wanting on the variety of views every of our articles bought this 12 months and mixing that with an total vibe examine. Following this thorough evaluate, we’re excited to current you with the highest 15 Gentle Toes weblog posts from 2023!
We kicked off the 12 months with an academic piece on the seven ideas of Depart No Hint (LNT). Curiosity within the outside has continued to extend annually, and we needed to supply some accessible data on how we will all cut back our impacts on the atmosphere whereas we discover. Try the article for a historical past of LNT ideas, who ought to use them, the place to make use of them, and particulars on every.
This 12 months, we have been excited to launch our Quick Kumo 36 backpack, a pack made for path operating, fastpacking, and record-setting. To have a good time the latest member of our line, we additionally kicked off a weblog collection all about fastpacking, together with this introductory weblog in regards to the sport.
Our fastpacking weblog collection additionally included three visitor posts from record-setting fastpacker Jeff Garmire. He supplied tales about his background with fastpacking, ideas for novices, and different ideas on the way to make fastpacking be just right for you based mostly by yourself private objectives.
The Gossamer Gear staff begins getting enthusiastic about our April Idiot’s Day weblog months upfront annually. After a protracted listing of questionable concepts, this 12 months we settled on helium-filled backpacks. As a result of why take much less when helium can mean you can take extra?
For Mom’s Day, we shared a visitor submission from Jennifer Stoneking-Stewart, who has hiked 1,000+ miles along with her two kiddos, now 8 and 10. The weblog was as lovely because it was informative. Jennifer detailed the “ten necessities for teenagers” whereas on path and mirrored on a few of her favourite reminiscences from their time collectively within the outside.
We launched you to our phenomenal design staff this 12 months in an interview with Greg and Carrie Fritsch. We’re pleased with our small, family-oriented strategy to every Gossamer Gear product. It’s also possible to be taught extra about this father–daughter design duo in a brief movie we launched about them earlier this 12 months.
Relying on the place you reside, you would possibly encounter extra rain through the spring and summer season months. Wet hikes throughout hotter climate require particular planning, so we shared some ideas to assist hold our group adventuring all through popup rainstorms within the spring and summer season months.
Courageous Trails is a nonprofit working to cut back limitations that LGBTQ+ youth face to getting exterior. By way of quite a lot of outdoor-focused management actions, they assist LGBTQ+ youth construct group and profit from the constructive results of time spent in nature. We interviewed Thursday Sadler, who developed and coordinates the group’s backpacking program, to be taught extra about their work.
Our weblog editor’s (me!) thorough, private evaluate of the Crotch Pot drove roughly a million gross sales of the treasured backcountry kitchen merchandise. I imply, kind of that many, ya know? We did obtain one Instagram remark about it that mentioned it was the primary evaluate this particular person had learn that really made them wish to attempt it. Our weblog editor will maintain onto that flatter for the remainder of her life, so thanks @johnpriddle. Additionally, it created many confused questions from her members of the family and shut mates.
It was actual sizzling in Texas this summer season, y’all. Ky Harkey, the chief adventurer at LoneStarParks.com, who has frolicked as a NOLS backpacking chief, Wilderness First Support teacher, and director of interpretation for Texas State Parks, wrote a visitor publish for Gentle Toes on the way to hold adventuring within the warmth safely. We’re grateful for the break within the warmth and know we’ll flip to this weblog for good reminders come subsequent summer season.
We have been excited to launch the DCF Whisper ultralight shelter this 12 months. This spacious, storm- and bug-proof shelter weighs simply 9.8 ounces and is our founder’s go-to set-up. Glen wrote a visitor weblog for Gentle Toes sharing how he developed this design over time. There are solely 100 of those restricted version shelters accessible.
Our light-weight tarp shelters, the Solo Tarp and the Twinn Tarp, are nice for backcountry sleeping, however we needed to focus on a few of their different makes use of this 12 months too. So, our staff gathered collectively to listing 21 very sensible makes use of for the tarps that our group of light-weight, multi-use fans can discover. We additionally determined to launch the #GGTarpChallenge. For those who can show to us that you simply’ve used the Solo Tarp or Twinn Tarp for all 21 of those makes use of, attain out to our staff for a particular prize bundle!
This 12 months, we bought to interview Bryan Conant, the chief director of Los Padres Forest Affiliation (LPFA), and Paul Cronshaw, considered one of our fantastic model ambassadors and an LPFA volunteer, in regards to the group’s work. Their ideas impressed all of us to search out extra methods within the new 12 months to help to our public lands. It’s also possible to be taught extra about their annual used gear fundraising sale, which presents numerous Gossamer Gear merchandise at nice costs!
We additionally bought to interview Gabe Vasquez, a Marine Corps veteran and lengthy distance hiker, about his work to help veterans’ psychological well being. By way of quite a lot of outside adventures, Gabe has raised greater than $40,000 for Semper Fi & America’s Fund (SFF), a nonprofit that cares for the nation’s critically wounded, in poor health, and injured service members, veterans, and navy households.
This 12 months, we launched a brand new daypack, the Loris 25. We additionally up to date our in style Vagabond Jet to recycled cloth and launched the Minimalist 19 in our fan-favorite colorwave, tropical mist. Having the best daypack alongside on your adventures could make an enormous distinction. We put this weblog collectively to focus on the options to search for in a daypack and evaluate 5 daypack choices we provide at Gossamer Gear.
Thank You and Joyful New Yr!
From all of us at Gossamer Gear, we wish to specific how a lot we respect you being part of our group. You made the journey an important one this 12 months and we’re excited to get to maintain mountain climbing with you into the grand vistas of the long run. As we shut out the 12 months, we want you all of the happiest of trails in 2024!
Ensure to share your adventures with us by tagging tagging Gossamer Gear on social media (@gossamergear) and utilizing the hashtag #takelessdomore. And if in case you have an thought for a visitor weblog, be at liberty to succeed in out to korrin@gossamergear.com!
