Hey everyone, hope you are having an awesome day. My day has been jam packed thus far and this evening promises to be just as fun. For those of you sitting inside because it is too cold, you may want to rethink that as there are many things you can do to stay warm and enjoy the outdoors when it is cold and snowy. Today’s blog is about two of the pieces of equipment that will help you with exactly that.
Survival Frog USB Charger and Hand Warmer
Every once in a while, I come across multi-purpose devices. Not devices that I use for multiple purposes but devices are actually designed for multiple purposes. The Survival Frog is exactly one of those devices and I have fallen in love with this thing. As you know, batteries lose charge quite fast in the cold and our hands are also quite susceptible to the cold. This little device has the answer to both of those issues.
It has a button on the top that allows you to put the device in one of two different modes. You set it to either charge mode or heating mode. But wait, there is more! When in heat mode, you can still charge your phone at the same time. So, I often have a cable plugged into my phone and the unit, then set it to heat mode and slip it inside one of my gloves. Usually on the hand that is coldest. The fact that it is so compact, makes it ideal for just holding in the palm of your hand and it heats up quite quickly allowing you to warm your hand fairly rapidly.
Here are a few images for you to see various aspects of the device.
My hand warmer came with an adventurers package that I purchased but you can find almost the exact same one on amazon by clicking here
Atlas Stratus 25″ Snowshoes
These snowshoes are simply awesome. I purchased these shoes this year and I fully expect them to be with me for many years as they are the best pair I have ever owned. The ones I have are the 25″ pair which are rated for a load up to 200lbs which is more than enough for me and my pack if needed. They also have the 30″ version which has a load bearing of 150lbs to 250lbs and the 35″ version with a load bearing of 180lbs to 300lbs.
The three features I love about these shoes are the hikers which is essentially a small bar that you flip up under your foot. It allows you to climb hills, or steep traverses, as if you are climbing stairs. This can be very handy as many of you know. The next feature I love is the All-Trac toe crampon. These things are beasts and allow you to grab onto almost anything. The third feature I really adore is Boa Closure system. If you are used to using shoes that do not have this, the first time you use it, you will melt. It makes getting on and off the snowshoes a breeze.
Here is the full list of features but the ones I listed above are the ones that sold me on these babies!
- Boa® Closure System
- V-Frame™
- Spring-Loaded™ Suspension
- Wrapp™ Helix Binding
- Nytex Decking
- Heel Lift Bar
- All-Trac™ Toe Crampon
- Traverse Trac Rails
You can find them on Amazon here: Click Here
