Summer is the favorite season of many campers and hikers. They opt to take time off from work and backpack on mountain trails, spending the night away from city lights and noise. One of the pleasures of camping is enjoying a fresh cup of coffee or espresso at your camp site. At Everestgear, you€™ll find the Thunderpress ($16) , a handy combination coffee press and travel mug, where you brew one cup at a time. For a larger group of campers, try the Lexan Javapress ($20), which looks like a clear pitcher with a coffeepot top. Place medium ground coffee inside, add boiling water, and allow to steep for 4 minutes. Press down the built-in plunger and you€™re ready to serve your java. If you are more of an espresso person, GSI Outdoors carries a four-cup stainless mini expresso machine ($50). You place ground espresso beans inside it, set it on your camp stove to heat (this does not work in microwaves, or over campfires), and soon you have four double-shot (2.5-ounce) servings. To really impress your fellow campers, you can also purchase the milk frother kit ($20) to make lattes. Pour hot or cold milk inside the frother and move the plunger up and down until the milk foams. To look like a real outdoorsman, you can drink your coffee or espresso out of a Snow Peak Titanium Trek Mug from REI. This metal mug with a flip-top lid works as a cooking pot for pasta, a serving bowl for soup, and as a coffee mug too. It only weighs 4.25 ounces, so it€™s easy to carry as well.
Before you spray insect repellent on your kids this summer, you might want to check the label. Many insect repellents marketed for families and children contain DEET. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics has approved the use of DEET on children, the Academy recommends only applying these products once a day, and not on children younger than 2. In addition, applying DEET repellents in combination with sunscreen increases the possibility of DEET having toxic effects on the child. One way to not have to worry about DEET is to use repellents made without it. REPEL, for example, is a plant-based lemon eucalyptus insect repellent, available from Basegear in 4-ounce bottles for $7. This solution repels mosquitoes and deer ticks for up to six hours. REPEL has a very strong lemon scent; and it needs to be carefully applied to the face to avoid eye irritation. Bite Blocker is another good repellent which does not contain DEET. Bite Blocker€™s herbal insect repellent spray, which works for up to 8 hours, contains soybean oil, geranium oil, coconut oil and vanillin, among other ingredients. Bite Blocker wipes contain that same repellent, and are safe for all ages. Burt€™s Bees Insect Repellent contains eucalyptus and lemongrass oil (Burt€™s Bees is well-known for their natural, child-friendly products). REI sells this repellent in spray form for $8. Avon has been very successful with their Skin So Soft Bug Guard line, some combined with sunscreen, that are meant for the whole family. The Skin So Soft bug guard plus disappearing color sunscreen lotion ($12) is a clever way to protect kids from bugs and the sun. It comes out of the tube blue, but the color fades once rubbed into the skin. That blue color makes it more fun to put on, a useful thing if your child is cranky about putting on lotions. There€™s also a Bug Guard Plus regular version, which is white.
Parents taking their young children swimming this summer would be well advised to put the kiddos in swimsuits with built-in flotation devices. These are hybrids between a life jacket and a bathing suit, with foam panels sewn inside the chest and sometimes the back. My Pool Pal carries the ultimate in children€™s flotation wear: the Aqua Force children€™s swimsuit. These suits are heavily padded on the front and back with foam inserts; they look like life vests with shoulder straps and a swim bottom attached. The Coast Guard has approved them as personal flotation devices (PFDs); the suits are available in lime green for boys and hot pink for girls in sizes for children from 30 through 90 pounds ($55). The Waterpals boys flotation suit from Pooltoy is a combined vest and swim short, with foam inserts on the chest to keep your toddler afloat; it comes in small, medium and large for ages 2 to 5 ($30). For girls, the similarly designed My Pool Pal flotation suit ($40) comes in a variety of colors. UV Sungear sells children€™s floatsuits with a built-in sun protection factor of UPF 50+. Parents still have to sunscreen their children€™s faces, necks, arms and legs, but it€™s quicker than having to apply lotion on the kid€™s chest and back too ($60). Swim Outlet carries a boy€™s two-piece floatsuit ($29). The advantage of choosing this suit is that it€™s simpler to use the bathroom; your toddler only has to pull the shorts down, instead of having one of his parents unzip the whole outfit from the back. The Learn to Swim Tube Trainer (pictured) works for both boys and girls. With a small inner tube sewn into a one-piece aqua-colored swimsuit, kids will be bumping into things more often than if they were wearing the more streamlined floaty suits, but it’s adorable ($34) . Although flotation suits are not a substitute for parental supervision, they make your family€™s outings to the pool, beach, lake or water park much safer.
The great thing about going to the beach is staying a while. The rhythms of the surf, the sea air €” they work a relaxing magic on stress as you swim and snooze, read a book or chat with friends. We suggest you make the most of your day with a beach umbrella, which will provide privacy and shade and lay claim to your turf. At Shade USA, there are several to choose from. Our favorite for groups is the 20-panel rainbow beach umbrella ($35). The canopy is seven feet in diameter, can be tilted as you like, has an SPF rating of 100 and is water resistant. This one comes with a free self-anchoring system, so you don€™t have to purchase a separate sand anchor. Half the size and almost two-thirds less expensive (not to mention much lighter to haul at three pounds) is the clamp-on beach umbrella ($13). It attaches to any arm-rest or tubular frame piece and has an SPF of 35. Or go all out with a Solartek Windbrella ($50), with a six-foot canopy made of a silver fabric that bounces 95 percent of UV rays. Of course, you may forgo the umbrella and bring along a Kelsyus Recline Backpack Chair and UV Canopy ($40; pictured) instead or a Fargason tent chair ($60) if you don€™t plan to flatten out on a towel. These portable chairs provide their own shade. The Kelsyus has a drink holder; the Fargason has zippered side windows. And don€™t forget a body board for riding waves and frolicking in the surf. A fine entry-level board is the Baja, by Morey (on sale for $65). The Dimple bottom-skin increases speed while the grooved slots minimize turbulence and hold the waves. We like that it comes with a wrist leash so you needn€™t spend time hunting for your board if you wipe out. Add towels, summer reading and a cooler full of snacks, and you’ll be awfully close to heaven.
Whether you€™re planning a family reunion, outing to the park, trip to the beach or picnic with your neighbors, a key part of the success of your event will be a good cooler. This utilitarian piece of equipment is incredibly necessary €“ imagine how everyone€™s enthusiasm would melt away if they were presented with warm drinks on a 90-plus-degree day. The clever people at Igloo Coolers have a nifty online device to help you find the cooler you need. Click on the type of event (the categories are €œpark, beach or backyard,€ €œteam sports or tailgating,€ €œcamping,€ €œsportsman€ and €œlunch€) and then click on the number of people your cooler needs to serve. Seconds later you€™ll have a selection of Igloo coolers to choose from. For example, someone needing a cooler for a tailgate party serving a large group could buy the Ice Cube Max Cold 70 roller ($80), which has wheels, a telescoping handle, the capacity to hold 101 cans and can keep ice cold for five days. Families who enjoy camping should consider the Igloo All-Terrain Cooler 120 ($150), which has heavy-duty rubber tires for hauling it over sand, grass and gravel, and holds up to 185 cans and ice. Not to be outdone, Coleman has its own vast selection of coolers. Its top-of-the-line offerings include the 100-quart Wheeled Extreme Cooler ($130), which can hold 130 cans plus ice, has a tow handle with two large wheels and can keep ice from melting for up to five days with outdoor temperatures of 90 degrees. Coleman has also reintroduced its classic steel-belted cooler, and its redesign makes it look more like an appliance for a luxury kitchen than an accessory for a picnic. The 54-quart steel belted cooler is durable and comes with a rust-resistant drain ($200). For use at the pool, the Sam€™s Club Float-A-Bout Cooler (pictured) holds up to 18 cans inside and up to six cans outside on a ring attached to the main container. It floats and comes with its own nylon carrying case, for easy storage ($33). For backyard parties, L. L. Bean sells this attractive steel cooler ($260) mounted on a rolling serving cart. The inside is a watertight molded interior, with a drain. Pour your ice around the beer bottles, park it near the barbecue grill, and your guests can take care of themselves.
€œThe sun seems more brutal,€ I heard someone say the other day and had to agree. With so much construction in the cities and suburbs, there are fewer places to find shade. With less rainfall, the world is getting drier and we feel more parched. Which is why a personal cooling device may be just the thing as you venture forth into the searing, energy-robbing days of summer. There are a number of individual size, battery-operated fans on the market and some of them offer bursts of mist. The Misty Mate isn€™t a fan, but it weighs less than two pounds and has a built-in pump that pressurizes the 16 ounces of water it holds into a cooling mist, which makes the air temp feel 30 degrees cooler! It fits in the bottle holder of a bike and comes with a carrying strap ($24). The O2 handheld cool water misting fan with strap and clip ($17) has safe foam blades and can double as a drinking water bottle. Basically, it€™s a 16-ounce pump spray bottle with a fan attached; you pull the trigger for a hit of mist. Brookstone’s Cool It! fan (pictured) is a little powerhouse that runs on four AA batteries and ships in three colors ($22.) Need something lighter? You might prefer a mini water misting fan with carabiner clip ($11). It runs on 1 AA battery, fits easily in your hand and clips to your clothing or carrying bag. Or get this little powerhouse of a necklace/desk fan ($15). It requires little energy to operate, has a fold-out stand to place it down in front of you or a cord for transporting it around your neck. The only thing it lacks is mist. If you plan to work outside this summer and need more than a little fan/mister to combat the heat under your collar, check the selection of around-the-neck cooling products at Heat Relief, which also sells a number of cooling vests and hard hat coolers and sweatbands. With climate change under way, they€™re not just for contruction workers anymore.
The sun gives a €œhealthy glow€ and a daily dose of vitamin D. It also burns and irradiates our skin if we don€™t protect ourselves. Those who have already dealt with skin cancer or €œprecancerous€ carcinomas, not to mention premature aging, know the importance of covering up with a good hat. The rest of us need to take preventive action now. In other words, don€™t leave the house without a sun hat tucked into your bag or your car or tied around your neck. The everyday cotton hat from Coolibar €” the online store claims to be the only site recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation €” offers excellent shelter from ultraviolet light. With a four-inch brim and hidden drawstring for a custom fit, it boasts a 50+ percent UPF rating, meaning it will block 98 percent of the sun€™s harmful rays ($30; available in eight colors). Outdoor Research€™s Seattle Sombrero from REI won an award from Backpacker magazine. Made of waterproof Gore-Tex, its brim can be turned up and secured on both sides to VELCRO tabs ($50). For those who need extra protection for their necks and ears, there€™s the Bimini cap from Patagonia ($30). You probably won€™t win any fashion awards, but your sweating, roasting companions will envy your cool composure, and the rear flap is removable. Tea in the Sahara, anyone? Or let your head go uncovered while protecting your face in a Naples women’s hat by Physician Endorsed Hats ($33). This one works as a visor when you unzip the removable crown. €œBut I want to look pretty,€ you say? Anthropologie€™s wide brimmed monochrome sun hat ($38) and Yucca hat ($88) will do the trick and make you look like a fashion sophisticate. There are lots more face-saving wide brimmed sun protection hats for women at Sun Grubbies, such as the extra-wide brimmed canvas Bella ($48; pictured). And parents: Don€™t forget a hat for your kid.
