The Outdoor Industry 4-1-1.

Depending on where you are in the world, and how cold it is outside, the thought of camping right now might not have even crossed your mind. While you’re bundled up at home this winter, take the opportunity to plan your adventures early! Texas state parks allow you to book campsites five months in advance while most national parks allow you to do so six months in advance. Backcountry and lottery permits are a tad trickier, and there’s no time like the present to apply before they’re all snatched up.  We've put together eight bucket-list-worthy trips that take a bit more logistical planning than a simple reservation. Best of luck to everyone who applies for these epic permits! 1. Thru-Hike The Narrows, Zion National Park Hiking The Narrows is a bucket list item for many, which contributes to the ultra-competitive booking system for the 16-mile through-hike. A backcountry permit is needed whether you want to hike it in a single day or camp halfway, but if you plan to camp, a backcountry campsite booking is required as well. The trick here? Booking opens at 10 a.m. Mountain Time on the 5th of every month, and the NPS reports “most spaces will become fully booked for the next month within minutes of reservations opening.” Don’t be discouraged. You can plan for an out-and-back trip in the narrows with no special permit required. Plan for this one in late spring and summer when temps rise and water levels drop.     2. Rim to Rim, Grand Canyon National Park A backcountry camping permit for Grand Canyon is even tougher to nab than The Narrows and more logistically challenging as well. You’ll need to plan months in advance and mail or fax your request to the NPS in order to get approved. A Rim to Rim hike in Grand Canyon National Park is extremely challenging when you consider the elevation change and hot, dry conditions. According to HikingGuy.com, the most viable windows for a trip like this is the end of May or beginning of October when hotter temps are least likely. Check out the full guide at HikingGuy and start making those plans now!     3. See the fall colors in Lost Maples State Natural Area This state natural area outside of San Antonio is best known for its fall foliage. While most Texas trees like pecans and oaks turn to brown and shed their leaves during winter, Lost Maples offers the Lone Star State some true fall colors. Bigtooth maples not common in most of the state still thrive in this unique microclimate and offer a spectacular show come November. But you’ll have to plan in advance if you want to see the brilliant orange leaves in person. Based on the Fall Foliage Report from 2021 and a quick phone call to the park headquarters, it sounds like planning your trip around Veterans Day is the ideal time. Since Texas state parks don't allow you to reserve campsites more than five months out, set a reminder in your phone for June as spots fill up quickly. Day passes are sold a month in advance and also sell out well in advance.     4. Visit The Wave at Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness This gem in Arizona is a highly sought after photo destination for social media influencers, but it’s so much more than a selfie spot. The Wave is one of the most visually interesting geological structures in North America. Due to its popularity and the fragile nature of the unique ecosystem, permits are limited to a highly competitive lottery system. From the Bureau of Land Management website: “Forty-eight people or 12 groups (whichever comes first) each day are awarded permits through an online lottery four months in advance.” A same-day walk-in lottery is also available, but they limit numbers to 16 people or four groups. Best of luck on this one—the lucky few are in for a heck of an adventure.     5. Summit Mt. Whitney, Inyo National Forest Looking to escape in the beautiful Sierra Nevadas? Might as well summit the tallest peak in California while you’re at it. For most hikers, this is a 12-hour day minimum: 22 miles out and back with over 6,200 feet of elevation gain. If this doesn’t deter you, then it’s time to call your friends and put some dates on the calendar! Best hiking conditions run from July to late September when the trail is usually free of snow. Not so fast though—the success rate for 2021 applications was a measly 28%, meaning you’ll likely have to apply multiple times to get a shot at this one. But if you’re a peak bagger, or if you’re just looking for an epic adventure, this one’s definitely worth applying for. The lottery for Mount Whitney runs from February 1 to March 15, so mark your calendar!     6. Float Hell’s Canyon, the Salmon River, or the Selway River You’ve only got a few days left to put in for these sought-after river floats as well as a few others. The last day to enter the lottery for the 2022 season is February 1st, so you’ll have to make a quick decision. Still, these rivers offer some of the best of the west when it comes to scenic and technical paddle trips. And don’t worry: If this isn’t your year, you can always plan for 2023. For a full list of upcoming lotteries, click here.     7. Hike the Half Dome Cable Route, Yosemite National Park 16 miles with 4,800 feet of gain is nothing to take lightly, but reaching the summit of the Half Dome in Yosemite is definitely a once in a lifetime kind of experience. Hikers have been using this cable route since 1919, and it remains one of the most popular destinations for outdoor enthusiasts today. If this sounds like your kind of adventure, know that the preseason lottery runs during the month of March with more daily lotteries to come in May. The cable route opens in late May depending on conditions and is open through October 11. Make your plans and find more info here.     8. Paddle the Devils River, West Texas Of all the adventures on this list, aside from the Lost Maples trip perhaps, this one might be the most achievable. Why, you ask? The Devils River lies in barren west Texas, completely remote and relatively unknown in comparison to the national park giants listed above. Lucky for you, it’s one of the best kept secrets in Texas. The Devils River is a 94-mile, spring-fed river considered by many experts to be the most pristine river remaining in Texas. To help keep it that way, Texas Parks and Wildlife limits the number of visitors to the river, and especially the number of paddlers given river access permits. TPWD recommends planning your trips for spring and fall to avoid extreme temps. A quick Google image search of the river will tell you everything you need to know about why you should put this on your list, and why if you go you should be extra diligent with your Leave No Trace principles (as always). Want to learn where the Devils River got its name? Check this out from the Devils River Conservancy, and while you’re on their website, read about why this river is so important to protect.   For those of you ready for a winter adventure, check out our Guide to Hammock Camping in Cold Weather.

The ultimate hammock basecamp We teamed up with TAXA Outdoors to put a Kammok spin on their Woolly Bear habitat. The result is a go-anywhere, do-it-all trailer that's ready for any hammock adventure. We could all use a little more time outside, and the Kammok Edition Woolly Bear is the perfect tool for getting out and staying out. The Camp Chef's Dream Kitchen One of the biggest barriers to getting outside is the comfort you leave behind at home, one of the most crucial being a fully functioning kitchen with everything you need at your fingertips. The Woolly Bear kitchen offers the best of both worlds, with clever organization, plenty of workspace, and the ideal outdoor setting. Now you can get outside with confidence and cook to your heart's content. A Gear Closet on Wheels The Kammok Edition Woolly Bear has a place for all your camping essentials. No more packing and repacking: Load up once, and you're always ready for the next outing. Introducing the Outpost We knew a Kammok Edition Woolly Bear wouldn't be complete without a robust, full-size hammock setup. The Outpost easily attaches to the cargo deck of any Woolly Bear and allows you to hang a full-size hammock in virtually any setting. The Outpost's lightweight frame make it a cinch for anyone to deploy, and the tool-free setup means it's ready to go with the press of a button. Adjustable legs and a 360 degree swivel mount allow you to hang your hammock on any landscape, from smooth blacktop to the roughest backcountry campsites. Create the ultimate hammock basecamp by attaching up to six Outpost hammock stands to your Woolly Bear. With the addition of a rooftop tent, your Woolly Bear can comfortably sleep up to nine happy campers. Arriving Spring '22: Outpost 2.0 will allow for attachment to your vehicle's roof rack or a single tree.

While we love our in-person Taco Tri’s at the Gear Shop and can’t wait for them to come back, there’s a certain magic that comes with hosting virtual taco tri’s. It’s the knowing that someone halfway across the world may be doing the same exact thing at the same time.  Everyone in the world can participate as long as they can get outside safely and have access to a taco shop or ingredients to make at home. People from California to Pennsylvania participated in the May 2021 event. Some biked long distances, others went on shorter jogs around the neighborhood, but we find this to be the beauty of Taco Tri’s. It’s not about speed or distance but about spending time outside. A few of may’s participants For May we decided it was time to elevate the Taco Tri experience with stickers for each participant. We hope to continue this tradition for every new participant each month. So what do you have to do to get one of these rad stickers on June 3rd?  Participant Sticker   Get a Strava account and join our club here Record a swim, bike or run that day (bonus points for tri’ing all 3) Eat tacos! Sign up through this form so we know where to send your sticker Post pictures using #KammokTacoTri and tag us @Kammok_ATX

As many as 300,000 Americans contract Lyme disease from infected ticks each year, according to CDC modeling. Much of the Eastern half of the country has a large chunk of these cases.  However, only a small fraction of Lyme cases are reported to federal health authorities. Elsewhere in the United States, people contend with potentially fatal tick-borne illnesses like Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Mosquitoes inhabit every corner of the country, spreading potentially serious pathogens like West Nile and Zika viruses and general bite-induced misery. Meanwhile, fire ants terrorize backyards in the southern United States. And they’re joined by too many other insect pests to name. In this year of social distancing, backyard camping is a great way to spend time with your family and enjoy the outdoors. The good news is that suppressing outdoor pests isn’t as difficult or costly as you might imagine. And there are natural ways to get rid of these annoyances. These natural backyard pest control solutions will increase your enjoyment while keeping your kids and pets safe from harm. 1. Moisture Control and Standing Water Management Mosquitoes love standing water. It’s where adults breed and lay their eggs and where larvae spend their lives before transitioning to adulthood. They don’t need much water, so it’s important to identify and control sources of moisture and standing water, even if they don’t seem troublesome. You can’t do much about standing water beyond your property lines. If you live near a pond or swamp, you’ll need to get used to mosquito activity. But you can follow these tips to make your yard as inhospitable to breeding mosquitoes as possible: Dump and Scrub. The CDC recommends dumping standing water from human-made vessels, such as birdbaths and flower pot saucers, at least once per week and thoroughly scrubbing the empty containers. No soap is required, though nontoxic insecticidal soaps can help. Add Oil. If you don’t want to dump the water, drizzle about one teaspoon of olive or vegetable oil into standing water. The oil kills larvae without harming birds or plants. Add Vinegar. Another solution if you don’t want to get rid of the water is to add vinegar to standing water sources. You want to achieve a ratio of about one part oil to five parts water, so this isn’t practical for larger bodies of water, but it should work fine for your birdbath. Mosquito Dunks. These “bacteria bombs” kill mosquito larvae without harming kids or pets. Add them to standing water and let them work their magic.   2. Brush Management Standing water is to mosquitoes as dense underbrush is to disease-carrying ticks. During the cool season, ticks retreat to leaf litter for warmth and protection. They lurk on grasses and ground-hugging vegetation in warmer months waiting for unsuspecting mammals to brush by. Homeowners keen on making their backyards safe for camping need to reduce or eliminate places for ticks to breed and ultimately to find new victims. Here’s how: Edging. Take a trimmer to high weeds and brush along the perimeter of your yard at regular intervals throughout the growing season. Mowing. Mow your lawn regularly, keeping grass ankle-high or lower. Gravel Borders. Create a gravel barrier at least 3 feet wide between your yard and surrounding wooded areas. If this is impractical, use wood chips instead. Stacking Wood. If you keep firewood or downed wood on your property, stack it neatly to discourage tick-carrying rodents from setting up shop. Raking. Rake your grass and cultivate areas to remove leaf litter, grass clippings, and other tick-friendly habitats. 3. Fire Ant Suppression Years of steady northward expansion have brought invasive fire ants, known as red imported fire ants, into contact with backyard campers across a broad swath of the southern United States, from central Texas to Virginia. According to the World Health Organization, fire ants sting as many as 60% of people living in colonized areas. Backyard campers eager to avoid joining their ranks can try two eco- and people-friendly remedies to suppress their colonies: Hot Water. This remedy is only kid- and pet-friendly when kids and pets aren’t around. For each mound you’d like to treat, you’ll need to heat several gallons of water to a near boil, then pour it slowly onto the mound to drench and hopefully penetrate the soil. This measure will also kill nearby grasses, but that may be a small price to pay. Organic Treatments. Though they’re not as effective as EPA-regulated chemical pesticides, two compounds do work to suppress fire ant colonies: d-limonene (citrus oil extract) and spinosad (a microbial byproduct). Follow package instructions carefully. 4. Encouraging Predation Insect-loving predators are the ultimate backyard pest control solution. Bats are voracious consumers of mosquitoes and other biting flies. They’re polite enough to do their work at night too. To encourage them to frequent your yard, Good Housekeeping recommends doing the following: Plant Night-Blooming Flowers. A night-blooming garden should draw night-feeding insects, which in turn will encourage bats to hang out. Popular options include primrose, honeysuckle, dahlia, and raspberry. Put Up a Bat House. Place a bat house (whether purchased pre- or partially assembled or built from scratch) on a south-facing second-story wall or exposed pole near your yard’s edge. The optimal height is 15 to 20 feet above the ground. Final Thoughts Your backyard is yours to enjoy. You shouldn’t have to live in fear of it. Nor should you feel compelled to invest in drastic pest control solutions that could put your children and pets at risk. Thankfully, these kid-friendly pest mitigation solutions really do work. Get started today, and look forward to making your backyard yours once more. Jeremy Kallen is a freelance writer and outdoor enthusiast who uses a number of strategies to watch out for ticks and pests.