Late snowmelt and family obligations have kept me cooped up so big-name trips have been slightly postponed (I’m looking at you, Loowit Trail). As a consolation, here are the new things I’m trying out in July:
Vaseline Lip Therapy Cocoa Butter Mini
I’ve been using a Litesmith mini jar to store petroleum jelly for the past month or two. At a measly three grams it seemed like a great way to repackage a product you don’t need a whole lot of. Unfortunately the lack of texture or other grip mechanisms on the lid mean that as the outside of the jar gets greasy with jelly it becomes more and more annoying to get open. Cue tiny violin but it’s still a problem to be solved. Enter Vaseline Lip Therapy Cocoa Butter Mini, an adorable travel-sized container with a grippy tab for easy removal of the fully separating (non-hinged) lid. Another stellar drug store discovery by Person B. Also available in a plain flavor.
($1.79, 12g)
Pilot G-2 Mini Pen
In keeping with the theme of world’s smallest problems: did you know that a sandwich-sized zipper bag is 6 3/8″ wide but a typical full-sized pen (such as the ubiquitous Bic Round Stic) is around 5 7/8″ in length? That’s only a half inch difference which in the real world translates into fiddling when you attempt to put the pen into the sandwich bag you use to keep all your navigation stuff (maps, compass, pen) together.
And so began my introduction to a world of whose existence I was previously unaware: that of mini-pens. Take the Pilot G-2 Mini, for instance: at a scant 4 3/8″ were it a property listing it would almost certainly be “charming”. Boasting a full two inches in bag-insertion headroom alongside a cap-free retractable design, soft grip, and roll-preventing clip, it’s widely considered by many of the people writing this post (that’s me) to be the stand-out leader of all the mini-pens they’ve tried (just this one, actually).
Downsides? It’s almost twice as heavy as the Round Stic.
($1.92, 9g)
BSN Medical Strappal Rigid Strapping Tape
The quest to dethrone Leukotape P as the king of blister-prevention tapes continues, this time with an almost-identical contender from the same manufacturer. Strappal is made of rayon instead of Leukotape’s cotton and as a result it tears somewhat more easily. I took it on a five-mile day hike yesterday and, tear strength and color aside, the two seem indistinguishable. I’ll have more information once I take it on some more rigorous trips.
($3.89, 86g)
Coppertone Pure & Simple Baby SPF 50 Sunscreen Lotion
After blowing through a whole bottle of Coppertone’s all-chemical (zinc-free) clear sunscreen I’ve decided to return to whiter pastures. The chemical sunscreen’s fumes irritated my eyes and nose which seemed like a poor trade for being slightly more photogenic. Their baby offering is supposedly tear-free (so far so good) and comes in a nice cream-as-in-dairy consistency which makes it really easy to spread. Of course, now I need to check myself out in a micro mirror after applying sunscreen to ensure I’m not ghostly.
($11.99, 1.4g per mL)
Mueller Sport Care Tape & Tuffner Remover
Tapes with zinc oxide-based adhesive leave a gooey residue on the inside of your socks. Although not explicitly designed for use on clothing this remover claims to be able to remove a variety of tape adhesives. After some experimentation I’m happy to report that the claims are true.
($10.97)
Trailtopia Freeze-Dried Meals
I finally burned through my stash of freeze-dried meals, giving me an opportunity to explore potentially greener pastures. Trailtopia boasts what appears to be an excellent dessert selection with Rocky Road Chocolate Pudding as the crown jewel.
| Meal | Price ($) | Weight (g) | Calories | Calories/g | Calories/$ |
| Apple Crisp | 6.49 | 130 | 434 | 3.3 | 67 |
| Beef Stew | 10.99 | 169 | 540 | 3.2 | 49 |
| Beef Stroganoff | 9.99 | 190 | 720 | 3.8 | 72 |
| Chili Mac With Beef | 8.99 | 219 | 680 | 3.1 | 76 |
| Jambalaya | 9.99 | 231 | 740 | 3.2 | 74 |
| Rocky Road Chocolate Pudding | 4.99 | 142 | 500 | 3.5 | 100 |
| Triple Berry Crisp | 7.49 | 150 | 466 | 3.1 | 62 |
Clearly, a meal plan based entirely around pudding would be a wise choice. It doesn’t even require hot water so you could go stoveless.
Columbia PFG Zero Rules Long Sleeve Shirt, White, SPF 50
(No picture because clothes are hard)
I already have one of these in blue but decided to double down on hot-weather enjoyment by upgrading to white. Oddly enough the SPF rating seems to have changed, this shirt is labeled as SPF 50 whereas the blue one from February is only SPF 30. Is it because the old one is last year’s clearance and possibly made from a different fabric, or is there really that much of a difference between the fabric colors? Since the white shirt weighs only four grams more than the blue one I’m going to chalk it up either to the color or different testing parameters.
($33.75, 175g in size medium)
Peak Refuel Freeze-Dried Meals
Now here’s a brand I’ve never heard of. Peak Refuel claims that their focus is on high protein, they’re currently doing a collaboration with UFC fighter Chad Mendes, and the camo on the collab meals is the same as on my KUIU Peloton 97 fleece. In other words, these meals are badass.
| Meal | Price ($) | Weight (g) | Calories | Calories/Gram | Calories/$ |
| Beef Chili Mac | 12.99 | 182 | 720 | 4.0 | 55 |
| Beef Pasta Marinara | 12.99 | 208 | 1040 | 5.0 | 80 |
| Bison Ranch Mashers | 14.99 | 232 | 1120 | 4.8 | 75 |
| Chicken Teriyaki Rice | 12.99 | 167 | 580 | 3.5 | 45 |
| Elk Ragu Pasta | 14.99 | 183 | 850 | 5.1 | 57 |
| Homestyle Chicken & Rice | 12.99 | 170 | 740 | 4.4 | 57 |
| Sweet Pork & Rice | 12.99 | 216 | 800 | 3.7 | 62 |
It’s interesting to compare these to the Trailtopia above: Peak Refuel’s caloric density crushes Trailtopia’s with the worst entree (Chicken Teriyaki Rice) just 0.3 calories per gram behind Trailtopia’s best (Beef Stroganoff). Peak Refuel is also only slightly more expensive, averaging 62 calories per dollar versus 71 for Trailtopia. The Beef Pasta Marinara is such a good option that I had to re-weigh it to make sure I didn’t fat-finger something, and I should also mention that it only requires one cup of boiling water to cook. I can’t wait to give a couple of these a whirl next weekend.
DryMax Trucker Hat
I was in the market for a new town hat and spotted this guy while I was picking up a couple fresh pairs of PTFE-infused socks. It’s not a wide-brim so it won’t actually see any use in the outdoors, which is a shame because, damn, is it ever good-looking.
($18, 78g)
Oboz Sawtooth Low II Hiking Shoes
I finally broke down and purchased an updated version of my favorite hiking shoes, the original Oboz Sawtooth Lows. They’ve been sightly updated with more venting and an asymmetrical collar. I’ll be taking them on the Loowit Trail around Mount Saint Helens this upcoming weekend.
($110, 476g per shoe, 39g per insole)