About this Guide

From decades of selling bikes, I know that customers can get easily overwhelmed with technical details. While some people can spend hours “talking shop”, most simply want a bicycle that fits well, and can handle for the type of use they envision.

When I first began learning about outdoor products for my own use, I had a similar sense of overwhelm. I found online product reviews more confusing than informative. Reading product roundups sometimes left me even more bewildered than before I started. Many reviews were geared toward people interested in expedition-style outings, and were brimming with technical details.

I didn’t need stuff that would withstand months of hiking through remote reaches of Mongolia, but I did want gear that was reliable, durable, simple to use, and above all –compact. In short, I wanted good stuff that works.

Your Adventure Arsenal

Through trial and error I’ve whittled my own gear to some key favorites. My coverage of those items is less a review, and more an account of my experience with a particular piece of gear, used in the real world on short, but sometimes quite demanding trips. From this, I hope you will be able to determine if the particular item will work for your intended purpose.

Unless you are in fact going on global expeditions or facing extreme weather conditions, you don’t need to get lost in the technical details: you too simply need good stuff that works.

Start with what you have

A day trip is as simple as adventure gets. With nothing more than a a few outdoor gear essentials, you can get lost in the great wilderness that lurks just outside, wherever you happen to live.

Don't let the lack of specialty gear keep you from enjoying adventures today! You need nothing more than a good pair of shoes or a no-frills bicycle, plus some kind of serviceable backpack, to venture into the great outdoors within one hour of Chicago, or any other major city.

Add Key Pieces

Once you get your toe in the microadventure waters, you may want to add some key pieces that will help you experience a greater variety of outdoor microescapes, expand their scope and add variety.

Bicycle

This is obviously the arena in which we have the most experience. If you’re in the market for a new bicycle, or looking to optimize one you alreay own for more adventure, please visit one of our thorough guides:

Other Key Outdoor Gear