Heather's Choice Meals For Adventuring

As outdoor enthusiasts we know that there are lots of companies who do a lot of the same types of things or make the same types of products.  The benefit of this is that we can have a variety to choose from as well as compare different products to see which one is a better fit for us personally.  When someone prefers one company or product over another, it is important to recognize that this is their preference and that their take on it may be useful for you to make a decision but it is still important to find which product works best for you.  This is exactly what happened to me recently when considering backpacking meals for my adventures! 

I'll be completely honest... I saw a review posted on Journal Of Mountain Hunting on Heather's Choice Meals for Adventuring comparing these meals to the typical Mountain House meals many of us hunters/hikers have used.  When I first saw the review I was skeptical (mostly due to the price of the meals) yet still interested and wanting to know more.  I started doing a bit of research on their website as well as checking into a few other companies as well. 

The first thing that peeked my interest is seeing that the Heather's Choice Meals were dehydrated rather than freeze-dried.  I have dehydrated a lot of foods and know that dehydrating is a great way to have light weight quality foods that still taste great.  

The second item that grabbed my attention about Heather's Choice meals were the ingredients... Check this out... Imagine a meal with these ingredients: wild caught Alaskan sockeye salmon, peas,carrots, potatoes, powdered coconut milk, dill weed, cayenne, white pepper, vinegar powder, and sea salt... Sounds taste right... Now how about this one: 100% grass-fed elk, onion, carrot, celery, zucchini, yellow squash, garlic, purple potatoes, thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram, tomato paste, plum tomatoes, sea salt, and black pepper. 

The third item that really stood out to me was not until a few months after I first heard about Heather's Choice meals... My son who is only a year old was recently diagnosed with having Celiac Disease which is extremely rare for a child this young.  Long story short, our whole lives have changed quite a bit in regards to the food we have around the house.  My wife and I have been pretty good at keeping some food storage around the house in case of emergencies which primarily consisted of backpacking meals that I would rotate through during my hunting and fishing adventures... Well the unfortunate part with that is that many of the standard backpacking meals are not gluten free, and then those that are are typically spicy which is not ideal for my one year old son.

My heart not only sunk at the thought of how I was going to take my son on backpacking adventures, but also of the thought that in an emergency, my son wouldn't be able to eat many of the foods we had for such a situation... I started looking again at all of the companies and products I had researched months earlier and to my surprise, ALL of Heather's Choice meals are gluten free!  These meals are gluten free, dairy free, and follow a Paleo diet.  In other words, the person who made these meals has graduated with a degree in Evolutionary Sports Nutrition and went on to study at the Institute for the Psychology of Eating in Boulder, Colorado and has used all of her knowledge/education to provide meals that are healthy, tasty, and give it the fuel needed in every condition.  This may not seem very important to those who can have gluten or dairy, but to someone like me who needs to meet my son's dietary needs, this is HUGE!

With these factors, I decided to make an order and try out their meals.  I ordered two of their buckwheat breakfast, two different Packaroons, an Elk Sheppard's Pie, and a Sockeye Salmon Chowder. As soon as the package arrived, my 1 year old son and I devoured the Packaroons.  Over the next couple of days we quickly went through the meals we had ordered.  With the primary consumer in mind being my son, we were hoping he was old enough to talk and let us know how he liked the food.  As a typical 1 year old, he would act like he liked it, then he would stop eating it so we were a little confused on his take on the meals for a child that young.  I enjoyed the meals and felt that they were a great hardy meal that would be awesome while camping, hiking, or backpacking.

The Heather's Choice meals weigh 4 ounces and their snacks weigh 1.8 ounces.  The packaging is much smaller than your typical Mountain House Meals while carrying just as much, if not more, food in each pouch.  I would encourage anyone to at least check out Heather's Choice Meals and see what they have to offer.  Especially if you have dietary needs like my son, these meals are a great way to have high quality food while on your adventures!

Right now Heather's Choice is running a Kickstarter fundraiser to help raise money to purchase different equipment to improve their dehydration, expand their menu, as well as improve their packaging and thus reducing the cost of their products.  If you can help out and make a pledge it wouldn't only help out Heather's Choice, but it would also help out all of the Heather's Choice customers as well.  Please check them out and give their meals a shot! Please click this link to go and make a pledge if you can! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/heathertkelly/heathers-choice-meals-for-adventuring

Geigerrig Insulated Tube Garage

Insulated Tube Garage by Geigerrig

Needing a simple gift idea for the outdoors enthusiast on your Christmas list? I would strongly recommend Geigerrig’s Tube Garage!  Straight up, this $30 dollar purchase will be one of those gifts they never thought to put on their list, yet find themselves using it more than any other gift they receive all year!  Let me explain why.  I will first explain how the Tube Garage works and then I will share with you the benefits and reasoning why this product will be one your outdoors person will use constantly. 

This product is made by Geigerrig, which that in itself packs a reputation for going above and beyond the normal backpacking experience.  One thing I like about the Tube Garage is that it is compatible with any hydration pack you may have.  The Tube Garage is pretty much exactly what it sounds like… This contraption straps onto your backpack shoulder strap and encloses the hydration hose/tube in an insulated compartment.  The Tube Garage attaches by two Velcro straps which prevent it from sliding around on your shoulder strap during use.  The tube garage is also equipped with a side zipper to allow you to access your hydration tube whenever necessary by simply grabbing the zipper and opening the garage. 

Now, the benefits of using the Tube Garage! 

1^st – Just like a garage for your vehicle, the Tube Garage protects your hydration tube from all of the outdoor elements.  Before I used the Tube Garage, I used to always get frustrated when using a hydration pack; if I ever put my pack down to rest, there were times I would realize that my drinking valve was covered in dirt, mud, or some other random substance.  Even with the Geigerrig, which sprays water rather than depends on the user to suck the water out of the bladder, I would have a difficult time cleaning off my drinking valve to the point where I didn’t taste whatever it was that was on it…

2^nd – Another benefit from using the Tube Garage is allowing yourself to forget about tubes and hoses!   No matter how many clips or loops my pack has on it to keep my hydration tube out of my face or out of the way of me doing other tasks, my hoses seem to have a mind of their own and always seem to get in the way!  With the Tube Garage your hose will always be secure tightly in the enclosed compartment unless you open it up and let it out.  This is a HUGE benefit for those who use hydration packs when hunting, especially archery hunting.  I myself have almost damaged my bow and my hydration pack because my hydration hose has gotten tangled up in my bow string while at full draw.  I would strongly suggest that anyone who archery hunts or anyone who enjoys the sport of archery shooting should get the Tube Garage.  

3^rd – The last benefit I will mention about the Tube Garage is its durability!  The TubeGarage provides your hydration tubes with an insulated housing that protects it from the cold and elements you surround yourself with while doing so is a durable and compact fashion.  This product actually allows you more freedom, movement, and safety than any other simple $30 purchase I have seen.  Inside the Tube Garage there is also an internal pocket you can use to place a hand warmer in to use when in extremely cold conditions.  So no matter what pack, hydration system, terrain, and activity you will encounter, I can see the Tube Garage being one of your most simple yet rewarding items to have for yourself or for that outdoors person on your Christmas list!

Ice Fishing in -16 degrees wasn't the most fun...

I used the Tube Garage in -16 degree weather without using a hand warmer (just because I forgot it at my house) to keep the tube warm/above freezing… I wish I could say that the Tube Garage was awesome enough to fight off the -16 degrees plus wind chill when keeping my tube above freezing but it is not the superman of insulated compartments.  In this type of weather without the assistance of the hand warmer it was a no-brainer that my hydration tubes ended up freezing. 

I did use the Tube Garage again during another ice fishing trip when the temperature was a whopping +18 degrees.  This trip I still didn't use the hand warmer  and my hydration tubes stayed nice and free all day long without freezing or even icing up a little.  I strongly recommend this product as well as anything else Geigerrig makes.  I have not been anything but impressed with the quality and durability of all of their products I own.  

Disclaimer:

As with all reviews on Idaho Pursuit, the following review is my honest opinion. I am not a pro-staff member of, sponsored by, or associated with Geigerrig and am not accepting any  compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for this review.  My independent status may change in the future but, as of the date of publication, no relationship other than described above has been pursued or established.

Minox MD 50 - Gear Review

Minox MD 50 watching the sunrise

 Well hunting season is upon us for some of the lucky ones while other parts of the country are still counting down the days/hours until opening day comes when they can finally be themselves again.  With hunting season, a lot of us either go through our old gear and make sure it is working well while others get their new gear out and make sure it works as good as it's supposed to.  For me I have been lucky enough to score a few new items this year that I feel pretty fortunate about and want to let you know what I think about them.  The gear I will tell you about today is the Minox MD 50 spotting scope. 

If some of you haven't heard of Minox Optics yet I encourage you to check them out.  Minox is a Premier German Optics company who has been producing quality products for over 75 years.  Minox is working their way into America building a very reputable name for their products by providing not only a quality products but also a reliable one with a Total Coverage Warranty.  I doubt you would ever have to use the warranty but it is comforting that it is there... Now to the MD 50!

Just to give you a few specifications on the MD 50 I will provide the description on their website:
Technical data MINOX MD 50

Magnification	15 - 30x
Front lens diameter	1.97 in. / 50 mm
Exit pupil	0.13 in.- 0.07 in. / 3.33 - 1.67 mm
Field of view	147 - 100 ft. at 1.000 yds. / 49 - 33 m at 1.000 m / 2.8° - 1.9°
Close distance	16.4 ft. / 5.0 m
Eye relief	0.59 - 0.43 in. / 15 - 11 mm
Twilight factor	27.4 - 38.7
Operating temperature	14° to 104° F / -14° to 40° C
Waterproof	down to 16.4 ft. / 5 m
Height, width, depth	8.38 x 2.48 x 4.84 in. / 213 x 63 x 123 mm
Weight	approx. 23.3 oz. / 660 g

When looking at a picture of the MD 50 you can tell that it is a smaller spotting scope than what most of us may be used to.  What impressed me the most besides the size was how light it was!  This spotter is just over 8 inches long and weighs less than a pound and a half! This is perfect for throwing in my hunting pack and not having to sacrifice half my pack as well as 6 pounds just for a spotting scope!  This is true especially if you are a hunter who does a lot of backpacking or if you do a lot of spot and stalk type of hunts.  In those certain situations, this spotter is ideal!

How small the MD 50 is compared to my old Badlands Pack

I took the MD 50 out on a few different occasions to test it out and see what I thought.  The first trip I took it on was out coyote hunting. On this hunt I didn't have much except my coyote calls, my rifle, and the spotting scope.  I placed the spotter on a tripod and packed it around in my hand rather than taking it in a pack.  On the trip I would go from spot to spot stopping at high points and glassing for coyotes coming into my calls.  What I liked about the MD 50 on this trip was the fact that it was simple, light, and just enough power to make it worth it.  I could have had my binoculars or used my rifle scope to glass for coyotes moving through the sage brush but it was a lot more comfortable sitting and looking through a spotting scope.  The spotter was light enough that I never got tired of carrying it and it wasn't annoyingly big to be carrying around in the sage brush.  Even though the trip was unsuccessful for coyotes I enjoyed trying the MD 50 out in a situation where I had to carry it around by hand. 

Glassing for coyotes

The second trip I took it on was out spot and stalk hunting antelope with my brother and dad.  This trip was a lot more labor extensive than my simple coyote hunt.  For anyone who hasn't spot and stalked antelope, it involves a lot of spotting not only for the antelope but also to find a way to make a successful stalk.  With this type of hunting I was wondering how a spotting scope this small would perform when looking through it for hours and hours on a single day.  Starting off in the morning my brother and I both sat up on a high spot glassing the area for antelope.  Once again I sat up the scope on my tripod and glassed back and fourth for quite some time.  After not seeing any antelope we went to a second location where we quickly found a herd of antelope.  While sitting on top of the a shady hill I set my spotter up on my tripod and made myself comfortable.  We decided that I would stay on top of the high point, watch my nephew that we brought with us and let my brother and dad put a stalk on the goats. 

Glassing for goats

A doe bedded in the grass

 The MD 50 comes in two styles, you can either get the straight angled or the MD 50 W which has an angled eye piece.  I myself have the straight angle and like the fact that I can look straight outward instead of putting my head down to look through the eye piece.  I literally spend a good 2.5-3 hours looking through this scope watching my dad and brother sneak in on a heard of 16 antelope.  As the my dad and brother got closer and closer, the antelope made their way toward my dad who was presented with a shot but unfortunately missed.  After belly crawling for half a mile in 95 degree weather without water I'm not sure why he wasn't able to make the shot but I won't criticize him :) I was able to watch the entire stalk nice and clear from 1500+ yards away.  Below is a picture of how far away the antelope were from the spot I was set up. 

The antelope were bedded down on the back side of this grassy spot... over 1500 yards away!

The spotting scope was a great tool for this hunt and I love it more and more every time I use it!  The Minox MD 50 runs between $260 and $300 which is a great price considering the quality of product you get! I could try to explain how clear and simple the Minox MD 50 is to use and operate but the only words that come to my mind and clear and simple.  The view on this spotter is extremely clear and provides an amazing view on whatever you are looking at.  It gathers enough light in the early morning situations that you can tell what you are looking at.  The clarity of all the Minox products I have placed my hands on has absolutely amazed me!  This spotting scope is defiantly one that I will have in my pack all season long no matter where or what I am hunting. I was even considering packing it in place of my binoculars but couldn't figure out how to attach it to my binocular straps for easy access!  The MD 50 is extremely light and compact where you don't have to sacrifice space or weight in order to pack it on your hunting or scouting trips as well as making it simple and easy to use in the field.  I would highly recommend this spotting scope as well as any products that Minox makes.  I love the Minox products and hope that you all check them out and let them know I sent you their way!

Disclaimer:

As with all reviews on Idaho Pursuit, the following review is my honest opinion. I am not a pro-staff member of, sponsored by, or associated with Minox Optics and am not accepting any  compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for this review.  My independent status may change in the future but, as of the date of publication, no relationship other than described above has been pursued or established.

Palisades Lake

Me sporting the Teton Sports Summit 1500 at Lower Palisades Lake

I know I've said it before, but I will say it again, I consider myself a lucky man.  My wife and I just celebrated our five year anniversary and every year we have done something outdoors for our anniversary.  I don't know many wives who genuinely want to go camping, fishing, and/or hiking for their anniversary but mine does so I consider myself to be pretty lucky.

My wife and I decided we would go over to Palisades Reservoir  and go camping, fishing, and hiking for three days.  We have been over in that area quite a few times but we have never spent enough time to really explore the area and enjoy what it has to offer.  We had heard that there were two beautiful lakes up above Palisades Creek which had native Cutthroat Trout in them.  We decided that on our first day of our three day get away, we would drive to Palisade's, set up camp, relax and do a little fishing in the reservoir.  To make a long story short, nothing went our way that day and we were both wondering how things could possibly get worse. We ended up having problems with our camper, problems with my jeep, a brand new anchor we purchased hours earlier got stuck in the bottom of the reservoir so we lost it, and about twenty other things all decided to go wrong.  So by the end of day one we were so frustrated and annoyed we called it a night and decided we would wake up when we felt like it and just play it by ear for the rest of our trip.

Gear oil from my Jeep :(

The next day we slept in, ate breakfast, and then decided we would still go on our hike to the Palisades Lakes we had heard about.  We didn't start our hike until 12:30 p.m. so we really didn't have any set plan of how far we would go or anything.

My wife and I on the Trail

The Trail

The first thing I liked about the hike was the fact that the trail was right next to Palisades Creek.  There were multiple places where a person could stop and fish in the creek for a bit or even just put their feet in the water to cool down.  With us starting our hike as late as we did, the creek provided a nice cool breeze, which kept us moving up the trail.  Also, another major plus about this trail being right next to the creek was that I would guess about 75% of the time, the trail was covered with shade which also made it nice for our late start.  The area was beautiful and full of a variety of views including mountain sides, valleys, cliffs, and the beautiful stream running down the bottom of the canyon.  Many people see mountain goats and other wild life on this hike including bear and cougar. The only wild life my wife and I saw was a mule deer doe, which was just walking on the mountain side.

Ribz Front Pack

Teton Sports Summit 1500

Due to our late start we decided we would head up to the lower lake and then make the call if we were going to continue to the upper lake or if we would just spend the rest of the time fishing.  Before I go on, I have to give a shout out to Teton Sports for my awesome Summit 1500 backpack which I have used almost every weekend since I've gotten it.  I also used my Ribz Front Pack to pack some of my fishing gear my wife and I would need on our hike.  I love these two items and wouldn't go on a hike/fishing trip without either of them! Be sure to click the links and read my reviews on these two items!

Now back to our hike... The hike was honestly a fairly easy hike. It never had any crazy incline or scary switch back that I would consider difficult.  The only switch back to the lower lake was quick and simple.  We even passed a group of older ladies on the hike who were around 65 years old. There were all smiles and enjoying their adventure.  When I say that this hike was easy in my eyes, remember that I am used to hiking in the back country chasing elk and deer.  The last thing I want someone to do is to read this and go on the hike expecting it to be a walk in the park.  There were some areas with loose rocks which could be a little dangerous.  The trail does side hill along some pretty steep mountains which puts you on some fairly dangerous drop offs.  These areas were ones that I felt gave the trail its variety and kept us entertained on our hike. I liked how the trail was never the same scenery for too long; it kept us entertained the entire time on the hike. 

Camp site at Lower Palisades Lake

Lower Palisades Lake

When we got to the lower lake, the trail lead us right into a small camp site which had a few backpackers camped out in it.  The camp site was nice and clean and very peaceful.  I would totally come back and camp there some time now that I've seen what it is like.  The lake was amazing! The water was crystal clear blue and surrounded by beautiful scenery.  My wife and I hiked around the back side of the lake, threw out our fishing poles, and sat down to rest.  Because we slept in and had a late breakfast we had planned to eat a late lunch when we got to the lake.  I had packed a few Mountain house meals but soon realized that I forgot to pack something to light my backpacking stove to boil the water on...  So we just chilled out for a while at the lake and ate some of our light snacks we brought with us.  We took a short break and talked about whether we should head up to the upper lake or not.  The upper lake was only just over two miles more of a hike but we decided with the time that we would just fish on the way back to our vehicle and cook ourselves some dinner at camp. 

Releasing a beautiful Cutthroat Trout

My wife with her first catch

Small Cutthroat

On the way back down the trail we stopped in multiple places and fished.  We were catching fish, or at least getting bites, pretty much every cast.  I was using a Mepps spinner and my wife was just tossing a worm in and letting it float through the deep sloughs.  The fish we caught loved to fight for the size they were which made it fun.  The bigger fish were colored up real nice and made our trip worth it.  On our way down, we took lots of pictures of the small water falls and other scenery provided by the creek.  We heard that the upper lake had some good water falls to see around it. I would assume that by looking at the smaller ones around the lower lake, that the upper water falls were worth seeing.

Another Cutthroat Tout

Native Cutthroat Trout

With all of the fishing we were doing, we took a lot longer walking out than we did walking into the lake.  We both decided that next time we would wake up a little earlier and be sure to bring everything we needed on our hike so that we could make it up to the upper lake and see what it has to offer.  We are planning on backpacking to the upper lake and camping there either later this summer or it will be one of our first trips next spring.  I've already recommended the hike to a few friends who are always wanting to get outdoors and see what Idaho has to offer, and I would encourage anyone who may be up in this area to do the same!  This hike was definitely a nice relaxing hike with plenty of rewarding adventures on the way.

Small water fall on the way down the trail