Foothills Campfire

Anyone who has spent any amount of time in the outdoors quickly realizes that the proper gear can have a major impact on not only the  success of the experience, but the overall enjoyment. That being said, today's material culture attempts to drive outdoorsmen in a never ending quest to obtain the latest model of the latest widget. I've fallen into the marketing trap myself on a number of occasions. Here at Camp Chatter, we have no intentions of pedaling useless products to weigh you down and waste your hard earned money. We do however like to share with you high quality products that have worked for us personally in the field. The Maxpedition Pygmy Falcon II has been put through the paces over the past six years. This is my personal review and why I find it to be the perfect day pack. Attempting to perfect my kit has led me full circle from carrying a day pack, to carrying a large multiday pack, to a minimalist fanny pack, and finally back to the perfect Maxpedition.  The ex...

It has become all too common in today's disposable culture to trade quality for lower prices and convenience.  The old adage They don't make 'em like they used to has proven unfortunately true in many cases whether speaking about appliances, automobiles, electronics, or furniture.  However, as of late, I've discovered the horrible quality of food that we have settled for in America should be added to the top of the list of  things we've been duped into accepting as good . Through a series of friendships and influences, I've learned to love the many benefits of eating out less and cooking my own meals. Here's 3 of the biggest benefits right off the top of my head. First, food quality of home cooked meals far surpasses anything outside of a select few high-end restaurants you might visit with family. This has everything to do with the freshness of the food.  If you don't know what an extreme impact the freshness of vegetables and meats can have on the fl...

If you're anything like me, the excitement of the summer months fade rapidly with the first 90 + temperature day coupled with humidity levels that only southerners can understand.  Until recently, this left me spending a large portion of my free time hiding out indoors attempting to escape the Alabama heat and day dreaming about Fall and the coming hunting season.  Tired of wasting so much of the year, I set out to find a way to enjoy the outdoors year round. Kayaking opened up a whole new world that allowed for enjoying the outdoors in spite of the peaking thermometer. I've admittedly got a bit of an imagination and was somewhat inspired by tales of Jeff Cooper's expeditions into the wildernesses of South America during the 1960's.  That being said, my mindset was not on white water kayaking, but on canoe style camping trips to remote parts of the state. After months of research and back and forth thoughts on the type of boat I should purchase, I decided o...