Two Trailbirds
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Welcome to Two Trailbirds! We are Alyssa and Brady, and we started this site to catalog our adventure stories as a couple and to help everyday people get outside more.
Two Trailbirds
1y ago
When hiking or backpacking, everybody needs a good way to treat their water. It could be chemical treatments, boiling, or even UV purification, but most of the hikers I know use filters.
I’m generally a fan of squeeze filters like the Sawyer Squeeze because of their versatility (see my review and breakdown of their lineup here). But a quality filtered water bottle is easier and quicker, and when I just want to be able to fill up and go that’s what I’ll reach for. “Quality” is the key word, because although many filter companies make filtered water bottles, all but one are more of a pain to u ..read more
Two Trailbirds
2y ago
I’m always on the lookout for shorts I can wear both hiking and casually around town, and when Kuhl reached out to Brady and me about an opportunity to try out some of their shorts, I was stoked!
I went with the Kontour Skinny Short 4” in the color Harvest (I love their color selection, it was hard for me to narrow it down to one).
Details and Features
Fabrics: Cotton, polyester and spandex (stretchy and comfortable)
Inseam options: 4” and 8”
Pockets: 4, two in front and two in the back
Color options: Harvest (gold), Pavement (dark gray), Seagrass (green), Antique Rose (red), and O ..read more
Two Trailbirds
2y ago
I’m generally pretty picky when it comes to hiking shorts. I usually find one pair that I like and then wear it to death, until I’m forced to buy another (usually the same model; I wore through three pairs of The North Face BTN’s in one summer).
Recently I’ve been hiking in some cheap Walmart shorts because they’re light, comfy and have pockets. They’re far from ideal, though, so when Kühl reached out to us with an opportunity to try some of their shorts, I was stoked.
I got the chance to try out their Silencr Kargo shorts, and my first impressions have been awesome. I should point out right ..read more
Two Trailbirds
3y ago
Effective meal planning is, without a doubt, one of the most important keys to success on any backpacking trip. Food is fuel, so you need to have enough calories and nutrition to keep you going. But food is also for enjoyment, so you need to make sure you bring foods that you love and won’t get sick of after a couple of days eating them.
For both of these reasons, food planning is always a very personal process. Everyone is different; some like snickers for lunch and freeze-dried food for dinner, and others like nuts and fruits and DIY dehydrated meals. There’s no right or wrong way to do an ..read more
Two Trailbirds
3y ago
I’m always on the lookout for new backpacking food. It’s not that I don’t love some classic Mountain House, but variety is the spice of life, right? And since successful backpacking relies on good nutrition, I’m also always on the lookout for new meals that don’t just taste better but are better for you.
It looks like I’ve found that in Nomad Nutrition’s backpacking meals. They taste great, have a solid nutritional profile, and are made from whole foods, plant-based ingredients—an ethic that I think many of us are trying to work towards. I just tried them out, and so far I love them.
Discla ..read more
Two Trailbirds
3y ago
At this website, one of our main goals is to help new and inexperienced backpackers feel confident in the outdoors. One of the biggest hurdles for new backpackers is figuring out what and how much food to pack on trips. It needs to be nutritious, tasty, and sufficient enough to fuel you on long, calorie-burning hikes, and for a newbie, none of that stuff is intuitive.
Recently we were approached by a company called Right On Trek that helps reduce some of that food planning stress, and offers a phenomenal service that helps backpackers plan meals. They gave us the opportunity to try it out, a ..read more
Two Trailbirds
3y ago
If you’re looking for a single southern Utah backpacking trip that will showcase the best of what the area has to offer, then Paria Canyon/Buckskin Gulch is the trip for you. Located in the Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness, this hike follows a wild river (and/or narrow slot canyon) for at least 38 miles. It cuts its way through massive red Navajo sandstone walls that range from 100-500 feet high, and Buckskin Gulch (should you choose to hike it) gets as narrow as 2 feet (!!!).
There is no trail and you’ll constantly be crossing the river, so the going is slow, but it’s totally worth ..read more
Two Trailbirds
3y ago
Cooking is one of my favorite things to do. Even when backpacking, I enjoy starting a fire and cooking some real food every once in a while.
That goes for cooking dinner, but I almost never feel that way about lunch, even when I’m at home. When it’s lunchtime I usually have less time to cook, and by the time I’m thinking about food I’m already super hungry. That’s why I prefer my lunches to be as easy as possible while still being a satisfying meal. That means no cooking, no preparation, and very little assembly.
In this post I’ve put together some of my favorite no-cook lunch ideas for back ..read more
Two Trailbirds
3y ago
Before the Bushido II, I’d never owned a La Sportiva shoe. I’m a huge Salomon fan, and have stayed in that lane for years. But my last pair of shoes was pretty beat up, and when in preparation for hiking the Wind River High Route I saw the Bushido II’s on sale, I decided to give them a try. They’ve been my go-to hiker and trail runner since, with over 200 trail (and off-trail) miles on them at the time of this review (and still going strong).
Table of Contents
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Two Trailbirds
3y ago
Hiking and Backpacking In Bear Country: What You Need to Know
Where we live and hike in Idaho, the presence of black bears and grizzly bears is a constant reality. While I absolutely love that these living embodiments of wilderness still inhabit our mountain ranges, they also come with some concerns. Bears have the potential to be very dangerous, and to those unfamiliar with them can be downright scary.
Thankfully, there are some things you can do to minimize danger when hiking and backpacking in bear country. None of them are a one-size-fits-all approach, but combined they can make an inti ..read more