Our Favorite Things List 2022!
Untethered Expeditions’ Favorite Things List 2022
If you’ve ever thought about venturing out into the wilderness, chances are you’ve gotten lost in all corners of the internet looking at outdoor gear, hiking clothing, and adventure gadgets. The internet can be one of the most overwhelming spaces when you are trying to narrow down your packing list for your next outing. The holidays are just a couple of weeks away and what better time to ask for some adventure swag to inspire your next trip! Sometimes, finding your perfect gear match can take years of trial and error. But if you can find a company or guide you trust, you can shave years off your search by piggybacking on their experience.
At Untethered Expeditions, we take extreme pride in providing the highest-quality, women-specific gear for every adventurer. There is a reason our backpacks are so comfortable, even when putting in the miles to get to our incredible backcountry campsites. They were chosen specifically for their women’s-specific design and tested for years by our staff in their own personal adventures. Our women’s-specific sleeping bags provide extra warmth in areas women require it, like the midsection and foot box. We choose the highest quality gear because we want to provide our adventurers with an experience unhindered by gear that could make you uncomfortable. We don’t want a bad gear experience to be how you remember your trip. Ask any past Untethered Expeditions adventurer and they will tell you how much they loved their gear experience with us!
So here we bring you our trail-tested, staff-approved Favorite Things List for 2022! We don’t just want to tell you about gear we like. We want to share with you the gear that has made us RAVING FANS!!! We are not affiliated with any of these products and receive no compensation for recommending anything on this list. Therefore, you can trust that this is truly our GEM list!
Clothing
prAna Halle Pants
The prAna Halle pants are the ultimate adventure pants. Our owner, Stephanie, has exclusively backpacked and hiked in these pants for the past 8 years. “Once I found these pants, I fell in love. They were designed for adventure and have stood the test of time. I have backpacked, rock climbed, and even wear them under my gear as a Fire Instructor at multiple fire conferences. I still have the original pair I bought 8 years ago. They look the same as the day I bought them. I love them so much I have them in 4 colors and I’m eyeing this new gorgeous dark blue version.” -Stephanie
**Sale alert! Go to www.prana.com to take advantage of the huge sale they are having on these pants right now!
Patagonia NanoPuff Jacket
Patagonia is a company we always feel great about buying from. We know their products are designed to be worn for a lifetime and buyers are encouraged to make repairs to their clothing before considering re-buying. They have a tab on their website called “Worn Wear” where you can even find gently used/repaired gear to keep clothing out of the landfills. On top of their quality being stellar, the company places a ton of resources into activism. Under their “Activism” tab, they provide a multitude of ways big and small to get involved in environmental activism. It’s a beautiful way to buy gear from a company you know is constantly working to protect our beautiful wild places.
You will never catch our staff without some version of this jacket because it’s that good! There are multiple beautiful colors and a few different styles such as this one as well as a style that has an attached hoodie.
Darn Tough Socks
Having great, reliable socks in imperative to having an epic adventure. With the wrong socks, you could absolutely ruin your trip. Darn Tough socks dry quickly, aren’t scratchy, and equally as important- have fun colors! Our recommendation is to bring 2-3 pairs of midweight hiking socks when on any multi-day trip. The winning strategy is this: 1 pair of socks to wear all day adventuring, and 1 pair kept in your sleeping bag only to be worn at camp and during sleep time. This way, you can let your “day socks” dry out during the night, and always have a warm, dry pair when you get to camp. This will help take care of your feet so your feet can carry you as far as you want to go! If you wear hiking boots, make sure you get the boot-length sock. There’s nothing worse than a crew-length sock falling short of the top of your boots.
https://darntough.com/collections/womens-hiking-socks
Stocking Stuffers
Chapin Coffee
If you’ve been on one of our Untethered Expeditions trips, you know how important coffee is to us! You also know that Chapin Coffee has partnered with Untethered Expeditions and provides EACH TRIP with it’s own supply of coffee, specifically roasted FOR THAT TRIP! How incredible is that? This coffee is so delicious. And we take our coffee very seriously! You can buy directly from their site, or you can create your own subscription box so you never run out of freshly roasted coffee. They are a women-owned company that gives back in a huge way. For every bag sold, Chapin Coffee serves meals to malnourished children living in Guatemala’s coffee-growing communities. This is a gift that pays it forward.
Petzl Tikka Headlamp
A lighting source is one of the 10 essentials for many reasons. Being out in the wilderness at night is one of those incredible opportunities to see the night sky without any city-light pollution. It’s an incredible experience. It can also be unbelievably dark! A light source is a safety item, yes. Having a hands-free light source for those late-night bathroom adventures: ESSENTIAL! The last thing you want to be worried about is if your pee is running it’s own river course straight to your light source! No further explanation needed!
Petzl has been around for a very long time and is a reliable supplier of headlamps as well as a ton of other gear. This headlamp is high quality and still affordable.
https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Headlamps
Kula Cloth
This is always a fun discussion! A pee-cloth? Really? WHAT THE HELL IS A PEE CLOTH? Women caught on quickly that being able to maintain good hygiene in the outdoors is crucial and will keep your adventure focused on all the right things: the epic views, the physical challenges, the amazing outdoor community of people. For a long time, women would carry bandanas tied to their packs for the purpose of cleaner bathroom breaks (#1 only. I feel like this should be said! Moving on.) Kula Cloth was created by the company’s founder Anastasia Allison right in beautiful Washington state where Untethered Expeditions also started in. It snaps to the outside of your pack for easy access but also to be exposed to the sun. The gorgeous designs let you show your personal style and you can even create a custom one if you want extra flare! (I see an Untethered Expeditions x Kula collaboration in the future. Don’t you?!). It was so awesome to see this summer along the Enchanted Valley trail in Olympic National Park the sheer number of women and even little girls hiking. That was truly incredible. But what was also cool was that the MAJORITY of those women and girls all had their own Kula Cloths snapped onto their backpacks. We love this women-owned company! Think of it like a personal sticker on your cooler! And be sure when you visit the website to read all about the company under “Our Story”.
Adventure Books
Books to inspire adventure are always a fun gift! We’ve read some incredible adventure books, but our adventure book of 2022 was In the Shadow of the Mountain by Silvia Vasquez-Lavado. Silvia shares her incredible story of courage and resiliency in this memoir. It is a fantastic read and will have to eager to get out into your next challenge. There are many incredible themes in her story, but one of our favorites is the power of a sisterhood. This is a must-read for anyone looking to be truly moved. Many of the pages are dog-eared in my copy because there are so many powerful takeaways. From Elizabeth Gilbert on the inside of the cover: “In climbing the seven summits, Silvia Vasquez-Lavado did nothing less than take back her own life- one brave step at a time. She will inspire untold numbers of souls with this story, for her victory is a win on behalf of all of us.” If you can, try to find this book in your local, independent bookstore. One of our favorite things to do when we travel is find a local independent bookstore and support them by picking out a book. We have found many incredible books this way and even several author-signed copies of books. Here is a link to find an independent bookseller near you:
And don’t forget to ask for the ULTIMATE adventure gift:
A Trip with Untethered Expeditions!
Look through the 2023 trips on our website and come adventure with us. You will have a blast, visit truly epic places, and come away with a group of women you will share an amazing bond with. Every trip we offer invites you to step boldly out of your comfort zone while being supported by experienced female guides, fostering an environment of community and adventure.
