Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Outdoors

Gear Pods: Build Your Adventure Kit

By

It seems that about this time of year, folks get a serious hankering for some backcountry adventures. A jaunt through the John Muir Wilderness, a week in Glacier National Park, or even some extended beach camping in Key West all have their ups and downs, but if the worst happens you’ve got to be prepared. No one expects you to MacGuyver your way out of a survival situation, but having a few extra tools beyond safety pins and duct tape will pay dividends next time you and your friends are on the trail without shelter or fire.

We spotted the great kits from Gear Pods early this year, and can honestly say that their hard cases and pre-made kits are some of the best on the market. With the ability to customize the contents for your situation, they’ve got everything from simple cooking packages to bigger, multiple-compartment essentials kits. The tube layout is especially handy, not only for space-saving, but they can be connected to consolidate all your survival essentials in one place. For the more advanced backwoodsman, or simply to build a little extra customization, you can order empty pods. We keep an “XL” sized pod in our work bag with a few extras for those “just in case” moments in life.

Recommended Videos

SOG PowerAssist
With 16 different tools and a body built from 420 stainless steel, the SOG PowerAssist is our favorite tool to use for everything from cutting fishing line to quick fixes around the office. Ours has been to a couple of continents in the past five years, and still looks brand new.

SOL Survival Pak Plus
This streamlined little survival kit has everything a real survivalist needs for a week in the woods; for most of us, that means we could probably get by for a night lost on the trail. With everything from water purification tabs and fire starters to signalling and shelter materials, this little kit will get you out of a tight spot (or impress your date while trying to start a romantic fire in the forest).

UCO Titan Matches
You’d be surprised how often you’ll turn to good matches while on a backpacking or camping trip this summer. Sure, we all want to strike the perfect spark from a fire knife, but sometimes the convenience of striking up one of these Titans is just what you need. Completely stormproof, they also burn for up to 25 seconds, giving you ample time to get your fire going. Look for them to hit retailers this summer.

Black Diamond Ion
Our Ion Headlamp goes everywhere with us. Running on two AAA-batteries, this little flashlight provides up to 80 lumens of light – perfect for around camp or during a power outage. Its convenient swipe on function is much more convenient than a push button, meaning you won’t accidentally turn it on in your pack and kill your batteries before you need it.

Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight .3
The Ultralight .3 has everything you and friend will need for a day out in the backcountry. Alternately, we keep one in our pods, and it has come in handy everywhere from the dog park to long bike commutes home from the office. It’s small enough that you’ll actually carry it, and the waterproof bag it comes in keeps everything protected from the elements.

Topics
Austin Parker
Austin Parker
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Austin Parker is a former contributor at The Manual Parker is a powder skier and sport climber and is no stranger hauling…
We love this Tribit StormBox speaker for cookouts, beach days, more — $35 off
Tribit StormBox Flow Bluetooth speaker Prime Day deal

It's summertime, which means you may be spending more time outdoors. Maybe you'll be exploring the wilderness, visiting a beach, or doing some camping or fishing. Either way, wouldn't it be nice to have some tunes? You can certainly achieve that thanks to an Amazon Prime Day deal on the Tribit StormBox Flow. It's a fantastic option for cookouts, beach days, and camping because it's tough, waterproof, and built to take a beating. Oh, and it sounds awesome, too. Usually $80, the Tribit StormBox Flow is down to $64 for Prime Day, but you can clip an on-page coupon to get the price even lower, to $45, saving you $35. Get pulsating, punchy beats with 9dB of power, up to 30 hours of battery life and customized equalizer modes through the Tribit app.

 
Why we love the Tribit StormBox Flow for outdoor adventures
First, it's a Bluetooth speaker, and you can't have a decent speaker without good sound. Outperforming many comparable options, the Tribit StormBox Flow sounds incredible, and you don't even have to bother with the Tribit app. It sounds great out of the box. That's thanks to clear treble and pounding bass, which is surprisingly impressive for such a small device. That's made possible by Tribit's proprietary XBoss tuning DSP technology, which helps boost the bass to a 9dB power rating. If you know nothing about specifications, all you need to know is that it's powerful, pulse-pounding and has exceptional audio fidelity.

Read more
Best Blackstone Prime Day deals
A man using the Blackstone 36-inch Gas Griddle Cooking Station in a yard.

If you're going to grill the steak of your dreams you're going to need the perfect grill, and Blackstone grills are offering up some savings among all of the Prime Day deals going on. We've made our selection for the best Prime Day Blackstone grill deal, and we've tracked down some other selections that offer some great savings. Read onward for a look at the best Prime Day Blackstone deals going on right now, and make a purchase quickly if you see something you like. Prime Day deals are known to end abruptly and inventories are likely starting to run low.
Best Blackstone grill Prime Day deal
Blackstone Adventure Ready 2-Burner 22-inch Propane Griddle -- $124, was $147

If you’re keen to cook outdoors more but you’re also planning on traveling a lot, you need the Blackstone Adventure Ready 2-Burner 22-inch Propane Griddle. It’ll work well in your yard, but it’s also portable enough that you can take it with you while you camp and travel on many different adventures, hence the name "adventure ready."

Read more
Still Available: Jackery solar generator deal has two solar panels for $1,400 off
Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus early Prime Day deal with two solar panels

The Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus is essentially a 2,042-watt-hour portable power station with ultra-fast charging. However, typically, you have to buy the accessories separately when you buy the station. As part of a pretty crazy Prime Day deal, however, you can get the Jackery solar generator and two 200-watt solar panels in a bundle for a ridiculous price. Usually $3,299, the bundle is just $1,899 for a limited time, saving you $1,400. It's a fantastic option for home power backup to keep your necessities on during an outage, but you can also use it for off-grid living, travel if you're on the road, or even around your home -- like to power some electronics in your backyard. The solar panels make it even more versatile as you can charge it virtually anywhere with access to reliable sunlight.

 
Here's why you should buy the Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Plus bundle with solar panels
We know, we know, it's not officially Prime Day yet. That happens later this week, on July 16 and July 17. It usually makes sense to hold off on buying anything until the main event because you never know how good the deals will be. That said, in the past couple of years, most of the deals have remained the same; if not, many good deals were available early and went away. If you're interested in this Jackery bundle -- an incredible deal -- you might want to shop it soon before it's gone instead of waiting.

Read more