Ep 37: 2021 Recap, Updates, & Guest Recommendations

Welcome to the Rewild Gear Podcast. Modern life, society, and responsibilities have domesticated us, but now it's time to rediscover your adventurous side. Whether that's camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, or just spending time in the great outdoors, this is the podcast for you. Join us as we get back to the wilderness and rewild. Welcome to the The Adventure Made Podcast, brought to you by Rewild Gear. I'm your host, Seth Spears. Happy New Year! Today is January 1st, 2022. We are out of 2021 and into the new year. So when you're listening to this, it is a few days later, but I'm recording this from a little condo in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where I've been skiing for a few days and just getting away to plan out the new year and organize for the direction of the company and just clear my mind and just get ready for the new year. So I want to take a little bit of time today just to give some company updates, talk about some of the highlights of 2021, what to look forward to in 2022, and some of the highlights as far as the recommendations from our podcast guests over the past year. So first of all, I just want to say thank you for listening to the Adventure Made podcast and supporting Rewild Gear. We couldn't have done this without all of you guys, our loyal listeners. And it's just been such a fun project over the past year to launch the company, to launch our products, to start the podcast and interview some really cool guests and just learn about from others in the outdoor space and what makes them tick and hear about some of their crazy adventures and all of that fun stuff. So just want to say thank you for joining us for this ride. And for all of us at Rewild Gear, myself and Josh and Adam and David, Thanks so much for being a part of this. For the— for those of you especially who have bought some of our products, we especially are grateful for you. And we love making amazing high-quality products and hearing about the adventures that you're taking those on. Especially our Gasper 4 knife. It was by far the most popular item that we launched this past year. It was also one of the main ones that we had because of all the supply chain issues. As you guys are probably aware, there has been a massive disruption in supply chain and getting products from many companies, and Rewild Gear is no exception to that. We have had quite a few interruptions for some of our products that we designed and have had manufactured and are still waiting for some of them to hit our fulfillment center. There are several products that are stuck currently in the port in Houston, Texas, and We are very, very hopeful that the remaining products will make it off those boats within the next week or so. So we should have everything in stock by the middle of January. So if you have placed an order and not received it yet, please know that we are doing our very best to get those shipped out as soon as we get those in. So unfortunately, some of these things are just out of our control, just to— because of all of the issues surrounding the world right now. with the supply chain and whatnot. So we have lots of knives in stock. So if you have not checked out our Gas Before Knife, please do so because it is, in my opinion, the best knife on the market. We have a few of our Granite Grills and our Trailside Utensils, a few of those in stock, and the rest should be, should be here within the next couple of weeks. Our Tinder Ridge Ferro Rods, this has been such a source of frustration for me because this is the item that should have taken the least amount of time. And should have been the quickest to get here, and it is taking the longest. So we should have that in within a couple of weeks. It is on the way over from Asia right now and should be here very soon. Our Firelight Bellows is, uh, that is in the port as well, waiting for that to get unloaded and shipped in, uh, trucked in to our fulfillment center in Texas. And we have quite a few of our Mountain Trucker hats in stock as well. So depending on what color you like, we should have those for you. Also, a new product that we recently just launched is our Pyro Balls, and these are alcohol-soaked cotton balls in a tinder container tin that we, that we launched just a few weeks ago, and it is one of the easiest ways to start a fire. So we have lots of those in stock, so if you're interested in those, please check them out. So that is kind of the update as far as all the products. We've got a few new things in the works as well coming up here in 2022, but for now we're just going to focus on the current products offering and use those in as many adventures as we can. So that's kind of the update for our supply chain and where we're at there. One of the things that I'd love to talk about a little bit is some of the gear that our guests have recommended on the show. So one of the questions that I like to ask all of our guests on the Adventure Made podcast is, what gear do you take with you on every outdoor adventure? And so, we have sorted through that list and have come up with kind of the main items, the top 12 items, if you will, that should be with you no matter what you're doing just as far as for precaution, for safety, to be prepared, and to have more fun. The number one thing that everyone said though was not actually a piece of gear, it was your mindset and your knowledge because the more you know, the further you can go and the less you need. So, it's Get trained, whether that's backcountry first aid, whether that is bushcraft, whether that's foraging. It is take the time to learn and read and watch and listen so that you have the skill set so that no matter what you're doing in the great outdoors or in an urban environment, you're prepared for whatever life may throw at you. So that's by far the most important piece of advice that our guests throughout the show have shared. But actual gear, there are quite a few pieces that you should always have on you because you just never know. And the first one, which is no surprise at all, is a knife. I've said it before and I'll say it again, but a knife is the first tool that was ever invented, and it enables us to make all of our other tools. It's the one thing that you should have with you at all times because you can do so much with a knife when you're in the outdoors. If you need to open a box, As a safety tool, as a protection. There are so many things that you can do with a knife. So it is definitely an item that I recommend having with you at all times. And every one of our guests, with very little exception, said the exact same thing. The second item that you should always have with you is a water filter or a means of purifying water. My brother Josh, in the podcast interview that we did last year where he talked about his crazy story of almost dying from dehydration because not having any water and not having a means to filter water. That is very, very important to be able to have potable drinking water. So without a means of purifying or filtering water, you can be in big trouble. So always have something with you at all times to purify water. A really easy, easy filter to carry is a little Sawyer mini filter that can fit in a bag very easily. Speaking of bags, the 3rd item that came up on our list was a backpack. A really solid backpack to keep your gear in, a go bag, a bug-out bag, a standard backpack, whatever works for you. And that was something that all of our guests said because any adventure you're on, you're going to have stuff that you need to carry with you and you got to have something to keep it in. And a bag is the best thing for that, especially backpack that's on your back and easy to use and carry. The 4th item that we have on our list is a first aid kit. If you are in a situation where you cut yourself badly or you break a bone, you need something to take care of yourself or someone else. Maybe it's a child or a friend or a family member, a loved one. So having some type of basic first aid kit with you at all times is very important, especially when you're in the backcountry where you may not have cell service reception and no way to get out if you're hurt badly. So being prepared is really important. The 5th item on our list is a good pair of boots or shoes of some type that will support you no matter where you're going. Something that's versatile, something that can— has traction. And there's so many different types of boots out there, so I don't want to get into all the specifics of what is going to work for you because I don't know. Depends on where you're going to be and what you're going to be doing. But a really good pair of boots, and maybe they're waterproof, maybe they have more traction, Maybe if you're just doing some basic trail running, they're a little more flexible. So, but a good pair of boots or strong shoes for the outdoors. The 6th item on our list is a fire starter. You always need to be able to make fire. Fire is what enabled civilization to grow and flourish. So, whether that's sitting around a campfire telling stories, passing down information from generation to generation, cooking your food, or to protect yourself from wild animals to keep them away, fire has enabled us to grow as a civilization and it's how stories and memories have been passed down. It's still one of my very favorite things to do in the outdoors, is to sit around a campfire and tell stories and have a drink and just enjoy the company of others. Number 7 on our list of items to always carry with you is a light, a flashlight, a headlamp, something so you can see. You never know when you're going to need a light in wherever you are, whether that is just in an urban environment in the city or the great outdoors or just at home. Having a flashlight is really important. The 8th item on our list is some type of rope or cordage. It might be paracord, it might be rope. There's so many things that you can do with this that you can use for anything in a survival situation, in an adventure scenario, or even just on your person. If your shoelace breaks, you can use some paracord to repair your shoelace or to create a new one. So, having some type of string or cordage on you at all times is a good thing to have. The 9th item on our list, duct tape. You know the old saying, if you can't duck it, fuck it. Well, and that's pretty true here too because duct tape is something that has so many uses in so many cases. I always have a roll of duct tape traveling. I have it at home. I have it in my office. I have duct tape everywhere just because you never know when you're going to need it to patch a hole in a tent or piece of clothing. You can use it for a splint. Duct tape is one of those things that you should just always have with you. The 10th item is a water bottle. You can't drink water if you don't have something to drink it out of. So, having a water bottle with you at all times, especially if you're filtering water, you need something to put that filtered water in. It's a good thing to have. Klean Kanteen, Hydro Flask, Nalgene, these are all some good options there that are strong and sturdy and will last a long time to carry with you. The 11th item on our list is an emergency shelter. This could be a tarp, this could be one of those emergency blankets, but something to kind of protect you from the elements if you're caught in a storm or you're lost on a trail. You just never know, so it's good to have some type of emergency shelter with you. And the 12th item on our list is a utensil of some type, basically to eat, to cut up food, If you're in the wilderness, you, you could always make one with a stick, but it's always nice to have a little creature comfort of some type of utensil, whether that's a spork or a much nicer one like our Trailside Utensil from Ruao Gear. Having a good utensil with you is important. And that's our list of our 12 essential pieces of gear that we definitely recommend. And these are all based on recommendations from our guests over the past season of the Adventure Made Podcast. One of the questions that I also ask all of our guests is books that they like to read. What book has had the biggest impact on their life over the years? And so I'm not going to go through the entire list because that would be very long and probably pretty boring, but there were several that kept coming up that many guests repeated, and those were the following: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink, I have not read this one yet, but I've heard great things about it. Jocko was a retired Navy SEAL, and it's all about leadership and taking ownership for everything that you do. So that was one of the, one of the top books on our list that our guest recommended. Second one was The Sandy County Almanac by Aldo Leopold. He was one of the foremost conservationists years ago and kind of pioneer the conservation movement. And, you know, we're all about conservation here at ReWild Gear and on the Adventure Made podcast. So this is a great book to pick up and understand his ethic as far as conserving our wild spaces and wild places and all of us doing our part to conserve what we have so we don't lose it. The 3rd book is The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter. That's all about how soft we've gotten as a society, how comfortable we are, and how we need to get out of our comfort zone and push ourselves to do hard things so that we can grow and improve. And the 4th book, this was kind of a surprise because it's a work of fiction and it's Dune by Frank Herbert. So that's one that I will have to check out here very soon as well. Another question that I like to ask guests is what podcasts are they listening to or if they have a favorite one. And so there was a lot of different ones, but by far the most popular one was The Joe Rogan Experience. No surprise, it's one of the most popular podcasts in the world. And all of our guests seem to really like it too. Rogan definitely seems to Ask really good questions and have a lot of interesting guests on and pushes the envelope on things that he'll ask and do on the show, which is great. Second one is Cody Rich, his podcast, The Rich Outdoors. Great show. I've listened to it many times. Cody's a good interviewer, talks to a lot of different people, experts in the outdoor space as well. So if anyone out there knows him, I'd love to have Cody on the show too. The third one, this is no surprise, the Meat Eater Podcast, Steve Brunella and the whole Meat Eater media crew they have over there all the time. Big fans of Meat Eater here. Love the show, love the podcast, love Brunella's books. So, it's no surprise at all. And then, the fourth one, this is the Kifaru Cast. So, Aaron Schneider from Kifaru International, one of our favorite backpacking companies, actually probably our favorite backpacking company, he and company host the Kifaru Cast. I interview cool people in the hunting space primarily, but in the outdoor space in general, and just have really interesting conversations. So that was definitely one that I recommend checking out too. One of the other questions that I ask all of our guests is what companies do they feel like are doing just a great job of product quality, just either in product quality or their innovation or their stance on conservation. And those companies are doing a good job there as well. So, there were a few that kept coming up. There's a lot of good ones out there and we always want to support those companies who are just doing a phenomenal job of product quality and whatnot. But, the companies that came up over and over again were the following: Patagonia, no surprise here at all because they've obviously focused on conservation a lot and environmental issues and sustainability, which we're really big on that here. And their product quality is just fantastic. Hilleberg tents is another one. I love Hilleberg. They have bombproof shelters, and I highly recommend checking them out if you haven't. Kifaru International— their packs are bombproof also. I have several of theirs and definitely recommend checking those out. ESEE knives— I've been an ESEE fan for years and have used many of their knives, and there's— those came up quite a bit in Talking with our guests. Sitka Gear, they make great technical outerwear and base layers, a lot of camo. They have their own camo patterns, so really high-quality gear for hunting and adventuring outdoors. And First Light. First Light is also an outdoor gear company— clothing, apparel, camouflage, base layers. I'm a big fan of their base layers, and they have very solid Information— or excuse me, very solid products also. So that's the best of the podcast for the past year as far as what our guests recommended and are listening to and reading. And I think if you follow along with some of those, your life will vastly be improved. You'll have better gear, learn a lot, and get 2022 off to a good start. So, just to leave you today, this is going to be a little shorter of a podcast. I just want to encourage everyone to get outdoors as much as possible this year. The past couple years have been wild and crazy and have flipped society and everything on its head with lockdowns and pandemics and mask mandates and all kinds of bullshit. But, because of that, there's a lot of things we realize that are out of our control. And control is nothing more than an illusion. And so I just want to encourage you to get outside into nature, spend time with family and friends, make connections, build community, get out there and do those things that enliven you, that build each other up, reconnect with kind of our basic human nature and with Mother Nature. Because if we don't take care of it, we're going to lose it. And the only way we're going to appreciate it and want to take care of it is if we spend more time with it. So I just want to encourage all of you listening to get outside, as much as you can. And that might be taking a hike, that might be skiing, camping, hunting. I don't care what it is, just get out there and spend more time and turn off your phone and see the natural world for what it is. That's all I got for today. So until next time, enjoy the show and stay wild.

Thanks for listening to the Rewild Gear Podcast. You can check out the show notes for today's episode at rewildgearpodcast.com. If you're ready to spend more time in the wild, our line of high-quality, minimalistic outdoor gear can help you do just that. Check us out at rewildgear.com.