Vapur water bottles Reivew & Giveaway!

 

When hiking or spending time outdoors it is so important to make sure you are hydrating & bring plenty of water with you. But, it can be an annoyance to carry around the empty water bottles with you on the way back. I recently came across a brand called Vapur who sells a unique collection of water bottles that can be laid flat then rolled up to store in your pocket or bag taking up very little space. Each one also has a clip so you are able to clip it into a backpack or your pants. The clip also doubles as a tie to hold the water bottle in the rolled-up position so it doesn't unravel. 

They offer several different sizes the smallest is the kids size which holds 0.4L & the largest holds 1.5L. I love the color selection they offer, you can select something bright & colorful to color coordinate with or you can simply pic out an all black water bottle. The adult water bottles have twenty two different colors to choose from and the kids comes in four different designs. They also sell a bottle for wine that comes with a easy to pour spout. The bottles are able to be put in the freezer & are dishwasher safe. 

I like that these bottles are really easy to clean & I have no issue filling them up. Aside from the weight of the water, the bottle itself is very lightweight so when it is empty you won't even notice it in your pocket or bag. It is also kind of fun to drink out of, so you'll find yourself drinking water more often if you are someone who is trying to increase their water in-take. I like carrying mine around by the clip, it is comfortable to hold. I also like the spout the bottles have, if I ever run into a situation where I need a little water to wash my hands or my kids hands I can use this to pour a bit onto our hands without making a mess. My kids also enjoy using these bottles which is a plus. 

What do you think about these bottles? Is this something you can see yourself using? 

Prize Alert:

One lucky winner is going to receive a 1L bottle & a 0.7L bottle. 

This is open US Residents only! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! 

This giveaway ends on 03/16/23

Giveaway entry question: Leave me a blog comment letting me know which color water bottle you'd like from Vapur. 

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Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Vapur for the review & giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

A must see destination in Arizona, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum!

I recently found my favorite museum that I've ever visited & I wish I lived closer so I could buy a yearly membership to it because I would visit all the time. My family & I wanted to go on a small vacation for the holidays instead of doing a bunch of gifts so I planned a mini vacation to a city in our state that had several attractions we'd never been to before, one of those spots is the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It is so much more than just a museum it is a 98-acre zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum & art gallery. It is located at 2021 N Kinney Rd Tucson, AZ 85743.

It is a popular tourist type spot so I highly recommend getting there early to get a parking spot closer to the entrance, or if you don't mind a short hike there are parking lots a bit further back. We arrived shortly after they opened & the parking lot was already pretty full with a decent line at the ticket window. The line moved quickly & the staff were all very friendly, the place is big enough that even with the number of people visiting you didn't feel crowded or overwhelmed which is nice. It also helps in spots like this when everyone takes their turn to look at exhibits, etc. without cutting in front of others so that made everything run smoothly. The website states it takes about 2-3 hours to see everything & it is quite true, depending on how much time you spend at each stop you might be there for even longer. A large majority of the museum is outdoors so if you aren't a fan of the heat the best time to visit is in the winter/spring months to avoid the Arizona summer heat. We visited on a beautiful slightly cloudy winter morning & the weather was perfect for visiting. 

The aquarium didn't open for another ten minutes after we arrived so our first stop was to the reptile house where we were able to see a large assortment of snakes, scorpions, frog/toads and more. We even had a chance to see one of the staff members feeding the toads which is always neat. My favorite enclosure in the reptile house were the walking sticks (or stick bugs), I haven't seen one out in the wild since I was a kid & I love how they look so getting to see a bunch of them up close was fantastic. After exiting we went straight for the aquarium & got lucky because the only other person in it was a staff member doing a bit of maintenance on one of the tanks so we had the whole place to ourselves. There was an assortment of fish both native to Arizona & non-native species such as seahorses to watch swim. No matter what aquarium I visit, I always enjoy spending a few minutes in front of the seahorses, it is so cute to watch them float around & grab onto the seaweed/plants with their tails. 

Shortly after we left the aquarium it was about time for the birds of prey show they host almost daily, but we decided to use that time to check out a few of the other exhibits since could see that 90% of the visitors there that day were headed to the show. We walked around the cactus botanical garden a little bit & I snapped some photos of the wild birds along with the cactus on display. They have multiple gardens around the museum, you can grab a map before heading into the museum that will show you where everything is & label it so you know where you are. Next I wanted to visit the hummingbird aviary, you actually get to go inside & be in an indoor garden with the hummingbirds flying right next to your head. I've been in bird aviaries before, none of which have had hummingbirds and I love them so I was overly excited. We spent quite a bit of time inside of it watching the hummingbirds, relaxing on the benches talking a little & of course I was snapping photos the whole time. 

Right next to the hummingbird aviary is an art galley, the art work was gorgeous & most of it featured native wildlife or scenery and everything is available for purchase. There was also a small section with trinkets like postcards, 3D printed items & more. The restaurant they had there smelled amazing, so if you get hungry while there stop in for a bite to eat or visit their café for a snack + coffee. They have an underground animal area where you actually head underground to check out a few small enclosures to see critters that you don't typically get to see. Then we explored a bit more of the gardens & went to the bird aviary that has bigger birds such as cardinals, quail & more which of course I loved and we spent time at some of the benches just watching the different birds. 

In total you will go on a hike that is about two miles long, while viewing wildlife habitats set up along the way with animals such as javelina, bobcats, bears, wolves and more. They also have another underground section that takes you into a cave area & a mine where they have minerals on display. Just writing about the Sonora desert museum makes me want to go back again! There was so much to do & so much to see, it was quite the adventure. If we lived closer I would get a membership as mentioned, because it would be a great place to go for a mini hike for exercise while getting to see some neat stuff. They had some other great things to do, but if I talk about it anymore this post is going to be gigantic so if you are ever in the area you need to check this place out & enjoy it for yourself, you won't regret it. Admission is $29.95 per adult & $19.95 for kids - If you live in AZ & are a bit short on cash but still want to visit this museum they are part of the Culture Pass program through the Arizona public library system, you can visit your local libraries website to see which location has a culture pass for this zoo - the library allows you to "check out" 2 passes per family per month through their program (1 pass at a time) for free & each pass gets you two free admissions into where ever the pass is for. 

If you are looking for more adventures in Tucson type in "Things to do in Tucson" or "Things to do in Arizona" in the search bar of my blog, I have several more fantastic animal attractions and more in Tucson to share with you & when all done within a few days it makes for a action packed vacation. 

Which part of this museum do you think you would be most interested in? What would you want to see first? 

**This is not a sponsored post, my family & I decided to visit the museum while we were in the area and paid to visit the museum. I enjoy sharing some of the fun places we've been & things we've seen with my readers so they can enjoy it too if they get a chance.**

Venustas heated vest Review!

 

As many states are bracing for major snow storms it may be a great time to pick up a heated vest for when you need to go outside. I was recently gifted a Womens Heated Vest 7.4V from Venustas to test out for winter & it is wonderful to have on hand for the extra cold mornings. Whether you enjoy being outdoors or just get cold easily this is a great way to add a little extra warmth to your outfit when the temperature drops outside. This vest can be purchased for $159.99 on their website & they also sell heated jackets, gloves & more. 

The vest is sold in a S all the at up to a 4XL, it has a water & wind-resistant exterior to add an extra layer of protection during winter weather. This vest has six sections of carbon fiber heating elements, which include your back, the back of your neck, each shoulder and the front stomach area on both sides under the pockets. It has three different temperature settings low, medium & high so you can adjust to a lower setting if you start getting a little too warm & it comes with a helpful guide to teach out the color for each setting so you can adjust it using the black button on the breast of the vest. 

Depending on which setting you leave the vest on it will run from anywhere between three to ten hours when fully charged. The battery comes with a wall charger & instructions on how to make your battery last longer when you aren't using it during the warmer months. 

I can definitely feel the most warmth in the neck & shoulder areas of the vest, I don't notice the back as much but that may be because I wasn't leaning against anything while I was wearing this. It does really help keep you warmer when wearing this though, it makes a great middle layer between your shirt & your jacket to really keep you cozy. I haven't needed to wash this but you'll be surprised to know that it can be washed in a washer without any issues. 

Disclaimer- Venustas provided me with the products mentioned above for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase. 

Holiday gifts for Outdoor lovers from Oceas.

If you have someone on your holiday shopping list this year that loves being outdoors & going camping you should check out the products sold by Oceas. They have some great products to help make your trip a little more comfortable & I will be sharing two of those products with you on this post which are the Backpack Cooler & The Puffy.

The backpack cooler is my favorite out of the two items I was gifted to review simply because it is the product we use the most out of the two. It isn't just great for camping, but it is also good for bringing on hikes, picnics & short car trips. The inside of the bag is made with a insulated, leak-proof liner so you can add ice packs or loose ice so you can bring cold drinks & food along with you. According to their website it can hold up to 45 cans of soda, I haven't tried to hold that many cans as we generally don't buy canned soda, but it holds several of our extra large water bottles, some re-usable ice packs along with snacks with plenty of extra room. Along with the inner pocket there are also two zipped pockets, one large one along the front and one at the top of the bag plus two mesh pockets on either side of the backpack. This back pack is comfortable to wear even when it is full of stuff, the straps are padded to give it a little extra cushion. I like using this for hikes, days at the lake, etc because we don't have to drag a large ice chest with us in order to bring drinks. You can pick up their cooler backpack for $59.99 it can be purchased in grey, black or blue & it comes with a bottle opener keychain. 

They sell five different types of blankets for various outdoor needs, I received "The Puff" which is a padded blanket which can either be used as a regular blanket for warmth or you can place it under you for a little extra cushion. This is a soft nylon shell filled with cotton, it is water proof, durable & can be rolled up to fit perfectly back into it's carrying bag just like you do with a sleeping bag. It comes in three different colors - black, blue or green & has a second side with a lighter shade of which ever color you choose. It has a stretchy strap attached to the blanket itself so when you are done rolling it up, you can put the strap over it to hold it into place which makes it easier to get into the carrying bag. You can purchase this blanket for $69.99 on their website along with their other blankets that include the Sherpa which looks so soft & warm. This blanket is not only good for camping, but you can use it at home or take it with to sit on while you picnic or hang out on the beach. The materials used are easy to wipe off & dirt or sand will simply shake right off of it. 

What are some products that would help make your camping or hiking trip easier & more comfortable?

Disclaimer- Oceas provided the products mentioned above for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchasing the product.

HoKENA LED safety flare Reivew + Giveaway!

Are you prepared for accidents to happen while driving in your vehicle? If you were to get hit, break down or have a tire pop while driving at night the last thing you'd want is for someone to end up hitting you because they didn't see your car pulled over onto the side of the road. Some roadside assistance kits come with road flairs, but they are generally a one time use item. 

I recently found out about a company called HoKENA, who produces LED flares that last a lifetime. It isn't just the flare that sets this company apart, but also the amount of care and thought that goes into each package. They sell their flares in a set of three for $34.99 and they arrive in a bright orange carrying case or if three flares isn't enough they also sell them in a five pack. As you can see the carrying case is significantly smaller than the box it is package in, why is that?

The three flares aren't the only thing you receive when you purchase this safety set. They also include a whistle, two screw drivers to make changing the batteries a breeze, two emergency thermal blankets and a window breaker/seat belt cutter. Every item in this pack is extremely helpful in a emergency situation and can be used for non-car type emergencies as well. 

Each flare is slightly larger than the palm of your hand and the design allows for a comfortable hold on the light when turning it on/off. You can place these on the ground around your car or you can use it's other two nifty features. The first is that it is magnetic and will stick to the side of your car, removing it is easy and it won't ruing the paint on your car. The second option is it has a plastic hook on the back of the flares that can be popped up so you can hang it on a branch, or even in your tent if you are camping because it has a solid white light that can be used as a flashlight. They are also water proof and will float in water so they are great to have on your boat as well.

The flares have nine different light modes, some of them blink in different patterns while others are solid. The mode that I thought was pretty neat is the Morse code setting that blinks out a SOS code. These are battery operated and each mode has it's own specific run time for if you were to leave it on, the longest is the solid red on low which will last for 35 hours! In most cases you'll only need these for less than 4-6 hours while you wait for a tow truck, fix a flat tire, etc. I like how compact they are because it doesn't take up a lot of space in my trunk or in my car if I prefer to have them up front. Looking at them you might think they are heavy, but they are actually pretty light weight so you can take them camping or hiking without them weighing you down..

The lights are BRIGHT, they are meant to be seen from a long distance away. I will be uploading a short reel on my IG page showing the lights and some of their settings if you are interested in checking that out. I am a big fan of these flares, My husband and I always like being prepared and these grabbed my attention due to being re-usable. The bright orange they used for these products is also an eye catcher and will help you know where your tools are at all times.

The bonus safety items that came in this are pretty useful as well. It came with a tool that is specifically made to help you escape your car if you were to become trapped due to an accident. One end has a window breaker, this is extremely helpful if your door becomes stuck shut because then you'll still have a way out and the other end has a very sharp blade designed cut cutting your seat belt off if it won't come unlatched on it's own. The tool came with a black holder which can be mounted inside of your car, and it is compact enough you can even stash it under your dashboard. 

Additionally there are two emergency thermal blankets that will help keep you warm/dry, a whistle that can be used to signal for help and two small screwdrivers to change the batteries on the flares or for another job you might need. The flares come with batteries so you won't need to worry about buying the first set. I need to pick another set of these up to have in my husbands car. If these LED flares sound like something you'd like to have in your emergency kit as well, head over to check out their website and also enter below to win a three pack.

PRIZE ALERT: One lucky winner is going to receive a  three set of LED safety flares.

This is open to US Residents only! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! 

This giveaway ends on 02/20/2021

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment telling me: What is another emergency tool you like keeping on hand or having in your car?

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Disclaimer-  HoKENA has provided the products mentioned above for the review + the prize for a giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase. 

Explore the Kartchner Caverns State Park Trails.

When my children were younger they enjoyed going out to explore nature with us, but they were still in the stage where they'd get tired easily, and all parents know that can result in a rather cranky child, so we didn't get out as much as we would have liked. Now that they are older and are able to walk/hike for longer periods of time without getting tired, they have become even more interested in exploring nature, seeing the world, and going on adventures. My husband and I also love being outdoors, so we've been visiting more hiking trails in our area that are kid friendly, going fishing, and camping as often as we can. Along the way we are going to share some of these adventures with you and hopefully inspire you to get out and see what your state has to offer you. We recently took a trip out of the city to visit Kartchner Caverns State Park, to explore the trails and take a tour of the cave and just enjoy some fresh air in our beautiful mountain/desert state. Kartchner Caverns is located near Benson,Arizona it is a rather easy park to reach, in total it took us about three hours to reach from Phoenix.

I am lucky enough to have the chance to work with the Arizona State Parks Department on a few social media posts, the opportunity will allow us to check out some of the parks we've never visited before. We were already planning a trip to visit the Kartcher Caverns to see the caves, so the state parks department gave us a one night cabin rental so we could enjoy a longer amount of time in the park itself. If tent or RV camping are more your style, they have spots to reserve for that as well or there is a hotel near the interstate. If you check out the rest of my blog or type "Kartchner Caverns" into the search bar located at the top of my blog, you'll find my review of the cabin we were in along with a review of the caverns.

On the day that we left Phoenix it was stormy and rained on and off all day, which made the mountains look gorgeous once we arrived at our destination. You could see the stormy clouds rolling over the mountain tops as the wind carried them away, that combined with the atmosphere of the park it created a picturesque view that made you feel like you were in a adventure movie. I actually thought it was funny because when we were in the park for some reason my brain kept thinking of the Lion King, once I got home I went to upload a photo of the park to my photography Instagram page the "add location" thought it was a photo of Australia. Waking up and stepping out onto the porch of the park cabin is quite the experience, you could hear a few birds chirping and hear a few campers packing up their gear, otherwise it was very peaceful and quiet. 

The trail heads were easy to find & access; there is a large parking lot, picnic areas and a bathroom (currently closed due to covid) along with the camp sites mentioned above. If you do need to use the bathroom before exploring the trails, there are bathrooms located near the Discovery Center when you first come into the park that are open and cleaned daily. The trails at Kartcher range from beginner to advanced and range in length from a short hike up to a almost five mile hike. Their signs and trails are easy to follow which helps make it to where you won't get lost, however if you do get a little lost need a little guidance cell service still works in the area so you'll be able to get ahold of a park ranger.

It was still raining off and on during our first day there so we didn't fully explore the trails, however we still went out to check the trails out a little to get a feel for where we wanted to hike the next day. We found that all the trails were clearly marked, and most were lined with a path made from large rocks  to help you stay on the trail. I thought it looked nice, and it is a great way to help keep the plants along the trail from getting trampled, it must have taken a decent amount of time to do. I also notice how well the park has been taken care of it was quite clean, typically when we go hiking we see some trash along the trails because people aren't always considerate when bringing trash into a park/onto a hiking trail. Thinking back I honestly can't recall seeing any trash on the trails while we were out, and we hiked back quite a way onto the trail so that in itself is very impressive and shows how much the park rangers care about the park.

On the second day we left our cabin about nine in the morning to explore the trails and the weather was perfect. It was cool without being overly chilly, there were still clouds in the sky however the rain had stopped. While the weather was lovely and the trails were beautiful, I was a little sad that the storm the day prior had seemed to scare off most of the birds and animals usually seen in the park. The park is home to sixty-three species of birds along with reptiles, deer, coatimundi and more. I was very excited to get a chance to see some of them and snap some photographs, however on this trip we only spotted a handful of birds, no other animals in sight not even a lizard. I was a little disappointed, but that just means we need to plan another trip back to check out the wild life which is exciting and something we are looking forward to. 

Can you spot the bird in the photo above? As we were getting into our car to head back to the city after our hike this little guy decided to land in the tree in front of us so I could snap so last minute photos.

The park is quite large so you won't be able to explore it as a whole in a single day, I'd recommend camping out a night or two in the park so that you can really enjoy everything it has to offer. The park offers regular tent camping, RV campsites and four cabins available for rent so there are multiple options inside of the park along with a hotel not far from the park. 

I'll be sharing some other photos over on my photography Instagram page if you want to check it out! Want to know where the park is so you can visit it? This park is located at 2980 S Hwy 90 Benson,AZ 85602 it is very easy to reach from the highway and is only a short drive away from Benson itself if you want to do some shopping or stop at a restaurant. If you would like more information on the park you can check out their website.

Disclaimer- The one night cabin rental mentioned above were provided by The Arizona State Parks Department for a review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase