In the Bag is a monthly sponsored post on YBC in which we feature product we love for a specific activity. While YBC was compensated for the post, all opinions are our own, and we are committed to working with brands we love, whose products we would buy and use ourselves.
#crazydoglady
If you follow me on instagram, you know that I am a #crazydoglady. My Siberian husky, Buckles, is now six and half years old and he's always been really energetic (it's the breed, really), so we've always been pretty active with him. When he was younger, we'd spend at least three hours a day exercising him.
They're extremely smart and despite being pack-oriented, they're nomads. Because they're so smart, they need a lot of brain stimulation so they get bored of the same route on their walks, and they like to explore and do things like urban mushing, etc. They love you like no other, but they have selective hearing and if you let them off leash, good luck getting them to come back.
A few years ago, we took Buckles for a hike. We'd let him go off leash because we felt like he was pretty well trained and would come to us when called. We also considered the woods to be really safe. There were no roads nearby and it wasn't a heavily trafficked trail.
So we're hiking along, and he's just loving it. He's racing around splashing in the streams. He spots a snake slithering along and is curious but keeps his distance. He stands at the bottom of a tree watching the squirrels above like a hawk. It's a great day, and the whole time we keep testing him with treats to make sure he'll come to us.
He's motivated by food, and he comes when called.
Except all of the sudden, he stops short in front of us, and we look out. There, ahead of us, are a group of four or five deer looking right at us. In an instant, they take off running, and of course, so does our dog.
"BUCKLES!" we yell, but he has a one track mind and is GONE.
We literally don't see him or the deer anymore, the woods are so dense, and so we continue to call his name over and over again.
Meanwhile, I'm panicking, thinking he's never coming back - because this is the reputation huskies have - they love you but they'll leave you! Haha
Finally, after ten or fifteen minutes, we hear sticks breaking and leaves crunching and we look out in a totally different direction, and there, walking super slow, tongue basically dragging on the ground, comes our dog, totally out of breath. I guess the deer were too fast for him.
Happy to see us, he came right up and nudged us with his snout before getting distracted by the squirrels jumping in the trees above. We just had to laugh and give him a treat for coming back. Luckily, he hasn't run off since that, and hopefully we can keep it that way.
This month, we're talking about hikes. Specifically, things we'd take on a hike. Here's what I'm loving for a hiking bag:
1. Food storage container, $12.99. I love this storage container by Blender Bottle because its stackable design means it transports so easily. Take what you need, throw it in the bag, and off you go.
2. Organic insect repellent, $9.99. This is what I'm bringing to the Costa Rica Yoga Retreat because ever since I read that the skin absorbs something like 60% of what we put on it, I've been trying to be conscious of the products I use. This repellent, from Bubble & Bee Organic, contains six simple, natural ingredients.
3. Hammock, $99. I love the idea of hiking all day to the top of the mountain and then relaxing in a hammock. This packable hammock from Hummingbird Hammocks is the lightest, most portable hammock on the market. It comes with tree straps so all you have to do is find two trees at the top of your trek.
4. LifeStraw water bottle, $40. The straw in this water bottle is incredible. You can literally put water from any stream, river, lake, whatever - and the technology allows only clean water to get through.
5. Pocket knife, $99. This knife, from Huckberry, is handmade in Portland, Oregon.
6. Natural deodorant, $10. Dragonfly Traditions makes aluminum-free, chemical-free natural deodorant that actually works. Done and done.
Giveaway terms and rules
1. Due to shipping costs, this giveaway is open to those in the United States. We are going to do our best to offer up some goodies for our international readers in the coming months, and I thank you in advance for your patience as we plan and work with companies to make this happen.
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