Practice your map and compass skills in the park

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map and compass class

“I think we should be about there,” someone said as we approached an indistinct corner of Prospect Park. We were a few hours into a navigation class and we were lost.

“Um, I don’t think this is right,” someone else mumbled. We glanced at the map of the park we had plotted our course on beforehand to try to make sense of where we were. Our instructor gave us a few minutes to figure out our error before setting us back on track. We held up our compasses and marched on by following the azimuth we had recorded on our maps when we had planned our route. Continue reading Practice your map and compass skills in the park

Turn your weekend jog up a notch with a trail run

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trail running ward pound ridge

This week’s adventure is an essay from contributor and new Sorta Outdoorsy pal Lyndsey Boekenkamp. If you have a Sorta Outdoorsy story you’d like to share, email hi@sortaoutdoorsy.com.

Being a trail runner, I’m always looking for new challenges. Every weekend, I prep my hydration pack, whip up a few PB&Js, jump in my car, and go off in search of dirt, rocks, and freedom. On those days when a quick local jaunt just doesn’t cut it, I lace up my sneakers and head to Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. Located in the small town of Cross River, NY about an hour north of NYC by Metro-North, and with more than 40 miles of trails, it’s the perfect place to get lost on purpose. Steeped in lore and local history, the site is the location of several well-known trail races throughout the year, including the infamous Leatherman’s Loop 10K in April, which boasts steep climbs, sweet single track (clear, narrow, well groomed trails), and a whole lot of mud. Continue reading Turn your weekend jog up a notch with a trail run

Project Latitude is more than just another cool backpack

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Project Latitude Backpack
Images courtesy Project Latitude

(Ed note: As of 4/18/2016, Project Latitude has adapted their campaign to also donate water to assist with relief efforts after the devastating earthquake that occurred in Ecuador over the weekend.)

We were introduced to Danny Collins by a friend who met him while hiking in Minnewaska State Park. It turned out that Danny, who’s an architect by day, was about to launch the first campaign for Project Latitude which features a stunning, well made backpack, designed for the outdoors but perfectly fit to work as an everyday bag for commuting around the city. While the bag was initially what caught our eye (we do love gear), we quickly learned that Project Latitude is more than just another purveyor of trendy outdoor gear. Continue reading Project Latitude is more than just another cool backpack

Bike to Coney Island

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bike coney island

We were going a little stir crazy a few weeks ago so we convinced a friend to grab his bike and join us on a ride to Coney Island. It was a sunny day but the temps were low. We had to bundle up quite a bit and hustle to make it back before dark (neither of us brought lights and the sun was going down at 4pm back then—we know you won’t make that same mistake). Still, the ride was a great way to explore Brooklyn and spend a few hours outdoors. It will be much more pleasant now that it’s spring and the amount of daylight is more reasonable. Continue reading Bike to Coney Island

Outdoorfest 2016: Our picks for the Coachella of outdoor events

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outdoorfest picks

Sometimes the best way to deal with the disappointment when you thought spring had sprung but the weatherman is predicting that it will be cold again this weekend is to start planning for summer. It’s with that in mind that we submit to you the following—our picks for Outdoorfest—an  annual festival of NYC based outdoor activities. The festival, which is taking place this year from June 10-19, released its initial lineup of events this week and we’re excited to see that some of our favorite outdoor organizations will be hosting trips and workshops throughout the week. Here’s where you’ll find us: Continue reading Outdoorfest 2016: Our picks for the Coachella of outdoor events

Bullseye: Archery is the perfect indoor outdoorsy adventure

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archery in nyc

Well, it’s finally happened: the temperature in New York has caught up with the season. So now that it’s so cold you can’t even imagine touching your bike handlebars, it’s time to grab a bow and shoot a few arrows at Gotham Archery, an indoor archery range in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. Continue reading Bullseye: Archery is the perfect indoor outdoorsy adventure

Keep your head up and other surf tips we learned last weekend

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surf tips

We were back in the water last weekend giving surfing another try. This was our surf third lesson and we finally felt like we had a good enough handle on how to manage ourselves on the board to start to focus on finessing the fundamentals. Here are a few tips we picked up:

Continue reading Keep your head up and other surf tips we learned last weekend

Feel and look great in a Tradlands button-up shirt

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tradlands shirts
Photos courtesy Tradlands.

We’re always looking for a shirt we can wear climbing or hiking on the weekend as well as to the office during the week. Tradlands has answered that call by creating well-made women’s button ups with quality fabrics, cut to fit but not be too constraining.The shirt is easy to wear and looks great—we’ve been wearing a few items from the new spring line this week and have gotten numerous compliments from co-workers and hiking buddies alike.

We recently had the opportunity to interview Tradlands’ founder Sadie Roberts. In addition to telling us what makes a great button-up, Sadie described her perfect day off (a beach day with her dog and husband/business partner, Jeremy) as well as lessons she’s learned running her own company over the last few years.

We included a few bonus questions from our chat below and you can view the interview on Range’s blog.

Continue reading Feel and look great in a Tradlands button-up shirt

Tune up your bike, tune up your soul

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bike tune-up

The spring temperatures mean it’s time to tune up that bike you left chained to the light post all winter. We got a head start last night at a free bike maintenance class hosted by 718 Cyclery. The class was only an hour but it was packed full of useful information and how-tos. The bike shop is hosting a free women’s bike maintenance class this Wednesday, March 23rd at 7pm (sign up here). Here are our favorite of the tips we picked up at the class we attended: Continue reading Tune up your bike, tune up your soul