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Outdoor Element Blog

  • Bike vs Bull: Life Lessons while Running with Mom

    by Outdoor Element

    One of my favorite mom memories is from when I was eight years old, while our family was stationed in Germany.

    Mom took me out for a daily run. She was running, and I was riding my trusted 32-inch red BMX bike. We passed all of the cornfields and ran into the forest. It was a nice sunny day, and the forest had a nice canopy so little rays of light were piercing through the trees every few feet.

    To the left, about 50 yards, was an open pasture and a few head of cattle and one ginormous bull named Fu Man Chu (at least that’s what I call him today). He must have caught a glimpse of my red bike because....

  • How to be Family Adventure Ready

    by Outdoor Element
    I wish I could say I'm motivated to get my family outdoors for exercise, learning new skills or encouraging self-care (it is a little of all those things) but my biggest motivator is creating positive memories for my children. The ironic thing is that not all of our outdoor adventures actually end up creating a positive memory immediately.  Sometimes we end up with siblings fighting, someone getting hurt, or a discouraged parent due to the lack of cooperation.  BUT, that won’t ever stop me from trying (maybe to my children’s dismay). My intention and hope is that at least one of them has fun and at the same time we move our bodies, leave the screens behind, experience adventures or places we hadn’t before, and hopefully connect with each other, nature and our creator.  
    Posted in Blog, camp kitchen, Outdoor Tips, Survival Skills

  • Spring Forward by Looking Back: 11 Lessons Learned from my Camping Mistakes

    by Outdoor Element
    Spring is here and I’m itching to get outdoors. As I’m prepping my gear, I thought I’d share some common mistakes from my past in hopes of helping you get outdoors to explore with confidence.
    Posted in 14er, Blog, Camp gear, Fire Escape, Firebiner, Near Zero, Outdoor Tips, Survival Skills

  • Near Zero

    by Outdoor Element

    I decided to do a test.

    Test setup and givens: As a reminder, I am located near Denver (5280 ft elevation). I used the same fuel (Jetboil), same aluminum canister/pot (by Outdoor Element), and the same amount of water (2 cups ...generally the amount used for any dehydrated meal). It's hard to judge if I set the throttle to the same amount but I tried. I timed the event to measure how fast each stove would boil the same amount of water.

    I am completely impressed with the Near Zero Mini Camping Stove!

    Posted in Camp gear, camp kitchen, camp stove, MSR Pocket Rocket, Near Zero, support small business

  • Race as an entrepreneur in America…Happy Indigenous People’s Day

    by Outdoor Element
    What is “race” in America to me? It’s not a skin color. In fact, it’s not a race; it’s a chase.  It’s chasing the American Dream. I want to share m...
    Posted in American Dream, Native American

  • Road Trips, Mt Adams, Pants, and Good Eats.

    by Outdoor Element
    If you find yourself on a solo multi day road trip, and you don’t have at least one hard cry, I think you might be doing it wrong. I had the opportunity to drive from south Denver to the base of Mt Rainier and back – that’s 40 hours or more to cover the 2,600+ miles round trip). I am grateful for an emotional ride. 
    Posted in mountain life, Mt Adams, Outdoor Tips, Small Business

  • Hiking Thru Life Podcast - Outdoor Element with Mike Mojica

    by Outdoor Element
    Mike was a recent guest on the Hiking Thru Life podcast where he shared the story of Outdoor Element and the life of an entrepreneur. Go give it a ...
    Posted in Blog

  • Magpies crushes it during the holidays

    by Outdoor Element
    Does a multitool carabiner belong in a craft store? Heck yeah, especially one as unique as the Firebiner or Fire Escape! Here is a fun story to pro...

  • Business, Politics, and Religion – 301 Punitive Tariffs

    by Outdoor Element

    As a society, we have dehumanized China ...we hate them. We hear that they are evil. I have listened to this from both sides of the political spectrum. I have heard it from mainstream media. Talk about #stopAsianhate. It saddens me. Truth is, China is filled with over a billion people -- people with families, daughters, sons, and grandparents. I know and work with a few of these people. They treat me like family. Are there evil people in China? Does China have political ideology that I don’t subscribe to? Yes. Now let’s look at the beam in our American eye. Does evil exist here? Are their political divides in America? Yes. Why have we demonized all of China?

    Posted in American Dream, Small Business, Tariffs

  • 10 Essentials of Hiking

    by Outdoor Element
    Do you even worry about the 10 essentials? At what point do you consider packing a day pack for a quick jaunt into woods? I am hosting a 47 second survey and would love for you to share your honest thoughts/responses to these questions.

  • My First Winter 14er: Quandary Peak

    by Outdoor Element

    1 January 2021

    It was the perfect winter day for a 14er. The high was 12 degrees, but there was zero wind the majority of the time. The radiant energy of the sun made it very comfortable on the summit. This is my story, my first winter 14er. I will share my experience, my insights, and my follies. I hope you can glean from my journey. 

    Posted in 14er, Quandary Peak, Winter Hike

  • OE Joe & his Boys - Legacy of Eagle Scouts

    by Outdoor Element
    As a youth I was very much involved with the Boy Scouts. I loved going on campouts, working on all sorts of varied challenges, and hanging with the...