By Nite Ize Field Team Member Sunny Stroeer

I am many things: I am an adventurer, a record breaker, a wife; a Harvard MBA, a recovering strategy consultant, and – as of the last four years - I am also somewhat of a serial #vanlifer. 

Vanlife has long graduated from its renegade counter-culture beginnings to cover a broad spectrum: from folks living out of their barely converted hatchbacks all the way to the fully-tricked-out $80,000 Sprinter van with 4WD and a custom interior that would give the most luxurious RV a run for its money.

My personal vanlife experience falls closer to the humble end of the spectrum - I bought my first dream mobile in 2015, an old Chevy Astro van named Eddie, for less than $3k on Craigslist. Ripping out the seats and a bit of basic carpentry gave me just enough headroom and storage space to have a little mobile adventure basecamp for one.

Three years and one wedding later, it was time to upsize so my husband Paul and I could live on the road as a couple. Once again, we scoured Craigslist and finally settled on a 2003 Ford E350 XL - a spacious but rusty bargain for $7k - whom we named Merlot the Van.

If there’s one thing that I have learned in my years of living on the road, it’s the importance of space and functionality in a van.  That’s why I’ve come to use and love a ton of Nite Ize gear; here are five of my favorites that I work with on a daily basis:

 

Gear Ties. Everybody loves Gear Ties, but it’s hard to overstate their usefulness in the van. We use them to secure our curtains, as a handy paper towel holder, for bookends, to hang lanterns, to organize our door storage space, and as a sunglasses holder in the driver’s cab. We’ve even used Gear Ties to fix a loose mounting bracket on our exhaust system that was causing a rattle!

GearLine. The GearLine is one of my new favorite tools. With space at a premium it’s important for us to be able to use hanging space efficiently, and that’s exactly what the GearLine was designed for. Back in my old one-person van I actually used to (poorly) jerry-rig a homemade version of the same concept, stringing paracord and spiffing it up with knots for spacers… but that didn’t work very well for anything but the lightest loads.  You can imagine my joy when I got my hands on my first GearLine.

Steelie. The Steelie phone mount system is an obvious choice for any driver, but we get a lot more use out of it than handsfree navigation: many surfaces in Merlot The Van are metal, and that means that my phone sticks to just about anything!

Pro tip: even though I use the Steelie Phone Socket directly on the van’s walls, you may want to consider using a Steelie Dash Mount to keep painted surfaces scratch-free.

RunOff bags. The new line of RunOff bags has been getting tons of attention - and awards - since their introduction a few months ago. I love them in the van for three reasons:

• • Their revolutionary zipper seals gear and documents from the dust, dirt and spills that are all an inevitable part of living in a van.
    
    
  • They are hangable - remember what I said about the GearLine above!
    
    
  • The bags’ clear windows mean I know exactly what’s inside.

SlapLit LED Drink Wraps. Okay, these are just pure fun. One of the best parts of vanlife is getting to enjoy amazing views and a cold one at the end of a hot day of playing outdoors. Having different colored SlapLits to insulate, tell apart and light up our beverages is practical, yes, but mostly it’s simply just awesome.

Now… these five items may be my favorites, but they are far from the full list of Nite Ize gear that Paul and I rely on to keep us organized and efficient in the van. We use a plethora of S-Biners, Nite Ize lanterns and headlamps - and the HideOut Magnetic Key Box has saved us more than once from getting locked out of the van.

In the end, vanlife is all about freedom and mobility - but in order to enjoy that freedom and mobility, you first have to learn to navigate minimal space in an organized and efficient way; that’s why Nite Ize is with us every mile of the road.

 

Follow Sunny's adventures on Instagram at @sstroeer, visit her website and blog at www.sunnystroeer.com, and check out her organization Aurora Women’s Expeditions (AWE) at @awexpeditions and www.awexpeditions.org.

Nite Ize employees are predisposed to "geeking out" over our own products, and we love putting them to use in our everyday lives – including around the office. Here's a quick peek at how we're using our own gear to make our work lives easier.

 

At Our Desks:

We all have Gear Tie name tags, each expertly hand-bent by our COO.

We stick Steelie magnets onto just about anything to help organize our space. This one is keeping our white board eraser in place.

Not only are our products handy, but so are our employees. We've made ourselves some awesome coat and hat racks out of Figure 9s!

Our IT department is Gear Tie obsessed. Can you tell?

How did we ever live without Steelie Pedestals on our desks? if you have a Steelie on your phone, think about adding this one to your arsenal. It comes in handy way more often than you would think – on your desk, bedside table, kitchen, and anywhere else you'd want hands-free phone viewing.

In The Gym:

We've added Steelies to our treadmills and ellipticals, and HandleBands to our stationary bikes.

Our giant S-Biner #10s help hang and organize our workout gear. Bonus points for the Figure 9 rack.

In The Kitchen:

We make sure that the tape to mark your lunch stays with the fridge....

...And that no one mistakes a dirty dish for a clean one with this Gear Tie-ed sign.

In The Warehouse:

Keep that packing tape from wandering off with a Gear Tie.

Mad props to anyone who can name how many Nite Ize products are in this photo. SlideLock 360s are magnetic clips, so they can easily attach to metal surfaces and double as a quick hook. 

A Steelie magnet keeps our measuring tape right where we need it.

Yes the Gear Ties are doing a fantastic job holding our labeling essentials, but get a load of that Rugged Optics Case masquerading as a pen holder!

You betcha we're securing our trade show gear with CamJam Tie Down Straps.

We keep our sample room clipboard at eye-level and where everyone can find it with a Gear Tie.

Sure our CordCollars protect the ends of your cables from fraying, but they can also protect your hands from the sharp edges of this cellophane wrap holder.

Carrying this rig is so much easier with a Gear Tie Loopable + Handle.

And finally, a giant BugLit on the wall. Because why wouldn't we have that? It even hangs by an S-Biner #10!

Being an angler and seeing that it is in fact runoff time here in Colorado, it seemed appropriate that I put the new Nite Ize RunOff© Waterproof Bags to the test. They have been getting a lot of attention after all (see here and here).

For those of you unfamiliar with runoff season, it’s the term associated with springtime in mountain states when the seasonal snow melts up high and this “runoff” causes rivers and creeks to rise with muddy water. It’s not generally considered a great time of year for fly fishing (who doesn’t prefer stalking trout in crystal-clear, calm streams on warm days?) but I find it makes me more motivated to try new spots and to be more strategic in my planning. It’s all about timing.

So, my husband Drew and I packed up our new set of RunOff bags and made some plans. The bags hit the road with us on our springtime trips to visit the San Miguel River, the Uncompahgre River, the Green River through the Flaming Gorge, the Upper Colorado River, and to the good ole Evert Pierson Kids’ Fishing Pond in Boulder. I was stoked to see that these are truly badass waterproof bags that stood up to the tests of float fishing, wade fishing, toddler snack-tantrums, and all the variable weather that springtime in the Rockies has to offer. The super-tough toothless zipper is bomber and the bags are totally impenetrable – even to the raging rivers of runoff season. They lived up to their name perfectly.

After our memorable spring on the water, here are the best tips I can give you for fishing during runoff time – and then forget it all and let’s get excited for summer fishing!

 

1. Fish Tailwaters

Tailwaters are sections of rivers below dams. The dams help control the influx of runoff and maintain lower flows while typically also leading to better clarity. Float fishing the Green River below the Flaming Gorge Dam was near perfect conditions for catching browns from the boat all day long.

 

2. Fish mornings

The early bird really does get the worm, or the fish in this case. For the first few weeks of runoff season the nights are still freezing and the actual snow melt doesn’t happen until later in the day, so mornings on the river are often still clear. As we typically had two toddlers fishing with us, the early morning option wasn’t a problem. On closing day at Telluride Ski Resort with skiers stopping by to watch, we spent a nice cool morning fishing dry flies to little rainbows on the San Miguel, but by 10 or 11 a.m. the sun was warm overhead, and the river had turned to chocolate milk without a fish rising in sight.

 

3. Be flexible and watch for temperature swings

Runoff season isn’t finite, it can start and stop with the weather. We “lucked out” with snow storms in the mountains just before memorial weekend and saw that with the colder temps, flows had dropped on the Upper Colorado River for the weekend. We called up our good friends and got out for an epic day of float fishing. This time of year, fishing streamers can be really productive and always fun, so that’s just what we did.

4. Hit the local lakes and ponds

If you’re at a low elevation, your lakes and ponds will be largely unaffected by runoff. So, take a turn at fly fishing for bass, pike, or carp (yes, carp – you don’t need to be ashamed). Or just rig up some kid rods and make it a fun family day. Never trust the weather though – our fishing day could have been ruined by this deluge, but fortunately we had the snacks packed in the RunOff 3-1-1 Pouch, so the day was saved!

I’d love to hear your best tips for runoff season in the comment section below.

The days are getting warmer and that evening light is starting to linger. You can feel the approach of summer in all those subtle ways around you. And that means it’s time for everyone’s favorite BBQ season.  Let Nite Ize light up your celebration with these memorable products and tips.

 

1. Illuminate Your Beverage Selection

Throw the bright LED NiteGems into your cooler for colorful effect and to make it easy for guests to find their beverages, because yes, these are the drinks you’re looking for.

2. Keep Bottle-poppin’ Fun at Your Fingertips

A missing bottle opener can make for figuring out some creative alternatives at a party, but no one wants to deal with that! Fortunately, with an Ahhh Dual-Action Bottle Opener tethered to your cooler or drink station with your favorite Gear Tie, a bottle-poppin’ solution is never far away.

 

3. Identify and Track Your Drink

We sure like our drinking products, huh? Once you’ve picked your drink by the light of the NiteGems and opened it with your Ahhh, then you can wrap it up nice and cozy in our insulated SlapLit LED Drink Wrap which, of course, lights up! Everyone can choose their own color and easily keep track of their drinks with the bright LED band.

 

4. Hands-Free Beverage Time 

Will there be lawn games at your BBQ? Will there be millennials? (Millennials love lawn games.) Then you need hands-free beverage solutions for drinking activities. Enter, the Traveler Drink Holster – the perfect place to keep your favorite drink safe and accessible right on your hip. No need for risky setting-your-drink-in-the-grass behavior.

 

5. Perfect Patties Every Time

Grilling at night can be tough, but with the our Radiant 250 Rechargeable Headlamp, you can light up your food while leaving your hands free to do the flipping. As far as cooking tips, we leave that up to the experts check out this article by Taste of Home on burger cooking tips.

6. Keep Track of Those Kiddos and Pets

With the commotion of a BBQ after dark, make it easy to spot kids and pets underfoot with the NiteHowl LED Necklaces. Plus, they are just plain fun for the kids.

7. After-Dark Games

Once it’s too dark for corn hole and bocce games, then it’s time to break out the Flashflight. This color-changing LED flying disc is both mesmerizing and fun for your BBQ guests of all ages.

There you have it – a few easy ways to make your next BBQ more memorable and fun with some of our favorite products. Leave us a note below to share the creative ways you use your favorite Nite Ize products. Tag #LifesAdventureKit on Instagram or Twitter and show off your Nite Ize party hacks to be entered for a chance to win your own Adventure Kit!

The best adventures are half grand explorations. And half trying to keep it from going off the rails.

The plan was simple -- or as simple as it could be for a backcountry journey involving 100 miles of off-grid desert biking, 15 people, two support trucks, no cell service, four pounds of frozen meat, a blow piano, a few cases of beer, and a slightly soggy birthday cake.

As part of an annual birthday adventure, a friend of a friend organized a three-day trip mountain biking Utah's iconic White Rim trail.Since I only knew one person on the trip, I did what any newcomer to a high-consequence social situation would do.

I volunteered to bring all the tools, taking on the responsibility of fixing anything that could (and would) go wrong.

Here's the thing: I’m a tool junkie. MacGyver is my personal spirit animal. And I work for Nite Ize. By the time I finished packing, my tool bag weighed around 30 lbs and contained everything from kevlar tape to a full set of Allen wrenches.

It turns out that my bag of tricks would be put to the test before we even started pedaling. Over the next three days, as problem after problem arose, I was able to channel my inner Mary Poppins and pull just the right solution out of my ever-present tool bag. 

 

PROBLEM: Only having one key for a truck that will be driven by 15 different people. What could go wrong?

SOLUTION: Rig together a glow-in-the-dark, Bluetooth-enabled key tether using some Gear Ties, a super bright NextGlo marker kept, and the Tile from my key chain.

 

PROBLEM: Accidentally launching your dry foods container out the unlatched rear hatch.

SOLUTION: Move aside duct tape, this is a job for the CamJam Tie Down Strap. After double wrapping and cinching the webbing around the structurally unsound container, we once again had a home for our chips, bread, and beans (so many beans).

 

PROBLEM: Dropping your phone while taking the obligatory #liveunplugged Instagram selfie.

SOLUTION: Butterfingered friends, rejoice! The Hitch has a stretchy coil that I form into a wrist-strap to keep my phone secure during sketchy selfies. Combined with a Clip Case Rugged Holster, and I can have my selfie without my phone eating it too.

 

PROBLEM: Making hamburgers for 15 hungry people who just rode 30 miles using a four pound slab of frozen meat.

SOLUTION: Create a double boiler out of a pot and a baking sheet, then use a foil topper to channel steam upward to speed up the process. Pro tip: A cold beer wrapped in a SlapLit Drink Wrap makes it easier to forget about your stomach pangs as you wait for dinner to thaw.

 

PROBLEM: Lubes, grease, ThreadLoc, oh my! To keep the bikes running, I needed to pack several liquids in my tool bag that were almost guaranteed to leak.

SOLUTION: By packing my liquids in the RunOff Waterproof Toiletry Bag, I was able to keep my liquids organized, and more importantly, contained.

 

PROBLEM: We needed our two way radios to be accessible, but not in the way.

SOLUTION: S-Biners to the rescue! You can never have too many S-Biner dual carabiners in your tool bag.

 

SOLUTION: Packing all my odiferous gear in a RunOff bag, which is waterproof, compressible, and does a fine job of sealing in the stink.

 

Whether adventure takes you off the grid or down the street, Nite Ize products have a knack for solving all the little unexpected moments that make adventures memorable.

 

If you’ve never grown a vegetable garden before or if you’ve only dabbled with the occasional potted veggie plants, fully committing can be an intimidating prospect. So, let me put your mind at ease. Everything will be OK. If you plan a little and set aside a bit of time for regular maintenance, you will succeed in your garden. You’ll probably hit a few speed bumps the first year, but you’ll learn a lot, and you will have the satisfaction of eating your own vegetables.

The three essential factors for a successful vegetable garden are sun, water, and protection, but here are a few other helpful tips for getting started:

1. Like all good things, it starts with a healthy foundation. 

Nutrient-rich soil is key for growing healthy vegetables. If you’re filling empty raised beds, it’s worth buying good planting soil from your local garden shop so you have a weed-free starting point. (Plus, it’s great to make friends and support your local shop – they will have expert tips for growing in your area.) If you are turning an existing bed into a vegetable garden, you may want to work-in a bag or two of soil conditioner. Or, to save money a great way to renew nutrients is by burying your leaves. In the fall, mow over your fallen leaves, then bury them 6-8” down in your bed, or layer them over the top then work them down by doing multiple passes with a tiller before the ground freezes. 

 

2. In the battle against pests, take the high ground and fortify your borders. 

Do you think bunnies are adorable fuzzy neighbors? When you see a deer in the yard do Disney-esque memories start playing in your head to a cheerful tune? Just wait till you start your vegetable garden, you may develop a new perspective on these agile, hungry nemeses. Raised beds/boxes are a great option for beginner and seasoned gardeners – fewer opportunities for weeds, natural protective border (though I still recommend chicken wire above this if you have bunnies or deer), less back pain, and control over possible soil contaminants.

 

3. Know your bugs.

When it comes to vegetables, there are good bugs, and there are bad bugs. For some of the best bugs see tip #7 – because we need BEES. For the bad bugs, enter aphids, AKA “gardeners arch nemesis #1” and slugs, or “Ugs” as my toddler calls them. Unfortunately, both these bugs are common just about everywhere in the U.S. Let’s begin with slugs. The way my mom taught me to deal with these pests is to put a small saucer or tuna can in the garden and fill it with beer. The slugs climb in and drown themselves in a drunken stupor. It might sound crazy, but I swear it works – and it doesn’t need to be the good stuff, you can use your cheap beer. Also see tip #4 for another way to deal with slugs – *hint* it’s snakes. Getting rid of aphids can be fun too. When I moved to Colorado, I learned it’s common practice to buy ladybugs and release them into your garden in late spring and they will take care of the aphids for you. You can order small buckets of these beneficial beetles online or pick them up at your local garden shop, then store them in your fridge until you’re ready to release them (try not to think too hard about a couple thousand bugs escaping in your fridge…they basically don’t move in the cold). Then just before nightfall, water your garden well and sprinkle the ladybugs throughout. With a nice damp environment and local aphids to feast on, the ladybugs will settle in and make your garden their home.

 

4. Embrace the slithery.

Unless snakes are truly the things your nightmares are made of, there is no downside to good ole garters in your garden. Yes, the beady eyes and slithering startle me every time, but these effective little hunters will decimate many of those problematic bugs listed above. And despite encouraging my husband to pick the little guy in this photo up to show our son, I don’t recommend picking them up in general – they emit a horrendous odor on your hands, and frankly you want them to continue living unbothered in your garden.

 

5. Mother knows best.

For the Middle and Northern U.S., Mother’s Day marks the time when you are generally safe from snow and frost to plant your garden.

 

6. Set yourself up for success with hardy growers.

For your first go, I highly recommend choosing vegetables that are easier to grow and maybe throw in one of the more difficult ones to play around with while you get your feet wet. These are the ones I suggest before you move on to the more finicky species: tomatoes, zucchini and squash, cucumbers, peas, and potatoes.

 

7. There’s no shame in starting with starts. 

Sure, growing plants from seed is a great feeling of accomplishment, but it also requires more advanced planning and patience than picking up healthy starts from a local shop. If patience and pre-planning aren’t your thing, or if you feel more confident in picking up starts, go for it! This is often the most popular route anyways, especially for tomatoes.

 

8. Expect big things. 

Remember that your little seedlings or starts have months more growing to do. Place your stakes and tomato cages at the same time you plant so as not to damage roots or branches later when the plants are larger. Support heavy branches with Gear Tie Reusable Foam Twist Ties and prune off over abundant growth if needed. Zucchini plants will be enormous and cucumbers and other vine vegetables will take up most of your garden space if you let them, so I recommend placing a trellis for them to grow up rather than out – this also helps keep the slugs off them.

 

9. Don’t forget the flowers.

A common problem in vegetable gardens is poor pollination – if your plant doesn’t have cross pollination, it won’t fruit. Bees are the answer (wind can help too). One of the best ways to attract them throughout the growing season is by having flowers near your vegetable garden to bring them round. Most flowers will attract bees, but if you want specific suggestions for the best, check out this article by the Honeybee Conservancy: “21 Flowers That Attract Bees”.

 

10. Herbs for the win. 

I love having a kitchen garden on our back deck where I can easily pick fresh herbs for our meals. Mine is separate from the vegetables, but there are many benefits to planting herbs in with your veggies, a practice called companion planting. For detailed info on companion planting with herbs, check out this article by the Gardening Channel: “Herbs that Pair Perfectly as Growing Partners”. Many herbs help to repel unwanted insects and even rodents, while the flowering ones tend to be great bee-attractors. You don’t want the ones you cook with to flower though (pick off they buds when they start) as it negatively affects the taste. So, if you have the space, plant twice as many as needed and let half go to seed for the bees while keeping the others pruned for eating. If you are looking forward to fresh mint for your mojitos, plant it in a pot – it’s invasive and while it smells delightful, it will take over everything if planted in the garden! And, if you’re not much of a cook, you can plant a cocktail garden instead, because of course that’s a thing now: “Grow a Cocktail Garden”.

Those are my tips for getting your vegetable garden started. I hope you’ve learned something new and are feeling excited and confident about planting. Please feel free to leave your own tips in the comments below for the community.

Part of our mission here at Nite Ize is to make your life a little bit easier, one product at a time. This Mothers Day, we’re celebrating the superhero moms of our Nite Ize family by sharing some of their go-to products for raising and having fun with their kiddos. Every mom deserves something that makes their life just a little bit easier, and that’s where we shine.

Kelly Von Letkemann, Legal Operations Manager:

• LED Mini Glowstick: My kids LOVE it when I turn off the lights and throw a few of these in the bathtub. They are obviously great for trick or treating or just generally clipping on kids when you are out at night (and can color code by kid).

• S-Biners: We carry water bottles around with us everywhere we go. S-Biners are the obvious choice for making sure water bottles stay attached to backpacks, and I always have one or two on hand so I can attach water bottles to my purse so I can be hands free (because we all know who gets stuck carrying all their stuff. . .)
• FlipOut Handle + Stand: The FlipOut is great for Face Timing with family, or simply bribing your kids to eat their breakfast by offering to show them a PBS Kids show. Not that it ever happens. . .  

 

Michael Westfield, Creative Director:

• BugLit: I wrapped one on my kid’s bed as a little light.
• Gear Ties: These are great for closing snack bags in the pantry and large veggie bags in the fridge. Or for when I lose the bread tie or the bread tie plastic breaks.

• LED Mini Glowstick: They’re just fun.
• NiteGem: I throw them in the bathtub since they’re waterproof – disco party in the tub!

 

Kristen Green, Customer Service Representative:

• Flashflight LED Flying Disc: For hours of endless entertainment outside on a beautiful Colorado evening. Can’t wait to see these flying around our campsite in Moab in a few weeks!

• TwistLit LED Bike Lights: My kids are the talk of the neighborhood with these.
• BugLit: These are great for when I actually need them to do some reading! Perfect for long car rides too!

 

Calle Gainok, Digital Content Manager:

• Steelie Pedestal Kit: I’m all about the Steelie. I use a Pedestal Kit for our video baby monitor so we can view it at just the right angle.

 

Kristin Butcher, Marketing Communications Specialist

• The Hitch: For when I give my butterfingered progeny my phone to take pictures (that will invariably result in 100 blurry pictures of the cat’s butt).
• NiteHowls: Keeping an eye on your children at a campout has never been easier!
• SpokeLit Wheel Lights: Awesomeness and safety all in one rechargeable color-changing package.

 

We hope this wisdom imparted by our resident moms inspires you to find new ways to make your life easier. Or steal some of their ideas, that’s what we’re here for! Tag #LifesAdventureKit on Instagram or Twitter and show off your Nite Ize parenting hacks and be entered for a chance to win your own Adventure Kit!