Get out there and enjoy the fall foliage, Milwaukee. Here are just a few of things #WeWant to take with us on our hikes.
Charge with it: Solar panel charger
Planning a longer-than-average hike? Taking video? Or just want to be sure not to miss any important calls? This solar powered back-up phone charger is the perfect (environmentally aware) accessory to carry with you when you'll be out of range of electricity for more than a few hours. Fully charged, it will give you at least two full phone charges before petering out, and -- if you keep it exposed to sunlight -- it will top off its power source relatively efficiently. At just under $27, it's also a pretty good deal. – Lori Fredrich
Record it: Hubsan X4 quadcopter with HD camera
Drone helicopters are fun, somewhat hard to fly … and largely useless. Unless they’re cheap, crash resistant and equipped with an HD video camera, that is. Those are the selling points for Hubsan’s very popular X4, which at $48.99, is about as inexpensive as they come for a quadcopter with these features. With some practice, you can get reasonably good at flying this thing, so you could hypothetically record your hiking adventure from some crazy angles. Keep in mind that you only get about seven minutes of flight on a battery, and if you’re like me, you’ll crash it many times while you learn the avionics, so it might be a good idea to buy a "crash kit" full of replacement parts for another $10. There are smaller, cheaper drones out there, and there are much more expensive ones, too – but the X4 hits that sweet spot for a video recording quadcopter that won’t break the bank or your heart if you accidentally smash it to bits. – Andy Tarnoff
Emilio Moro Finca Resalso 2014
I don't know about you, but my backpack has a side pocket that is perfectly suited to a bottle of wine, which is a nice way to enjoy a hike – sipping the fruits of nature trail-side. Popping the cork on this 100% tinto fino Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero was a revelation. I'm not sure why, since its elder incarnations have earned scores at 90 and above from a number of reputable sources and it's even made Wine Spectator's Top 100 wines list in the past. I should've already known about the charms of this deep red wine, with its alluring nose, its vibrant ripe berry flavor, its dash of earthiness and its smooth lingering finish. The fact that you can enjoy it for $15 makes it all the better. I know now. – Bobby Tanzilo
Hike it: Hoh National Rainforest
Photo: Creative Commons/Doug Dolde
One of the biggest "misses" of my time in the Pacific Northwest was not hiking the Hoh National Rainforest. This patch of Washington state gets 12 to 14 FEET of precipitation per year and hosts some of the most beatiful trails America has to offer. It's worth a trip on it's own and is always on the "next vacation" short list. – Nick Barth