well off the beathen path

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Been there, done that. Way into the outdoors . If you know someone on your holiday gift list like this, maybe they need some new local areas to explore. Grab a new waterproof map from Total Escape , NatGeo, Tom Harrison, USDA, we have 'em all. If plastic durability is not a concern, then try the wonderful, accurate, large, overview atlas (book map) for every California road trip. Benchmark brand is the best with big, detailed, dirt road, hot spring, outdoor beauty. Way better than DeLorme.

Need to get a gift for the outdoor person in your life, well we can show you some great, inexpensive items. Stuff that every hikers or camper could use. Waterproof maps are by far the easy choice, but deciding on a local region might be a bit difficult. Yosemite maps and Sequoia are popular choices, but so is Death Valley. TIP: pick the next place you want to vacation with them. See all CAMP GEAR here. Below are some 'outdoor gift' items that DanaMite recommends.

More Pretty Cupcakes Originally uploaded by lilraindrops Gorgeous Cupcakes. More than half of your brain is visually stimulated. California Wilderness is like the icing on the cake. If you live here in the golden state, you most likely love the outdoors, like travel and budget, local weekends too. Total Escape - this goofy California back road web site is here for you to find YOUR California. Tahoe, Mammoth, Mojave or Anza Borrego... have it all A to Z

It is bound to happen. You travel to somewhere very cool, far away from home - and you want to camp out at least a few nights. The skies call and the scenery demands it! But you really don't wanna lug all your camp gear around with your luggage w/ the airport hassels. Renting gear locally can be done, depending of course, on where you want to rent. California is an outdoor paradise, simply said and most come here for the Wilderness views and awesome back road travels. California is a mecca for all kindsa recreation, so there are a few gear rental companies around. Make sure to tell the you found them on Total Escape too! In California, you can find rental shops for outdoor recreation, kayaking, backpacking, mountain biking. Camping Gear Rental Mountain Bike Rentals Kayak Rentals California

Lifetime warranties on outdoor gear are few and far between. Most supplies subjected to hard weather conditions and wilderness elevations damage quickly, unless they are designed to withstand these kinda harsh conditions. A new, non name brand, dirt cheap tent can last a year or two. There are plenty of used tents and gear on Craigslist.org.  Coleman tents usually last an average of 10 years, depending on the user frequency. Total Escape's DanaMite camps out about 20 times per year, so a more durable tent was needed. Wind-proofing is non-existant, but weather proofing and bubble designs make tents more wind resistant. Eureka tents can hold up to some mighty crazy wind gusts and many campers swear by this brand alone. Over a decade ago, a small gear company named Paha Que asked us to review a small tent of theirs. This is the 10-year-after-the-fact write-up on that product. Awesome vestibule (extra large rain fly) that allows extra space for cooking or storage Bl...

North Lake Fall Colors Originally uploaded by Jeff Sullivan Time is of the essence, RIGHT NOW. Autumn colors with aspen trees started changing around September  - and this fall coloring will last until the first deep freeze or snow fall, usually October. June Lake, Mammoth, Rock Creek & Twin Lakes are all awesome spots. Green Creek, Upper Summer Meadows, Virginia Lakes and Convict Lake are also worth checking out. The entire Eastern Sierra from Bishop to Tahoe is California's best for fall colors, fishing and sightseeing. OCTOBER is Autumn: take a drive on Highway 395