Next Monday is the longest day of the year, and we聽sincerely hope you take advantage of all that extra sunlight with a few after-work microadventures. Here鈥檚 the gear that should live in your car, ready and waiting聽for when 5 p.m. rolls around.聽聽聽
Falcon Guidebook (From $10)
You need a local hiking, climbing, biking, or hot springs. It鈥檒l help you find new adventures.
Skratch Labs Cookie Mix ($8.50)
Hunger can murder motivation quicker than any forgotten piece of gear. We like the because they鈥檙e delicious, easy to make, and provide a quick energy聽bump. Just leave them in your car鈥攊f you take them into work,聽they鈥檒l disappear before they鈥檙e supposed to. 聽
Thule T2 Classic 9044 Bike Rack ($400)
You鈥檒l never ride your bike if you have to go home after work to get it. The call of the聽sofa and Cheetos will be too strong. We always throw our bike on the car before 9 a.m.聽and hit the trails at 5 p.m. We like this聽聽because it鈥檚 easy to use and fits fat bikes without adapters.
Kryptonite KryptoLok聽Series 2 Mini-7 ($40)
The Thule and other bike racks come with locks, but you should 聽if your bike is going to sit in the parking lot all day. This isn鈥檛 fail-safe, but it will take a thief a long time to hack through a U-lock, which is usually a pretty good deterrent.
Trew聽M鈥檚聽Up Jacket ($120)
Don鈥檛 get caught in a late-afternoon downpour without a jacket.聽Keep in your pack or jersey pocket at all times. The DWR coating makes water roll聽off, and stretch ripstop nylon adds warmth when temps drop.
Voke Tabs ($7)
A latte or energy drink will slosh around in your belly on the trail, so we prefer for an after-work caffeine fix. Each tab has 77 milligrams聽of caffeine and offers a much less jittery buzz. We also appreciate that the caffeine wears off fairly quick,聽so you鈥檒l be聽ready to sleep when bedtime rolls around. 聽
Petzl e+LITE Headlamp ($30)
You aren鈥檛 likely to run out of light during summer, but just in case you do, you should have a聽 with you. It鈥檚 about the size of a large grape but聽puts out 26 lumens, which is just聽enough to get you down the trail.
Forsake Mack Shoes ($100)
聽look good with jeans in the office (assuming your dress code is semicasual),聽but they also have plenty of hiking DNA,聽thanks to an EVA midsole, nylon shank, and aggressive lugging. No more excuses to not hit聽the trail because you forgot your boots.