At 5400 foot elevation in the Laguna Mountains overlooking Anza Borrego, we could see across the Colorado desert plateau and out to the Salton Sea.  Epic Labor Day weekend adventure.

Cruising through the Laguna Mountains on Sunrise Highway.

And please don't be mistaken, this is Mount Laguna.  If you're looking for Apple Pie and crowds, you'll want to move on to the town of Julian

The sun seemed to rise fast in the morning, or maybe we were just sleeping in.  As we prepared breakfast, the suns rays found its way through the tall pines, shining across our camp, and into our outdoor kitchen.

While it was a pleasure to see the sun weaving its way through the shield of pines, as soon as the sun peaked over the top each day, we knew the temperature would rise quickly to more than 90 degrees, even in the altitude of the mountains.

And off we would go exploring in the Jeep.

Back at camp, and heading off on a late afternoon hike out to Laguna Meadow.

Leaves of three,
leave them be!
Leaves of four,
let's pick some more!

The kids powered on throughout our hike, marching to the opposite edge of the meadow for a water break from their camelbaks.  And once they spotted the cluster of boulders in the middle of the meadow, it was an instant attraction for rock scrambling.  And our four legged friend was happy finding a path to a higher perch on some boulders for a better view of the golden meadow.

We had a very large space to spread out at camp and the kids had a great time running around.  Here is our son and his unintentional "photo bomb" while pretending to be a cowboy.

We experimented with some new recipes for s'mores.  And I think we have a delicious set of new ingredients that make this s'more a winner.

The dark night sky was nearly absent of our moon, which provided excellent viewing of the million star night sky.  Meanwhile, our 5-Star tent accommodations waited nearby for our tired bodies to fall into bed.

The kids took advantage of the cot to look up at the stars and wave their arms in the air as if they were their own astronauts flying around in outer space.

We also had an opportunity to meet up with the famous Smokey the Bear during the annual Mount Laguna Living History days event.

We also met real cowboys and learned all about how they lived in the wild with their horses while driving cattle across the range.

And that s'mores recipe...
-Graham Crackers
-Marshmallows (roasted over the fire)
-Chocolate squares
-Peanut Butter
-Nutella
-Whip cream (yes, our cooler kept our homemade whip cream solid for two days of heat)

Having a second person to help assemble is recommended. These are absolutely delicious!

Keeping your food and drinks icy cold during a multi-day trip is critical, especially if you are on the trail and off the grid with no nearby resources for additional ice.
 
We determined that having an additional full-size cooler on our trips was needed to support our four-person family adventures.  We considered a variety of cooler options, including the bear proof (and heavy) Yeti to the electric powered ARB fridge/freezer to the basic Coleman.

The obvious and most critical feature of a cooler, is the number of cold storage days.  Of course, the number of cold storage days can be a big variable, beginning with how your cooler was packed with ice and food (food on bottom, ice on top).  We also took into consideration quality, weight, price, and ability to fend off bears.

We decided on the Coleman Xtreme 5 Day cooler.  Obvious visual features are the lid-top cup holders, which for us have never been a critical feature, but nice to have.  Positive features include five days of claimed cold storage, light weight, and reasonable price.  The Coleman is also made in the USA.

Handles provide for the only means of moving this cooler from one spot to another, however, the Yeti and ARB also come sans wheels.  Coolers can get heavy quick, requiring a strong back if carried even any short distance.

The Coleman Xtreme 5 carrying handles feel relatively sturdy and are easy to grip and hold on to.  The rubberized handles provide for some comfort during carrying, they do flex slightly, though this seems normal and not a concern for failure.

As with all coolers, having a longer distance to man haul your cooler can be made much easier by convincing a friend to do the heavy lifting.

This Coleman Xtreme 5 cooler has a 70 quart capacity, equivalent to 100 cans of your favorite 12 oz. beverage.  The insulated body provides for relatively thin side walls, which helps to maximize the "capacity to mass ratio".

The lid has no latch, which means a quicker and easier process for getting in and out of the cooler.  Just "open" and "close".  One of our concerns was for the lid remaining completely closed while on the trail or knowing that the lid would remain fully shut while at camp.  However, the lid perimeter has a large rim that pushes down into a deep groove of the cooler body ensuring an airtight closure.

And of course, without a lid latch, this cooler could easily fall victim to a bear attack.

Keep in mind that this Coleman was the lowest priced option of the coolers we were considering.  One potential weak spot could be the plastic hinges, which are not even really hinges.  The plastic pieces that hold the lid to the cooler body merely bend with every opening and closing.

Even being brand new...as the grey plastic "hinges" flexed in the lid open position, a white stress line appeared in the plastic along the apex of the bend.

Continuing the theme of "using your imagination" that these plastic pieces are really hinges, the drain cap is a one piece design that includes a hinge, or well, just a length of plastic bent in half.

In theme with the ingenious design of the hinge, the drain cap is well, no more than just a cap.  What would be more assuring?  Answer: A cap that screws on for 100% assurance.

Despite a non-screw-on cap, the convenient push on cap fits snugly with relatively good assurance that water would not likely be escaping from the depths of the cooler cavity and flooding your vehicle.

During the Labor Day weekend, beach temperatures climbed into the 90 degree range, while the deserts were well into the 100's.  We split the difference and camped in the Laguna Mountains at 6,000 feet elevation.

Even at this higher elevation and under the pine trees, the day time temperature was well into the 90 degree range, which provided for a good test of our new Coleman Xtreme 5 cooler.

Alongside the Xtreme 5 cooler is our older blue Coleman cooler with a slightly smaller capacity (60 quart, 81 can capacity).


Our older Coleman has served us well, including being attacked by a bear in the high Sierra mountains.  We lost food during that nighttime encounter, including our chocolate for s'mores, however, the cooler has continued to live on with residual punctures from the bears teeth in the cooler lid.

And while our Big Agnes Three Forks shelter provides for cooling shade at the beach, it also works well for shading our coolers at camp.  Even under the cover of the shade, the heat was fierce and a good test for both coolers.

By day two of our four day adventure, the Coleman Xtreme 5 Day cooler remained icy cold and showed no signs of melted ice in the 95 degree heat.

After four days of enduring heat, the Coleman Xtreme 5 Day cooler had shown the expected signs of our cube ice melting, however, the large block ice was 75% remaining, and with that, we could have easily gone a fifth day.

Overall, we are satisfied with our Coleman Xtreme 5 day cooler.
We can recommended the Xtreme 5 cooler for:
 1. Keeping food and drinks icy cold for four days in 95 degree heat, with ability to endure at least five days
 2. Light weight
 3. Thin side walls to maximize capacity
 4. Lid that seals tightly
 5. Convenience of easy access lid open-closure (no latches to unlatch or re-latch)
 6. Price

Potential things to consider with the Xtreme 5 cooler:
 1. Hinges that attach lid and drain cap could have a questionable life expectancy
 2. Drain cap is just that and does not screw on into place (though, the cap does fit with confidence)
 3. No tray to prevent delicate foods from falling into the depths of the cooler
 4. No latch to ensure lid remains closed (again, the lid does close with confidence)
 5. Not bear proof

What is your cooler of choice and why?

One of my favorite camp tools is the Gerber E-Tool with Pick and Serrated Blade.  This Gerber shovel is lightweight, compact, and strong...and is an essential tool at every camp.  I use my Gerber shovel for everything from managing the camp fire to leveling a site for my tent.

Here is what the Gerber site says about the E-Tool...
"This is a military-grade digging tool for trenches and holes. Armed with a powder-coated, carbon steel shovel head and a serrated blade edge, the E-Tool is designed specifically to conquer tough digging problems in all types of terrain. The foldable body is made of an anodized aluminum shaft and glass-filled nylon handle. The head folds back exposing a pick for loosening rock and breaking up roots."

Here is the shovel head, with one serrated edge.  The shovel head also folds over and allows the pick to be turned down into a position for digging through rocks.

The top of the shaft has a spindle that turns to loosen and tighten the shovel to allow for opening and locking the tool into the working position as well as for collapsing down into a compact design for storage.

In addition to the shovel itself, a separate storage case is also available, which is nice when your shovel is a regular item being carried around in your rig.

There are many camp shovel options available at all price levels.  For example, the Spetsnaz, which is modeled after the original Soviet Special Forces shovel and can be used for everything from fending off a bear to paddling a canoe.

While the Gerber can be a more expensive shovel, its lightweight, compact, and strong design provides for an ideal combination of traits.  And if you need to fend off a bear, catch a possum for dinner, or paddle a canoe, the Gerber will be ready to serve.