Escape, by Carolyn Jessop

I added this book to the COVID-19 reading list not because it’s empowering and uplifting (it’s not) but because it’s so gripping and engaging you will finish it in a day. That’s a full day of not thinking about COVID-19. Escape is Carolyn Jessop’s memoir of growing up in the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) freak show and the pivotal turning point that made her say, “What the fu–???” and escape. Except that she couldn’t exactly hire a good divorce lawyer and get in her car and abscond with her kids and dignity. It required a great deal of planning and finagling…

Gear Pairing for Escaping a Religious Cult

A pair of Brooks Ghost 12’s. You’ll appreciate their responsiveness and performance and fluffy cloud-like feeling of their 12mm drop.

Deep Water Passage, by Ann Linnea

The pace of Deep Water Passage is as relaxing and unhurried as a sea kayak on Lake Superior. Which is exactly what it’s about, making it a good choice for the COVID-19 reading list. Ann Linnea—nature writer, lecturer and avid sea kayaker—realized one morning that she wasn’t getting any younger and it was time to do some serious thinking about her life and her future. Significant topics, indeed. Is there any better place to contemplate them than in a sea kayak on Lake Superior? It also happens to be one of the few places you can escape COVID-19. If she succeeds, she’ll be the first woman to do so…

Gear Pairing for a Sea Kayaking Lake Superior

An Icemule Classic Cooler. I’ve used this on Lake Superior paddling the Apostle Islands. The size medium drybag design fits into my sea kayak’s large dry hatch behind the seat and it holds ice cubes for about 24 hours.

Into the Forest, by Jean Heglund

The term “social distancing” was still at least a decade away when Jean Heglund wrote this page-turning novel about a dystopian future in which a strange and unnamed highly contagious disease cripples the country. The main characters of this book are two sisters who are socially distancing themselves from the unnamed viral plague in their rural home in a northern California forest, trying to survive. While it’s ending is somewhat predictable, I did find within in its rapidly turning pages essential COVID-19 survival tips and new ways to cook vegetables!  

Gear Pairing for Food Preparation when the Electricity goes out

The GSI Pinnacle Backpacker stove. I fell in love with this stove sea kayaking the Apostle Islands for six days because its set-up (two-liter pot and strainer lid, skillet, two 14-ounce insulated mugs and two 14-ounce bowls) allowed a wide variety of meals beyond ramen noodles and instant oatmeal. The carry bag also doubles as a wash basin.

Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens

The main character of Where the Crawdads Sing is a young girl who grows into adulthood while living completely on her own without no parental supervision in a North Carolina marsh. What could possibly go wrong! There was so much I loved about this book—the will of the main character to survive, her resourcefulness to make money to buy food, to learn to read, keep herself safe. All the things children don’t normally have to worry about when they have parents or responsible adults in the home. This is on the COVID-19 reading list because you’ll also find plenty of survival tips and recipes in this book as well. What I loved most though was the ending…

Gear Pairing for Living Alone in the North Carolina Marsh

An SOG Terminus XR knife. A good knife is an indispensable piece of kit for nearly any situation. It’s in a class that some refer to as an “Everyday Carry” or EDC, making it eligible to perform a variety of everyday-type tasks from gutting a trout to carving a spear for hunting and self-defense. 

A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar, by Suzanne Joinson

If you like cycling, and plots that run parallel between past and present, A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar will take you for a pleasant ride – pun intended. In the 1920s, Evangeline English follows her missionary sister to the ancient city of Kashgar, a stop on the Silk Road. While the missionary sister spews hellfire and damnation 24/7, Evangeline is shredding the gravel trails on her bike and penning a memoir about her cycling adventures. Meanwhile, in modern day London, another character strangely inherits the contents of an apartment that belonged to a dead woman she has never heard of. This is by no means an apocalyptic book. It’s on the COVID-19 reading list because we can still ride our bikes — something we all should be doing while we can. Some cities have mandated shelter in place rules.

Gear Pairing for Gravel Riding in Kashgar

A set of ReTyre Ice Racer tires for that one set of bike tires for year-round use that easily zip on and zip off from summer slicks to winter studs.

Circling the Sun, by Paula McClain

Circling the Sun is both a biographical novel about Beryl Markham, an aviator, horse trainer and overall path-blazer in 1920s Kenya. Freedom is what Beryl is searching for. I’m not giving away any spoilers when I say that it’s obvious from my opening sentence that she achieves plenty of it by pursuing occupations, adventures and hobbies that are not needlepoint, sewing or sketching local flora and fauna. Within McClain’s pages you’ll experience the beauty of Kenya and a woman who spat on traditional roles. But just don’t plan any travel to Africa right now. They have reported their fair share of COVID-19 cases.

Gear Pairings for Racking up Frequent Flier Miles

A Deuter AirContact Lite SL 60+10 multi-day backpack full of ethically-sourced clothing perfect for long hours at 35,000 feet.

Wild, Cheryl Strayed

Wild isn’t exactly a happy book to read. Hiking solo on the Pacific Crest Trail has its moments of metaphorical, emotional, psychological and physical peaks and valleys. But important to remember that hiking is something we can all still do during these times of COVID-19 quarantines and social distancing. What better way to lift your mood and spirits than a long hike outdoors? That’s why it made the COVID-19 reading list.

Gear Pairing for Thru-hiking Solo

A pair of Garmont Tower Trek GTX hiking boots. If they could take our writer Julie to Everest Base Camp, the Pacific Crest Trail will be its bitch. 

The Long Winter, Laura Ingalls Wilder

Of all the books on the COVID-19 reading list, this one is the most relevant. Many of us have read this series as young’uns. Who doesn’t enjoy a story that takes one back to a time before overpopulation and pollution began killing our planet? The Long Winter is Laura’s tale of the brutal winter of 1880-1881 that shut down the railroad, leaving the residents of DeSmet, South Dakota on their own to make it through the long winter without even the barest of necessities that were available at the time. Even salt pork and molasses couldn’t be had! They were starving, cold, scared and hopeless. Given the circumstances, stockpiling toilet paper was the least of their concerns. We would all do well to remember that these days.

Gear Pairing for Sheltering-in-Place

Dreams of warmer places and happier days ahead, like Long Caye, Belize or scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef.

Candy Girl, Diablo Cody

Candy Girl is Diablo Cody’s memoir about her year as a stripper in Minneapolis. To be perfectly transparent, I find the “strippers have the power!” justification to be ludicrous. Power is not about convincing some guy into withdrawing stacks of twenties from the ATM machine to stick in a 95-percent-naked-dancer’s thong while she strokes his ego for two minutes before moving onto the next one. But I add this one to the COVID-19 reading list because Cody knows all of this and isn’t glamorizing it. Its fast-turning pages are packed full of original quips and hilarious revelations like, “Could there be anything more grosser than pleading with undesirable men for three minutes of their company? The whole ritual defied logic, nature and the time-honored tradition of ‘Schlub Chases Babe’”. We could all use a diversion of continuous laughter these days. You may need a pair of Depends should you read this.

Gear Pairing for Recovering Strippers

The MSR DynaLock Explore Backcountry poles—to make the transition from stage and thong to the hiking trails effortless and enticing, like.

The post COVID-19 Reading List (and their gear pairings) by Women Authors appeared first on gritandgearonline.com.

Long Caye, an island off the coast of Belize on Glover’s Reef, checks off everything on my Gilligan’s Island wish list: Accommodations in a rustic, private thatch-roofed beach hut with ocean views. Rainwater collection system for drinking water and showers. No electricity, cell service or internet. Endless supply of coconut water for drinking. But with the luxuries of scuba diving, sea kayaking, surfing, paddle boarding and morning yoga.

Teva Original Universal Sandals

A warm-weather bucket list destination requires a pair of Teva Original Universal sandals on the Long Caye packing list. Not too much has changed from the original-original Teva sandal of 35 years ago (that’s a good thing) beyond new colors and designs. But it’s the straps that are a big stand out. Teva has made a substantial and impressive commitment to sustainability to reduce its environmental impact. In our current era of climate change, sustainability is somewhat of a pipe dream still for many companies. Teva, however, is walking the walk by embedding sustainability into its organizational culture. This goes a lot further for the environment than evolving colors and new designs. As of 2020, 100 percent of Teva’s iconic straps are now made from traceable, verifiable, plastic using REPREVE® yarn, which is made from 100 percent recycled plastic bottles and other recycled content. This keeps plastic out of landfills, lakes, rivers and oceans while offsetting the use of petroleum and reducing greenhouse gasses. | teva.com

Royal Robbins Bug Barrier Tech Travel Long Sleeve Shirt

It’s not COVID-19 that keeps me up at night about traveling to Belize. Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, common sense and a little bit of Howard-Hughes’ishness will mitigate my risk. It’s the fauna. Specifically, the eight-legged variety. I Googled “Bugs of Belize” just to see what I was getting myself into. While I was disappointed that the Royal Robbins Bug Barrier Tech Travel Long Sleeve Shirt will not likely fend off the Jumping spider—of which there are over 5,000 species and can jump more than 50 times their own body length–it’s still on the Long Caye, Belize packing list. If any little mosquito bugger comes lands anywhere on my shirt, the Insect Shield® will politely repel them. But it also repels ticks, which are rampant in Minnesota in the spring. What makes it ideal for Belize is that TempraTech body temp activated thermoregulation technology will keep me comfortable on the warm days, it’s easy to hand-wash and it dries quickly. | royalrobbins.com

Helle Mândra Knife

I signed up to review the Helle Mândra Knife for its size, versatility and cutting power as a critical packing list item for backpacking and sea kayaking. I now realize its potential to be on the Long Caye, Belize packing list. The Mandra knife was designed in cooperation with Les Stroud (aka Survivorman). It is a full tang knife with a petite but menacing 2.7-inch blade, making it excellent for slicing and—if it comes to it— fending off large hairy spiders with eight eyes who can jump up to fifty times their body length. Oh who am I kidding? If I encounter one of those things, I’ll run shrieking in terror the other way. I like that the knife comes with a hand-sewn leather sheath that can be hung from a neck lanyard. | helle.com

Julbo Spark Sunglasses

The sun shines a lot on Long Caye, Belize and the Julbo Spark made the packing list. These full-coverage sunglass are made with REACTIVE All Around 2-3 Photochromic lenses. This means that the lens gets darker or lighter as light conditions change. When I’m indoors, or outside when it’s cloudy, they look like they’re just normal tinted eye glasses. But when outside in the blazing sun, the lenses transform into full-on, sun-protection sunglasses. Clarity of the lenses is very crisp. | julbo.com

DESO Fontanillis Hoodie 

The textile industry is the second greatest polluter of local freshwater in the world. Add in unethical labor practices and unsustainable production and suddenly you may vow to never shop again. DESO Apparel was a brand that stood out for me at the 2020 Outdoor Retailer Winter Show. They make all make all their garments in the heart of San Francisco, California, in small batches by experienced tailors, who are paid a livable wage. In addition, DESO aims to source all materials and manufacturing withing a 30-mile radius to reduce their carbon footprint and are working on knitting their own fabrics. To me, that is the breed-standard of a sustainable brand. Since Long Caye is an eco-island, the snuggly eco-friendly DESO Fontanillis hoodie made the packing list. The soft stretchy Polyester and Spandex blend will be perfect for wearing on the plane, on the boat to Long Caye and for island nights when the cool breeze blows off the ocean and for morning yoga classes on the beach. | desosupply.com

Title Nine Namaka High Neck Bikini Top and Holy Grail Bikini Bottom 2.0

No matter your age or size, you can and should wear bikinis because your body is beautiful and you should be proud. I don’t have the body that I had when I was twenty-five and living in Southern California. These days I have the body of a fif—woman of a certain age—and I’m proud of it, even if the six-pack I had in my twenties is hidden under a case of beer and my once-chiseled thighs are lined with a thin layer of cellulite that seems to get thicker each year. I’m one COVID-19 case from my ideal weight for Belize! That’s why I love the Title Nine Namaka High Neck Bikini Top and Holy Grail Bikini Bottom 2.0. The Holy Grail 2.0 bottoms provide better coverage in the front and the rear, meaning that when I’m soaking up the sun on a beach chair my bits and body parts will remain left to the imagination rather than in your face ala Jennifer-Lopez-Hustlers-style. They also won’t feel bunchy under my wetsuit when I’m surfing or scuba diving. The Namaka High Neck Bikini Top is a halter-style top that will keep the blazing Long Caye sun from scorching the delicate epidermis of my pasty-white Minnesotan.  décolletage. I think the crochet’d racerback is a fun touch. | titlenine.com

Title Nine Paddle Board Swim Skirt

To be clear, the Title Nine Paddle Board Swim Skirt is not the swim skirt my grandmother sported in family photos circa 1920. It offers a nice amount of coverage while not completely covering me up. It has an integrated bikini brief so it’s meant to be worn as a swimsuit bottom. Some “swim skirts” are intended to be pulled over bikini bottoms. These really aren’t but I did test this method of cover-up and it worked. Kind of. I’ll use this for paddle boarding (as per the name) and for when I want to walk about the beach or travel from beach chair to cabana on Long Caye. | titlenine.com

Title Nine Double Dare Dress

If it seems like I’m Title Nine-heavy on this trip, it’s because Grit and Gear is a women-centric organization that promotes and elevates the accomplishments of women in the outdoor industry. Title Nine is one of my favorite women-founded, women-led companies. The Title Nine Double Dare Dress is a snappy little frock for dinner and cocktails in the communal palapa. But the real reason I’m packing it because of its SwiftSnap snap at the hem. With just a snap, it converts to a baggy romper that resists blowing wind. Or, if I was traveling someplace where I needed to jump on a scooter or bike I’m “covered”. It’s made from a soft, wrinkle-free fabric which makes it ideal for travel and it dries quickly on its own if it needs to be handwashed in a hotel bathroom sink. Its semi-fitted so I can also use it as a beach cover-up. | titlenine.com

Osprey Tempest 40

The journey to Belize from Minneapolis requires a connection of about 45 minutes in Atlanta. The flight arrives in Belize around noon on Friday. Delta Airlines only has one flight per day. The boat from Belize City to Long Caye departs around 7am on Saturday. The boat only goes out to the island once per week. Lots of variables that equal a heightened risk for lost luggage that likely won’t catch up to me. So I’m carrying all my clothes and necessities with me in an Osprey Tempest 40. Forty liters is ideal because its large enough to carry everything I need but small enough to fit in the airplane’s overhead bin. Note: I’m carrying the Helle Mândra Knife in a Deuter Helion 80, is a cavernous, big-gear hauling wheeled Sherpa for travel on land, air and sea—that was sadly discontinued. | ospreypacks.com

Slickrock Adventures

The outfit that is making it all happen. So, really, Slickrock Adventures counts as a Long Caye, Belize packing list item. I have always shied away from any kind of guided travel because I like to get away from crowds. They own Long Caye on Glover’s Reef and are committed to maintaining it as an eco-friendly island. Their communication updates have been top-notch and timely, they arrange for transport from the Belize City airport, a get-to-know-your-fellow-islander-for-six-days happy hour at the hotel in Belize City, and provide transport to and from Long Caye. On the island they offer every activity I love to do in warm-weather destinations but they don’t force you to do any of it. Their role is to put it out there. If I want to partake, I can. If I want to hang out in my thatched-roof hut all day with a book, I can. Full disclosure: I paid for this trip out of my own pocket. No media discounts, no kick-backs, nothing. Bonus points that beer is included in the price. | slickrock.com

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