{"id":46417,"date":"2026-07-05T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=46417"},"modified":"2026-07-03T08:31:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T15:31:07","slug":"retro-recomendo-outdoor-essentials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/retro-recomendo-outdoor-essentials\/","title":{"rendered":"Retro Recomendo: Outdoor Essentials"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our subscriber base has grown so much since we first started nine years ago, that most of you have missed all our earliest recommendations. The best of these are still valid and useful, so we\u2019re trying out something new \u2014 Retro Recomendo<\/strong>. Once every 6 weeks, we\u2019ll send out a throwback issue of evergreen recommendations focused on one theme from the past 10 years.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prescription dive mask<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I wish I had realized years ago that you can get scuba masks with inexpensive prescription lenses. My wife needs heavy duty glasses, with severe -10 corrections, and was otherwise blind underwater. But she got a great simple diving mask with -10 lenses for $60. This Promate Slender Mask <\/a>is available with Rx lenses from GetWetStore. Now she can snorkel with the rest of us. \u2014 KK<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four legs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hiking poles give me two extra legs. They are most useful going downhill, over uneven or wet terrain. I bring them wherever I hike, especially when I travel, because I use a collapsible set that folds up to less than 14 inches (36 cm). That not only fits in carry-on luggage, it will also hide away in a day pack, so I can take them out only when needed. These no-name $26 Covacure Trekking Poles<\/a> are a bargain and pretty typical of the class: lightweight aluminum, unfold in a second, and are very rigid. You can get featherweight carbon fiber if you want to pay more. \u2014 KK<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultralight trail running shoes + foam insoles<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After a couple of years of walking five miles a day on my treadmill desk, my knees and feet were starting to feel worse for wear. I read Craig Mod\u2019s recommendation<\/a> for TSLA lightweight trail running shoes<\/a> with a wide toebox and high-quality insoles<\/a> and bought them. A month later, I\u2019m pleasantly surprised that my knee and feet pain is gone. I just bought a second pair in another color because I don\u2019t want to wear any other shoe. \u2014 MF<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hand crank LED lantern<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Last week, Southern California experienced a heavy rainstorm that caused a power outage in our area for 18 hours. We would have been in the dark without the Goal Zero Lighthouse 600 Camping Lantern<\/a>. It features a bright and adjustable LED light, as well as a built-in lithium battery that can charge smartphones and other USB devices. In case of a power failure, the lantern can also be powered manually by turning a crank for one minute, which provides 10 minutes of illumination. \u2014 MF<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Packable caps<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My current go-to hiking hat is the Parapack P-CAP<\/a>\u2014an adjustable, foldable cap that\u2019s so breathable and lightweight it barely feels like I\u2019m wearing anything. It also looks better than most of my sun hats and is far less bulky. I keep it in my purse now because it packs down so small. You can even fold it into a compact pouch<\/a>. \u2014 CD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water bottle sling<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For walks and shorter hikes, I\u2019ve been skipping my daypack in favor of ChicoBag\u2019s water bottle sling<\/a>. It\u2019s comfortable, easy to wear, and has a surprisingly roomy pocket for my phone and keys. Like most ChicoBags, it folds down to almost nothing, so I just keep it with me at all times. \u2014 CD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

This issue is sponsored by Incogni:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The BBC exposed scam call center workers laughing as they tricked victims on hidden camera.<\/strong> One bragged about making $250k. The reason they find targets so easily? Your personal data is sold by brokers online. Incogni removes it automatically, monitors new exposures, and keeps deleting it. Protect yourself today and get 58% off with code RECOMENDO.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to get Recomendo a week early in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recomendo – issue #521<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47588,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[2323],"tags":[2324],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46417"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47588"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46417"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46418,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46417\/revisions\/46418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}