By Every good parent knows that raising respectable, upstanding children requires love, integrity and the periodic dose of deceit. Marketing, peer comparisons and shiny, new things influence kids, just as they do adults. This is extraordinarily evident during this period that retailers like to call Back to School. To hear J.C.
True confessions: we’ve neglected our gear, too
The smell was ungodly. Every time I cracked open my dry bag, the stench brought tears of disgust and pain to my eyes. At first, the smell just made me feel a little dirty – nothing over the top. It wasn’t until Day 13 of a 16-day mid-August Grand Canyon
The trip of a lifetime
I married a fly fisherman, despite having no interest in fly-fishing. I even managed to avoid the sport despite spending the last 18 years on a river in Colorado and working as a professional raft guide. For 40-some years on the planet, I maintained a sterling 0-for-0 record in the
Beat the heat
Summer: the one season that has the power to make us suffer and enjoy it at the same time. It’s during these dog days that we have hours and hours of sunlight that lure us outside. The same sun bears down in relentless heat, which can zap the enthusiasm of
Tips for keeping kids’ uniforms clean
Your kid may be good at science, but that doesn’t mean you want to participate in a microbiology experiment in your home this summer. Yep, we’re talking about uniforms—the baseball/soccer/swim/lacrosse/all-around active gear that gets hammered on a regular basis. If you’re a parent, you know how quickly kids sports gear
Four steps to finding the perfect running gear
I’ve logged many an asphalt mile since the long-ago day I first stumbled through my first 10K race in rural Illinois. And by race, I mean “run-walk” for 6.2 miles with a determined grimace on my face. By the time the finish line came into view, I was limping from
Golf and the Outdoors: a Cinderella Story?
In our ongoing quest to support outdoor play, plus a nod to our roots in Britain, we at Nikwax are encouraging everyone to take a new look at sports we hardcore types may have eschewed in the past. Today, we golf. In the realm of outdoor sports like skiing, climbing
Why You Should Pay Attention to Chemistry on this Earth Day
Chemistry is hard. That’s why most American students put it off until the end of their K-12 years. That’s why university professors allow cheat sheets. That’s why Nikwax employs a gaggle of white lab-coated PhDs on our research and development team. Those scientists have dedicated more than 30 years to
Spring hiking preview
It’s officially spring, which means that hiking season is here. Which means it’s time to bust out your boots (and if you didn’t store them properly last fall, time to clean and waterproof). Got it? Great. Now the fun starts. Whether you’re heading out for a leisurely stroll or a
Get Fit, Don’t Stink: Keeping Your Workout Wear Fresh and Clean
Between mud season and daylight savings time, we’re finding more and more excuses to exercise inside these days. Don’t worry—we’re not checking out entirely. We’re just taking advantage of indoors cross training to bridge the gap between snow and summer. And, as anyone who has ever sweated through a high-octane
