We may be an archery company first and foremost - archery is in our name after all - but that doesn't mean we don't have a lot of other cool stuff to offer, too! Since the summer is just around the corner, I figured I would throw together a list of things that can occupy your time when you're not out shooting your bow. From coolers to drinkware, and from sun shirts to hiking boots, these are the products you need to really make the most of the warmer weather this year.
One of the first things on everyone's list for bearing the summer heat should be hydration: water, unsweetened tea (shoutout to PJ), non-brand-specific colored sports beverages, etc. Water should be the first thing you grab when you're getting ready for an outdoors adventure - especially in the heat - and there are a ton of great drinkware options out there to suit whatever your specific pursuit happens to be.
Drinkware
Let's say your Summer relaxation of choice is fishing with your kids off an old dock at a local pond you've been fishing since childhood. Maybe you'd want to get out there bright and early, so coffee might be on the menu, and the laid-back nature of this type of fishing might lend itself to a nice Mag-Slider tumbler. Keeping that hot coffee hot or that iced coffee iced is the perfect job for the 30oz Rambler. These also come with the DuraCoat coating, so it won't get dinged up if/when your kid accidentally kicks it off some rocks nearby.
If your iced beverages maybe need a little more protection - let's say you're hiking, backpacking, or going to the beach - and you don't want any accidental spills, then your go to needs to be something with a twist-on Chug cap. Nothing ruins hydration at the beach like accidentally getting sand on the rim of your cup, and nothing ruins a hike like your bottle leaking in your pack. With 18oz Chug Cap Rambler neither of those are going to ever be an issue. This one even comes in special edition patriotic color options, too, for all you 4th of July enjoyers out there.
Let's say your day has been enjoyed and the sun has set on another adventure. Now it's time to sit back and enjoy a campfire with good food, good drinks, and good company. You love the idea of a campfire-style mug, but you don't want to risk spilling and the idea of mosquitoes and flies in your cup isn't very attractive, so the obvious compromise here is using a Rambler Mug in either the 10oz or 14oz. You'll fit in with all your friends drinking their warm, bug-infested beverages, except your drink will be clean and cold until long after the fire dies down.
It wouldn't be a summer if you don't participate in some outdoor-cooked and outdoor-enjoyed meals, right? A key for enjoying your nutrition in the outdoors is, of course, a reliable cooler to get your food from your fridge to the campsite, and from the campsite to your fire (or directly to your stomach). Here are three options for reliable coolers that might be just what your pursuits are looking for.
Coolers
A day at the lake can be a joyous occasion for any outdoor-loving family. Firing up a charcoal grill while your kids play in the water, fish, or gather sticks for a campfire is the dream day off for many, and those days wouldn't be complete without a well-insulated and easily-transportable cooler. You can probably guess where this is headed - YES, you're right, its a wheeled YETI cooler, specifically the Roadie 32. It is the perfect size for keeping your drinks, sandwiches, and brats cold all day, and the extending handle and large off-road wheels make it a breeze to get from your truck to the lake or campsite.
Maybe you're not spending your time at the lake. Maybe you and your significant other are heading out for an evening picnic at your favorite overlook. You definitely wouldn't need a large, hard cooler for a simple evening like this, but you also wouldn't want to trust your food to the potential heat and humidity of the afternoon and evening, either. Step up, the 14L DayTrip Tote. Large enough for an afternoon and evening of food, but small and soft enough that it acts as a simple, easy-to-carry tote. The magnetic closure ensures ease of access, and the color options are head-turners, too.
There is a chance both of these options are too bulky for you - you want a smaller lunchbox that you can throw in your backpack and take on a hiking trip with your canine companion. It can't be huge, but it needs to reliably keep a lunch and dinner cold for hours so you and Duke (your Belgian Malinois) can have a healthy snack half way through, and tasty meal at the end of your journey. The best option here is the DayTrip 2.0 5L Lunch Box. Zipping open that bad boy when you're enjoying your evening with man's best friend ensures the perfect ending to an adventure-filled day.
Speaking of throwing small coolers into your day packs - here are a few small day pack options that are sure to be just what you are looking for.
Small Packs
You are in the market for a "throw-around-and-take-everywhere" pack for your daily essentials and overlanding gear. There is no better value for your money option at LAS than with our LAS Backpack. It is simple. It is comfortable. Is it small. It is affordable.
If you're looking for a budget-friendly option but maybe want to lean into more of the outdoorsy style (camo), then a great option is the Terrain Cape Daypack. Much like our LAS backpack, it is smaller, simple, affordable, and will be your go-to grab bag whether you're heading to a day at the amusement park with your kids or going on a solo day hike on your local stretch Appalachian trail.
Maybe you want something a little more "serious" for a small, portable, and maneuverable pack. You want a pack for the more extreme side of hiking than your standard pack might be able to handle. Something you can go on high-elevation scouting trips with and accessorize with exactly what you need in that moment. You'd be looking for the Agile Hunting Pack from the folks at Hunt Arsenal. A kangaroo pouch, MOLLE patches, and comfort-focused ventilation ensure this pack is all you need, and nothing you don't.
Those small packs might be great and affordable, but maybe they're just not exactly what you were looking for. Maybe you need something a little larger - a little more substantial. Well, here are some choice picks for those medium-sized adventures.
Medium Packs
THE choice mobile hunting pack (and general day pack) for the author of this article, the Treehouse 16 is a quiet, comfortable, and durable pack that would be just as suited for your various wilderness adventures as it is up with me in my saddle hunting setup. The zippers are waterproof, the material is as strong as it is soft, and it is capable of holding way more than you might need it to. Scouting trips, food-plot days, and overlanding weekends are all equal opportunities for this pack to shine.
There is a certain type of person out there that has very specific needs for their backpack of choice. They're the type of person that enjoys small hikes with their family in the summer evenings but then needs an adaptable pack for hauling elk meat out of the woods come hunting season. Enter the Gravelly 18. It functions as a medium-sized day pack and hunting pack when you want it to, and when the time comes for things to get serious it acts as the accessory carrier on a framed pack - and the included synch straps and overload shelf ensure your hind quarters stay tight and secure on your long pack out.
If your days are split between work commutes, hiking in the back country, and relaxing with your family on your uncle's pontoon boat, then I have just the pack recommendation you're looking for. The Ranchero 22L pack provides ample storage, easy access, and clear organization for all your accessories and essentials. It happily totes your laptop and work essentials while also leaving room for your swim trunks, hiking shoes, and water bottle. It is the quintessential do-it-all day pack.
You're getting kind of tired reading about hiking, commuting, and day-centric backpacks. You want something larger - you want something serious. Well, I hear you. That's why we have yet another backpack section to go over, and I hope you find what you're looking for.
Large Packs
2900 cubic inches of serious, purpose-built hunting pack. That is what the Transfer Pack is all about. It knows its job and it does it well. The quiet, intuitive, efficient design means you can easily grab what you need regardless of the weather or lighting conditions. The low-profile, bucket-style design is tailor-made for extreme hunting scenarios. The internal frame, ability to carry treestands, included rifle/bow carrier, and integrated hoist rope all ensure a smooth and all-encompassing hunting experience.
If what you're after is a dedicated high-country pack, then look no further. With an ultra-light chassis, water-resistant construction, dedicated pocket system, and minimalist design specialized for scouting trips and high-elevation pursuits, the Tokeen 2600 is exactly what your tripod and spotting scope have been begging for. Just as comfortable sitting on cliff edges overlooking mountain goats as it is on your back chasing lions through thick snow, this pack is all business.
If that last pack got you excited, but you have reservations about the organization style and might want something just a little bit larger, then the Mountain Hauler is where you need to look next. With dedicated exterior pockets that are great for shelters, rain gear, and spotting scopes alike, this pack will ensure that you know exactly where to reach for your gear when the moment calls for it. While it does not include a frame, the specially-designed shoulder suspensions system makes sure your dark-to-dark trips stay comfortable.
Are those still not enough for you? Do you need a pack that will hold a week's worth of gear for your scouting and extreme camping trips? This is my last category so I hope something here suits your fancy.
X-Large Packs
You might recognize the name of this pack (you just read about its little brother), but this Mountain Hauler has a maximum volume of 4500 cubic inches compared to the smaller 2700 cubic inch capacity of the first one. It has many of the same features, except the added aluminum frame allows you to tote 150lbs (3x more than it's little brother). While it can expand to accommodate up to 4500 cubic inches as I stated above, it can be synched down to a 2750 capacity pack when you find yourself running out on shorter day trips as well.
Stepping it up in size just a bit here - to 5059 cu-ins - we have a pack that was purpose-designed for you scouters, campers, and hunters that spend dedicated time prepping your packs to perfectly suit your upcoming trip. If you want to know exactly how your week will play out, and you know that your pack is a key feature of your success, then this will be your go-to for years and years. The feature-rich layout ensures it is modular to exactly how you plan on using it, and for when those long scouting and hiking trips turn into weekend family camping, it can be condensed down to suit your pursuit. The Beartooth 85 is exactly what a dedicated, precision-focused outdoorsman needs.
You and your significant other find your vacations are spent deep in national park wilderness for weeks at a time. When Fall rolls around, you two are spending weeks in northern Alaska, in a remote camp, in an attempt to archery hunt Caribou. When ultimate packing is a requirement, and your survival depends on what you can safely and reliably stow, then the Sky Archer is your pack of choice. Size and frame options, an expandable load shelf and bivy mode that takes the capacity from 4200 cu/ins to 5900 cu/ins, and from 6400 cu-ins to 8900 cu-ins, the Sky Archer is the last ultimate pack you will need when your survival depends on it - whether you're stalking Muskox or enjoying a remote week hiking with your significant other.
There's an old saying about needing boots to really get somewhere... or, maybe there isn't. My grandpa has been known to make things up sometimes. Regardless of the legitimate history of such a saying, it is true that a good pair of boots (or even shoes of any kind) can be quite beneficial. Allow me to showcase three that I think fit into some Summer vacation stereotypes quite well.
Footwear
Mountain: A nice, light, strong, fast, and flexible leather hiking boot is a must for any serious outdoorsman. You want it to be durable, but not too heavy. You want it to be water-resistant, but still breathable. You want it to be flexible, but you want it to support your ankles. Fortunately for you, the Lapponia Lite are non-insulated versions of a boot that is all of those things and more. Perfect for the dedicated hiker and for all of your high-country scouting trips.
Water: Much like the Treehouse 16 pack above, these boots are the Author's Choice for footwear basically all year round. Breathable while being 100% waterproof, they are excessively comfortable and, as their name implies, are the choice for boat/river/crick/pond/lake/dock/puddle/deck activities. They are, of course, the Alpha Deck Boots from LaCrosse.
Campsite: For the everyday man (or woman) on his (or her) everyday man (or woman) adventures, there isn't a better slip-on boot than the Rover GTX. Breathable, water-resistant, durable, with a sneaker-like fit and boot-like treading, these are what you will reach for first regardless of whether you're building a fire at your campsite, setting up trail cameras, or slinging arrows at your local range.
If the Summer brings heat where you live - and it probably does - then you know you'll probably have need for at least a few reliable tees to keep on a "wear, sweat, wash" cycle. In addition to a healthy rotation of tees, you might also be on the lookout for a great sun hoodie - the cooling/sun-fighting attributes of these long-sleeve, hooded shirts cannot be overstated. I have brought together a few options for both, just so you can make sure you always have something fresh.
Tees
If you like the USA, camo, and Lancaster Archery Supply, then there isn't really any other option than to get your hands on about twenty of these LAS Freedom Tees and wear them every day of the year. The shirt is made of a comfortable and breathable cotton/polyester/rayon blend and features our camouflage logo with the classic US flag on the sleeve.
If the brown and camo of the above tee doesn't really scratch your patriotic itch, then the Patriotic Tee is sure to. Red, white, and blue combine nicely on this America-celebrating tee, while the included stars and stripes and sleeve flag patch really round it out. Always remember, it doesn't have to be the 4th of July to celebrate our great country.
Maybe your sense of style calls for a more understated orange and green (more "in" with the trendy colorway nowadays) and you need a shirt that will slide right into your closet without missing a beat. Well, we have the Wheatland SS Tee just for you. Using a retro LAS design on the front, with the colors alluding to the fields that surround Lancaster, PA, this shirt makes you feel like home - that is of course if you are from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The tear-away tag just makes it all a little more comfortable.
The author of this article (me) takes great pride in his Pennsylvania heritage - the sweet Lebanon Bologna, pierogies, and bean soup make up a healthy portion of my bloodstream - and because of this, I am always on the lookout for a shirt that embodies my love of archery and for our great commonwealth. If you are of like-mind, then our Penn's Woods Tee is what you are looking for. It is comfortable, understated, and makes perfectly clear your admiration for the sport we all love, and your appreciation for the Keystone - and 2nd ever - "state."
Sun Hoodies
Much like I wrote about in the intro to this section, sun hoodies serve a great purpose for us outdoorsy folk. They keep the sun off of our arms and necks and keep us cool when the sun is really pounding. I wear one quite often, and so should you. Your skin - if it could in fact talk - would thank you wholeheartedly. I'll make these simple for you, as you now know of the benefits of these invaluable pieces of apparel.
Get THIS ONE if you like Hoyt and duck camo.
Get THIS ONE if you like Mathews and Mossy Oak Bottomlands/Grey.
Get THIS ONE if you don't have an affiliation with Hoyt or Mathews and just want a really nice sun hoodie.
Well, I think I have exhausted this list of useful Summer adventure items. Hopefully you found something to fill a hole in your outdoor gear, or your created a hole in your outdoor gear in order to justify one of these items. Either way, I hope you enjoyed and found something new that is going to help you do whatever you're going to do this off-season.