October 6th, 2008 - ThermaRest Products Review

My family and I embarked on a 15,000 km in the mother of all road trips this summer in the "Have Fun Out There" cross-Canada adventure (http://www.havefunoutthere.ca). We spent a lot of time camping, more nights in a tent than a lot of families will spend in a life time. We took the opportunity to put a range of ThermaRest products (http://www.thermarest.com) to the test and the following is our review.

Packing your life into a 2007 4-door Jeep Wrangler for 5 weeks means that every inch of space counts. We looked to ThermaRest for lightweight sleeping mats that wouldn't take up a lot of real-estate while at the same time not wanting to sacrifice comfort. A hard bill to fill. We used to travel with foamies and an air mattress: After using the ThermaRest products we'll never do that again. For our cross-Canada trip we decided on the Trail Pro Mattress series for my wife and myself and the Trail Mattress Series for our kids.

The Trail Pro Mattresses come in both men's and women's versions. The 2" think matts are self inflating for the most part, so you only have to blow air into them to really fluff them up. As we never stayed longer than 2 days at any particular campground (and were on the move for 5 weeks) this feature became a welcome one. One night in Osoyoos British Columbia we camped near another family crossing the country. They had an air mattress and it took them nearly 20 minutes to get it ready. At about 3am we heard them arguing about who would have to give up their lungs for round two as the air mattress had lost most of it's air. The Trail Pro Mattresses didn't lose any air in the entire 5 week journey, and we used them a lot. More importantly, comfort is what I liked about the Trail Pro Mattresses. Never once did my wife or I wake up sore or stiff. We give these matts a 9 out of 10 (only losing a point because we can't believe anything is perfect, though these are as close as you'll get).

Our kids used the small and medium sized Trail Mattress Series as ThermaRest doesn't have a kids line. We wish they did as the Trail Mattress products weren't their favourite, or ours. The exterior material used in them, although I'm sure great for backpackers looking to save some space, proved slippery with sleeping bags. We had to really pay attention to make sure the kids didn't slip off the matts onto the ground. Minature versions of the Trail Pro mattresses would have worked better. That being said, the kids never complained about being sore or stiff in the morning so the comfort factor seems to have been pretty reliable. We give the Trail Mattress Series a 5 out of 10 for use with "kids", though we would caution results may be much better if you're an adult back packer looking for the lightest possible matt in the back country.

ThermaRest doesn't just make mattresses. We also used their Tech blankets a great deal, and we didn't expect to as we had full sleeping bags. The tech blankets get high points for how small they pack up. They self-pack into an attached zipper pouch into a shockingly small 4" by 8" size! We used them a lot on the hotter nights, saving us from having to roll and unroll our larger sleeping bags. We also found them handy on nights when we ended up sleeping in the Jeep after long-haul driving days. They may be thin, but don't let that fool you. We found them more than adequate for summer camping and their space saving design proved invaluable as we packed and unpacked our camping gear pretty much on a daily basis. These get an 8 out of 10 rating for their small form factor and surprisingly high insulation value.

A "Must Have" ThermaRest product is their line of pillows. They actually use the divots they remove in the production of their mattresses which is a big plus from an environmental perspective. They also pack up surprisingly small, yet when you unfurl them they are a full-sized pillow. We recommend putting them in your dryer machine after you buy them. My wife did that for hers, I didn't for mine, and her pillow fluffed up better for the entire 5 week trip. It's easy to give these pillows a 9 out of 10, a must have for the family camper.

Have Fun Out There is planning it's next cross-Country roadtrip for the summer of 2009. This time we'll be heading across the USA, and you can "rest" assured that ThermaRest will be coming along. If you spend any time camping, their line of matts, pillows, and light-weight sleeping bags are a must. Of course you could always go with an air mattress to cut costs. We'll see you in the morning with coffee and A535 rub. You'll need plenty of both.

August 7th. 2008 - CKNW 980AM (Vancouver) Interview

Check the bottom right hand side of the Sponsors & Charities Page for a link to the CKNW 980AM Radio Interview.

August 5th. 2008 - Road Weary

On our last day in Vancouver Lesley and Lucas went to the Aquarium while Arwyn and I napped in the Jeep. Lucas came out of there pretty grumpy, saying he was bumped, pushed and jostled too much. It was real, real busy. We then went to Granville Island and checked out the "Kids Only Market" and any grumpy feelings quickly were replaced with sheer joy. I love how quickly kids can move in and out of moods. We adults could learn a few lessons. Thanks to the rock slide we didn't get to go Sturgeon Fishing or sleep in the Yurt. It is a good lesson, you don't always get things the way your plan them. But that is life on the road, come as it may, at it's own pace, mile by mile, giving you exactly what you need. No more, no less. Perfect. The voyage from Vancouver to Calgary was pretty exciting. We took Highway 3 through the south of the province, a route we've never driven before, and it was beautiful. We made it to Osoyose (I know I spelled that wrong, I'm pretty tired right now)and were frankly not happy about being there on a long weekend. The campgrounds were bursting with RVs so close together you might as well have rolled out your sleeping bag in a suburb someplace. We decided to NOT stay there, and were tickled pink to discover a gorgeous Guest Ranch not too far out of the main town. The place is called the Arosa Guest Ranch, and I highly recommend a stay there. Vast plains, practically a desert, wide open camping spots and even some wild horses that trot on by every night at about the same time. From Osoyose we drove to Waterton National Park. We got in pretty late and spent the night sleeping in Chez Jeep (Lesley and Lucas were not pleased with this, let me tell you.) The next day we woke early and checked out the town. But the real gem in Waterton is Lake Cameron, about 20 km out of town. We saw some bears, deer, mountain goats, you name it! Such a rich area for wild life. Tomorrow morning we have a couple of slots on CityTV Breakfast TV which we're excited about. They actually gave us two slots, which is super-wicked-awesome-cool. Then after that we're off to the Calgary Zoo, something I'm really stoked about. We love Zoos as a rule, and the Calgary Zoo is one of the best. How are we feeling? Pretty tired, a little grotty, a little grumpy, a little home sick, and a whole-lot satisfied. We've done everything we said we would, accomplished all of our goals so far and have grown closer as a family. We spend every day together and I swear I've seen my kids grow from this trip. Lucas and Arwyn both seem older, not the kids we left with. And Lesley and I both feel so proud of our kids for being so great on the road.

July 31st. 2008 - Of Rockslides and Oceans

We spent the day in Vancouver yesterday exploring Stanley Park. We were struck with awe at the devastation of the forest in the park. So many downed trees from some past wind storms. The hollow tree, famous for tourist photo ops, is in bad shape, held up by some wood pylons and closed to the public. Our trip to Paradise Valley in Squamish fell victim to natural disaster as well. A rock slide on the sea-to-sky highway has closed the only route there for at least 5 days. We finally reached ocean number two and we celebrated by mingling water from the Atlantic with the Pacific. It was a good moment for us as we achieved our ocean to ocean goal. 2 oceans in one trip, nearly 9,000 km, what a heady thing. And we're feeling it a bit too, pretty road weary. But we had an incredible sleep at the Westin Bayshore, what a hotel! Our view is right onto the ocean and Stanley Park, almost too good to believe. We had a 20 minute radio interview yesterday on CKNW 980 Talk Radio in Vancouver. That was awesome and our website saw a lot of hits after that. Our next scheduled interview is CityTV in Calgary on Wednesday August 6th. We hope you'll check us out if you are in the Calgary area! The Festival of Lights happened last night, and we got to see fireworks reflected in the glass of the downtown highrises. Quite the sight. We are getting ready for a day on Granville Island and are certain to hit the Vancouver Aquarium. What a city this is! Ocean, Mountain, and Metropolitan decadence all in one place. Pretty cool.

July 29th. 2008 - We've arrived in Vancouver!

Here we are, 8,600 kms later, and we've arrived in Vancouver! It is raining here today, but only mildly, and we're excited to begin checking things out here. Tomorrow we are going to deposit some Atlantic water into the Pacific to celebrate our successful journey of two oceans. And we have a spot on the Vancouver Talk Radio program, CKNW 970am, tomorrow at 11:30am. We spent the last few days in Banff, camping at Tunnel Mountain. What a wonderful place Banff is! We dropped Lesley off downtown so she could have lunch/coffee/time to herself. The kids and I toured around and got some great footage of lots of critters. Before that we finished a great stay in the Badlands. As you can see from the pictures, the Stettler Train Ride was a hoot. Driving yesterday between Banff and Vancouver we all felt pretty tired. We've all had moments where we wondered what we were doing, but usually at different times. Yesterday we had the "moment of doubt" all at the same time, which was a bummer. But once we arrived in Vancouver that all melted away. So good to have reached the other ocean! We stayed with friends last night and will do so again tonight. Warm beds, hot showers, no tent to pack up, what a treat!

July 24th. 2008 - The Peg & The Bone Lands

Hard to believe that we have driven over 7,500 kms to date. We are currently in the badlands in Alberta. This is the longest we've stayed in one place, 3 days, and I could stay for weeks. We toured the Royal Tyrell Museum yesterday, a must if you pass through these parts, and then spent some hours hiking in the badlands. I think they should rename them the "good lands" or the "bone lands" because they are a treasure. We found some petrified wood and fossilized oysters. Amazing to think how much history this land holds. We are camping at the "Hoodoos Campground", a fairly new campground and if you are in the Drumheller area make sure to stay here. Lots of room between sites, and the nicest grounds manager I've met on the trip. The kids like it here, and my twin-brother and sister-in-law were here with us, a real added bonus. Nice for the kids to have other people to play with than mom and dad. I'm sure they love us, but come on, 5 weeks is a long time. We had a fantastic stay in Winnipeg. Destination Winnipeg was kind enough to put us up at The Inn at The Forks, a wonderful hotel. We used their bathroom sink to do some dishes! You'd be amazed what you'll do to keep things clean on the road for as long as we are. Winnipeg, also known as "The Peg", really surprised us with how gorgeous the downtown is. The Forks area in particular is just incredible. The kids loved the Childrens Museum, and we loved everything else. A great city, so friendly. While in The Peg we did an interview on CityTV Breakfast Television. That was very, very cool. Arwyn behaved herself and I think Lucas really enjoyed the "behind the scenes" stuff like seeing the cameras and meeting the hosts. We're trying to get on Calary BT and Vancouver BT as well. We'll keep you posted. Today we are off to Stettler to enjoy the afternoon on a Steam Train. I love historical stuff and can't wait to see the ol' Steam engine. Everybody has maintained their sanity so far, which is a miracle considering the time spent in close quarters. I think it's because we've seen so many things, met such wonderful people. Travel is a great way to expand your view of the world, 7,500 KMS into this wonderful trip and we're loving every click more than the last.

July 19th. 2008 - Mosquitos the size of cars

After a couple of days in Northern Ontario, we finally have some wireless internet access! What a whirlwind it's been. We've been on the road for just over a week, have traveled over 4,700km, and are taking turns having showers at the hotel. You have no idea how good a shower feels until you've slept in your car for 2 nights wondering if bears are going to come through the rag-top to have a go at your cooler (which you are sleeping next to). Good times. We had the most fantastic time in New Brunswick. The absolute highlight was the day we spent on Glacier Lake on the most Western tip of New Brunswick. We spent the day canoeing with Eve and Guy, two of the most wonderful people you could ever meet. Eve is a doctor but spends a lot of his spare time showing people the wonders of glacier lake. He is an excellent guide with a quick wit and a kind heart. We learned a lot on the water that day, like the day he saw an eagle fly-fishing (you'll have to email for that great story). We had a full-on steak dinner on "were wolf island" and that is where we met Guy, who looks like a woodsman from the books of history. He is also the town blacksmith and gave all of us the most amazing dinner-triangles. We'll always remember Guy, what a guy! One of the kindest yet burliest folks you'll ever have the honour to meet (and we hope you do!). We were really sad to have to leave New Brunswick. It's not a place we ever took the time to explore before, but after this trip we won't make that mistake again. Such friendly people, such wonderful landscapes. Wow. Northern Ontario has been mixed for us. The trip has been a bit of a push, likely trying to get in too many kilometers in too short a time. Timmons rubbed us the wrong way, Wawa corrected it with some great people, and Thunder Bay has been take-it-or-leave-it. Again, some of this is simply us pushing too hard and not having planned enough activities. If we had time to take a bush plane and go fishing I'm sure we'd love it. Or if a single moose had met us on the road to say hello. Or if the mosquitos weren't so mind-numbingly plentiful. But at this point, tired as I am, I'm just looking forward to Winnipeg. Which happens tomorrow! Better catch some zzzzzzzzzzsss.

July 16th. 2008 - Nova Scotia Complete, New Brunswick Here We Come!

Not too much time as we're about to tour New Brunswick for the day, but wanted to update you on our trip through Nova Scotia. Peggy's Cove was awesome, as always. We tend to do a lot of hiking and rock scrambling there. Once you get away from the lighthouse there are zero tourists so you feel completely alone with the sea. Awesome! And Lesley got to save somebody who fell down on the rocks near the lighthouse which was cool. Then the rain came, and came hard. We couldn't go whale watching in Lunenburg because of it. But our stay in Digby was awesome! I love the Mountain Gap Inn, great way to journey into the past. Seems to be a theme as we've just spent the night at the Fairmont Algonquin. Ferry ride from Digby to St. John was waaaaayyyy cool. Driving into the belly of the beast was neat, and they have the most amazing kids program there. Also got to meet the Captain and Lucas got to steer the ferry. And we lived! We're off to Kingsbrae gardens and a full day in New Brunswick. Woo Hoo!

July 12th. 2008 - Made it to Halifax

Well, we're finally in Halifax after 2 days of driving. On Friday we left at 9am and drove pretty much through the whole night. We covered 1,500 km on our first day. It really, really hurt by 3am. The kids were so awesome about the whole thing! After sleeping in the Jeep for 3 hours at a gas station just inside the New Brunswick border we drove to Magnetic Hill. It is the oddest of all places. For some reason when you put your car in neutral it seems to roll up hill. Pretty cool, but not $20 cool or what ever they charge. I remember going there as a kid for free. There was nothing there. But now there is a whole theme park! Strange. But at least it's giving some kids summer jobs. And finally we arrived in Nova Scotia! We were giddy, likely from lack of sleep, but getting to the border really made the whole trip feel worth it. It's our start, our place to begin this crazy journey. We've spent a great evening with family, a lovely bar-b-que and walk by the ocean. My family here on the coast is awesome, so we love to see them when we can. We're on a schedule so we can't see as much of them as we'd like, but better than nothing. How good can a shower feel? I'll tell you, like heaven! Sleeping on the side of the road and driving 2,000 km really makes you feel like of grody. And we did some laundry here too. Yippee! We're clean and so are our duds! Tomorrow we get up early and head into Halifax. A lovely day on the Harbour Hopper, Theodore Tugboat, and an evening at the Westin hotel. We can hardly wait. An episode should be out early next week. Stay tuned and thanks for watching!

July 10th. 2008 - 24 Hours To Go

I'm having my first cup of coffee and very excited about the fact that in less than a day we begin our journey. I can hardly believe it. Yesterday I spent quite a bit of my day at Rose City Chrysler . They were kind enough to sponsor our trip by making sure our girl (the Jeep) had a new pair of shoes for her big walk-about. A shiny set of BF Goodrich MTs all around. I bought the Jeep there a couple of years ago and they've done nothing but exceed my expectations again and again. Yesterday the Dealer principal, Nick Sebastian, even had the lads give the Jeep a full cleaning and polish, just wanted her to look good for the start of our trip. We had a few more papers cover our story. And we're trying to get CHCH news to cover our launch tomorrow, but nothing back from them yet. Today we pack the Jeep. Tomorrow we begin our adventure. Don't forget to check in often at http://www.havefunoutthere.ca as well be posting new episodes every couple of days. Halifax, Vancouver, and every stop in between, here we come!

July 6th. 2008 - Rose City Chrysler joins as Lead Sponsor

Yesterday I got a call from the owner of Rose City Chrysler (http://www.rosecitychrysler.com)and they are supplying our Jeep with a brand-new set of shoes: A set of BF Goodrich MT radials, which will come in handy in our 12,000 kilometer journey. We also got a call from CHCH news, and we'll be doing a morning show segment with them on the day we leave on our journey, Friday, July 11th. Hard to believe that date is less than a week away. Wow. We've tested the Sony BlueTooth wireless microphone and it is unbelievable. We couldn't be happier with the 5.1 surround sound (you can also select it as center channel only which is what I've used it for most). Articles came out in the Welland Tribune and the Port Colborne Leader, talking about our home-grown show. Since then we've had people stopping us on the street to let us know how cool they think this journey is. Travel inspires people, we knew that, it inspired us after all. But we didn't know just how much it would inspire others, enough to stop us and tell us how much they want to follow the show. Wow. One person shaking your hand, smiling all the while, telling you that they are going to watch every episode, well that is what it is all about, why we've put the effort in that we have. I'm in Orlando Florida right now and all I can think about is getting home so we can get this show on the road.

June 26th. 2008 - Less than 10 days before we launch!

In less than 10 days the Have Fun Out There cross-Canada tour will begin. We're getting closer and many things are finally coming together. We would like to thank ThermaRest and Eureka for joining our show as sponsors. Thanks to them we'll have comfy mats and a dry tent to sleep under. Space is a at a premium in the Jeep, and the ThermaRest (www.thermarest.com) matts are comfy beyond belief (as are their pillows!) and they pack up into unbelievably small little packages. Eureka Tents Canada has sorted us out with a wicked tent! The Copper Canyon 1610 is the coolest old-school-meets-futurama-family-tent I've ever seen. We've finally settled on the HD camera for our trip. A Sony HD unit. Awesome camera and we're exceptionally tickled with the video quality. We're producing a Blue Ray DVD in the fall so quality was very important. Wait till you see some of the footage. All I can say is WOW. I just picked up a bluetooth microphone for the unit as well, full 5.1 surround! Can't wait to see how it works. CityTV in Winnipeg has confirmed a morning show spot for us. Cool! And several newspapers have called us to cover our story. It's the first time media has called us instead of the other way around, so the word is getting out. Thanks for following our adventure, and make sure you continue to check for updates. Staring July 11th you'll have a new episode every 2 days.

June 20th. 2008 - Some cool new B.C. activities

I got in from a trip last night at about 1am, so I'm bagged. But HAPPY and badded. We were having some trouble nailing down activities in the Whistler area. The upcoming Olympics are ensuring that people aren't giving thing away. But thanks to the generosity of Fraser Canyon River Tours, we have the most awesome agenda for Whistler now! We'll be sleepin in a "Yurt" on the banks of the Fraser river, and the next morning we'll be fishing for Sturgeon! How do you like that? Also heard back from the Royal Tyrell Museum, they are on board. We're nearly booked solid for activities on the trip now. And as tired as I feel, need to get cracking on writing some voice over segments so we can "check off" yet another item on the endless sea of things we have left to prepare.

June 16th. 2008

Have Fun Out There posts their newest video on YouTube from their trip to Australia. Visit the Video Log page to watch the episode. Keep checking in for updates! Less than 4 weeks until they depart for their Coast-to-Coast expedition.

June 10th. 2008

West Coast Families article by Nancy Saraiva is now available to read by clicking HERE.

May 31st. 2008

What's Up Kids article by Kylie-Jane Degeling is now available to read to those that do not have access to the issue. Click HERE to read the article.

May, 15th. 2008

"I can't tell you exactly when "Have Fun Out There" began. It could have been two years ago when my family and I packed up the car and kids and drove out to Nova Scotia. It was the first time that the entire family (sans Arwyn who was yet to be even an idea in our heads). It could have been nearly a year ago when my son Lucas, inspired by a kids travel program called "Are We There Yet", said that he would like to have his own television travel show. It could have been six months before our first-ever cross-Canada expedition in the summer of 2008, a time when my wife and I were busy chasing sponsors for money and gear, editors for features in their magazines, and production companies for the television series. The idea could have begun when I was only a child on one of the many road trips my Mom and Dad dragged us kids on. It could have been a combination of all the above. Upon reflection my entire life has been one road trip after another.

Thanks for taking the time to check out our site. Be sure to check our "video log" page for new Webisodes, especially in July/August as we'll be posting new ones every couple of days. I can hardly wait for the journey to begin!"

West