Welcome to Bearfoot Theory

Empowering you to be a confident, independent, and responsible outdoor enthusiast

Read blog

Start Here

Start Here

Build your Outdoor Skills

Is it ok to hike during COVID-19

Health and Wellness

Van Life Roadmap: Access Free Online Course!

Best Outdoor Gear of 2020

Latest Posts
Popular Posts

Plan your Colorado road trip with this guide to the best places to stop including mountain towns, day hikes, National Parks, and mountain bike trails.

Colorado Road Trip: 15 Best Stops for Outdoor Adventure

The Moonshade is a portable, versatile, budget-friendly camper van awning that packs down to the size of a camp chair and also works on trucks and SUVs.

MoonShade Review: A Portable, Budget-friendly Van Awning

Before you move into your van full-time, you need to set up a home address. Learn about the popular states to establish residency and how to get mail.

Establishing Residency And Getting Mail as a Full-Time Van Lifer

These organizations are working to improve diversity outdoors and could use your help. Learn about the important work they're doing and lend your support.

15 Organizations Advancing Diversity Outdoors

Choosing a health insurance plan for van life can be a tricky task to navigate. Learn more about where to look for health plans and what questions to ask

Health Insurance For Van Life

Plan your Oregon road trip with this guide to the best places to stop including mountains, beaches, National Parks, Monuments, and towns.

Oregon Road Trip: 13 Best Stops For Outdoor Adventure

Choosing RV insurance for your van is an imporant step in transitioning to van life. You want to be covered if something happens like a break in or accident

Choosing An RV Insurance Policy for Van Life

11 Camper Vans with Bathrooms: Toilet & Shower Inspiration for Off-Grid Living

Are you interested in doing van life with your family? Learn the 5 most important things to consider and check out the best family camper van layouts!

Best Camper Van Layouts for Families

Plan your Colorado road trip with this guide to the best places to stop including mountain towns, day hikes, National Parks, and mountain bike trails.

Colorado Road Trip: 15 Best Stops for Outdoor Adventure

3-Day Backpacking Checklist

Follow this detailed 7-day Teton and Yellowstone road trip itinerary to travel to the best sites, hikes, and attractions in these two incredible national parks.

The Ultimate 7-day Teton and Yellowstone Road Trip Itinerary

What to Wear Hiking

Sprinter Van Bathroom: Pros and Cons & Would I do it again?

Looking for the best hiking boots for your feet? In this blog post, we compare different styles of hiking shoes and what to consider before buying, including trail conditions, distance & more. We also include a list of the best women's hiking boots based on what we are currently wearing on the trail.

The Best Women’s Hiking Boots of 2020

A round-up of the best hikes in Utah. Explore Utah's epic landscapes and get tips for tackling these bucketlist trails.

Best Hikes in Utah: 14 Epic Trails for your Bucketlist – MAPPED!

Explore The best in Gear

A little Instamagic

Last year, we spent nearly three months exploring

Last year, we spent nearly three months exploring Colorado in our van and completely fell in love.

The hiking, dispersed camping, National Parks, and cool towns has us completely hooked.

To help you plan your own trip, I finally put together a list of my favorite road trip stops, with things to do along the way.

Click the “blog” link in my bio or swipe up on my latest IG stories to check it out!

Important Note: Before you travel, please do your research to ensure these areas are open to visitors, follow local guidelines, and do your part to be a responsible visitor. That means taking precautions against COVID-19 like wearing a mask and social distancing. Also, as we ask with all of the destinations we share, please follow Leave No Trace guidelines and practice good trail etiquette. If you want to brush up on these skills, I have a ton of resources on my website. Feel free to PM me, and I can point you in the right direction 😊
——
#colorado #visitcolorado #coloradical #coloradoadventures #coloradogram

I AM Brave I AM Confident I AM Nimble I AM Strong

I AM Brave
I AM Confident
I AM Nimble
I AM Strong

This was my mantra yesterday as I scrambled up the knife ridge to summit of Mt. Superior and Monte Cristo. It was a beast of a hike, and every time I felt overwhelmed or scared, I paused, repeated those words, and kept going. Practicing affirmations like this on the trail was a first for me, and I truly believe it’s what helped me get to the top.

Imagine how different my day would have been if I had instead focused on thoughts of fear, self-doubt, and anxiety. I likely would have turned around and been disappointed in myself that I missed my chance to stand on top of this beautiful peak that I’ve had my eye on for the last 5 years (and something I was fully capable of).

Managing worry and fear is something I’ve been actively working on lately, and yesterday I realized that THE STORY WE TELL OURSELVES MATTERS. These I AM affirmations, as simple as it may sound, have the power to change your mindset, and I know I’ll be relying on them next time I’m doing something outside my comfort zone.

What story do you tell yourself?
——
Note: Normally, dogs are not allowed on this trail. Charlie is a medical service dog for my partner's Type 1 Diabetes, and medical service dogs are allowed on this trail.
——
#hiking #goprohero8 #visitutah #utahgram #affirmations

The most memorable adventures for me are spontaneo

The most memorable adventures for me are spontaneous ones that aren’t found on apps or in guidebooks....

After spotting this riverside campsite from the road, we set up a tent, stashed one of our bikes in the bushes and drove a few miles upriver. We then floated down in our packrafts right back to our campsite, and Ryan hopped on his bike to go back up and get the van.

Share a story about an unexpected day of adventure you’ve had recently down in the comments.
——
#vanlife #osvtribe #packrafting #kokopelli #riverlife #camping #boondocking #sprintervanlife

When we say “the outdoors is for everyone,” or

When we say “the outdoors is for everyone,” or “the outdoors doesn’t see color,” white people are not recognizing inherent inequalities, racism, and additional barriers that many People of Color face when looking to get outside.

Historically, communities of color were often excluded from outdoor spaces and recreation, including some areas of our National Parks, and racism outdoors is still a serious problem today. I’ve been thinking a lot about this as we travel in our van to some of the rural places in the mountain west. How would my experience be different if Ryan and I didn’t look the way we do? Would we feel comfortable turning on random dirt roads to get off-the-beaten path?

There are also other barriers that BIPOCs often face to getting outside. Lack of nearby green spaces, limited disposable income to buy expensive gear, or the need to work multiple jobs to make ends meet, which leaves little time for outdoor activities.

Behind the scenes, we’ve been having a lot of discussions about what we at Bearfoot Theory can do to help change this and to make the outdoors a more diverse place that’s welcoming, inclusive, and accessible to all – a place that better reflects the diversity of our country.

One thing we can do is elevate BIPOC voices and support the important efforts of organizations that are working directly to address racism and make the outdoors more diverse.

In our latest blog post, we rounded up 15 groups that are doing great work to improve diversity outside. Our list is by no means exhaustive, and we will update as we go and discover other groups (let us know in the comments). We encourage you to learn about the work they’re doing and to support them if you can.

I’ve tagged these groups in the photo so you can go directly to their IG feeds or you can swipe up on my latest IG stories to learn more.

For Ryan’s birthday, my amazing friend @rfhall.a

For Ryan’s birthday, my amazing friend @rfhall.art created this drawing of @charlietheadventuredog, with the beautiful frame made by her hubby and our close friend @gonesoft. I’m speechless really and so happy we have such a meaningful piece of art of our Charlie boy. Thanks Becky and Jon! And obviously if anyone wants a portrait done, you know where to go 😊
——
#dogportrait #dogportraits #miniaussie #bordercolliemix #dogdrawing

This little blog of mine hit a major milestone thi

This little blog of mine hit a major milestone this month....after 6 years of hard work, my website hit 500k page views/month in July!

My blog began as a dream while sitting in my Washington DC cubicle. I had no background in blogging or social media, but I was determined to create a different life for myself. So I quit, moved, and put every waking minute into building Bearfoot Theory. If you’ve been thinking about going down your own path, I hope my story shows you it can be done. You just have to believe in yourself and not give up, even when you get discouraged.

I also didn’t do this alone. A huge thanks to @lindarromero, @kath_englishman, @divinely_human, @indylachic (BFT’s first employee!), @samvanzam, @natefillnowfilms, and @yourfriendpraveen...you are awesome, and this wouldn’t be possible without your contributions over the years.

And to you, the BFT community. I have so much gratitude. Thank you for being here, for being kind and open-minded, for every time you visited my website, and for all of the support. ❤️

Follow Bearfoot Theory Instagram