Jen Gardner

Jen Gardner, a Colorado native is passionate about exploring and preserving nature. When not hiking, biking or skiing the Colorado Rockies with her family (and alone!), Jen enjoys traveling the world with her husband and kids. Diagnosed in 2006 with 3 cranial cavernomas (weak blood vessels in the brain that hemorrhage creating benign tumors), Jen has made it her mission to live life to the fullest. She writes about her journey getting her kids outside despite sickness on a blog called Gone With Groms. The better the gear, the longer and easier it is to stay outside, so Jen has made it her mission to find the best gear for outdoor families.

An Outdoor Mama’s Guide to Moving Abroad with Kids

moving abroad

An outdoor mama’s guide to moving abroad with kids I’m far from an expert on moving abroad, however, I’ve learned a few tips our recent move to England. When school let out in March and didn’t start in fall, our family decided to move-in with my in-laws in England so my girls could attend in-person … Read more

How to Zwift with Kids

How to Zwift with Kids

As the realities of quarantine set in, local cycling families we hang with asked if our kids were Zwifting. I snidely replied I wasn’t fond of trainers. I like to be outside. Thank you very much. Two weeks into quarantine I caved. It was cold and icy outside. I had already bought two swings and … Read more

REI Tarn Hydro 15

REI Hyrdo Tarn 15

The REI Tarn Hydro 15 has been a joy to take for a test ride. Each hike or bike ride, I came away appreciating the brilliant ingenuity of this uniquely designed adventure pack even more. Bonus points, it fits all three of us Gardner girls comfortably! Looking for more backpack reviews? Find them here! As … Read more

The Girly Girls Guide to Glamming Gear

Glam Girl Gear

Glamming gear for (outdoor) girly girls is an art form, one that can and must be passed down to the next generation of gear heads. Sometimes it includes expansive DIY projects and sometimes it’s as simple as throwing down a few hearts with puff paint and calling it a day. Per the request of many … Read more

Raising Girly Girls in the Great Outdoors

Raising Girly Girls in the Great Outdoors

As a mother of two very girly little girls I’m often surprised when I hear a kid won’t go outside because they are “too girly.” Does that mean they are too fragile? Too anxiety prone to be uncomfortable? All kids need fresh air and wall-less spaces to explore. Raising a feminine leaning child to grow … Read more

Do Little Bike Seat Review

Do Little Bike Seat

If you are looking for a child bike seat your whole family will love, check out the The Do Little kids bike seat. A revolutionary new design allows kids to ride up front through a mid-mounting system on your bike. The result is a front-to-rear weight distribution that is essentially unchanged. This fully integrated system … Read more