Backyard Safari Outfitters supplied us with the gear for the following post.  However, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own (and those of my family).

Well, of course you can explore with nothing but your eyes, but it’s easier and a lot more fun with tools!  The gear from Backyard Safari Outfitters is sturdy and kid-friendly, but modeled after grown-up classics.

The kids love these!  They immediately went to try to track down the plastic safari hat we already have, to try to round out the outfit.  (Some dollar store dealie, I think.  The hat, I mean.)  They’ve been running in almost every day, “I need the bug box!” (or some such).

The net is pretty strong.  You should be able to catch either aquatic critters like crawdads with it, as well as butterflies.  We don’t have any creeks or anything terribly close by, so we haven’t tried it for those, and the kids have been unsuccessful with butterflies so far (‘though they’ve tried).  But the toddler filled it up with rocks and a large piece of (heavy) rubbery plant, so I’m confident it can take some weight!

The lantern is all plastic, so no worries about broken glass if the kids drop it or something.  I think that’s an LED bulb, too, so it should last a while.  (The light is looking pretty puny here because I photographed it in broad daylight.  Obviously, it’s more effective in the dark!)  There are two options: switch it on if you want it to stay on, or push a little button to turn it on only while you hold the button in.  The carabiner allows it to be clipped to the vest, which will also provide spaces for stashing lots of other gear.

Here in Ariel’s pocket, you can also see the little pop-up “field guide.” I’m not sure that’s what I’d call it, but it’s a useful little extra.  One side pops up to show you what gear is available.  The other pops up to offer tips and tricks for outdoor exploration.

There is other gear, too: the binoculars, a large magnifying glass (both of which the kids have also enjoyed), a multipurpose tool set, etc.  But I think our favorite item is what we call the  “bug box.”

Now, we’ve had bug boxes in the past, and they have been useful, but they usually have their drawbacks.  This solves a lot of the little issues that most others have.

Like many of the other products, it’s made entirely of plastic.  This makes it sturdier than those made of mesh.  And clear, unlike wooden boxes.  And watertight (at the bottom; the lid doesn’t have a watertight seal).  So you can keep bugs in here, but you could just as easily keep a frog, or a fish, or a crawdad.  Right now, Ariel is keeping a caterpillar she dubbed “Cookie.”

We don’t know what kind of caterpillar Cookie is.  (She seems to have misplaced the North American Wildlife Book that is our go-to reference for such things.)  Do any of you happen to know?

The entire lid lifts off, which makes it easy for clumsy little hands to manage.  (Not that Ariel’s are clumsy.  But for the little ones…)  And although it’s not obvious at first glance, the top is full of breathing holes.  It’s still as sturdy as the rest of the box, though; it’s not wimpy mesh.

Even the packaging was created with attention to detail.  You know where you usually see obnoxious twist ties?  Well, these are tied with paper twists.  (I think they’re paper.  I suppose they could be plastic.  But they feel like paper.)  Much friendlier to children’s fingers – and much easier to remove, in my opinion.