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A cult-fave camp chair

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~Buzzworthy~ $12 mosquito repellent

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Your reminder to spend 10 minutes outside

Since moving to the West Coast, I’ve been thinking a lot about what stands out most to me in terms of life in Philly vs. Southern California. If I had to pick ONE thing…it’s that we are always outside now. It’s wonderful. The weather is stupid nice and I haven’t met a single mosquito. BUT…we are often extremely unprepared. 🙂‍↔️ The outdoor “gear” I brought to California consisted of a half empty tube of mineral SPF; I’ve left the beach with soggy canvas Vans and sandy, wet denim ankles (and butt) more times than I can count. Someone get this girl a camp chair and a rubber shoe, FFS. 

So, naturally, I’ve rounded up my wishlist of adventuring essentials that are lightweight and highly packable, which I’ve learned is KEY for park and beach hangs. I’d like to throw a blanket and a chair and everything else into a giant tote or stroller, so heavy/bulky stuff won’t cut it here. And of course, in keeping with Sway’s ethos, I’m looking for high-performance gear made without PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), aka forever chemicals, which have long been used in this product category due to their waterproofing qualities.

Plenty of outdoor brands are now making gear without PFAS. That said, PFAS can be found virtually everywhere, from water to soil, making it extremely difficult for manufacturers to eliminate them entirely from their products. It’s why you’ll often see brands use the wording “…made without intentionally added PFAS.” This indicates they’ve stopped adding PFAS to their products (e.g., they’ve phased out the use of a PFAS-based waterproofing treatment or finish), a significant positive step, but that PFAS could be present, sometimes in trace amounts, from the manufacturing process or via suppliers (who provide zippers, trims, etc.). Ridding PFAS from an entire supply chain is much harder to achieve than switching out a single finish, and it’s continuous work.

The good news is: You’ve got options. Wherever you are in the world, pop open a camp chair made with your health and the planet in mind (or just sit your a$$ down on the grass) and let’s clock some time under the big blue sky. A very recent 2026 meta-analysis from the University of Utah found even ten minutes of outdoor exposure can improve mental health, whether you’re hiking a forest or sitting in a city park. Not even wet socks could stop me…

Packable outdoor blanket for impromptu picnics: If you want to be prepared for spontaneous park hangs, a waterproof “picnic” blanket that fits into a reasonably sized pouch is a must. This recycled polyester option from Nomadix has waterproofing made without PFAS and squeezes into a 15” x 7” x 6” stuff sack. Another option is the Rumpl Original Puffy Blanket, which uses a DWR (durable water repellent) coating made without PFAS, and also packs down small enough to stash in the bottom of a stroller or an XL tote. Rumpl states that its products using DWR coating contain zero PFAS.

Portable, foldable outdoor chair: The REI Co-op Flexlite Camp Chair appears to have a very loyal following, and I can see why. It’s lightweight for toting from car or bike to park or shore and back again, and folds down for easy transport. While the Flexlite chair uses a coating made without PFAS, the much pricier NEMO Moonlite Reclining Camp Chair is PFAS-free on the whole, as of the company’s 2025 policy, according to Better Trail.

Big ol’ water-resistant tote: I love a canvas bag for most things. My daily rider right now is what I call my “chicken bag” from my friend Caro (it has a giant hen on it). But I DO believe that a rugged, waterproof bag that can withstand beverage spills, wet sandy beaches and dewy grass is called for in this edit. I only recently learned that the ubiquitous Fjällräven brand started introducing PFAS-free fabrics as far back as 2012. Their lightweight High Coast Tote is water-resistant and made without PFAS, and they’ve documented their journey to rid their products and all secondary components (like trim) of PFAS. Disclaimer: No chicken on this bag. But you could always add some buttons for flair. ;) 

Waterproof shoes: “Ugly” shoes are in style, but I’d like to point out that some of us have been unironically wearing them (Oboz, in my case) to brunch since 2020!! I just linked KEEN toddler shoes last week, but my love for this brand knows no bounds. KEEN makes some excellent PFAS-free adult shoes that will take you from brunch to beach, snack run to splash pad, or whatever you’re getting into. And lookin’ FuNkY while you do. Their extensive work to rid their supply chain, soup to nuts, of PFAS, and establish themselves as leaders in truly PFAS-free production continues to inspire me.

Repellent: Unrelated to PFAS but very much applicable to enjoying the outdoors: Mosquitoes are a good time ruiner. I swear they had a hit out for me when I lived in Philadelphia. Mimikai has been featured by our friends at the Green Science Policy Institute and Safer Made recently, and it’s available at Credo, which uses rigorous standards to vet personal care products made without chemicals of concern. It’s an EPA-registered repellent that’s supposed to be as effective as DEET, protecting from mosquitoes for up to eight hours, and ticks for up to four. And the price is RIGHT: $12 (on sale) for 3.4 oz. 

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TTYL: Jennifer @ Sway