Backcountryoutlet.com Newsletter Articles

Your Cinco de Mayo party will probably seem like a cup of tea with your sweet old granny compared to the Cinco de Mayo celebrations in Puebla, Mexico. But that doesn’t mean you should bag the festivities and stay home feeling inferior and drinking margaritas of disappointment. We rooted through our treasure trove of gear in search of some toys that’ll spice up your fiesta.

Drinking Accessories

This is obviously the most important category—you can’t whack a piñata without some tequila in your tummy. OK, you can. But … booooriiiiing.

The Laken Kukuxumusu Stainless Steel Flask. Offset the occasional weird look you get for sipping pocket-booze in the corner with this flask’s crowd-pleasing graphic. It’s a guaranteed conversation-starter.

Too classy for “wanna screw?” jokes? Thanks to the GSI Outdoor Adventure Travel Bar, you can set up a sophisticated impromptu cocktail party right next to the chips and salsa.

                               

For borrachos who like to stay away from the hard stuff—the Burton Lil Buddy Cooler Bag . This insulated case not only keeps a 12-pack of Negro Modelo nicely chilled, it comes with a removable amp and speaker system for crankin’ the mariachi music. Crack open a cold one with the integrated bottle-openers on Reef’s BYOB Sandals or Dakine’s Rail Belt.

Las Ropas!

Comfort is key, whether you’re licking salt off a margarita glass, shaking your maracas, or lighting illegal fireworks in your neighbor’s driveway. Your Cinco de Mayo attire should: look good. It should not: chafe up a storm during your fiery rendition of the Mexican Hat Dance.

The Rip Curl Women’s Cozumel Dress is light, flowy, and colorful, ’cause feeling comfy doesn’t mean dressing drably. This is a party, after all. Look alive.

Wear the Mission Playground Juarez Shirt in honor of Benito Juarez, who resisted French occupation and overthrew the Empire … and is one of the reasons you’re trying to drink tequila through a trumpet right now.

The Teva Women’s Conchita Sandals—if you’re not on the beach for Cinco de Mayo, at least your feet will think you are.

Plan ahead. Party in the Reef Men’s Mariachi Board Shorts. That way you won’t have to change costumes before belly-flopping in the pool or throwing your girlfriend in the ocean.

Cinco de Mayo, Backcountry-Style

For those of us who’d rather not listen to “La Bamba” or “Margaritaville” blasting from the neighbor’s backyard all night, here are some party favors suited for mountain-bound escape artists.

The Alps Mountaineering Fiesta Table comes with four cup-holders for slosh-free card-playing. Unfold at your favorite campsite.

The GSI Outdoor Vortex Blender. Add tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and ice. Blend. Drink. Repeat.

If you’re one-a them fancy folk what’s too good to drink outta the blender, try GSI Outdoor’s packable Margarita Glass … ya bath-takin’, croquet-playin’ mint-muncher.

Going where cars can’t? Bring a package of Alpine Aire’s Bandito Scramble for some South-of-the-border flavor. And to wash it down:

Nothing complements a freeze-dried dinner like a shot of warm Jose Cuervo from your Ultimate Direction Thunderbolt Belt.

A tip for the pasty folk out there: sunburned gringos on Cinco de Mayo = a walking joke. The Outdoor Research Halcyon and Solvida Sombreros may not be as stylish as Mexican sombreros, but we’ll be damned if they aren’t more comfortable during a hot summer hike.

The Morning After

Whether you celebrate Cinco de Mayo in town, at the family campground, or far away from the glare of city lights and the smell of propane grills, you’re going to need some recovery time the next day.

The Horny Toad Hangover Pants feel soft and comfortable when you settle in for a CSI:NY marathon or a few hours of book-reading in the shade of a desert juniper.

Anon’s All-Nighter Sunglasses shield your sensitive peepers from May 6^th and its beautiful, blindingly bright, head-splitting sunshine.

The Nalgene Wide-Mouth Water Bottle. Say no to the-hair-of-the-dog. Water is the only thing that can help you now.

And there you have it: the makings of an off-the-chain Cinco de Mayo fiesta. Please drink responsibly. Don’t run with a beverage in hand.