When Stephen Regenold founded GearJunkie in 2002, he aimed to share his love of the outdoors and great gear with a readership of fellow adventurers. Today, the father of five caters to a different audience — his kids range from age 7 to 20 — but his goal remains the same.
“I’m all about getting my kids outside,” says Regenold. For the Minnesota-based family, that means enjoying all types of action sports together, from mountain biking to climbing to snowsports and everything in between. “It’s always been a part of our lives,” he continues. “It’s endemic to our family.”
We chatted with Regenold and his kids to hear more about how they’ve made adventure a core part of their family values.
Center Traditions Around Adventure
Creating a culture of exploration in your family is all about spending time outside together. Whether it’s Saturday morning bike rides, regular exploration close to home, or annual family vacations with outdoor activities on the agenda, outdoor adventures can become a family tradition. “We always plan our family trips around adventure,” says Gwen, Regenold’s oldest child.
Doing outdoor activities together helps foster shared interests, Regenold explains. “All of us look forward to exploring new places while doing our favorite activities as a family,” he says.
Getting kids out of their comfort zone can build confidence, too. “When my kids ski a new mountain or ride unfamiliar singletrack, they’re expanding their skills, becoming more self-assured, and growing into their own as adventurers.”
New adventures mean navigating uncharted territory. The All-New Nissan Armada has the technology you need to enhance your road trip to the fullest.
Available Adventure-Ready Features
- Dual 14.3-inch screens display navigation, music, driving aids, and more. Plus, you can customize your view to what’s most important to your journey.
- Google built-in1 lets you connect to Google Assistant, Google Maps, and more so navigation, access to apps, and climate control are as easy as saying, “Hey Google.”
- 3D/Enhanced Intelligent View Monitor2 utilizes both digital displays to provide an all-new ultrawide view and a 360-degree bird’s-eye view for a full picture of your surroundings.
- Invisible Hood Monitor is an innovative camera system2 that helps provide a clearer view of what’s under you by allowing you to see directly through your hood.
EXPLORE THE ALL-NEW NISSAN ARMADA
Share Your Own Outdoor Passions
If outdoor adventures are a big source of joy in your life, it’s only natural to want your kids to experience that same feeling. Start by introducing your kids to your own favorite outdoor activities and places you love to explore.
“When I was in my late 20s as a young journalist, I got sent to the California coast by the New York Times to write a story about climbing in the L.A. area,” Regenold says. “When we started planning a family trip to California, I knew I wanted to hit a famous cliff I included in the story. It’s pretty special to bring my kids back here all these years later.”
Piling the whole family into the car for a big adventure is easy thanks to the Nissan Armada’s flexible seating configurations and features that prioritize a comfortable ride.
Available Adventure-Ready Features
- A Biometric Cooling System3 monitors the body temp of first- and second-row passengers and intuitively adjusts the fan speed if they’re running hot.
- Three rows of premium seating can accommodate up to eight passengers.
- Power folding third-row seats easily stow away for more room to tote gear.
- Foldable second-row chairs slide forward at the touch of a button and tilt even with a child seat in place, providing a wider path for loading and unloading.
EXPLORE THE ALL-NEW NISSAN ARMADA
Encourage Kids to Get Curious
Instilling a sense of adventure in children can be a balancing act between exposing them to your world and encouraging them to explore their own. On family trips, Regenold gets his kids involved in the planning process so everyone can contribute ideas to the itinerary. Five kids means five unique ideas of what adventure means to them — and everyone’s interests get added to the list.
“The most memorable part of family adventures is experiencing new things together,” says Gwen. “That’s when we really bond as a family. It’s those moments we always look back on and tell stories about.”
No matter where inspiration takes you, the Nissan Armada’s performance features can get your family there.
Available Adventure-Ready Features
- Electronic locking rear differential provides increased grip on tough terrain by allowing the rear wheels to move at the same speed in low-traction conditions.
- Available electronic air suspension adjusts for increased ground clearance in various driving conditions and to provide better fuel economy and stability for highway driving.
- 4HI and 4LO modes let you tailor your drive mode to the road — offering extra traction moving over packed sand and loose gravel or applying more torque for maximum capability. AUTO mode lets you operate in 2WD for better fuel economy and switches to 4WD when the system detects wheel slippage.
EXPLORE THE ALL-NEW NISSAN ARMADA
Invest in a Family Exploration-Mobile
Active families need a vehicle that enhances their lifestyle. With multiple drive modes, off-road capabilities, room for people, room for gear, and all the bells and whistles, the all-new Nissan Armada does more than shuttle your family from one place to the next. This full-size SUV is a true family adventure companion.
“As a family of seven, we need an adventure vehicle that can fit the whole family, plus all the gear that comes along with extremely active kids,” says Regenold. “With seating for up to eight people, off-road capabilities, and room to tote bikes, climbing gear, snowsports equipment, and more, the Nissan Armada checks all the boxes for this family of GearJunkies.”
This post was sponsored by Nissan.
Disclaimers:
1 Google built-in: Not equipped on all vehicles. Activation of NissanConnect Services package required. Only use features when safe and legal to do so. Data rates may apply. Subject to third-party service availability. Google, Google Play, and Google Maps are trademarks of Google LLC.
2 Driver-assist and safety features have limitations which affect how they function in certain situations. The driver must never rely exclusively on any vehicle feature to warn about, prevent, or lessen the severity of a collision. It is the driver’s responsibility to always be in control, monitor the surroundings, and safely operate the vehicle. Read your vehicle’s Owner’s Manual for further information.
3 System may not engage if sensor is obstructed. System does not have the capability to identify individual passengers. Please see Owner’s Manual for feature information.
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