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Leslie Hsu Oh

Travel Writer | Photographer | Editor | seen in T+L, NatGeo, CNT,Outside, Parents, Smithsonian

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Gear

“Leslie recently wrote an article that included one of my brands. I was impressed with her selection of unique pieces meant to make traveling with children easier. And she used some of her past experiences as they related to each product in a meaningful and powerful way to really bring credibility to the reviews.”
~Kate Ketschek, Owner of Revolution House Media

Leslie Hsu Oh has decades of experience testing and reviewing outdoor, accessories, apparel, water and snowsports equipment, technology, and travel gear. Her reviews have been published in Backpacker Magazine, Outside Magazine, Popular Mechanics, REI, Runner’s World, Sierra Magazine, and Travel+Leisure. She believes that having a great experience outdoors depends on the quality of your gear. Known for the extremes with which she adventure travels, she’s lost and recovered an iphone sealed inside of a Sea-to-Summit waterproof case for more than 36 hours beneath a powerful waterfall called the Devil's Throat deep inside of the Devil’s Cave in Brazil, canyoneered kits in Jordan’s Wadi Mujib and fished from Old Town and Ocean Kayak pedal kayaks in Puerto Rico’s bioluminescent waters.

 

Runner’s World | The Best Workout Headphones to Keep You Training in 2023

Runner’s World | The Best Workout Headphones to Keep You Training in 2023

May 11, 2023

Popular Mechanics | The Best Rooftop Tents for Overlanding Adventures Near and Far

Popular Mechanics | The Best Rooftop Tents for Overlanding Adventures Near and Far

May 11, 2023

Travel + Leisure | The 11 Best Ski and Snowboard Goggles of 2022

Travel + Leisure | The 11 Best Ski and Snowboard Goggles of 2022

November 8, 2022

Travel + Leisure | The 8 Best Hiking Shoes and Boots for Women of 2022

Travel + Leisure | The 8 Best Hiking Shoes and Boots for Women of 2022

November 8, 2022

Travel + Leisure | The Best Family Tents, According to Camping Experts

Travel + Leisure | The Best Family Tents, According to Camping Experts

November 8, 2022

Travel + Leisure | The Best Travel Toothbrushes

Travel + Leisure | The Best Travel Toothbrushes

November 8, 2022

Travel + Leisure | The Best Sleeping Pads of 2022

Travel + Leisure | The Best Sleeping Pads of 2022

November 8, 2022

Travel + Leisure | The Best Camping Lanterns for Your Next Outdoor Getaway

Travel + Leisure | The Best Camping Lanterns for Your Next Outdoor Getaway

July 22, 2022

Travel + Leisure | The Best Sleeping Bags of 2022, Tested by an Expert

Travel + Leisure | The Best Sleeping Bags of 2022, Tested by an Expert

July 10, 2022

Travel + Leisure | The Best Hiking Socks for Every Type of Adventure

Travel + Leisure | The Best Hiking Socks for Every Type of Adventure

July 10, 2022

Alpinist Magazine: Lost and Found

Alpinist Magazine: Lost and Found

March 17, 2022

REI | Good Gear: Buy a Flannel, Help Save the Ocean

REI | Good Gear: Buy a Flannel, Help Save the Ocean

December 15, 2019

Outside | The Ultimate Canyoneering Kit for Women

Outside | The Ultimate Canyoneering Kit for Women

May 2, 2019

Love+eMotion | Canyoneering in Jordan

Love+eMotion | Canyoneering in Jordan

May 22, 2018

Outside | Snowboarding Gear That’s Actually Designed for Women

Outside | Snowboarding Gear That’s Actually Designed for Women

March 28, 2018

Sierra Magazine | A Guilt-Free Day on the Slopes

Sierra Magazine | A Guilt-Free Day on the Slopes

January 27, 2018

Backpacker | The Best Gift for Hikers of 2017

Backpacker | The Best Gift for Hikers of 2017

November 20, 2017

Backpacker | 5 Nutrition Myths That No Hiker Should Believe

Backpacker | 5 Nutrition Myths That No Hiker Should Believe

July 7, 2017

Sierra | Eat, Sleep, and Play: A Recipe for a Happy, Outdoorsy Dad

Sierra | Eat, Sleep, and Play: A Recipe for a Happy, Outdoorsy Dad

June 18, 2017

Sierra | Gear for Adventurous Families

Sierra | Gear for Adventurous Families

May 14, 2017

Travel + Leisure | 19 Products That Will Make Traveling With Kids Easier

Travel + Leisure | 19 Products That Will Make Traveling With Kids Easier

April 16, 2017

Backpacker  | What are the Best Snacks for Backcountry Skiing and Riding?

Backpacker | What are the Best Snacks for Backcountry Skiing and Riding?

March 28, 2017

Backpacker | 2016 Holiday Gift Guide

Backpacker | 2016 Holiday Gift Guide

November 23, 2016

Sierra | The Best New Outdoor Gear for Kids

Sierra | The Best New Outdoor Gear for Kids

June 5, 2016

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The night I arrived in #santorini I sat in bumper- The night I arrived in #santorini I sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic, stressed out that I was about to miss dinner @rizes_santorini in Fira.  Although it was nearly 10pm, everybody seemed to be out partying, shopping, dining. The pulsing beat from bars and clubs lured us out of our cab, down cobblestone alleys lined with glittering shops I didn’t have time to browse.

Αt #rizesrestaurant , my favorite dish was the PASTITSIO : Slow Cooked beef Ragout, Fresh pasta, Spicy Tomato Sauce, Béchamel and Aged myzithra cheese. 

Bellies full, I could barely walk to my room at  @andronis_arcadia . Fortunately the hotel had golf carts that zipped us back and forth from our rooms to the lobby or restaurant. Honestly, I wish I had more time to enjoy their gorgeous rooms with your very own personal #infinitypool and a view of the Aegean Sea. The mornings are so quiet you can hear the rooster trying to wake everyone up. #greece @officialsantorinigreece
Everyday, @andronis_arcadia would surprise us with Everyday, @andronis_arcadia would surprise us with a gift which we brought back for you. Have a great weekend! #greekeye #greece #protection #santorini @officialsantorinigreece #santorini💙
Did you know all #beaches in #greece are public? O Did you know all #beaches in #greece are public? Out of 6000 #islands only 200 are inhabited. I had a chance to visit 4. At this time of the year, you can enjoy moments alone. 

#iosisland did not get electricity until the 70’s. Its a striking contrast to the crowds in Santorini where in the thick of tourists rushing through a narrow path, I tripped on a cobblestone because my luggage didnt make it and I bought a cheap pair of flipflops.  The support I’ve experienced from my travel companions especially @michelebraphael @travelsbyomarperez @weekendexplorer @goodlivingsocal , the locals and the landscape as I hobbled my way from swimming to a sea cave to clinging onto a slippery seat of a high speed boat zipping across the Aegean Sea to insisting on hiking with a grumpy retired special forces guide who asked me to wait at the bottom of the trail while everyone else checked out Homer’s burial site have made me fall in love with Greece more. @discover_ios_island
Sunrise @agadafolegandros adult only retreat. Each Sunrise @agadafolegandros adult only retreat. Each brittle greenstone (buried deep in Earth, subjected to intense high pressure, low temperature subduction, then brutally pushed back to the surface) is warmed up by the sun.  If you quiet the thoughts in your head and hold your breath, you might be able to feel what Greeks call agria galini (wild peace): A rare physical silence described as an intense grounding stillness wrapped in a raw untamed elemental force. In this reel, excerpts from a livestream where you can listen to the “silence” and feel Folegandros’ energy!

See linked reel with sunset in previous Folegandros post
#agadafolegandros #greece #folegandrosisland #luxuryworldtraveler
At sunset, listen to the “sound of silence” @agada At sunset, listen to the “sound of silence” @agadafolegandros —a bioclimatic architectural wonder harmonized with the island’s landscape. 

There are nine suites or villas each with own #infinitypool. The absense of motors running, people chatting, lawnmowers buzzing. And if you can be still enough, the birds (like the Common Linnets ? ) will visit. They like to bathe and sip fresh water from your pool.
 
Dont miss my exclusive interview about how #Agada was designed.
#greece #folegandrosisland #agadafolegandros
Chef @edmari_devarie introduced herself to me and Chef @edmari_devarie introduced herself to me and said she first read my work in @voguemagazine last May about #grieftravel . I was pleased to learn that my words helped her during a difficult time in her life. She messaged me:

“You were every bit as kind and warm in person as I imagined from your writing. I actually went back and reread your Vogue piece tonight, and something really unexpected happened: it hit me completely differently this time. When I first read it, I understood grief mostly as grieving people I had lost. Grandparents, aunts, people who were no longer here. I even thought about a trip my mom and I took to Alaska and how, in some ways, we found little pieces of ourselves again through that experience. But tonight I read your words from a completely different place in my life. I’m realizing that I’m grieving a lot more than people. I’m grieving my old self. I’m grieving friendships and chapters of my life that aren’t here anymore.

I’m grieving the person I used to be, even though I know I’m becoming someone new. And I’m grieving a life I thought I would have by now. [yes!! This is exactly how I feel. ]

Thank you for writing something that gave me a language for something I didn’t quite know how to name. And thank you for being so lovely tonight. I’m really glad I got to meet you.”

I received this gift in #jacksonhole after we ascended to 9,095 feet aboard the historic Bridger Gondola for dinner at @jacksonhole Piste Mtn Bistro.
 
We nearly had the whole place to ourselves due to a reservation glitch. The dining room spilled out onto a deck where we gathered briefly that morning before hiking down to our launch point. 

After placing our order, the sun set over the Tetons while the kids hiked up to the peak in their flipflops and skirts. I teared up thinking about how these moments when the 6 of us could explore national parks together were coming to an end.
Soaring air thermals is thrilling and terrifying. Soaring air thermals is thrilling and terrifying. You are a feather rising and falling, at the mercy of air deflected by the mountains and trees. A paraglider pilot determines whether an air thermal will reduce your descent or initiate a climb while you enjoy the raw feeling of engineless flight. A wobble here and there. Your heart skips a beat. Everything that you worried about disappears when the world looks so far away and you are flying side-by-side birds. 

This summer I was determined to tackle a #bucketlistadventure because I had no idea when my kids would lose interest in travelling with us. This is @kohadventures 21st summer, @ethanjsoh 18th, @rileyaustinoh 13th and @loganohrides 10th summer. Life continues to pull us apart. So knowing that I will be dropping off two kids at college soon, I asked them what was their number 1️⃣ bucketlistadventure ?
 
“Skydiving,” Kyra says. 

“Heliiboarding,” Riley says.
 
I surprised them with paragliding because since 2017 when I first experienced this sport in France, then Italy 2019, and Switzerland in 2022,  I have longed to share this w/my family.

#jacksonhole is ideal for #paragliding because a flat, low-lying valley is directly adjacent to ultra-steep, massive mountain ranges creating immediate massive altitude separation.  Plus advanced paragliders like the challenge of trying the “shot” (flying to @grandtetonnps) !

@jacksonholeparagliding not only has 30 years of experience with 60K safe tandem flights but owner Scott Harris one of the first to pioneer this sport, has pulled off a 6 hr flight in Columbia 2016. He orchestratend 6 paragliding pilots (one for each of us Riley = Dan Roof, Logan = Mike Bickley, Ethan =David Robinson, Kyra = @beaubach, me = Scott Harris, Thomas = Steve Marangi), one for the photographer @luke_gentry_photography and drone pilot @dangibeau.beinghuman …so at least 16 of us gathered at the top of Rendezvous Mtn. Steve and David were acro paragliders! They treated Thomas & Ethan to extreme paragliding tricks!! I was so jealous.

At 10,450 feet, we watched first Riley, then Logan, Ethan, and Kyra run off the mtn laughing. We looked at each other, eyes wide, thinking “What have we done?”
In this replay of a #liveinstagram story you’ll ge In this replay of a #liveinstagram story you’ll get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what its like to travel with us. 
We are @yellowstonenps (my memoir opens here when I was 9 and our family got caught in a flash storm) and tomorrow we will drive to @glaciernps (where I worked the summer my mother died of the same disease that claimed my brother’s life the year before.). I share my encounter with park rangers at #yellowstonenps who told me that adults can earn a #juniorrangerbadge

Riley shares what it was like to paraglide !! Yes stay tuned for drone footage on that…
@mountainmodernjh is 10 miles from @grandtetonnps @mountainmodernjh is 10 miles from @grandtetonnps 12 miles from @jacksonhole and 55 miles from @yellowstonenps .

Arrived around 1am after driving 10 hrs it was extremely convenient to have a functional kitchen, two bathrooms, and the most comfortable sofa sleeper and king bed that I ever tried…the kind that makes you forget where you are and what you’re supposed to be doing. During ski season, guests have complimentary shuttle to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort @jacksonhole 

The best part was my youngest @loganohrides  figured out how to swim cheered on by her sister @rileyaustinoh and @k.o_adventures while dad recooperated from the long drive. 
#jacksonwy
#jacksonhole
#mountainmodern
#staywild

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