For Beginners

One of my readers, a guy named Tim, is having problems getting all of his backpacking gear into his backpack. This is something I’ve wrestled with too. I had a few breakthroughs this year though, based on some advice from a more …

The Backpacker’s Field Manual, A Comprehensive Guide to Mastering Backcountry Skills is still the most complete and readable handbook of backpacking instruction available today. Written by Rick Curtis, Director of Princeton University’s Famous Outdoor Recreation Program, it provides a gear-agnostic approach to the skills …

How often you take rest breaks during a day hike or backpacking trip and how long you rest for. For example, is there a specific reason that you stop and rest? Please leave a comment.

This article’s focus is on helping you further reduce your pack weight by eliminating non-essential items including extra clothing or extra supplies that might be a convenience, but that you really don’t need to bring with you. This phase will require some …

I wear a pair of Outdoor Research Crocodile Gaiters in winter to keep snow out of my mountaineering boots and to provide some protection for my legs against self-inflected crampon strikes. I’ve owned a pair for going on 4 years and they …

One of the most unsettling things you can hear on a backpacking trip is gunfire, especially during hunting season. I experienced this last month when I was climbing Mt. Greylock on the Appalachian Trail, just outside of North Adams, Massachusetts. It was …

The most popular form of hiking in the northeastern United States is peakbagging, usually done as days hikes, where hikers set out to climb different mountains on the White Mountain 4000 footer list, the Adirondack 46ers, or the Catskill 3500s. While not as …

If you’ve been smitten by hiking and all you can think about is your next trip, it’s time to rearrange your life to maximize your hiking time. Here are a few hiking and backpacking hacks to help you on your way. 1. Replace …

I always carry a small fire-making kit when I go hiking. It contains a Light My Fire firesteel that can generate sparks and a small sandwich bag with vaseline smeared cotton balls as tinder that light easily and will burn for a few minutes, …

You’d think there was a simple answer to this, but it really depends. What you eat for breakfast depends on knowing what your body needs in the morning. It depends on external weather conditions, the number of daylight hours you have, the …

I recently met a pair of new backpackers, Bill and Elena, and they asked me my opinion about the 200 foot rule. This is a  a backcountry camping rule in many federally regulated forests. Check your local regulations for specifics because they vary accross …

My wife has expressed a willingness, even a desire to go car camping with me. But we both get anxious when we have to pack up for a multi-day car camping trip, so I created this checklist of all the stuff we …

How can you prevent bug bites without using DEET or other insect repellents, stay cool during day hikes or backpacking trips, and protect your skin from sun burn? Easy – wear long pants, a long sleeve shirt and a hat when you hike. …

Whenever you go hiking it’s important to bring a map with you.  Ideally, this will be a topographic map, which is the kind with the squiggly lines on it. Called contour lines, they can tell you whether you’ll be hiking uphill, downhill, …