Backpacking Skills

If something bad happens to you on a hike and you’re alone or with a friend, would you be able to self-rescue, or would you need to contact search and rescue and request help? That is a question I ask myself whenever I go hiking. It dictates the routes I …

When it comes to gear list weight reduction for lightweight and ultralight backpacking, the biggest gains come from lightening the big three, including your backpack, tent, and your sleep system which includes a sleeping pad and sleeping bag or quilt. These are almost always the heaviest items that you have …

Many backpackers carry camp shoes for greater comfort in camp that can serve double duty as stream crossing shoes, so they don’t have to get their hiking boots or trail shoes wet. Sandals, water shoes, slides, clogs, and minimalist footwear are all popular choices but it’s worth giving some thought …

Nobody gets just one chigger bite. You get a whole mess of them, more often than not, and they itch like hell. But chigger bites are preventable and the itching they cause goes away in a few days. Unlike ticks, chiggers do not carry any diseases that can affect humans.  …

Backpacker Magazine got it right when they named Mt Washington (6288′) one of the 10 most dangerous hikes in America. Several weather patterns collide on Mt Washington and produce its notoriously foul weather, which can move in quickly.  The winds on Mt Washington exceed tropical storm force (40 mph) 110 days …

Winter River Crossings can be quite high consequence if you slip off a rock and get your boots and clothing wet or you plunge through an ice shelf along the bank and get swept underneath it. You can usually avoid these dangers with extra planning, bushwhacking along the river bank …

Winter backpacking and mountaineering are great sports. But the cost of winter gear is very expensive, upward of $2000 or more. In my experience, it’s best to acquire winter backpacking gear over a period of 2-3 years, so you can spread out the capital expenditure required while using some of …

Winter backpacking requires the development of many new skills, particularly in the area of hydration and stove use. Chief amongst these is melting snow for drinking water since most of the streams you encounter will be frozen over and you can’t ingest enough liquid by eating snow. The most reliable …

Layering for cold weather and winter hiking is a lot more nuanced than people make it out to be. While assembling a wicking base layer, insulating mid-layer, and waterproof/windproof shell is the foundation for a layered clothing system, experienced hikers employ a number of temperature regulation techniques beyond adding or …

The Black Diamond FirstLight Tent is a four-season, two-person tent that weighs 2 lbs 9 oz. It’s a single-wall, free-standing tent that is a snap to set up, which is important in freezing weather when you want to get out of your cold damp clothes and into warm dry ones. …

One of the most important backpacking skills is learning how to take care of yourself if you have to hike in sustained rain. Foot care, campsite selection, thermoregulation, pacing, layering, cooking, hydration, packing, and gear selection are all factors in learning how to stay happy and healthy when you get …

If you want to save money and prolong the life of your backpacking gear, it pays to maintain it and repair it by yourself. Here are the commercial products I use to fix my gear as well as the replacement parts I scrounge or purchase to restore it. If you …

What should you pack for a 3 day backpacking trip? The answer is that you need everything you’d bring on a 1 day backpacking trip, except for a little more food, fuel, toilet paper, to stay out an additional 2 days. It doesn’t matter if you go on a 24 hour …

When gearing up for winter day hiking you want footwear, clothing and traction aids that can be used across a fairly wide range of temperatures, wind speeds, sun, precipitation types, and surface conditions. For example, typical winter weather includes: Temperatures: from 40 degrees down to 20 below zero (Fahrenheit) Wind …