Backpacking Skills

I attended a really fantastic Ax training and certification class for trail maintainers this past Friday offered by the Appalachian Mountain Club in New Hampshire. It’s the only such course offered in the United States and teaches you how to sharpen an …

The lightest weight ultralight backpacking shelters are tarps, including flat tarps and catenary curve tarps, sometimes called “flat cut” or “cat cut” tarps for short. They both have their pros and cons as we discuss below, but if your goal is wilderness …

One of the biggest challenges faced by winter hikers is figuring out a clothing layering system that keeps them warm and dry across a wide variety of temperatures, wind chills, and exertion levels. It takes a lot of experimentation to dial in …

Backpackers are always looking for ways to save pack weight. Some continuously upgrade to the latest lightweight gear, while others remain solely focused on eliminating all but the necessities. Regardless of the motivation, the objective is the same – to lessen the …

Ultralight bivy sacks are used by backpackers for cowboy camping or under floorless shelters, such as tarps or pyramids, to protect their sleeping bags/quilts and sleeping pads from wind, insects, mice, and other creepy crawlers. Most are not waterproof and function more …

Lightweight double-wall backpacking tents are making a comeback amongst ultralight backpackers with gear weights that rival their single-walled competitors. Double-wall tents have many advantages over single-walled tents, including: Less internal condensation Less drafty because they don’t have to be wind tunnels to …

If you crave a deep connection with the wilderness, there’s nothing more intimate than sleeping under a square or rectangular tarp. Pitching a tarp takes more thought than setting up a tent because you need to consider what the best setup or “shape” will …

The Kovea Spider Inverted Canister Stove is a four-season backpacking and camping stove that has many advantages over fully integrated and component canister stove systems. Chief amongst these is the fact that it can burn canister fuel in liquid form, with the …

Feathered Friend’s Down Booties are goose-down socks that have a removable weather-resistant shell so you can wear them in your sleeping bag or outdoors when winter camping. I like wearing mine in the cabin or on winter backpacking trips after removing my …

I have a bad blister on my foot that’s taking a long time to heal. Technically, it’s not a blister but a wound, because the skin covering it was ripped off and the deeper tissue exposed. To make matters worse, I continued …

The best knee brace I’ve found for hiking and backpacking is the Cho-Pat Knee Brace. I’ve used one when my knee bothers me from carrying too much weight and I have a few hiking buddies who swear by theirs. They wear two …

An inverted canister stove is a canister stove that can burn canister gas (an isobutane/propane mix) in lower temperatures than a regular canister stove. It’s good for winter camping when the nighttime temperature drops below 15 degrees (F). That’s the temperature at …

With spring hiking and backpacking season on the horizon, here are some important gear maintenance tasks for you to perform to prepare for your next trip. If you have other spring gear maintenance tips you’d like to share, please leave a comment …

Backpackers are split about 50/50 when it comes to using a backpack rain cover or lining the inside of their backpacks with a plastic bag or backpack liner designed for that purpose. When I started backpacking, I used a backpack rain cover …