Camping

Closed cell foam sleeping pads are quite popular with ultralight backpackers who want to shave every ounce from their gear list and need gear that can’t fail. If you want to carry multi-purpose gear to save weight, you’re hard on gear, or want to save money, closed cell sleeping pads …

The best way to deal with wet gear and clothing during a backpacking trip is to dry it. It sounds simple, but we’re often so obsessed with a daily trip plan or mileage goals that we don’t build in any time to attend to basic housekeeping chores. The problem is accentuated …

“You need to buy the tent footprint if you want the fast pitch option,” is the common refrain of tent manufacturers and retailers. But you wonder, “When would I use the fast pitch option and what am I giving up if I don’t buy the footprint now?” Many double-wall tent …

No. It’s a myth that sleeping naked in a sleeping bag is warmer than wearing in long underwear. I’m not sure how this Internet meme started but it’s dead wrong. How Sleeping Bags Work Sleeping bags are designed to trap the heat your body produces and prevent it from escaping. …

A lot of backpackers get really stressed out when planning trips because they can’t find any information about pre-existing campsites along their route. While campgrounds, lean-tos, and signed designated campsites are usually easy to find out about, that’s often not the case with the dispersed campsites you find in the …

When you first start backpacking, it takes a little practice to figure out the best way to pack your gear into your backpack. Here are some good tips to keep in mind for how to get organized, how maximize your hiking time, and keep your pack lightweight and comfortable. Document your load! Once …

There are basically 3 ways to protect your food from bears and other animals in the backcountry: bear bags, bear canisters, and Ursacks. They all have their advantages and disadvantages, so let’s review each. Bear Canisters A bear canister is a rigid, usually plastic barrel, that puts an impenetrable barrier …

Tent condensation happens to everyone. It’s one of the unavoidable consequences of camping or backpacking with a tent, but it’s usually just a nuisance and not the end of the world. Still, there are a lot of misconceptions about tent condensation and whether you can buy a tent that completely …

Tarps are a great ultralight backpacking shelter option, provided they’re used in a climate where there’s no rain or occasional rain. To clarify, I’m talking about square or rectangular tarps with or without catenary cut ridge lines and sides, and not single walled shelters like pyramids and their numerous variants. …

Tent vestibules are like mudrooms at the front of a tent or along its sides. They provide extra space to stash your gear out-of-the-way in a cramped multi-person tent, or a place to change out of wet, muddy gear before you get into the clean, dry end of your tent. …

Bear bags are intended to protect your food on backpacking trips and to prevent bears from becoming accustomed to eating human food. “A fed bear is a dead bear”, as the saying goes, and no one wants to see a bear killed because someone was careless and didn’t hang their …

The camping “landscape” is often divided into frontcountry campsites, backcountry campsites, designated campsites, and dispersed camping. You’re likely to encounter these terms if you camp or backpack in National Parks, National Forests, and State Parks and it’s important to understand what they mean. Frontcountry Campsites Frontcountry campsites are located in …

What is an Appalachian Trail Shelter? Appalachian Trail Shelters come in many different styles and sizes. Most are built-in a lean-to style with one wall open to the elements, but here are many different shelter designs in use up and down the trail. Some have covered porches where hikers can …

Do you love to backpack, but can't take off six months at a time for a thru-hike? There's no shame in becoming a weekend warrior and backpacking once a week or once a month for a few days.