Camping

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 different federal and state jurisdictions. If you hike …

One of my facebook readers left a comment yesterday, questioning why anyone would bury the ash generated by a wood stove (see my Solo Wood Stove Review) when it would naturally dissipate on its own. Burying my ashes is one of the things I do to practice Leave No Trace …

Do you snore on backpacking or camping trips? Does it disturb the people you’re with or others who share the same campsite with you? If so, you need to take responsibility for your ‘condition’ and reduce its impact on others. Here are some camping etiquette guidelines for backpackers and campers …

If you need to take a poop on a hike and you’re not near a composting privy or toilet, it is recommended that you bury your poop in a cathole so that it can biodegrade, animals won’t dig it up, and it won’t disturb other visitors. You’d think everyone knew …

When I go backpacking, I carry a small stuff sack with my tent stakes and extra cordage. I typically carry betwen 6 and 11 tent stakes with me, extra paracord and Kelty triptease. This is one of the more general purpose elements of my gear list, but it’s worked well …

Over the past 4 years, I've progressively migrated from tents, to tarp tents, and finally to tarps as my preferred camping shelter. Over time and many backpacking trips, I came to appreciate the flexibility of of tarps over tents or tarp tents in a variety of different weather conditions and …

I’m writing this post at the request of one of our regular readers. He had a bad experience camping at an Appalachian Trail Shelter over the Columbus Day weekend with his children. Some other campers showed up and were drinking heavily. They got loaded and and rowdy and trashed the …

  I’ve bought a few commercial bear bags in my time and found them lacking in various ways. So I assembled the following bear bag system that I’ve been using very successfully over the past 2 years. It has 5 components: a ultralight stuff sack capable of holding 4-5 days …

When I was hiking a section of the AT recently near Crawford Notch in New Hampshire, I came across this bear bag hanging on a tree at the Ethan Pond Shelter. I was stunned when I saw it because it’s one of the worst examples of how to hang a …

The guys at RVOps in the UK publish a lot of really great gear reviews and how-to videos on YouTube. Here’s one that caught my eye last week about how to use LineLocks, an ultralight guy line tensioner. I’ve owned these for a few years and never could figure out …

The problem with using very lightweight titanium stakes for pitching a tent or tarp is that they are so darn easy to lose. But, why pay more for high visibility tent stakes when you can easily make your own? All you need is some blaze orange fingernail polish and some …

People often ask me what kind of shelter is best for stealth camping. The answer varies depending on the type of stealth camping you want to do. If you’re out backpacking and decide to stay at a site where camping is uncommon due to heavy day use (be sure to …

I got some more practice today setting up a tarp and I’m finally feeling confident enough that I could actually use it as a shelter on a section hike if required. This time around, I practiced with an 8 x 8 ft square silnylon tarp that I own for hammock …

On Sunday,  I spent a few hours in the woods by my house setting up tarps in a variety of configurations and it's fair to say that I need a lot more practice. I'd read about setting up tarps before trying it today, but it seems like I had to …