Clothes and Layering

Buying a rain jacket for hiking and backpacking can be a very confusing process. If you look at the jackets that are available, it can be difficult to figure which ones are best suited for hiking and which are really made for …

Napoleon Chest Pockets When it comes to hard shell jackets for backpacking, you really want to buy a rain jacket that has napoleon chest pockets aligned along your sternum instead of side pockets. Waist level side pockets are completely worthless because they’re …

I’ve met a few hikers who prefer wearing kilts instead of hiking pants. Hiking kilts are a practical hiking garment for men and it’s surprising that more hikers and backpackers don’t use them. They’re great way to avoid moisture build-up and chafing in those …

A balaclava is an incredibly useful piece of gear to bring hiking or camping. It can be worn during the day in cool weather as a hat, face mask, or neck gaiter or at night as head covering to keep you extra …

Hiking and Lyme Disease Last year, I switched to wearing long pants for all of my day hiking and backpacking trips to lower my risk of Lymes disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. I have an alarming number of friends who’ve contracted …

A lot of hikers contact me about gaiters, so I thought I’d write a post about high and low gaiters, when they’re appropriate to use and why you might use them. First off, there are high gaiters and low gaiters. High gaiters …