Health & Hygiene

This is NOT a backpacking recipe! It's a technique I learned for warming an hypothermia victim during my Wilderness First Aid certification class in Vermont recently. The Human Burrito is based on vapor barrier survival techniques that I've written about in the …

I hope you never have to deal with a life and death situation in the wilderness. But the odds are good that you will, sooner or later, if you spend significant time in the backcountry by yourself or with groups of backpackers, …

Last winter, my wife bought me some Grabber Hand Warmers to heat up my sleeping bag in cold weather. I didn’t pay much attention to them for almost a year until I tried one last weekend and I was blown away. These are …

Last year, I used 4 squirt bottles of Ben's 100% DEET to prevent mosquito bites. I'd slather Ben's on my legs, arms, and head every time I went backpacking and hiking near my home in Boston or when I visited my favorite …

Illiotibial Band Syndrome (ITB) can really slow down hikers and backpackers. I know, I’m suffering from it this sumer. But about 2 months ago, I bought myself a Protec Illiotibial Band wrap that has kept the condition under control and helped me …

Picture this. You are forced to wear long pants on a backpacking trip because the black flies are biting, you hate wearing DEET or you are concerned about catching Lyme disease from ticks. The weather is hot and you start to sweat …

Zinc Oxide ointment is a must have item that every hiker needs in their first aid kit. This simple white ointment provides fast relief for chafed skin and diaper rash, also known as monkey butt amongst backpackers. It can be applied as …

Black fly season occurs from mid-March to mid-July in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, north through New York and New England, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and into Southern Canada. Some backpackers, campers, and fishermen avoid outdoor activities during black fly season, but …

No one is immune to blisters. However, blisters are preventable if you understand the conditions that cause them and they will heal faster if you know how to treat them properly. In the following article I begin by explaining what blisters are …