Backpacking Skills

I bought this Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight Medical Kit .7 to bring on the Appalachian Mountain Club hiking and backpacking trips I lead as a volunteer. I bought a commercial kit instead of just rolling my own because I wanted something that …

Do your trail runners or trail shoes smell like really bad breath? Do your housemates make you keep them outside because they smell so overpowering, like Dog-sh*t? Does the smell remain even after regular rinsing? Do you own a separate pairs for work and …

Fleece is a synthetic fabric that’s proven ideal for outdoor recreational use because it’s warm, fast-drying, and extremely durable. Fleece clothing requires no special care and can be machine washed and dried for years without shrinkage. Stylish and available in many different …

The best ultralight backpacking foods are high in calories, compact, and fast to prepare. In order to keep your food load as lightweight as possible, you want to carry foods that have 100 calories per ounce or more. One ounce is 28.3 grams, …

Logan bread is a dense quick bread full of dried fruits and nuts. Named after Mount Logan in the Yukon, Logan Bread’s delicious taste, high-calorie content, indestructibility, and non-perishability make it an ideal backpacking food. I first learned about Logan Bread in …

Good campsite selection is an important backpacking skill. Here are some tips to pick a safe and comfortable campsite that will enhance your enjoyment of the backcountry. 1. Plan campsites in advance If backcountry regulations require that you camp at designated campsites, …

No matter how fast you hike, the distance you can walk in a day is largely a function of the number of hours of daylight you have at any given time of year. This is an especially important consideration in autumn and …

We’ve all brought dumb things on backpacking trips. Oh yeah. I’ve certainly had my share. But it’s still fun to laugh about them. Here are 10 epic examples that I collected from SectionHiker readers, that I think you’ll find humorous along with some valuable …

If you were to look into the foodbags of most hikers, you’d be horrified or amazed, or maybe both. I know a few hikers who only eat pre-processed, pre-packaged meals for months at a time on thru-hikes, others who carefully pre-bag freezer bag …

If you do a lot of hiking, climbing, snowshoeing or skiing in winter in the mountains and you haven’t had any avalanche training, I suggest you get some. In addition, I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of Staying Alive …

Have you ever noticed that the distances computed by digital mapping tools are substantially different from paper maps and guidebooks of the same area? I’ve been planning a 200 mile backpacking trip and the digital mapping tools I’ve been using, Caltopo and …

Have you ever looked at the nutrition labels on Mountain House and Harmony House backpacking meals and Knorr Rice and Pasta sides. You’ll be appalled by the amount of sodium included in these meals, especially since the other trail foods (nuts, bars, …

Milk is the new Gatorade for backpackers. At least dehydrated milk is. What other energy drink weighs so little but packs such a big punch in terms of calories and overall nutrition? With a caloric density of 150 calories per once (dry), drinking …

What’s your cooking style on backpacking trips? Do you prefer to mix up your own freezer bag meals using store ingredients or ingredients you’ve dehydrated at home? Or do you like eating soupy, one-pot meals that easy to heat and clean up? …