Backpacking Skills

I just finished bagging all of the food I need for an upcoming trek through the 100 mile wilderness on the Maine section of the Appalachian Trail. All together, I packed 9 days worth of food in the 2 OPSACKs you see …

  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 …

Dehydrating your food is an incredible way to add variety to your backpacking menu and improve the quality and quantity of food that you can bring along on strenuous hikes. Here’s a sample 9 day menu for the 100 mile Wilderness which …

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 best toilet paper for backpacking is a paper towel. Regular toilet paper just doesn’t stand up to the humidity. I like using Brawny paper towels: they’re scored down the middle of each sheet, so it’s easy to tear off a half …

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 …

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 …

Here’s a sample 3 day backpacking menu for a 44 mile section hike on the Vermont Appalachian Trail. When planning the contents of my food bag for such trips, there are two primary variables that I juggle: caloric density and variety. Caloric density …

Given the number of non-hikers that ask me about ticks and Lyme disease, it appears that either the awareness of tick-borne illness or it’s territorial spread are increasing, or both. According to the CDC, cases of Lyme disease are concentrated in the …

One of the things that Sarah Kirkconnell, author of Freezer Bag Cooking, has taught me, is not to deprive yourself on the trail. In your quest to lighten your food bag, don't make the mistake I made, which is to package up …

It doesn’t matter if you are a day hiker or a backpacker, it’s really important to go on a lot of practice hikes to test new gear and to understand how your body reacts to different trail conditions, before you get into …

Everyone knows that if you step on a rusty nail, you should get a tetanus shot. But people don’t realize that tetanus can be contracted in other ways. The fact is, that any puncture wound, especially a deep one, can be infected …

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 …