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 …
Read More »Backpacking Skills
Probars – My Secret Vice
I’ve become hooked on Probars. Those of you who read my post Powerbar Bakeoff will be amused because I now like them more than Amish powerbars. It was an accident, I swear! In order to do a fair evaluation of Probars, I …
Read More »Preventing Mold in Hydration Systems
Do you see that red stain on the inside of my platypus hydration bladder in the picture below? That’s mold, like the stuff that grows on our bathroom shower curtain. I only noticed it on my last backpacking trip, and since getting …
Read More »Powerbar Bake-off
Backpacking food can be really expensive if you buy commercially packaged meals and snacks. Most freeze-dried meals cost $5-8 dollars and powerbars can cost as much as $3.50 each. Your best alternative is to prepare your own meals and snacks or to …
Read More »Zinc Oxide: A First Aid Kit Essential
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 …
Read More »Sleep System Survival Tactics for Staying Warm
Have you ever spent a cold night in your sleeping bag wondering why you are cold when you’re sleeping in a bag that is properly rated for the temperature outside? A lot of backpackers and campers have this problem and blame their …
Read More »Black Fly Season
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 …
Read More »Blister Prevention and Treatment for Hikers
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 …
Read More »Stealth Camping
I like camping far away from established campsites. If I’m hiking solo on a managed trail, I usually avoid shelters and lean-tos unless I want company. If I’m bushwacking there is usually no other option. When I get tired or the light …
Read More »The Limitations of Water Filters and Water Purification
Most of the water filters carried by backpackers and long distance hikers cannot remove organisms smaller than 3 microns in size. While protozoa such as Giardia (shown below) and Cryptosporidium are about 5 microns in size, water filters miss bacteria such as …
Read More »Hydration Bladder Pockets in Backpacks
Hydration pockets are good for day hikers because they hold your Camelback or platypus hydration bladder in place. If you’re a day hiker, you don’t have a lot of gear in the pack to keep your bladder from shifting around. However …
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