Winter can be a dangerous time to hike or camp in the backcountry, but with planning and proper preparation, a winter hike can be a safe and enjoyable experience. Please keep the following in mind when planning an outing: For safety, never …
Read More »Backpacking Skills
STABILicers Hike Macro Winter Traction Spikes Review
STABILicers Hike Macro Winter Traction Spikes are a traction device in the same vein as Kahtoola Microspikes and Hillsound Trail Crampons but with a very different binding and spike design. Instead of free-floating chains suspended from an elastomer harness, they have a …
Read More »Wolverine ShiftPlus Polar Range Boots Review
Wolverine ShiftPlus Polar Range Boots are winter boots rated down to -40F with 400-gram Primaloft Aerogel insulation. They’re not specifically designed for winter hiking and lack some of the features found on good winter hiking boots like a curved rockered sole designed …
Read More »How to Repair Gaiters with Tenacious Tape and Seam Grip
If you do a lot of winter hiking in high gaiters, sooner or later, they’re going to get punctured by self-inflicted crampon strikes or get hung up on vegetation and torn. Many people repair them with duct tape when this happens, which …
Read More »10 Backpacking Gear Maintenance Tasks for December
Here are 10 hiking and backpacking gear maintenance tasks to put on your to-do list this December. With the winter hiking and backpacking season starting, it’s worthwhile to repair your existing hiking gear and to switch to a few winter-specific items. Winter …
Read More »How to Attach an Ice Axe to a Backpack
This is a serious issue because I see a lot of people do this improperly, opening themselves to a potentially serious injury. To remedy that, I’m going to demonstrate how you should do this safely, in a way that prevents the axe …
Read More »How to Keep Your Ski Goggles from Fogging on Winter Hikes
There are times when you need to wear ski goggles and a balaclava that provides full-face protection on winter hikes, especially above treeline when there’s wind and blowing snow. While it sounds simple, it takes some practice to make sure that your …
Read More »Winter Hiking, Hydration, and Insulated Water Bottle Jackets
Whenever you go hiking, it’s important to stay properly hydrated. This is especially important for winter hiking when even mild dehydration can cloud your judgment and reduce your energy level. In winter, water loss occurs through perspiration and respiration. While you can …
Read More »The Problem with Pac Boots for Winter Hiking
Pac boots, like the kind you get from Sorel, Kamik, Cabelas, or LL Bean, are not a good option for serious hiking in winter terrain. While Pac boots were the only inexpensive alternative to buying expensive mountaineering boots about FIVE or TEN …
Read More »Winter Traction and When to Wear It
Winter hikers use three different kinds of traction devices in winter: microspikes, mountaineering crampons, and snowshoes. Microspikes and mountaineering crampons are used to provide traction on ice and packed snow while snowshoes are mainly used to provide flotation on top of unconsolidated snow. …
Read More »How to Size Snowshoes
The size of snowshoe you need depends on your body weight, the weight of your gear, snow type, and whether you snowshoe on broken-out trails or travel cross-country, on fresh powder. But if you are about to buy a new pair of …
Read More »Pre-Hike Hydration: The Key to Staying Hydrated for Winter Hiking
Winter hikers and snowshoers often have difficulty staying properly hydrated in cold weather because winter hiking is physically more challenging. The physical act of drinking is also more involved than simply sipping from a hydration hose, what with heavy winter gloves and …
Read More »Autumn Hiking and Backpacking Gear List Extras
Autumn has arrived and with it fewer daylight hours, wet leaves, cold rain, and morning frost. It’s still a great time to go hiking and backpacking, but I like to add a few technical and comfort items to my day hiking and backpacking …
Read More »How to Prevent Camping Tent Condensation in Winter
Tent condensation manifests itself either as frost on the inside surface of your tent or moisture droplets that are transferred from the inner tent to your clothing and gear. It is undesirable, particularly in winter, because it can make your gear wet …
Read More »