For Beginners

Do you pack your sleeping bag or quilt in a waterproof stuff sack when you go backpacking? We polled Section Hiker readers and surprisingly, the vast majority don’t stuff their sleeping bags or ultralight quilts into a waterproof stuff sack. Instead, they line their packs with trash bags and mostly …

No. It’s a myth that sleeping naked in a sleeping bag is warmer than wearing in long underwear. I’m not sure how this Internet meme started but it’s dead wrong. How Sleeping Bags Work Sleeping bags are designed to trap the heat your body produces and prevent it from escaping. …

Day hikes don’t always go as planned and it pays to equip yourself with extra survival and emergency gear whenever you take a hike in a National Park, State Park, or National Forest. Help can take a surprisingly long time to arrive the minute you leave a trailhead or paved …

Day hiking is great fun: great for the body and great for the soul. Make sure that you, your friends, family, and pets are properly equipped for your hike by referring to the following gear checklist before heading out. (Printer-Friendly Version PDF) This checklist is deliberately comprehensive so you don’t …

Leukotape Sports Tape is a sticky blister prevention tape with a strong zinc oxide adhesive that won’t come off, even in very wet conditions. It’s also highly breathable, so it can be safely worn by runners and backpackers for several days at a time. It’s best used as a preventative …

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 snowshoes, don’t take manufacturer’s size recommendations as gospel. …

People are always surprised by the fact that I carry gloves on hikes and backpacking trips, even during the summer. I need them because I hike in all kinds of conditions, in rain and above treeline. I view hiking gloves them as an extension of my clothing layering system, with …

I am not a huge fan of hiking after dark but it’s something you need to be prepared for on day hikes and backpacking trips. Despite your best planning efforts, it sometimes takes longer than you expect to reach your destination and you need to hike by the light of a …

Have you ever wondered why people say, Cotton Kills? Do you understand exactly why? Here’s an in-depth explanation as well as a list of other fabrics that you should avoid when shopping for hiking clothes. Insulation Clothing keeps you warm by trapping warm air near your skin. When cotton gets …

I carry a 6-ounce personal first aid kit when I go day hiking and backpacking. It contains more bandages and medications than I might need on a trip so I only have to replenish it periodically. It’s also closely “aligned” to the locale where I do most of my trips, …

A lot of people I meet on backpacking and camping trips think that it’s ok to pour soapy water into streams and rivers if they use biodegradable Campsuds, Sea-to-Summit Wilderness Wash, or Dr. Bronner’s Castille Soap to wash their hands, shampoo their hair, or clean their camp cookware. Nothing could …

Few moments in life compare emotionally to what occurs when someone holds a first grandchild. A friend who joined the ranks wrote, “He was only thirty minutes old, but I’d already taken him fishing six times!” I knew exactly how he felt because his statement brought back the flood of …

Why do people get lost or need to be rescued when they take a hike or journey into a backcountry area? One of the chief reasons is a lack of preparation and planning. One way to prepare yourself is to write up a trip plan to help you assess different …

Ultralight backpacking requires an extreme form of self-reliance where backpackers compensate for bringing less gear by having more advanced backcountry skills. While many other backpackers and day hikers have these same skills, “going ultralight,” or the less extreme “lightweight” is more committing, since ultralight backpackers carry less navigational, comfort, and convenience items in their packs. …