For Beginners

 Backpacking gear is expensive and you need to take care of it to extend its lifetime. Here’s a checklist of gear maintenance tasks I try to do the morning after I get home from a backpacking trip: Air out my sleeping bag or quilt to make sure they’re dry before storing un-stuffed. Hang up …

  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 ultralight stuff sack capable of holding 4-5 days …

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 worst examples of how to hang a …

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 the backcountry. I still go on one or two …

This article is in response to Jason's Klass' post In defense of the knife. Jason believes that a knife is important to carry in the backcountry. His preference is a 2.6 oz. Spyderco Delica 4. A perfectly logical choice, except maybe the part about defending yourself from mountain lions. But …

I hope you never have to deal with a life and death situation in the wilderness. But the odds are good that you will, sooner or later, if you spend significant time in the backcountry by yourself or with groups of backpackers, hikers, climbers, skiers or whitewater kayakers. I’ve dealt …

  Here is my slightly abridged, take no prisoners, version of the Leave No Trace Principles. Plan Ahead and Prepare. Know local regulations. Shelters may be full; bring a tent, tarp or hammock. Carefully map out your route before you arrive including potential water sources and natural obstacles. Consider contingency …

I do a lot of solo backpacking because it can be difficult to find a good hiking partners and because dealing with their shuttle logistics can be extremely frustrating. However, even though I hike alone, I often camp with other backpackers who I've run across during the day or meet …

This post is for people who are interested in overnight backpacking as an adventure sport for themselves or their families but are still in the beginner stages trying to figure out what gear to buy or where to go one their first trip. If you’re at this stage, I have …

My old boots have finally died and I’m spending this week and next breaking in a new pair of leather Asolo boots before my next section hike over Mt. Mansfield and it’s surrounding peaks. My goal is to hike about 100 miles in a variety of terrains to get the …

  There are three different ways that of lightning can harm you: direct cloud-to-ground strikes, side flashes, and ground currents. In a cloud-to-ground strike, two arcs of energy meet, an upward leader, emanating from a high point such as a tree or mountain top and one emanating from a cloud. …

Seam Sealing is the process of treating the stitch holes and seams in gear made from waterproof fabric to prevent them from leaking when it rains or snows to achieve maximum waterproofness. Tents and tarps of all types and ages often require some degree of seam sealing to prevent moisture from …

  Section hikers are people who hike long distance trails in stages, maybe a weekend or a vacation, at a time. We are the unfortunate majority that can’t take a year off to hike the Appalachian Trail or many of the other fine long distance trails in the US and …