Frequently Asked Questions

A waterproof backpack is a luxury that many backpackers lust for, but what does it really buy you? Most of the people that own waterproof backpacks still line the inside of their pack with a garbage bag or pack their gear in …

There’s a simple rule of thumb for figuring out how many days of food you can fit into a bear canister. Find out the capacity of your bear canister in cubic inches and divide by 100. That will give you a pretty …

Backpack weight is a frequent area of concern for many day hikers and backpackers, especially for beginners who tend to overpack out of caution. But there’s no right or wrong answer in terms of the ideal pack weight because it depends a …

Mountain guiding is a service industry, and a mountain guide is really no different from your taxi driver, your waitress, your hairstylist, or any other person or company catering to your wants and needs in the provision of a particular service. In …

Jacket pit zips are zippered openings located under the armpits on many rain jackets and winter shells. They’re designed to help you vent excess body heat, so you perspire less when wearing waterproof/breathable or non-breathable jackets. Pit zips are positioned in your …

The goal of lightweight backpacking is to reduce the amount of gear weight you carry on backpacking trips without compromising on comfort and safety. The best way to approach this is to weigh your existing gear on a postal or kitchen scale …

Many backpackers carry closed-cell foam sleeping pads because they’re lightweight and don’t fail like air mattresses. If you want to carry multi-purpose gear to save weight, you’re hard on gear or want to save money, closed-cell sleeping pads provide many advantages over …

Many backpackers attach gear to the outside of their backpack because it’s too bulky, they need to carry extra supplies, they want to keep their gear easily accessible, or because it’s wet and they need to keep it separate from their dry …

I vividly remember the first time I experienced cold weather-induced asthma. It was the same day my camera froze. It was 20 degrees below zero and we were climbing two mountains in New Hampshire’s Pemigewasset Wilderness. I remember a tightness in my …

Tent condensation happens to everyone. It’s one of the unavoidable consequences of camping or backpacking with a tent, but it’s usually just a nuisance and not the end of the world. Still, there are a lot of misconceptions about tent condensation and …

Do you have a lot of hiking, climbing, or backpacking gear that looks identical to your friends’ gear? Does it get all mixed up in the car or in camp so you can’t tell what gear is yours? Here’s an easy way …

How many pairs of underwear do you take when backpacking? While some people (like myself) only bring one pair, no matter the length of the trip, most SectionHiker readers bring two pairs on multi-day trips, one to wear, and one to wash …

A GPS receiver or Smartphone GPS App is a powerful hiking and backpacking navigation device, but it must be configured properly for use and has important limitations that trip up most beginner GPS users who may put undue trust in its ability …

There are two kinds of backpacks you can buy – ones with fixed length torsos and one with adjustable length torsos. Fixed length packs tend to be a little lighter weight than packs with adjustable lengths, but they either fit you or …