Frequently Asked Questions

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 …

Many people bring too many extra clothes on backpacking trips, including more shirts, pants, pairs of underwear, socks, and even shoes that they don’t need. Extra clothes add a lot of unnecessary weight to a backpack and take up a significant amount of extra …

Pump water filters and purifiers are often better suited for filtering water from muddy puddles, silt-choked rivers, and other sketchy sources than squeeze-style water filters, bottle filters, chemical purifiers, and UV purifiers. Unlike other methods, they use a two-stage process to remove …

“You need to buy the tent footprint if you want the fast pitch option,” is the common refrain of tent manufacturers and retailers. But you wonder, “When would I use the fast pitch option and what am I giving up if I …

A hammock ground cloth is a clean and dry landing zone where you can put your feet down at night when you need to get up for a bio break so you don’t track moisture or debris back into your hammock. It …

Winter backpacking requires the development of many new skills, particularly in the area of hydration and stove use. Chief amongst these is melting snow for drinking water since most of the streams you encounter will be frozen over and you can’t ingest …

Staying warm in a hammock in cool weather can be a challenge. While everyone’s metabolism is different, most people begin to feel cool in a hammock when the outside temperature reaches 65-70 degrees. At this point, the addition of bottom insulation is …

When you boil water with a canister stove, it’s very easy to tip a top-heavy pot full of scalding hot water all over yourself or the ground. It’s dangerous because you can get seriously burned and it uses up precious stove fuel …

You’ve written a hiking trip plan and left it with a responsible adult. But you’re overdue and possibly incapacitated. Who should they call to activate a search and rescue effort to come looking for you? The answer might not be as obvious …

Layering for cold weather and winter hiking is a lot more nuanced than people make it out to be. While assembling a wicking base layer, insulating mid-layer, and waterproof/windproof shell is the foundation for a layered clothing system, experienced hikers employ a …

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 …

Nobody gets just one chigger bite. You get a whole mess of them, more often than not, and they itch like hell. But chigger bites are preventable and the itching they cause goes away in a few days. Unlike ticks, chiggers do …

Cloud shapes, altitude, density, and color can help you predict the weather when you are hiking and don’t have access to a weather forecast. This is particularly true in mountainous areas, above treeline, or areas prone to flash floods where getting struck …

I use a Suunto magnetic compass and Casio watch altimeter whenever I step off a trail to navigate and I carry them on every hike I take. But with the improvements in GPS Phone Apps, like Gaia GPS and ViewRanger, I have …