Frequently Asked Questions

You don’t absolutely need trekking poles for hiking or backpacking although many people find them helpful. The most oft-cited advantage of trekking poles is that they take some of the pressure off your legs when descending steep slopes or mountains, thereby decreasing …

GPS smartphone navigation apps are convenient to use and a real boon for making outdoor navigation more accessible, but they’re best used alongside other navigation tools such as waterproof maps and a magnetic compass. If you’re just experimenting with navigation apps for …

The desert is a place of extreme opposites: blasting heat and freezing cold, parched soil and flash floods, a harsh landscape but one filled with delicate creatures. When planning backpacking trips, it’s important to consider seasonal temperatures, weather patterns, flora, and fauna …

When hiking the Appalachian Trail, you always want to bring some kind of camping shelter, be it a tent, floorless tarp, or hammock, because there’s a very real chance that the shelter will be full when you arrive. Shelter occupancy is first …

One of the most useful items I carry on backpacking trips is a small pair of scissors. They’re great for trimming leukotape if I feel a blister coming on or for shaping a piece of tenacious tape if I rip a hole …

Esbit cubes are solid fuel cubes used for cooking backpacking meals. Weighing just 0.5 ounces (14 g) each, they’re ultralight, you don’t need a container to carry them like an isobutane gas canister or alcohol bottle, and you can even ship them …

Many backpacking-style hammocks come in double-layer or single-layer models. How do you decide which hammock to get and what are the consequences of choosing one type over the other? Double Layer Hammocks A double layer hammock is so-called because the part you lie …

When you first start backpacking, it takes a little practice to figure out the best way to pack your gear into your backpack. Here are some good tips to keep in mind for how to get organized, how maximize your hiking time, and keep your …

Hiking at night is very different from hiking during the day. While it goes against the grain, night hiking can present a whole new spin on your hiking adventures. If you’re interested in hiking at night, here’s some insight on why to …

Most modern maps are generated from multiple map layers stored in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Each map layer represents a different group of geo-referenced data points that are superimposed one on top of the another to create a composite map image. For …

Wind shirts and wind shells are thin lightweight jackets, running shells, pullovers, or anoraks weighing 2 to 6 ounces, that hikers wear as a barrier to prevent winds from stripping away body heat. They’re usually made of highly breathable, uncoated nylon that …

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 …

Getting ready for a thru-hike adventure can involve more than researching and buying gear, packing up some resupply boxes, and binge-watching every YouTube video made on how to be ultralight. Sure, this may be a key part of your preparation; however, making …

These are all great questions. First off, shelters that have a removable inner tent are a great way to ease into tarp camping. A lot of tarp campers use an inner tent like this during bug season or in wet climates too. …