Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s my simple guide to educate and encourage you to hike and camp with your period, while also addressing many common questions and concerns. Having your period doesn’t need to be a reason to keep you from hiking and backpacking. In fact, …

Have you ever gotten really cold while wearing a rain jacket and hiking in the rain? It can be really unpleasant and even lead to hypothermia if you let it get out of hand. The best way to stay warm when hiking …

With the exception of socks or underwear, most backpackers don’t bring multiple sets of clothing on backpacking trips in order to save weight. That means washing or rinsing clothes when they get stinky or crusty with perspiration and dirt. If you’re on …

? If you routinely experience back pain, shoulder pain, or hip pain when you carry a backpack, there’s a good chance that your backpack doesn’t fit you or that you’re not wearing it properly. This is surprisingly common among backpackers, and one …

Many people like to carry a hydration system (reservoir and hose) on day hikes and backpacking trips, but others prefer carrying water bottles instead. While you can chalk up the difference to personal preference, there are definite pros and cons to hiking …

Waterproof/breathable rain jackets are coated with a polymer called DWR (Durable Water Repellency) that makes rain bead up and roll off the exterior surface of the jacket. Many, but not all, DWR coatings are based on fluoropolymers that have a fluorine atom …

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 …

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 …

Selecting a comfortable tent site is a useful skill for all backpackers, regardless of whether you set up camp in a designated camping area or if you stealth camp in a natural, unprepared site. Here are some of the things that I …

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 …

Ventilated backpacks have suspended mesh backs to help dry perspiration when you’re carrying a backpack. The mesh is suspended above a concave cavity so there’s a big air space behind your back to help evaporate moisture. Deuter Packs, which is the largest …

If you hike or backpack in areas that have large amounts of decaying vegetation, like the forests of North America, you’re going to come across natural water sources that have a sickly red, orange, or yellow color. The tea-like coloring is caused …

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 …