Tag: backpacking
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The Camino de Santiago is an amazing experience for nearly everyone. For some, it’s a once in a life time experience. For others, it is repeated regularly, it’s part of their life’s rhythm. Almost all are touched by what is called the Camino spirit. This is the combination of kindness, curiosity, and openness without judgement…
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Outdoor activities often requires dealing with biting bugs such as mosquitos which are annoying, but generally not directly life threatening (though they can be a disease vector). There are also ticks, black flies, spiders, scorpions, and some ant variants. Appropriate preventative measures vary by the “Bugforce” that is expected. Contents1 Qualifying Bugforce2 My Approach3 Physical…
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The following is a reference I use when selecting the next hiking or backpacking destination with a bias toward Northern California. I make it in 2002 and just now moving it from my old site so it is easier to fix broken links and add new places to try. Each year I say “This year…
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Every Saturday Jackie and I take at least a couple hours to walk in one of the parks in our area or we might be further afield at some state or national park. Within a few minutes of beginning our walk I can feel myself relaxing. I periodically go on solo backpacking trips, my version…
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Updated November 2024 Flashlights and headlamps let you continue your activities once it is too dark to see. The ability to expend the hours that we can do things is invaluable. Today, virtually all flashlights and headlamps use LEDs to produce light. I strongly encourage people to retired any lights which aren’t using LEDs. LEDs…
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Many activities benefits from having some sort of sharp object to cut things. Examples of this include food preparation, opening packaging, trimming material to cover a blister, preparing kindling, or hacking branches to build an emergency shelter. My Choice My every day carry (EDC) knife is a Victorinox Rambler Pocket Knife which is the smallest…
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Next to staying warm, the most important survival and comfort factor is drinking an adequate amount of safe water. Many, but not all cities around the world have safe drinking water. For the urban environments without safe water, and for most back country adventures you need to be prepared to produce safe water, and have…
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In extremely cold vapor barriers can be part of an effective clothing or sleep system. According to the book Secrets of Warmth by Hal Wiess, the human body gives off moisture for three reasons: (1) as a fear response, (2) as sweat to cool us down when overheating, (3) to maintain adequate humidity (~79%?) for the skin.…
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I recommend clothing that can be comfortably worn day after day for a wide variety of activities while still looking good. When in the outdoors no one cares how you look, but in urban environments it can make a difference in how people treat you. When in doubt, dress up rather than down. My packing…
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Today there is a wide range of ultralight shelters including traditionally designed tents using exotic materials to move them into the ultralight weight classification. Many of the ultralight shelter designs came from people’s experiences on long thru hikes combined with a desire to find the lightest possible shelter while still providing adequate protection. I think…
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Review Item: ZPacks HexamidOptions: Cuben with NettingManufacture Year: 2010Listed weight: Cuben shelter, guylines, and bag 8.9ozWeight as delivered: tarp+attached guylines 8.3ozMSRP: US$259, no longer made I have a first generation which uses three zippers that meet at the top peak. Joe has now switched to a single zipper to save weight and reduce the risk of zipper…
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Shelter selection should be based on how much room you need and the conditions you expect to encounter (rain, snow, wind, bugs, blistering heat, etc). For example, if you only camp in mild weather it would be silly to buy a mountaineering tent designed for expeditions since it will be more expensive, heavier, and not…
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When I started hiking as a child everyone knew you should wear hiking boots, ideally made in Italy with Vibram soles and leather.uppers. Only stupid people wore tennis shoes while hiking, though often they were brought for river crossings and for relaxing around camp. This is still a common view in the general public. When…
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In colder weather, people often struggle with their feet getting cold. There are a number of reasons for this Feet are the furthest point from your core which is generating heat. Feet are subjected to conductive cooling through the soles of your shoes/boots. Feet sweat a lot. Many people’s shoes hold in all the moisture. …
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One of my footwear posts. In general you want to keep your feet dry. There are a variety of ways you feet can get wet. The most dramatic are river crossings, followed by rain, snow, and slush. The final issue is sweat from your own feet (feet can dissipate up to 2 cups of water…
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Thought it would be interesting to see how my primary items have changed over time: I am ignoring items that were used briefly or for testing purpose. For a while I was regularly purchasing new gear and trying it our. When I found something that was “better” than what I was using, I would potentially…
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Every year I help organize several backpacking trips for the communities I participate in. Typically we will have several first time backpackers. I often get the question “What should I buy?” Everyone expects the first thing I will suggest is a good pair of boots which isn’t the case. I typically ask people if they…
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Part of Mark’s Backpacking Guide Getting Started Individuals’ Notes / Sites Books Online Communities Orgs Research Articles
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There is a saying that an army runs on it’s stomach. The same could be said for most backpackers and outdoor adventurers. For most, food is not only fuel for the journey, but also a source of enjoyment, comfort, and motivation. There is a wide range of approaches taken by people. Some people have strong…
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If you want to cook food, you need something that holds the water and/or food as you heat it up. They best cookware will vary depending on the size of a group and the type of cooking. My Choice When I am traveling solo I use a MLD 850ml titanium Pot/Mug. I use an Evernew…