What a Backpacking Pack Should Be!
They call it backpacking for a reason! Your backpack is probably the single most important piece of gear in your loadout. Because without a backpack, you're just camping, right? But there are thousands of backpacks on the market to choose from: large, small, traditional, ultralight, full-featured, minimalist
9 Ways to Avoid One HUGE Camping Mistake
When the bottom falls out of your world and the world falls out of your bottom
The KEY to Great Sleep Outdoors
What is the worst part about backpacking? I think most people would say it’s the sleep. I don’t know what it is, but I can hike all day long, be utterly exhausted from a hike
High-Quality and AFFORDABLE Ultralight Loadout
One of the most common misconceptions about ultralight (UL) is that it’s expensive. But in reality, UL isn’t any more expensive than traditional backpacking gear, if you know where to look. To prove it, I set out to put together a UL loadout that is high-quality, from well recognized brands, but still comes in under $850. For everything. Watch this video as I take you through the whole experience, or keep scrolling to read. https://youtu.be/POfHzNiWczU Okay, I’ve been working on this list for a while. As
5 BAD Habits that are DESTROYING Your Gear
Backpacking gear isn’t cheap. But if you treat it right, it will last you a long time. Like this sleeping pad I bought way back in 2009. You probably know it’s not good to leave your sleeping bag in its stuff sack. As I have talked about many times, sleeping bags keep you warm by creating loft. The beauty of down is how compressible it is. But leave it compressed too long, and it has a tendency to want to stay
Backpacking’s Top 5 Most Useful Gear
Backpacks, tents, and sleeping bags. This is the gear most people want to talk about. But all of those things are highly specialized. Your tent, sleeping pad and bag are good for sleeping in
Exploring the Untouched Beauty of Matilija Wilderness, California: A Backpacking Adventure in Los Padres National Forest
The Matilija Wilderness in Southern California is indeed a wild place. I recently did a 2 night backpacking tip of the North Fork Matilija Creek Trail in the Matilija Wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest. I wasn’t looking to do a lot of miles on this trip and even what I intended to do was cut short due to how difficult the trail is to follow.
10 Tips To Reduce Pack Weight
I have never considered myself an ultralight backpacker. I have been known, however, to do whatever I can to try and reduce pack weight. Sometimes that means upgrading or modifying my gear, or just simply using better packing strategies. No matter how you classify yourself I think we all would like a lighter pack. The following is a list of tips and techniques to help you reduce your overall pack weight. 1. Modify your gear: You don’t have to
What is Geocaching? – A Guest Post
The following is a guest post by John Koster an avid Geocacher! You can find out more about John on his blog: Cachin' In. In 2005 I was home for a summer internship with the Alabama Geologic Survey when some of my friends asked if I wanted to “go look for something hidden, with a GPS?” I said OK, but I honestly had no idea what we were doing. We ended up at a war memorial near the mall and the
Entire Lincoln National Forest Will Close Due To Fire Danger
Next Thursday May 12 at 8:00 am the entire Lincoln National Forest (including all three districts) will be closed to the public due to extreme fire danger. All National Forest System roads and trails will be closed, but all interstate highways, state and county roads through the forest will remain open, according to a U.S. Forest Service statement. The Forest Service has also stated that campfire and smoking restrictions have been effective minimizing the number of fires, but the