10 Skills Every Backpacker Should Have

I started this blog post with the intent of listing the top-10 basic skills that I believe every backpacker should have, but almost as soon as I started putting together my list I thought it would be much more interesting to let you all share what you think are the 10 most important skills to [..Read More..]

Filed Under: Basics, Essentials, Readers, Skills

Making An Improvised Backpack

On many of my hiking trips I’ve witnessed first-hand how reliant people have become on their gadgets and gear, to the point where they often carry things they are “supposed” to carry, but have little or no experience of how to properly use them. Of course this is not true of everyone or even most [..Read More..]

Filed Under: Basics, Bushcraft, Skills, Survival

Why Do You Go Backpacking?

I’m actually quite serious. What is it that drives you to get outside and go backpacking? I’m asking because a recent email submission from Joe B. got me thinking about the real reason why I got started with backpacking in the first place. Quite simply, it was because I like being outdoors. I like the [..Read More..]

Filed Under: Basics, Polls, Readers

Ounces & Inches – Decimal Tables

I always seem to need to look up the decimal value for fractions of an ounce when I’m writing one of my blog posts. I try to include detailed weight specifics for any products or MYOG projects as part of the post. Unfortunately my small digital scales only display weights as fractions and I’m definitely [..Read More..]

Filed Under: Basics, MYOG, Reference, Weights

Online Walking Time Calculator

I came across a really useful online walking time calculator during my daily reading and decided to share it with you all.  It’s pretty flexible and can even help you adjust your times to account for ascents (Naismith’s Rule) and fatigue (Tranter’s Corrections). Worth checking out and bookmarking! Naismith’s Rule:Is named after the Scottish climber [..Read More..]

Filed Under: Basics, Planning, Preparation, Reference, Tips and Tricks

Safety Whistles | Decibel Testing

A few months ago I wrote a mini review of the UST JetScream whistle which, if you recall, I was a little disappointed with. As part of that review, I performed a very unscientific comparison of the loudness of the JetScream to other whistles that I own. By unscientific I mean, just how it sounded [..Read More..]

Filed Under: Basics, Comparisons, Emergency, Essentials, Video, Weights, Whistle

Navigating Without a Compass – Part 3

This is the third post in my three-part series on navigating without a compass. In part one I described how you can use easily identifiable constellations to locate the north star, Polaris. In part two I showed how you can use an analog watch and the sun to quickly determine North and South. In this [..Read More..]

Filed Under: Basics, Compass, Navigation

Navigating Without a Compass – Part 2

Using an Analog Watch to Find SouthThis is the second part of a three part series describing easy to remember and reliable ways to accurately navigate without the use of a compass. In part one I described how you can use easily identifiable constellations to locate the north star, Polaris. In this second part I [..Read More..]

Filed Under: Basics, Compass, Navigation

Navigating Without a Compass – Part 1

This is the first post of a three-part series in which I want to share with you some easy ways to successfully (and accurately) navigate without the aid of a magnetic compass. There are many different and well proven methods of navigating without a compass, but I’m going to focus on the three techniques that [..Read More..]

Filed Under: Basics, Compass, Emergency, Navigation

Using a Compass – The Basics

I quite often run into fellow backpackers during my hikes and enjoy chatting with them about where they’re from and what they’re doing, the usual trail chit-chat.  A lot of the time our conversations include discussions about the current hike and conditions along the trail, where to find water and areas to avoid if necessary, [..Read More..]

Filed Under: Basics, Compass, Essentials, Navigation