I don’t have any footwear suitable for bad weather, so four years ago I bought some waterproof socks. I tried them out in the snow after the recent winter storm.
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A look through my 2023 Backpacking cooking kit, which I’ve been using for the past three years. 2 pictures
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A quick roundup of our 2021 backpacking trips and a rundown on our gear changes. And, of course, some pictures.
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We try out some new gear, and once more I manage to break something … Trip write-up: three-minute read.
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Seam sealing my new tarp – it’s time to start thinking about fall and winter camping. I’m prepping my new winter tarp.
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I looked at this picture I took before I set off on a recent trip, and I realized there are a few things I can do to improve how I stow things. Two-minute read.
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Wet shoes, dry feet – Waterproof socks, and they worked. Now I have a footwear solution for snowy trails. It’s just a shame I didn’t get these before it snowed. One-minute read,
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I’m usually pretty easy on my equipment, but recently I’ve got careless and damaged three items of my backpacking gear. Today I removed my temporary duct tape fixes and applied permanent repairs to my underquilt protector and rain skirt. One-minute read, 6 pictures
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Keeping clean while hiking or backpacking is an oxymoron in my book. Nature is all about dirt, and working up a sweat comes with the first steep hill you have to climb. The squeamish and easily frightened should probably stop reading at this point. Backpacking is perhaps not for you. Six-minute read
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A quick run-down of what electronics and electrical items I take out with me when I’m backpacking, and how I carry and manage them. Eight-minute read
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An in-detail run through all the gear I’m currently using to backpack and hammock camp in temperatures down to around 20°F
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No, I’m not referring to COVID-19, though that has thrown a monkey wrench into my backpacking and hiking plans. I’m going to briefly talk about what I’ve been doing on the trails, plus some life and gear changes.
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After many years of backpacking I’ve finally come up with a water filtering solution that I like. It’s only taken me eight years! We started off with the MRI Sweet Water. Oh how I hated pumping it. Then we had the Sawyer Mini, which was so frustratingly slow.
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My GPS broke when I was backpacking recently, and then I had a disastrous trip where at one point I lamented not having a decent compass. It was time to engage in one of my favorite non-hiking pastimes. Research and shopping.
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This is my current base winter pack, which has kept me comfortable down to 23°F.
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My cook pot, stove, and food (ready-made dehydrated meals) have been working well for both backpacking and camping. But the wind screen and pot stand are a little bulky and weighty – between a quarter and half a pound. So, in an idle moment, I thought I’d check and see what other options there might be. Read on to see what I found to replace them.
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At some point I’ll write reviews on my hammock, underquilt, tarp and all the other paraphernalia involved in setting up for hammock camping. For now, I’ll share some of the things I’ve learned so far.
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I spent a lot of hours researching hammocks before deciding on the Chameleon. I’m not going to say much about it until I’ve spent a few nights out on the trail, but my first inspection and impressions confirm what I’d read in the reviews, It’s very well made.
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I’ve been wanting to try hammock camping for quite a while. I’m reluctant to purchase all the necessary gear unless it’s something I’m sure I will be comfortable with — and in.
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I do not like bear bags. Well, that’s not strictly true. I’ve nothing against the bags or having to hoist all the camp food and ‘smellies’ up into the trees … What I don’t like is hanging them, nor do I like stumbling around the forest in the dark looking for a ‘misplaced’ bag.
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Just to manage expectations – if you want detailed instructions on how to make and light a campfire mosey on over to YouTube – there are hundreds of videos that’ll give you ideas. Here I’m just going to chat about fire lighters, share some fire making tips, and mention the tools we use when car […]
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