More Outdoor Tips

Trip Planning

  • Pick a destination—visit www.backpacker.com/destinations to search for tens of thousands of hikes all across the United States.

  • Downloaded hikes to your cell phone! Just send a text message to 32075 and in the message type “imap” and the postal abbreviation of the state where you want to find trips. Example: If you live in Colorado, text “imap CO” to 32075.

  • Always carry a map and compass and know how to use them. Utilize tools to help enhance your navigation skills. Check out www.timex.com for the new WS4—the newest in wrist top adventure instruments. The wide screen dashboard provides an altimeter, barometer, compass, thermometer and even a weather condition report.

  • Pick a partner! It doesn’t matter if you’re hiking with a group or are a solo hiker, everyone should have a partner back at home who knows your plan, schedule, route, when you’re going in and when you’re coming out. Set up a specific contact time. If your not in touch at the designated time, this will alert your partner that something may be wrong.

Be Prepared

  • Avoid Giardia by boiling, filtering or treating your water. Drink water often to avoid dehydration and eat high energy foods throughout the day.

  • Carry a whistle within easy reach. Your pack’s shoulder strap is often a good location. Three blasts from a whistle is a universal call for help.

  • Knowing how to build a fire is one of the most important skills a backcountry traveler can have. Fire is good for keeping you warm even in the coldest conditions. Fire is essential for drying out wet clothes, cooking food, treating water or as a signal for help if the unexpected happens. Make easy fire starters at home by dipping cotton balls in petroleum jelly or dripping candle wax on dryer sheets. Always pack waterproof matches and think about adding a birthday candle to your kit. Candles are good for getting wet wood and damp tinder to start. Once lit, a candle will give you more time than a single match to get a stubborn fire started.

  • Sleep warm at night by adding a water bottle filled with warm water to your sleeping bag.

  • Clean and organize your gear after every trip. Pack “essentials” into a zip lock bag and then store a complete kit of gear in clear, sealable bins, so you can easily see what’s inside. This makes it that much easier to Get Out More the next time. For easy packing, you can toss the whole bin in your car trunk, and pack at the trailhead.

  • Reserve a small corner of your pantry for camp food so that you don’t have to shop for staples en route to the trailhead and replenish after every trip.

Choose the Right Gear

  • Don’t Forget Your Brain—the single most important item you can take on any outdoor adventure. No piece of gear can replace proper planning and common sense.

  • When choosing footwear, think about your socks and shoes working together as a system. First choose a sock to fit your planned activity and then use those socks to find a good pair of shoes. Make sure you have the right fit and the right amount of support in your shoes for the terrain you’ll be covering and the weight you’ll be carrying. Get fitted for shoes at the end of the day when your feet are naturally swollen. Try on shoes from different manufactures, walk around the store, put weight on your back to see how supportive they are and most importantly choose a shoe that is going to be most comfortable on your foot.

  • When you choose a backpack you should consider Fit, Volume and Load. To ensure the proper fit you need to determine the length of your torso, the distance between the imaginary line between your pelvic bone and the 7th vertebrae in your neck. This measurement will determine the necessary distance between the waist belt and the shoulder straps in your pack. The Volume of your pack will determine how much space is in the pack. Volume will be listed as liters and/or cubic inches. The Load refers to the pack’s load bearing capabilities—how much weight the pack is designed to comfortably carry. Choose a backpack with enough volume to fit all the gear you plan to carry and a pack with load bearing capabilities to support the weight of your gear.

  • Your first level of defense against the elements is your clothing system. Choose clothes designed to: transport moisture away from your skin, provide insulation to keep you warm and block outside wind and water from getting in. Utilize a layering system to allow you to add and remove layers as your activity levels and the conditions change throughout the day.