For many backpackers, having the lightest, newest, most technical gear is simply a given. However, some of us are still using the same tents, sleeping bags, and backpacks that we’ve had since the ’90s, and we don’t understand the commotion over newfangled gear. So what exactly are these big improvements, and is it really worth it to update your equipment? Read More …
Gear Articles tagged ‘camping’
Should Your Old Backpacking Gear Take a Hike?
By: Toni Isom | May 11th, 2010Backcountry Coffee Roundup
By: Justin Mool | April 30th, 2010
There are few things better than coming out of your tent on a cold morning, firing up the camp stove, and making yourself a fresh cup of coffee. We’ve come a long way since cowboy coffee. No longer do you have to struggle through a cup of sludge or submit yourself to the coffee sacrilege of instant. Read More …
Camp Chef Recipe #1: Fire Roasted Chicken Tacos
By: Kyle Marston | April 23rd, 2010
Spring is here, and your taste buds are aching for charred flavors—so here’s a simple recipe for tacos that only requires one pot and a pile of burning wood. Read More …
Summer-ify Your Gear – Part IV: Seal Your Tent
By: Rocky Thompson | April 15th, 2010
Friends don't let friends sniff seam sealer
There are worse things than having to seam seal your tent. In fact, it can be downright enjoyable. Set up your tent in the backyard, grab a couple beers and go to town. Read More …
Summer-ify Your Gear – Part III: Tune Your Stove
By: Rocky Thompson | April 14th, 2010
Oiling the pump cup
If your stove has ever turned into a massive fireball, read closely. Basically, there are two things you can do that will help prevent stove problems in a major way, according to Steve Anderson, who runs Thrifty Outfitters, a Minneapolis, Minn., shop specializing in gear repairs and secondhand gear.
“People leave old fuel in their stoves that breaks down with oxygen, and they don’t oil their pumps,” he said.
Any stove with a remote fuel canister that has a pump needs to have the pump cup oiled. Pull the plunger out of your MSR pump and simply add light machine oil. Coleman stoves have an oil port, but they work much better if you remove the plunger and put oil directly on the pump cup. Read More …
Trip of the Month: US Virgin Islands – St. John
By: Justin Mool | March 23rd, 2010
Gray skies, sub-zero temps, and a down jacket that hasn’t seen any closet time—man, winter can be a drag. Especially if you live in Vermont and all these epic winter storms keep hitting NYC. Screw that. It’s time escape the mid-winter doldrums and replenish your Vitamin-D in the Caribbean.
St. John in the US Virgin Islands provides just the cure for escaping the freezer. This tiny island on the northern edge of the Caribbean boasts pristine beaches, great snorkeling, and countless miles of trails. And if you’re a US citizen, you don’t even need a passport to get there. Read More …
Deciphering Sleeping-Bag Ratings
By: Genevieve Mount | March 16th, 2010
Sleeping bags and standardized tests. Hmmm … the thought of standardized tests conjures up bad memories of SATs and that time you accidentally answered question 2 on the question 3 line, and subsequently answered the next thousand questions on the wrong lines as well.
In some cases, though, a standardized test can really come in handy. Say your old sleeping bag bites the dust. You get a new bag with the same temperature rating but made by a different brand. Then you go camping and spend all night shivering in your tent. It wasn’t any colder out this time, so what’s with the goose-bumps?
Your old and new bags might both be rated at -15F, but since the companies didn’t use the same test to rate the bags, your new bag might comparatively be more of a 0-degree. WTF, right? Read More …
Boost Your Survival Smarts
By: Genevieve Mount | July 17th, 2009
You’ve probably thumbed through your fair share of survival books at the bookstore. When it comes to remembering any specifics, though, the most you might recall is something about punching a shark on its nose and a foggy idea of how to float in quicksand. That’s helpful if you encounter a great white while you’re navigating a vat of quicksand, but not too helpful in the backcountry. Read More …
Cheap Sleep: A guide to free camping
By: Adam Riser | June 16th, 2009
We’ve all been there. Friday afternoon traffic was a nightmare, and you roll into your destination way past dark. Maybe you can find a pay site or maybe you can’t, but you just can’t bring yourself to throw down ten bucks just to sleep in the dirt and leave in the morning. Dirtbag climbers, cash-strapped hikers, and bikers who spent their last cent on new tires have spent years developing stealthy techniques to procure a place to crash without forking over any coin. When your budget is tight and your eyelids are heavy, employ one of these road-tested methods or go-to spots for fast, active relief. Read More …
iPhone vs Stick
By: Sam Lund | March 24th, 2009
We all know how important the iPhone is when you’re showing off at the bar and solidifying your status as the most cutting-edge member of your crew, but how useful will it be when you find yourself munsoned in the backcountry? Read More …