stg-sectionhikercom-buttons.kinsta.cloud Backpacking Gear Reviews and FAQs

This trip has it all: great views, an epic ridge walk, a fire tower, two alpine lakes, moose habitat, waterfalls, and cascades. Mt Carrigain is at the geographic center of the White Mountains and on a clear day you can see over 30 of the other 4000 footers from its summit fire tower. From Carrigain, you’ll journey deep into the heart …

Rain happens. Your tent is soaking wet in the morning, but you have many miles to hike before your sleep. How do you pack it up so it doesn’t get wetter, making it unusable that same night? How do you pack it so it doesn’t get all of your other gear wet? Different people have very different approaches to how they …

If you camp on sandy campsites, whether it’s on a beach or in the desert, you need to learn how to stake out your tent or shelter, so it doesn’t blow away when the wind picks up. This can be challenging because it’s difficult to anchor a tent in loose sand. However, there are two techniques, called rock stacking and …

Camping and backpacking sleeping pads have R-values that measure how much insulation they provide against the cold ground. Sleeping pads designed for cold weather use have high R-values while ones designed for warmer weather have low ones. This is illustrated in this table which shows the R-values recommended for different nighttime air temperatures. If you only camp in temperatures above …