Connie asks the following question about a weight range for backpacking. Connie will be participating in my upcoming Intro to Backpacking event at Harriman State Park. The event is part of Hudson Valley Hikers and beginners will get to try out a variety of gear.
“Is there a specific weight range your backpack should be in if you’re very new to the activity, so that you don’t end up with a bad back?”
Ahead of my upcoming “Intro to Backpacking” event, Katherine asks about planning group backpacking trips:
I have gone on several week-long backpacking trips before, but have not been the one to organize them; what does planning a 3-4 day backpacking trip involve? I don’t want to be responsible for … weighing people down… How do you distribute gear that everyone will be using?
Ahead of my upcoming “Intro to Backpacking” event, Nancy asks about Camping vs Backpacking:
Question about backpack: what’s different from camping ? Sorry, I have no knowledges about camping and backpacking. Just started hiking . But I am interested to learn everything you want to show me. Thanks.
For the last few years, I have been making homemade backpacking meals. When you backpack every weekend, $8 store-bought meals get pretty expensive. I like doing this because I can control the ingredients and the results taste better than pre-packaged meals. Some of my recipes are really simple and others are a bit more complex, but they are all fun to make. One of my favorites is mashed sweet potatoes. Continue reading Homemade Backpacking Meal: Mashed Sweet Potatos
For the past year, I have only been using two methods to treat drinking water while backpacking. When in camp, I boil the water that I will use for cooking or making hot drinks. When on the trail, I use Aquamira Water Treatment drops. Aquamira has many benefits over other treatment methods. They are fast, easy, lightweight, reliable, and scalable. Continue reading Aquamira Water Treatment Drops
Tent Footprints and Ground Cloths are common add-ons to commercial tents. Their intentions include protecting the bottom of your tent, keeping you dry, and providing insulation. Depending on how they are used, they meet these goals with varying success. This post will try to correct some common misinformation about tent footprints and ground cloths. Continue reading Tent Footprints and Ground Cloths
A few months ago, I started planning a series of backpacking trips to take place in New Hampshire’s White Mountains this coming summer. Because I was planning the trips so far in advance, weather forecasts were not yet available. I wanted to give my participants a good idea of what weather we might expect so that they could buy the proper equipment, particularly quilts or sleeping bags. To do this, I looked historical records to produce my own long-term weather forecasts for advanced trip planning. Continue reading Using Historic Weather Data to Select a Quilt or Sleeping Bag
This post discusses a sample backpacking meal plan. The fourth priority on our Rules of Three list is food. While you can survive for about three weeks without eating, you won’t be able to travel very far. In order to keep up a strong traveling pace, a backpacker must consume anywhere from three to five thousand calories per day. Calories are energy and energy is what keeps you moving. Continue reading Sample Backpacking Meal Plan
April 29, 2017 – East Jewet, NY
On a cool spring morning, 7 members of Rochelle Park Troop 114 traveled to the Catskills for a weekend of adventure. After scoping out camp, 4 boys and 2 adults immediately went on a 6 mile hike along the Blackhead Range. The troop went up Black Dome Trail into the col between Blackhead and Black Dome mountains, then turned west and went over Blackdome, Thomas Cole, and Camel’s Hump mountains to be picked up by a waiting assistant scoutmaster. Along the way the scouts learned skills that will count towards advancement and merit badges. Continue reading Rochelle Park Troop 114 Goes to the Catskills
Today we will discuss a simple backpacking water strategy for staying hydrated. According to studies, up to 75% of Americans may suffer from chronic dehydration. Many of the signs of dehydration are overlooked or attributed to other causes. These include fatigue, headaches, dry/itchy skin or eyes, or dizziness. Proper hydration is critical for every system in the body. Water is necessary for carrying nutrients, regulating temperature, flushing toxins, purging digestive waste, and much more. When we’re exerting ourselves on hot days in the woods, it is all the more important to have a sound backpacking water strategy. Continue reading Backpacking Water Strategy