Wilderness Skills Archives - Page 8 of 10

Train Yourself to Hike a 30-Mile Day

Wilderness Skills April 28, 2009

You have been invited on a summer backpacking trip that will cover 30 miles in one day, including 2,000 feet of elevation gain and loss, and your anticipated pack weight will be 15-20 pounds. You have 15 weeks to prepare. What is the best way to get your body and mind ready for such an outing?

My UL Frenzy: Twenty-Five Weekends of Backpacking in the White Mountains and Beyond

Wilderness Skills April 28, 2009

2008: A Year of Change. Follow Jim Bailey on his rabid quest to hike every possible weekend between March and November, despite living in New England with its record-breaking weather.

Tools and Techniques to Sew Like a Pro

Wilderness Skills April 21, 2009

While practice is the real key to improving the quality of your homemade gear, there are some tools and techniques that can help you along the way. Knowing which tools to have and how to best use them will maximize the quality of the gear you build.

Packraft Wet Reentry Photo Demo

Wilderness Skills April 7, 2009

Foot entrapment among submerged rocks is the leading killer of whitewater boaters. Think about it: the most common way to die while boating is by doing something OUTSIDE your boat!

Essential Canister Stove Maintenance

Wilderness Skills March 17, 2009

There you are, way out in the wilderness in bad weather, getting ready for dinner, and your canister stove fails. Now what? Rescue in the field is possible for many problems: learn rescue how-to and the technical details of why it has happened.

Pitching a Tent in the Snow

Wilderness Skills February 24, 2009

Want to try tenting in the snow, but haven't done it before and not sure how? Haven't time in the evening to build a snow cave or an igloo just for one night? We walk you through the basics of what gear you need, how to choose a good site, how to create a platform, and how to pitch your tent (or a tarptent if you are brave).

Testimony: How I Fell for Lightweight Backpacking

Wilderness Skills February 24, 2009

Fate stepped in and pushed me down some steps in November 2006, breaking my fibula at the ankle, requiring surgical repair. I asked my surgeon if I could backpack the following summer, and he said "If you can get your pack down to thirty pounds, you can backpack." My lightweight journey was launched in earnest.

Vapor Barrier Liners

Wilderness Skills February 17, 2009

Backpacking Light's Andrew Skurka on Vapor Barrier Liners: What they are, how they work, and when to use them.

Spring Footwear: Lightweight Overboot & High Gaiter Systems for Keeping Feet Warm & Dry

Wilderness Skills February 17, 2009

Foremost among the challenges that spring hikers face is the presence of melting snow and the prospect of continuously wet feet. Ryan Jordan presents his two favorite footwear systems for cold or warm spring conditions.

Lightweight Testimony: Mother Nature Insisted I Go Light

Wilderness Skills February 10, 2009

Carol Crooker's essay on enlightenment shows that Mother Nature can be a pushy broad, but she gets the job done.

Not a Day on any Calendar

Wilderness Skills February 3, 2009

Backpacking Light's Wilderness Trekking School Photo Essay.

Lightweight Testimony: My Journey into Lightweight Backpacking

Wilderness Skills February 3, 2009

The true story of how Jamie survived in the woods with his paper coat.

Lightweight Testimony: Lighter, Farther, Faster

Wilderness Skills January 20, 2009

Steve Hinkle relays that carrying all the comforts of home ultimately made for a miserable trail experience, and how shedding "comforts" was actually more pleasant in the long run.