For the past 9 months, I have volunteered to mentor my old Boy Scout Troop. I’ve given several lectures and gear talks, lead a hike for some of the beginners, and gone on a winter camping trip with the boys and their leaders. One of the lessons I’ve really been trying hard to teach is how to select safe and comfortable outdoor clothing for scouts. Continue reading Outdoor Clothing for Scouts: Footwear
For the past 9 months, I have volunteered to mentor my old Boy Scout Troop. I’ve attended several meetings to give lectures, lead a hike for some of the beginners, and gone on a winter camping trip with the boys and their leaders. One of the lessons I’ve really been trying hard to teach is how to select safe and comfortable outdoor clothing for scouts. Continue reading Outdoor Clothing for Scouts: Materials
When I was learning to backpack, I found it helpful when others posted their gear lists. It gave me a reference point for the kinds of things I needed, what I was doing right, and what I could be doing better. That said, there is no “one size fits all” gear list. There are a number of personal factors that go into making a gear list, such as size, weight, fitness level, and need for comfort. It also matters where and when you plan to go backpacking. One must factor in temperature, precipitation, terrain, water availability and natural shelter, among other things.
This is Part 2 of the story about how I came to make my own backpacking tarp. (For the first part, click here.) It all started when I first got into backpacking. All of the experts told me that the best way to sleep while backpacking was under a tarp. Of course, I didn’t believe them, and bought a two-man backpacking tent.
I’m a firm believer in always carrying the 10 Essentials into the woods with me. Being prepared with a basic kit is crucial for maintaining safety when the unexpected comes up. Each of the items must be chosen carefully to fit the conditions you expect to face. One item that I carry consistently on every trip is a pair of Coghlan’s 12-in-1 Scissors. This item serves as my knife and multi-tool, and I feel it provides superior functionality.
Backpacking in the winter is a lot of fun, but presents a lot of challenges. Its cold. Trails are tough to follow. Fire wood is buried in snow. One of the things I actually find easier about backpacking in the winter is finding water. In the summer, I often have to walk some distance from camp to find water in a spring or stream. In the winter, however, there is water everywhere. This article is about how to melt snow for water, which is actually pretty easy.
This webpage is dedicated to telling you about my mistakes so you don’t have to make the same ones. Here’s a little story about how I came to make my own backpacking tarp… Continue reading I Made My Own Backpacking Tarp, Part 1
My name is CampingJay, and I have a bit of a problem. I go to Campmor just to look around. I check for updates on gear manufacturer’s websites, even when I don’t need anything new. Outdoor Gear Lab is my top visited website. When coming upon a campsite, there is rarely a tent I don’t recognize. I often find myself watching someone at the airport thinking, “Geesh, that’s a nice backpack!” You could accuse me of going on a spur-of-the-moment overnight just to try out a new stove, and you’d be right. I am a gear junkie.
Continue reading My name is CampingJay, and I’m a gear junkie
In the summer of 2013, three of my sisters and I spent a week hiking the New Jersey section of the Appalachian Trail. We took it slow, averaging just under 10 miles per day. Though the weather was hot and the bugs were biting, we had a great time. We decided that one of our goals over the next few years would be to hike the New York section, even if we had to do it weekend-by-weekend. My sister CampingMeg and I finally put ourselves to the task of some winter backpacking over Thanksgiving weekend in 2014. We planned for several weeks, and then it snowed. A lot.
Continue reading Winter Backpacking: Elk Pen to Tiorati Circle