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Go take a hike! Backpacking and Hiking Essentials
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items Are you longing to explore the outdoors more deeply, but don't know where to start? Are you wanting to get back into hiking and camping, but need to update your equipment? Or, are you a friend of someone that is interested in backpacking and hiking a...
Sections
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The Big Three: Pack, Tent, and Sleep System
Building a Camp Kitchen
Gadgets and Gizmos
The Big Three: Pack, Tent, and Sleep System
If you are planning to do any backpacking, the things that you tend to want to invest the most $$ into are your pack, tent, and sleeping system. Known as “the big three,” these are key items for comfort and safety, while also having the biggest impac...
My favorite workhorse backpack. I have yet to find anything else that's better in terms of price, weight, size, and durability combined.
Crown3 60 Unisex | Multi-Day Backpacks - Granite Gear
I really love this tent for several reasons. For one, it's incredibly easy to set up. This is really important if you are finishing a long hike and need to get the tent up while tired and perhaps not as coherent as you might typically be. Or, if the ... Another reason it's great is that its small footprint makes it easy to find a camp spot. I've had other great tents that are lighter and cheaper, but they almost always take up more space on the ground which can limit your camping options. And the th...
Copper Spur UL1 Ultralight Tent
My name is Kris and I am a quilt convert. Yes, it's true. After decades of using sleeping bags of all types, I've completely transitioned to using quilts instead and haven't looked back at all. And the Enlightened Equipment quilts are really the best...
The Revelation Sleeping Quilt
No sleep system is complete without a good sleeping pad. Not only does it make it more comfortable at night, it's an essential part of temperature regulation. Most of your heat is lost from the ground, so buy a good pad if you don't want to get cold....
NEMO Tensor Trail Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Pad | REI Co-op
Building a Camp Kitchen
An essential and perhaps one of my favorite elements of backpacking is oriented around eating and drinking. There's really nothing like preparing a meal in the woods and enjoying it while surrounded by nature. But if you don't come equipped with the ...
It's very tiny, it's easy to use, it's effective, and it's incredibly cheap. What more could you want in a camp stove? While it does have a built in ignition, I always carry a lighter just in case it fails on me. But so far, so good! Just get the sma...
Portable Camping Stove with Piezo Ignition
Lightweight and quick to cool down after use, the TOAKS titanium 750 is the perfect size for meals requiring boiling water and/or to use as a “bowl” for eating your food. It's also just the right size inside for most standard fuel canisters AND the t...
TOAKS Titanium 750ml Pot
It's small but mighty. The Sawyer Squeeze is the water filter choice of through-hikers everywhere and for good reason. It's reliable and easy to use, it's small, and it's nearly indestructible. There are other filters with a faster flow rate. There a...
Sawyer Squeeze Water Filtration System
Sometimes it's just a simple innovation that makes all the difference. With the CNOC, it's the ability to scoop up large amounts of water quickly using it's unique slide-lock opening that is the key to it's usefulness. That feature also makes it easi...
Cnoc Water Container 2L
If you're in an area that requires bear canisters, first make sure that this one is on the approved list for where you'll be hiking and camping. But if it is, or even if you'll be in areas where a bear canister ISN'T required, I would highly recommen...
Traverse Modular Bear Canister
A nice long spoon is key for a few reasons. Mostly, it's easier to find when you need it. It's also nice to keep your hand a bit further from the stove when stirring something hot. And, with a long spoon you can reach the bottom of those bigger camp ...
Titanium Spork - Long
Gadgets and Gizmos
When it comes to camping and backpacking, my nerdy side can really get exposed. At my core, I love a good gadget. Maybe it's my inner child trying to reclaim some sort of place in my life? That's probably a conversation to have with my therapist. But...
It may feel like a bit of a luxury item, and to be honest it kind of is one. But, man, this thing is sweet. Few things in the world are better than sitting in a comfortable chair like this after a long day of hiking, putting your feet up, and enjoyin...
NEMO Moonlite Elite Reclining Backpacking Chair | REI Co-op
These tiny air pumps are really incredible. At less than $20 and at around the same size as an airpods case, you can get a small air pump that allow you to easily fill up your air mattress and that also doubles as a tent lamp. It's rechargeable too, ...
Portable 4.5kPa Air Pump for Inflatables
When bringing along gadgets of any kind, but especially for your cell phone, it's important to have a plan for keeping things charged up. I like this one for a few reasons: it's cheap, it's got all of the cables I need attached so I won't lose them a...
20000mAh Portable Charger w/ Built-in Cable
So, this isn't the most comfortable thing to talk about, but it's important to consider when going on extended overnight trips in the woods. Especially if you will be in places where there aren't bathrooms or even pit toilets. You need to have a poop...
CuloClean Portable Bidet for Travel & Camping
In addition to the bidet attachment, the other essential bathroom gadget is a strong (but lightweight) trowel. This one does the trick for me. Nothing fancy, but simple to use and easy to pack away when you don't need it. You actually dig with it ups...
TheTentLab DirtSaw® Deuce #2 Ultralight Trowel
While you can certainly just use a stuff sack and some clothing or jacket as a pillow (which I had done for years), I have found that a dedicated pillow makes your nights just a bit more relaxed and comfortable. It's the consistency and the lack of e...
NEMO Fillo Pillow | REI Co-op