I definitely believe that the outdoors is for everyone, but unfortunately one of the barriers to getting outside is having to buy tons of gear. And of course, that gear doesn’t come cheap! I worked at the head office of a big outdoor retailer for six years, so I understand the seasonal sales cycle. One …
Hiking gear
There is no place I would rather be than on a backpacking trip. I’ve been backpacking for almost 20 years and used to work for a large outdoor retailer, so I know a lot about backpacking gear. In this post, I’ve got my recommendations for the best gifts for backpackers. No matter whether the person …
Have you seen those stocking stuffers for hikers posts online? Full of $300 gadgets or things that are clearly too large to physically fit in a stocking? Me too. They’re ridiculous. A stocking should be full of small, fun, inexpensive stuff. And chocolate. Some of my family is pretty outdoorsy (no surprise there), so I …
Getting outfitted for hiking and backpacking can seem overwhelming. When I was first starting out, I felt like there was so much gear on the market and that it was SOOO expensive. Plus I felt like the list of gear you need to buy for hiking and backpacking was never ending. That was two decades …
You’ve probably seen those news stories: “Search and Rescue finds Unprepared Hikers Lost/Injured in the Woods”. But that’s never going to be you right? Yup, we all think it won’t happen to us. But it definitely could. No one expects to get lost, get stuck hiking in the dark or hurt themselves, but they do. …
You’ll find countless discussions about hiking clothes online, but for some reason, not that that many about underwear. Which I find a little strange since if they aren’t comfortable, the wrong underwear can wreck your hike. So in this guide, I’ll break down how to choose the best hiking underwear for both men and women. …
A few years ago, I spent a week in Yellowstone National Park. OMG, what an incredible place! I did a bunch of research about what to see before I went, but I couldn’t find much info on what to pack for Yellowstone. Yellowstone presents some unique challenges for visitors. It is located in the Rocky …
It can be frustrating to be out for a hike in wet weather and have your jacket fail, which is called wetting out. But why do rain jackets wet out? And what can you do about it? I’ve been hiking and backpacking for two decades, mostly in the wet Pacific Northwest weather of British Columbia. …
If you’re shopping for hiking clothing you’ve probably heard all kinds of great things about Merino wool. But Merino isn’t perfect – to start with, it’s expensive. You might be wondering, is Merino wool worth it? I’ve been hiking and backpacking for two decades (I even wrote a hiking guidebook) and have tried a lot …
While my addiction isn’t as strong as it used to be, I’m a bit of a gear junkie. As an outdoor writer and guidebook author, I pretty much hike for a living, so good gear is important. I also know waaay too much about gear since I spent three years working in an outdoor store …