cool backpacking gear

Best Multi-Tools for Backpacking

Beyond the absolute essentials like shelter, sleeping bag, and food, a good backpacking multi-tool may be the most useful piece of outdoor gear that will accompany you. What’s more, a multi-tool’s usefulness and practicality is not limited to the outdoors. They are a one-stop tool kit for the home, office…

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The Best Outdoor Apps for Your Smartphone

Use your smartphone to identity the names of trees using a photo of a leaf. Don’t just watch birds, listen to them sing. Show you kids the stars and constellations in the night sky on your next camping trip. Create your own hiking trail and share it with friends and…

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Down Backpacking Quilts Versus Sleeping Bags

Have you ever considered a down camping quilt instead of a traditional sleeping bag for your backpacking and camping sleeping system? Maybe it’s about time you did. The basic idea in the quilt vs sleeping bag debate is that down efficiently uses trapped air to keep you warm. Down sleeping…

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What’s The Best Two Way Radio for Camping?

If you go to Amazon’s Best Selling Two-Way Radios, the Motorola MH230R Talkabout Two-Way Radio will invariably pop up in one of the top positions, frequently as the Number 1 Best Selling Two Way Radio. That has been the case for years, and for good reason. The Motorola 23-mile range…

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Hammocks for Camping: An Inexpensive Alternative to Tents

Hammocks for camping provide a lightweight, inexpensive alternative to tents. The nice thing about hammocks is, if there are places to tie off, the ground does not have to be level. Rocks and tree roots do not present obstacles. You can string up a hammock between trees or rocks. A…

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Hiking Pants for Men & Women: Key Features to Look For

Hiking pants for both men and women have a variety of features ranging from zippers just above the knee that allow long pants to be converted to shorts, to small holes in the crotch that improve ventilation. Picking and choosing among these features to suit your own needs is a…

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Luci Lantern Review – Solar LED Lantern Tested

Remember the days when providing enough light at night in the undeveloped outdoors meant using a fuel-based, mantle camping lantern? Sure, they provide enough light as if having a mini-sun the size of a ping-pong ball, but the downside can outweighs the benefits: expensive fuel, delicate mantles disintegrate easily, not…

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What’s the Best Backpacking Backpack?

Aside from your boots, you probably won’t find a more important factor of your hiking experience than your backpack. Choosing the right pack can ensure that you grind out those miles as comfortably as possible while choosing the wrong pack can make your hike miserable. I’ve had the opportunity to…

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Best Trekking Poles for Backpacking

If you’re a strong hiker who is just going out for a day hike, you may or may not choose to head outside with one or a pair of trusty hiking poles. If you’re joints are on the fritz or your hike includes several days, hiking poles are almost a…

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The Best Backpacking Rain Jacket

When you’re out there on the trail, you will inevitably encounter some not-so-optimal weather. Whether it’s wind, rain, snow, sleet, or hail, you need a rain jacket to protect you from the elements. If you haven’t splurged on your other gear, start here. A quality backpacking rain jacket can turn…

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