Ross Collicutt

This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need base layers?  The base layer, or underwear layer, is the first layer of clothing that sits against your skin. They can be short or long sleeves and ideally be comfortable against your… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Baselayers

This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Clothes for hiking are an important part of staying warm, dry, comfortable, and safe. Pick your clothes well and you’ll be dry and comfortable no matter what the weather is.   It’s helpful to think about having… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Hiking Clothes

This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need food?  Well, we need food to survive so I guess we’re taking it. The trick for backpacking is packing light.  We have to carry all our food so aim to bring food… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Food

This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a water filter?  No matter where you are, there’s a chance the water source can have protozoa like Cryptosporidium or Giardia. Both cause stomach problems like diarrhea. Not something you want on… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Water filter, drops and tablets

This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need fuel? Stoves need fuel to burn. What kind of fuel you need depends on your stove.  Canister stoves use iso-butane canisters. These are small pressurized canisters like a propane canister for your… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Stove Fuel

This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a stove? There are 2 ‘camps’ when it comes to bringing a stove or not hiking. Some like hot meals that a stove can make, others prefer the simplicity of cold-soaked or… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Camp Stove

This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Time to get onto the food portion of this guide. You need to eat, right? Cooking is an activity that you probably don’t need on day-hikes. Throw a sandwich and granola bar in your pack and… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Cooking Gear

This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a tarp?  Tarps can be used for 2 separate things when backpacking. Some people just use them to cover a common area for cooking and building your tent. Using it like this… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Tarp

This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a pillow? Obviously you need to put your head on something when you’re sleeping. But it doesn’t have to be an actual pillow.  Bringing a whole pillow from home will be large,… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Pillow