This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a firestarter? Part of the 10 Essentials is something to light fire with. If you get stuck out in the wild for any length of time, you’ll need some way to keep… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Firestarter
Why do you need sun protection? Sun protection may not just be one thing for you but rather a group. It’s one of the categories in the 10 Essentials and is just focused on protecting your skin and eyes from the sun. It usually includes… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Sun Protection
This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need bear safety gear? There are a couple items related to bears that you should be aware of. Bear deterrents are bear bangers or sprays meant to scare the bears off. Bear bangers… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Bear Safety
This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a satellite communicator? First off, what is a satellite communicator or messenger? They are small handheld devices like a SPOT, inReach or Zoleo that can connect to satellites to get your location,… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Satellite Communicators and Emergency Locator Beacons
This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a music player? You don’t. If you like music and it’s going to be a long trip then you can bring some on an iPod or phone with you. I usually have… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Music
This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need rope? Rope can be a very useful thing to have on the trail. It has many uses from day to day to emergency. For regular uses you can tie up tarps or… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Rope
Why do you need a camera? Another optional piece of gear. I don’t go on many trips without a camera though. It’s an excellent tool for documenting trips. Phone cameras are amazing these days so that can be a quick camera if you don’t have… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Camera
This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a notebook and pen? I love taking notes of what happened on my trips. I journal a bit, including notes on what gear I’m using (or not) so I can refine my… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Notebook and Pen
This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need a book? I always have a book when I’m backpacking. This is absolutely optional but there’s something about the peace and quiet that’s nice to maintain when out hiking. There’s going to… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Book
This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need stuff sacks? Jamming everything you need to hike for 4 days or a week into 1 big backpack can make it hard to find anything. Stuff sacks are clear or coloured bags… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Stuff Sacks