This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. That’s the end of the gear section. You now have enough knowledge to be dangerous to your wallet and get some hiking gear. There are a few more things to keep in mind about hiking in… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Tips to Start
This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need garbage bags? Most trails don’t have garbage bins every kilometer so you’ll need somewhere to store your trash. Any garbage with food scent on it will need to be stashed with your… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Garbage Bag
This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need soap? Soap is optional on the trail but it’s nice to have. You might want to wash your body on the trail or some pots and pans from a meal. Friendly to… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Soap
This post is part of the Backpacking Gear for Beginners course. Why do you need batteries and a battery pack? Most people take things hiking that require batteries. Headlamps, phones, GPS, satellite communicators, cameras, and radios all need to be charged at some point. On short tips… Read More »Backpacking Gear for Beginners: Batteries and Battery Packs
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