4 Tips to Extend the Life of Your Outdoor Gear 

Feb 7, 2024

When fall wraps up, many outdoor adventurers tuck their gear away in a closet for the winter. But did you know that improper gear storage can reduce the life of your gear? Failing to take steps like letting gear dry before sticking it in a closet can cause issues like premature deterioration of fabrics. Packing your tent or sleeping pad with lingering debris can cause rips as well. Fortunately cleaning, drying and properly storing camping gear can greatly extend the life of your beloved outdoor gear.    1. Keep Your Outdoor Gear Clean Outdoor gear is made to withstand harsh environments, but that doesn’t mean you should skip the cleaning process when you get home from your trip. Packing your gear away with debris and sediment can cause premature wear and…

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Furoshiki: Easy, Sustainable Gift Wrap for the Holidays and Beyond

Dec 11, 2023

It’s that time of year again—already. Just like clockwork, your local retail outlets are switching over from the Halloween decorations they put up right after Labor Day to the fancy glitz of Christmas, Kwanza, Hannukah, Solstice, and any number of other winter-themed holidays before the last Jack-o-Lantern has even gone out. While we’re in party mode, attending holiday gatherings, eating too much food and hopefully getting in those first few turns or pitches of ice climbing, a darker side to the holidays emerges, and it’s not just because the sun is setting at 3:30 pm. Gifts of Garbage That’s right, as much as you love them, you must admit that the holidays are a pretty wasteful time of year—it has been estimated that the average American’s waste stream goes up…

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Shelter from the Storm: Tips for Building Winter Shelters

Nov 29, 2023

In many parts of the world, finding solitude while camping in the backcountry is getting harder every year. But don’t fret; you just need to add two things to get what you’re after: cold and snow. While winter camping definitely adds some unique challenges, those extra few hurdles are precisely what filter the crowds, leaving vast swaths of the backcountry under-appreciated for months. Of those hurdles, one of the biggest is figuring out your winter camping strategy for shelter. Warmth, weight, and ease are the primary benchmarks to judge your choice, and there are two paths to travel: bring your own or use what’s there. Here’s a quick breakdown of four of the most common winter shelters and tips on how best to use and/or build them. Location, Location, Location…

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10 Amazing Places to Snowshoe in North America

Oct 16, 2023

Your favorite hiking trails may be under snow until spring, but snowshoeing is an affordable, accessible way to keep winter fun. The solitude of snowshoeing is also a bonus: there are no crowds, heavy machinery, or endless lift lines. The following destinations are some of the best places to snowshoe in North America, from groomed Nordic tracks and valley floors, to lakeshore forest glades and rugged ascents. 10 Best Places to Snowshoe in North America 1. Ashcroft, Colorado: Ghost town turned dining destination Eleven miles from Aspen, this ghost town has been turned into an ungroomed, unmaintained Nordic playground. Explore the miles of trails that traverse meadows, creeks and evergreen forest dotted with the remnants of the mining boom town of Ashcroft. Your destination should be the famed Pine Creek…

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Building Your Backcountry Kitchen, Part 1: Storing, Stashing & Stocking

Oct 4, 2023

Even if you’re content to subsist primarily on reconstituted meals in the backcountry, there’s always room for improvement (it’s amazing what a dash of soy sauce or a dollop of peanut butter can do, for example). If you genuinely enjoy the challenge of creating healthy, delicious fare while out in the back of beyond, having a well-stocked portable kitchen will serve you well. The following are tips on storing, stashing, and stocking your backcountry kitchen. I’m not going to address cookware here, as what you carry depends upon the type of trip, destination, and your personal preference/weight-bearing capabilities. (See Part 3: Cookware and Stove Pairings.) One of the main considerations is keeping your kitchen kit lightweight and compact. If you’re going to be on the river or in a clime…

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The Ultimate Guide to MSR Fuel

Aug 7, 2023

You’re psyched. You just bought an MSR® camp stove—the undisputed gold standard for everything from expeditions and extended road trips to casual backpacks and a weekend of family camping. In that process, you likely considered what type of fuel you wanted your new stove to use: liquid fuel or canister fuel. Now that you’ve made that primary choice, you may find yourself wondering a host of questions, from finding compatible fuel away from home to basic use tips to make the most of your stove or stove system. So, here’s a soup-to-nuts compendium of the most common questions we receive about MSR fuel to keep you going no matter where you want to be. What is MSR IsoPro™ Fuel? MSR IsoPro fuel is the magic sauce inside our fuel canisters….

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How to Pack a Backpack

Jun 12, 2023

Correctly packing a backpacking pack is one of those skills you don’t know is a skill until you’re walking down the trail with something jamming painfully into the small of your pack. Then you need to treat some water and realize your filter is at the bottom of the bag. Suddenly it starts to rain and where did you put that dang pack cover? A little mindfulness when packing will go miles in keeping you happy and comfortable on the trail. Fortunately, once you have the info it’s easy to do. Read on to become a packing ninja. If you are just starting out with backpacking, you should also take some time to become familiar with Leave No Trace practices, like how to wash dishes in the backcountry and packing…

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