Remember to open the hose valve or to not to seal the bladder completely, since the bubbles from the tablets could burst the bladder otherwise.

Now that your Camelbak bladder is clean keep the funk from coming back with tip #1.

Tags: Camelbak, hydration, bladder, water, bottle, clean, dirty, funk, stink

The $88 is an even bigger bargain since BackcountryOutlet.com also has free shipping and no sales tax outside of Utah.

Even with only a bit of leftover water in it, when a bladder sits in the closet half-empty for weeks at a time the weird tastes from water fountains and backcountry water can seep into it. When things are frozen nothing can grow or seep into the bladder material.

Both the 4200 and 3200 cubic-inch models are on clearance at Sierra Trading Post:

• The large 4200-inch Victorinox Adventure backpack is $89.95, 67% off
• The mid-sized 3200-inch Victorinox Adventure backpack is $79.95, 66% off

Save an extra $10: the next link applies a 10% off coupon at checkout, but your order must be $100 or more: 10% off $100+ Sierra Trading Post

Tags: Sierra, Trading, Post, Sierra+Trading+Post, Victorinox, backpack, Adventure, travel, gear, equipment, pack, clearance, sale, coupon, Eurail

What was even more impressive was that Primus had the foresight to make the stove compatible with both liquid-fuel bottles and compressed gas cartridges. I know most backpackers spending more than a week in the backcountry or out in the winter prefer liquid fuel, but canisters are cheaper if you don’t go camping that often and always easier & safer for new campers to use.

The newest multifuel stoves add the ability to run on vegetable oil (aka: biodiesel) but the original Primus Multifuel is still a fast-cooking, durable stove worth a look when it’s priced at just $65 and ships for free.

A good example is this new, on-clearance PrimaLoft jacket for $77. No direct-links into REI, so search for item # 747636 to see the Ground Sirius at REI-Outlet.com. Same cut and features at most down jackets, a few ounces more weight at 1 pound, 12 ounces, and the lack or worry knowing it will still insulate in a downpour and can get almost dry just by squeezing it out.

One tip on synthetic fill jackets like this: don’t wring or shake them out. Wringing tears the fibers apart and reduces their insulation ability and shaking can redistribute the insulation and leave cold spots.

Try that one sometime, it never burns the dough and won’t melt the plastic bag as long as there’s enough water that the bag doesn’t rest on the bottom of the pot – and don’t seal the top of the bag or steam will pop it open & keep the open top of the bag out of the water unless you want to make dough soup.

Then, if you really feel like showing off it looks even easier to boil water in a plastic bottle. Watch out for splashing hot water on your mitts though. Anyone who can go try this in the backyard firepit or who doesn’t mind possibly getting a bit of plastic in their grill please leave a comment below:

Update, Feb. 6, 2007: Per our reader’s comment, the headlamp price is up to $27.95 (even with 505 of them still in stock). That price is still a 30% discount, but so much for the super-low price “promise”

The NightRay headlamp follows in Black Diamond’s tradition of making excellent headlamps. It’s light at 4.2 ounces, but the 5 LEDs and high-intensity should replace bigger and heavier traditional bulb headlamps instead of keeping this LED lamp just as a backup or ultralight. The 5 LEDs get 60 hours of burn time from 3 AAA batteries in a back-of-head battery-pack, giving the lamp good balance and better comfort than ultralight headlamps. The center LED is also focused with a separate lens to keep its light beam narrow and working for a longer distance than non-lensed LED headlamps.

It turns out that even Gore Tex and similar waterproof membranes can soak through eventually. Those fabrics are typically rated to 20,000mm (or 20K, it’s the same thing). That means they can withstand at least 20,000 millimeters (about 66 feet) of rain over 24 hours. I did say “at least”, but a few hours under a high pressure hose could eventually soak through even the best membranes. The 5K or 5,000mm ratings mean the fabric can withstand 16-17 feet of rain over 24 hours.

Thanks to Backcountry Bob over at Backcountry.com for the explanation. Check out Bob’s article “What’s the deal with these waterproof ratings?” for a more detailed description than I wrote.

Tags: waterproof, camping, hiking, outdoor, gear, equipment, rating, ratings, GoreTex, resistance

1-800-201-7575

My experience with their customer service rep’s has been good. They can’t pull miracles out of thin air, like making packages with “guaranteed delivery” that are four weeks late appear on my doorstep, but they are friendly and don’t seem to be reading from a script like at most other customer service centers.

Tags: Amazon.com, Amazon, customer, service, toll-free, tollfree, 800, 1-800, phone, number

If you spend enough time in the outdoors though, a multitool like the Swiss Spirit multitool comes in a lot handier than even the most feature-filled knife. That’s because after enough time in the backcountry you’ll need to do repairs on something, like a stove or water filter, and that usually means you either need a set of wrenches or a good set of pliers. Leatherman invented this type of tool, but Victorinox has taken them to the next level with super high-end, stainless steel. Plus, the Swiss Spirit multitool is marked down from $85 to $34.99.

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Tags: HikerDeals, hiker, deals, camping, hiking, backpacking, winter, ski, snow, sale, bargain, gear, equipment, coupon

Instead of entering your credit card with Sierra Trading Post you need to sign up for a Google Checkout account (ie: give them your credit card info) and then Google pays for your order by using your credit card. It’s supposed to be more secure than giving your credit card to “any old web store” … I agree, except that Sierra Trading Post isn’t just any web store. Still, it’s worth an extra $10 off camping gear or outdoor clothes.

Tags: Sierra, Trading, Post, Google, Checkout, coupon, deal, sale, camping, hiking, backpacking, gear, equipment

If you’ve ever used either Endurox or Accelerade drink mix you may like their new vanilla and chocolate flavors. You’ll also like that the coupon code SAVE06 knocks 25% off the price from www.accelerade.com.

One tip though, keep all sports drinks out of your hydration bladders or you’ll be replacing them every time you dump your gear in a hot trunk for the drive home.

Tags: endurox, accelerade, gatorade, sportsdrink, sports+drink, hiking, camping, backpacking, hydration, water, filter

Inevitably it helps to already have things packed right when I’m late for an early-morning flight and can’t afford to get pulled aside and delayed. But, it’s also helpful to print out a copy of the list and carry it with you, as I found out on a recent layover in a smaller city’s airport. … maybe that TSA screener was having a bad day, but they were giving me a hard time about carrying on items that were listed on that official list up there. One look at my printed copy though and they let me keep going.

In truth, the polished soda can bottom of this fire starter is probably a bit fragile to carry around in a pack and once the can bottom is bent or crushed it won’t focus sunlight enough to start lighting things. On very rainy days I can’t imagine you would catch enough sun to get things lit either. On top of all that, I don’t normally carry canned drinks on hiking or backpacking trips – something about hiking for hours shaking them up so much that they explode when opened. On the other hand, if you ever get stuck inside a post-apocalyptic, city-themed, sci-fi movie, you’ll know what to do now.

Tags: survival, tip, guide, fire, firestarter, emergency, chocolate, bar, soda, cola, coke, can, starter

…so why suggest a pair of “water shoes” in the middle of some record-heat weeks? Because they’ve got more mesh than just about anything else you can get your hands on. Mesh keeps the feet dryer and that keep blisters away. Plus, when you do stop at a stream to try and get cool, you won’t have to worry about these shoes not drying out by the next morning.

The extra 36% off these and free shipping from Altrec is pretty cool too.

Quick tip: Another quick tip on stopping blisters when hiking in hot weather is to change your socks a lot. You don’t even need to carry any extra socks. Just wear two or three pairs of socks throughout the day and then use the same socks again the next day (or more depending on how long you’re out and how hardcore you are about not carrying extra clothes). If you’re only wearing them for 3-4 hours/pair the socks won’t have much chance to get soggy and start rubbing.

It can be argued both ways (endlessly), but … Even if you’ve been watching Survivorman, notice that he’s always wearing at least a decent pair of boots or shoes. Good footwear is that important.

That’s why this boot-picking guide by the St. Louis Dispatch is a great piece for beginning and exerienced backpackers. One thing to remember is that the article gives great advice from professional boot-fitters – but doesn’t specifically recommend that you should do the same. In my experience, no matter how experienced you are with camping gear get a second opinion when your own feet are involved.

One other useful thing: Don’t trust the shoe sizes printed on the outside a box. Some European boot companies don’t accurately convert their own shoes sizes to American sizes, use a good shoe & boot size conversion table as a second opinion. Likewise, every brand’s sizing is different, so go based on feel and the advice of a boot-fitter with experience fitting that brand.

Link credit: Thanks to the Two-Heel Drive hiking blog for the original link

Tags: boot, boots, shoe, shoes, fitting, sizing, guide, good, light, chooser, choosing, hike, hiking, camping, backpack, backpacking, foot, footwear, gear

Orange Cinnamon Buns:
The orange cinnamon bun recipie cooks cinnamon roll dough that’s stuffed inside scooped-out orange peels that are wrapped in foil and buried in hot coals. Scooping out the oranges probably takes a bit longer than most of you camp-cooks want to spend prepping, but the peels will stop any burning or drying of the dough and let you just leave the rolls deep in the embers instead of constantly turning and moving them out of the hotspots.

Unfortunately, the cinnamon dough recipie uses milk, so unless you’re lucky enough to be camping outside an RV with a powered ‘fridge replace both the 10 tablespoons of milk and 10 tablespoons of brown sugar with 2/3 cup (about 5 1/2 liquid ounces) of canned condensed milk and an extra half-teaspoon of cinnamon. Even farther in the backcountry or just don’t feel like carrying canned milk? If you’re backpacking, or somewhere hot enough that a tube of biscuit dough won’t even last inside a cooler, try the rewrite of the recipie below for backpacking-friendly orange cinnamon buns, no oranges required:

Backpacking-style Orange Cinnamon Buns Recipie

Mix the following dry ingredients in a gallon-size, zip-lock bag before leaving on the trip (hint, label the bag “Cinnamon Buns” and stick a print-out of the recipie instructions inside it):

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar, white or brown (Stick with white sugar if it’s going to be hot, because brown sugar can get stucky and clump things up.)
• 4 Tablesp. dry powdered milk
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

Bring the following ingredients along, each packed separately:

• 2/3 cup warm water (cold water can keep the dough from rising completely, so this means air-temp water during hot summers and half-boiling/half-cold water when it’s getting cold at night)
• 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil (olive and corn oil can be too strong tasing)
• 1/2 tsp. dried orange peel (in the spice aisle)

Cooking Instructions: Mix the water and dried orange peel together first. If it’s colder than 80 degrees out or the water is cold heat it a bit in a pan – cold water keeps the baking soda and powder from working right and can cause the buns to be really dense. The first step also softens up the peel and keeps you from having hard bits in the buns. Feel free to add the peel directly to the dry ingredients bag and skip this step altogether if you’re rushed or happier with the faster, easier school of camp-cooking. Once the water is warm (about body temperature), or if you’ve skipped the earlier step, add all the ingredients together and mix well in the dry ingredient bag.

There are three ways to cooks the buns up, but one involves a “fancy” backpacking oven setup: Personally, I like to mix the dough in a plastic bag, put a twist-tie on loosely, and boil the dough in-bag until it’s done (Dough-in-bag Musts: Use the biggest pot you can find and enough water that the dough bag can almost float, plus use a heavy freezer bag & heat spreader under the pot. Plastic won’t melt in boiling water, but it will if it sits on a bottom-of-the-pan hotspot for several seconds.). The second method is to use of a “backpacking oven” system – you’ll know what I’m talking about if you have one – and bake the whole batch of dough as a single loaf. Finally, the classic backpacking method is to pour a portion of the dough into an oiled skillet and cook pancakes instead of buns or biscuits.

Makes enough for 2 very hungry hikers, or 4-5 campers if it’s not the only thing on the menu.

Nacho-style S’mores:
Cooking s’mores up nacho-style in ingenious. Cooking them in an open skillet cuts down on prep-time, mess, burnt fingers, and serving-size fights (you know: “How come he got the bigger piece?!?”). Plus, it’s a lot faster than roasting marshmallows when the only open flame allowed is from a backpacking stove.

Instead of carrying a cast iron skillet on hikes or backpacking trips you can use any matching skillet and lid from your cook kit and a backpacking stove instead of an open fire. When using one of these lighter steel or aluminum skillets, line the inside-bottom with foil – both to keep the graham crackers on the bottom from over-toasting and to save yourself from scraping off the sticky, gooey, sugary mess in the dark. Place the ingredients in the skillet as-described and top with the lid.

When cooking with a lighter skillet keep the backpacking stove on low, and/or use a heat spreader plate, and/or constantly move the skillet around just above the flames (so no one spot in the skillet heats up completely). Just a few minutes should get everything toasted and melted together.

Photo: lbeefus on Flickr

The small size of the Pandora pack also makes it great for steep, technical terrain and even climbing. That’s great for both male and female hikers, even if this pack is marketed toward women. Quick Tip: On technical terrain a smaller pack that doesn’t extend down below the small of your back will not interfere with your stride or hips and stays more stable & comfortable when you’re stretching and scrambling around.

Just $25.32 for the Pandora daypack at BackcountryOutlet.com, if you’re in the market for a few other camping or hiking essentials – any order of $50+ will get free shipping too.

Tags: The, North, Face, TNF, Pandora, daypack, backpack, pack, backpacking, hiking, camping, book, bag

Tags: Ben, Jerry's, Jerry, Ben+Jerrys, free, scoop, ice, cream, sorbet, frozen, yogurt, sundae, cone, day, 2006, April+25th

Tags: backpack, backpacking, camping, hiking, lightweight, ultralight, stove, butane, propane, Primus, Micron, piezo, MSR, folding, sale, clearance, steep, cheap

About resoling:
Good resolers are hard to find now, but I’ve hear good things about Rocky Mountain Resole for boots. I also had a good experience having climbing shoes resoled at Rock & Resole in Boulder, CO, but don’t know if they resole boots too.

A note on caring for traditional, all-leather boots:
Keep in mind though, boots made with full-grain leather and leather lining need a bit of care if they’re going to last for years. About once a year a quick soap (real soap, not liquid or deodorant soap) and water bath on the outside and inside will get rid of sap, salts, and anything else that can dry or crack the leather. Once they dry (no heating here) a coat of non-oil-based leather waterproofer needs to be applied thick enough to soak into the creases and seams of this thick leather. Traditionally boots like this were treaded with oil-based (including petroleum and/or animal-fat compounds) waterproofers because nothing else was available. Using wax (beeswax is one I’ve used myself) is OK, but the oil-based waterproofers can make the leather too soft and the threads stitching the boots together will cut into the softer leather – leading to weaker seams and the potential of seam blowouts. Since Nikwax and similar “new” treatments waterproof better anyway, there’s not a lot of reason to deal with those messy, stinky oils anyway.

Available parks and destinations are currently:

• COLORADO FRONT RANGE
• DEATH VALLEY
• GRAND CANYON
• MAINE
• NORTH CAROLINA RECREATION AREA
• NORTH CASCADES
• NORTH GEORGIA
• SEQUOIA KINGS CANYON
• SHENANDOAH/WASHINGTON DC

Tags: Sierra, Trading, Post, topo, topographic, map, maps, CD, Interactive, National, Park, National, Geographic

Tags: Pearl+Izumi, cycling, running, jacket, shell, windproof, wind+proof, Castelli, AmFib, Ultrasensor

Also, may want to check for anything else you need, because you can get free shipping from Altrec once the order gets to $45+.

Tags: Adidas, Jasten, Trail, Running, Shoes, hiking, fastpack, run, boot, sale, clearance

1. …after watching how easily and quickly tent fabric burns – I don’t like their idea of using a lighter to warm duct tape up so it will stick to the tent better. Since duct tape always leaves that sticky goo behind and just doesn’t stick well to wet fabric – it’s well worth the $6-8 price to pick up some tent repair “tape” from a gear shop. This stuff is usually ripstop nylon with adhesive on one side. To get the best seal, cut two matching pieces big enough to cover the hole and apply one to each side of the tent fabric.
2. I’ll add to their point about airing out a tent after every trip. ALWAYS air it out – no matter how rushed or tired you are. Mold and mildew can ruin a tent (or make it so smelly that you can’t live in it). When tent fabric is wet long-term it weakens the waterproof coating on the fabric. You can end up scratching it or even peeling chunks of the coating off the fabric just by pulling the fly out of the stuff sack.

Tags: tent, care, repair, camp, camping, hiking, zipper, seam, seal, burn, duct, tape

Of course, I found the site because Tom mentioned and linked to Hiker Deals site recently. He thinks the deals and commentary here “looks to be generated by a real person rather than cut ‘n’ pasted from catalog copy”. Thanks Tom.

Tags: hiking, trails, backpacking, news, two-heel, drive,

The awesome Marmot Pinnacle 15-degree-rated down sleeping bag weighs only 3 pounds (for the 6 ft., 6 in. length) – and it’s marked down to just $209.93 at REI-OUTLET.com.

Since there is now direct-linking to REI-OUTLET.com sale items, just click the link to visit the site and search for item #733418.

In a past review of long-hike training plans I mentioned how useful heart rate monitors are to keep you from pushing too hard and ending up slowing down the one or two planned hard workouts each week. Some of the most durable heart rate monitors are the Polar brand – normally they’re a bit expensive, but Amazon.com is hosting the Polar discount store with discounts of $10-$50 on the entire Polar heart rate monitor line. Several of the best discounts are:

• 34% off the Polar S120 heart rate monitor watch, just $79 and with free shipping
• 30% off the Mio Wave Heart Rate Watch, just $69.99 and with free shipping

One thing worth noting is that these big review sites are often just a waste of time when you’re trying to find a one-off product or looking for the BIGGEST deals. The smaller, human-edited sites do a better job of staying updated with the one-day sales and other limited coupons. My favorites include:

• Ben’s Bargains for electronics, stereo, and camera deals
• Deal Coupon for the latest coupons
• Anandtech Hot Deals forum for electronics and outright free stuff

This Coleman hanging table is a great idea for car camping or any comfortable base camp. The table and several gear hooks (for water bags, lanterns, or even backpacks) all hang from a strap that tightens around the trunk of a tree. Since it’s all tied to a tree there’s no worry about finding flat ground or about things sitting around in puddles – of course, if you live in SoCal like I do you might worry about finding a tall enough tree if you’re camping in the desert or a beach area. Not to mention that this coleman table is a lot smaller and lighter than you’re average folding table – I’ll use that extra space to carry more food, gear, and even more food.

One warning about using the gear hooks from this Coleman table setup to protect your food from bears and other animals: Hanging you backpack or food bag against the trunk of a tree with food in it won’t keep the squirrels out, plus even Yao Ming probably isn’t tall enough to get the strap up & out of a bear’s reach. Make sure your pack, food bag, or “bear container” hangs in mid-air (2-3 feet from branches above, below, and to the side) to keep the smaller critters out of it. Yes, that plastic or metal canister may be bear-proof, but odds are a squirrel or marmot can find their way inside if they can get to it easily.

I’ll add a few of my own favorite shopping sites:

• Google’s own Froogle price search has one of the biggest selections of tech and non-tech equipment (and it seems to be biased toward paying advertisers).
• One camping or outdoor gear Deal-a-Day at Steep and Cheap.
• Looking for a new toaster oven or anything else non-techie? General purpose price-search sites like Shopzilla and Shopper.com work OK.
• And, of course Hiker Deals – for camping bargains, but you’re already here.

My favorite bargain-finder sites from Pete’s list are Ben’s Bargains, Anandtech’s Deal forum, and Woot’s one-deal-per-day.

• $5 off $50 purchase code C22-GIFTGUIDE
• $15 off $100 purchase code C23-GIFTGUIDE
• 10% off, $25 maximum savings code C1-HOLIDAY2005 (only works for 50% of users …? Try to find out.)
• $5 off $50 purchase code C2-HOLIDAY2005 (only works for 50% of users …? Try to find out.)
• $15 off $100 purchase code C3-HOLIDAY2005 (only works for 50% of users …? Try to find out.)

There’s plenty of new gear on eBay for those of you who (like me) wouldn’t ever buy a pair of used boots. Several camping equipment stores sell their new and overstock gear at reduced prices.

Thanks to RyeBlog for finding this deal.

Anyone getting a new bike as a gift, or on a great year-end clearance? Make sure to get a real pump and not just a compact mini-pump. Even better, stay away from lightweight and high-volume floor pumps with aluminum bodies – they can pull-out of the base and stop pumping if the body gets dented in a trunk. Hint: If the pump body is silver & not painted it’s either aluminum or stainless steel. And, if it’s stainless it should be marked on the tag.

A good quality pump is still easy to find. The Planet Bike SSX Stainless Steel floor pump is 50% off, just $24.99. It’s stainless steel and pumps all the way to 200psi. Even if you never pump a tire to 200psi, a higher top-end pressure usually means stronger and longer-lasting seals.

These three little things will keep your hands much warmer no matter how long you’re out or how fancy your gloves are.

Despite all the fancy insulations and waterproof fabrics used in modern gloves it’s still hard to keep your hands warm on long days outside. Most of the problem is because hands both move and sweat a lot. Yes, even you – unless you’ve had laser surgery to remove the sweat glands in your hands they do sweat some. So, if your hands don’t sweat much count yourself lucky, but pay attention to the rest of the tricks.

Keep hands really dry: This doesn’t just mean waterproof gloves or not planting your palms into a puddle, but getting any sweat off your hands fast. Using waterproof or Gore-Tex gloves is just half the answer. Since they end up trapping all that sweat inside the glove it just gets harder and harder to keep your hands warm as the day goes on. The easiest way to solve this is to wear glove liners and use glove or mitten shells. Wearing a base, insulation, and shell layer on the rest of your body helps to maximize warmth and breathability, and wearing shells with removable insulation layers and glove liners works even better for cold hands. Carrying a spare pair of liners and insulation layer weighs less than half a pound, but lets you change out the wet, sweaty layers at lunch and replace wet stuff if it gets really nasty outside (or if you fall on your tail too many times and get snow in your gloves).

Always keep hands covered: This one is simple. Don’t pull your hands out of your gloves or mitts. And, since you did wedge the lip balm in some tiny pocket that a glove can’t reach into – wear liners.

Trap warm air (or stop moving your fingers and hands): Every time you use your hands the insulation in your gloves gets compressed and, unless your gloves are covered in plastic and act like balloons, warm air gets squeezed out of the insulation. This is a big part of why mittens are warmer than gloves – there’s more warm air inside and more space for that warm air to go when you grip something. So, what can you do about this? First, wearing mittens helps – but while they’re mildly cool in recent years they’re a pain in the butt if you need to play with your bindings. So, the other thing you can do is to buy your gloves a bit roomy so they trap more air and make sure to wear liners under them, since knit liners don’t compress the way that fluffier glove-insulation does.

Other reasons for shell gloves or mitts includes being able to buy different weights of insulation to customize for the weather and that it’s cheaper over a few years to replace just the shells with seam/rope-burn holes or worn-out liners. Thin liner gloves are great for running, or keeping in a jacket or pack pocket for some lightweight backup warmth during the fall and spring. I don’t have much of a preference for shell gloves, mitts or insulation layers. All the materials are pretty good and the only thing to worry about is size. I do prefer wool glove liners, but that’s because the synthetic ones always feel slimy and stink after a few days without doing laundry.

Kelty’s famous, white Cloud mountaineering pack is made from Spectra (similar to Kevlar, but different brand-name) cloth and is just 4.5 pounds, including the detachable gear pockets. The Cloud is a 4500 cubic-inch pack with memory-foam belt designed for 3+ day trips where weight is the biggest concern. I’ve never actually seen one of these marked down below retail, normally $625, but BackcountryOutlet.com has it 17% off, for “just” $519.96. If you don’t want to spare any cost to stay ultralight – this may be somewhere closer to a normal climber or backpacker’s budget.

• $30 off $150+ orders: coupon code FABCC
• $20 off $100+ orders: coupon code FABCC
• $30 off $150+ orders: coupon code WNTPT25
• $20 off $100+ orders: coupon code WNTPT25

The $20 and $30 coupons can’t be stacked since they use the same codes, so I’m guessing that REI won’t let you use both coupons on the same hiking/camping gear order either. If you’re doing all your shopping at REI or picking up something big (like skis and boots) remember to split the order so you can use a coupon on each order. Both coupon codes expire on 11/17/2005.

Unless you’re going to hang around camp all day put on all the clothes you’ll need all day in the morning. Stick with light layers, since it’s a pain to carry half a weekend’s clothing on every Red Rock hike or excursion into Las Vegas. Lightweight long underwear over a short sleeve shirt will work for backcountry days, but if you’re planning to try to get free beer at the tables in a casino – stick with shirts instead of long underwear tops. Likewise, stay away from fleece or shell jackets, because they’re just baggage after the first few morning hours.

One piece that served me well on hikes and on the Vegas strip was an older version of this Mountain Hardware Mesa long-sleeve shirt. The light, synthetic fabric stays pretty wrinkle-free in a pack, stops wind better than fleece – without the profuse sweating either, and it doesn’t pick up dirt or stink quickly either.

Seeing an Outdoor Research tent pole bag at REI marked down 61%, to $3.83, reminded me of an easy way to save pack space and cut some extra weight on backpacking trips. Tent poles are some of the only backpacking gear that isn’t collapsible or, like a cooking kit, stuffable with other gear. The best thing to do with hard-to-pack items like that is to strap them outside your pack. Strapping tent poles to the sides of a pack is tough, since most packs don’t have the right pockets or straps on the sides to keep poles from poking through or snagging on branches. A tent pole bag can easily be strapped to the outside of a pack and keep them protected from damage.

No direct links to REI products, so click & search for item # 676412 to pick up the bargain.

Use coupon code SEPQUCKDSCNT for $25 off $125+ orders in Amazon’s Housewares and Cookware shops (no expiration mentioned)

Start with the Backpacker magazine “Fit for Any Hike” training plan. Much of the training is jogging or trail running, but in the Backpacker plan it’s a lot more relevant to long days with a pack than more common marathon training plans. Running may seem like overdoing it, but it’s necessary unless you want to double or triple your time commitment just walking instead. Since you’re running instead of walking, eaxtra attention needs to be paid to not going too hard and injuring yourself – thus the heart rate monitor. To integrate the heart rate monitor into the Backpacker plan, scan this excellent guide to finding heart rate zones and replace the perceived exertion scores in the Backpacker guide.

Feel free to adjust the training distances in any plan up or down based on your hike length and how much time you have to build up to things. The plans I’ve linked to are 8-week guides, if you have 10 or 12 weeks to train just repeat the first two or four weeks of the 8-week plans. The two things that most need to be avoided are overtraining and injuries – both accomplished by not pushing too hard. There are plenty of rest days in these plans, so a skipped day can be made up. When making up a training day take it easier that day than the way it’s scheduled, because the next day’s workout will suffer when your body is less rested.

If you’re in the market for a heart rate monitor, the Polar S150 heart rate monitor is marked down to $80 (from $140). Also, smaller 10-20% discounts can be found on more models at Heart Rate Monitors USA.

Today Black Diamond’s top of the line Chaos climbing harness is 51% off. It’s an awesome sport harness and even has a haul loop and big gear loops for trad work. …despite the awesome price, skip the Chaos it if you’re going to do any winter or ice work. For that matter, skip any harness without adjustable leg loops for winter climbing. While you’re being picky about winter harnesses, try to find one with pressure molded padding. Harnesses with molded padding soak up less water and stay lighter during drippy, damp winter trips.

The best backpacking meals are always the ones that don’t require much prepping or cooking. I remember that each and every breakfast in the backcountry: it’s cold, I’m hungry, and the only choices are granola bars or fumbling with mixes, ingredients (which I normally spill half of), and waiting for cooking. Here’s one of the best ideas I’ve heard in a long time:

I’d love hot pancakes when camping, but mixing batter in a small envelope and cleaning up later don’t make it easy in the morning. And, no one in their right mind would try to carry pre-made pancakes and think they wouldn’t be just crumbs after half a day on the trail. Backpacker magazine has the answer, with a recipie for carryable crepes. Crepes are more like tortillas than pancakes, and tortillas sure seem to handle getting stuffed in a backpack OK. Plus, the crepes can just be popped out of the Ziplock and heated in a skillet until they’re hot (or eaten cold if that’s your thing), and that has got to be faster than heating water for oatmeal and then having to clean up later.

A tip I found recently recommends taking the bladder from a box of wine (yes, boxed wine has a good side) to use as an inflatable pillow. It’s both light and compact when deflated, but when inflated and wrapped in a fleece jacket it can be as puffy as needed to be comfortable.

This tip is from the Reader Tips section of the Sept. 2005 Backpacker Magazine, by Chad Anderson in Tucson.

• Salomon Dreamer Trail Shoe, $55.95 at 25% off – lots of sizes (for now) and fit a bit wider foot
• Vasque Pingora Approach Shoe, $67.47 and also 25% off, fit an average size foot

If you have to use a trashbag: Buy the heavy duty lawn and garden-type bags. They really hold up to sticks and brush better. Then, take at least one whole bag and one fitted bag on the trail. The whole bag is used to cover the pack completely at night and the fitted bag is used during the day while hiking. Make a fitted trashbag by cutting a U-shaped hole just big enough to let the hipbelt and pack straps out (from the open edge, about 2-3 inches narrower than the straps and 2 inches shorter than distance from pack bottom to where the straps connect). Line the edge of the U-shaped cutout with duct tape to keep it from tearing while it’s being used.

Something like this Osprey crampon pouch will work great. With multiple attachment points it will attach to almost all packs, not just the Osprey brand. It’s on sale at Altrec.com for 21% off, plus if you’ve purchased from Altrec before there is an extra 10% off and you can get free shipping for signing up for their email newsletter.

A good example of a good fit is this Craft long underwear (from Sweden, they probably know about cold). It’s a very soft polyester fabric, but it still lasts and combined with the flat seams it’s very comfy. Plus, it’s long in the body and has extra long tails to stop the drafts when it’s windy or you need to bend over and pick something up.

• Craft Pro – Long Sleeve Men’s Crew Top, 70% off, only $11.95
• Craft Sport Performance – Long Sleeve Women’s Top, 37% off, only $27.95
• Craft Sport Performance – Long Sleeve Women’s Zip Turtleneck Top, 36% off, only $34.95
• Craft Pro – Long Sleeve Men’s Turtleneck Top, 55% off, only $19.95

The $35-$90 prices are worth worrying about. LED headlamps can be had for half the price and with weaker beams they’re smaller and your camping partner doesn’t need to walk a mile from camp to find some privacy.

Right now the MSR DragonFly stove is only $95.97 at Altrec.com, marked down from $120, and it’s eligible for free shipping too.

MSR SuperFly On Sale:
MSR SuperFly stove (click to see) is only $39.97 and has free shipping at Altrec.com.

To dry boots quickly/overnight, remove the laces and pull the boot tongue all the way out of the boot. If the tongue won’t stay out use a stick or something to hold it out. Boots without a tongue to pull out should be gently held open with a stick. Place the opened boot under the tent vestibule and not inside the tent, or without a vestibule cover them with a t-shirt or thin fabric. The inside of a tent is always more humid than the outside, and unless it’s the middle of summer morning dew can re-wet boots that aren’t covered up by the tent fly or t-shirt.

During the daytime, wet boots should be taken off and opened up (laces removed & tongue out) at every stop longer than 30 minutes. Both after long stops and during shorter stops – change socks. A sock change will protect your feet from the friction of wet boots and the new pair of socks should be more dry than the ones that were in the boots during hiking.

For really wet boots or during times of constant rain, it is worth pulling plastic bags over regular socks or waterproof socks (also VBL socks at Amazon.com) before putting on boots. Just a warning when wearing plastic bag liners like this – change socks two or three times a day or sweat from your feet will wet out socks as badly as the wet boots would.

Can you program your VCR? Figured out how to commercial-skip with a TiVo? If so, then put the same effort into learning how to use your GPS right. If not, think twice about relying on the GPS unit without a lot of time and practice (actually, learn how to use a map and compass first, that helps the fundamentals stick in your head). Ever had the batteries die in your cell phone? Exactly, forget about the extra weight and bring even more batteries than you should need.

The backup, backup plan is to always bring a map and compass – and know how to use them. Plus, they’re lighter than any GPS unit will be for the next decade or so.

Not only do they offer low prices on bulk Ramen noodles, Costco always has a concession stand with plenty of off-the-ground seating. Plus, the concession stands always have sizable roofs and are often inside the warehouse (great during freak snowstorms). Not to mention that they serve a huge slice of decent pizza for about $1.50. If you’re really scrounging for grub, search for free food samples in the store. I never found a reliable schedule for samplings, but local, long-term campers and climbers can usually pinpoint the best days and times to pick up free, hot samples and salty snacks.

Just two warnings, a membership isn’t required for the concession stand, but making purchases requires a $45 annual membership and they only take cash or Discover cards. Still, here’s a coupon for a $10 gift certificate when you sign up for the Costco membership.

The Bomb Pack comes in five frame sizes and is fully adjustable to the wearer’s back. This makes a great weekend (2-3 day) backpack or a great daypack in cold weather when clothing and food gets bulkier. To fit this pack (or any internal frame pack) right: adjust the shoulder straps where they attach to the pack & make sure the hip belt lines up with the top of the hip bones when the pack is empty, not around the waist or in front of the hip joint. The goal is to get the weight onto your legs, which happens by having the pack press down on your hip bones. Also, by snugging the waist belt around the hips the pack moves with your body, instead of bouncing side-to-side and sapping away extra energy.

The Snow Factor pack doesn’t have the internal frame, so it won’t carry big loads as comfortably. The lack of a frame does make it a better backpack for anything where moving around a lot and having the pack move with you is necessary. Some of those activities may include snowborading & skiing (what this pack was desgnied for), trudging uphill in the snow, fastpacking, or even adventure racing.

• Dana Design – Bomb Pack Internal Frame Backpack, 49% off, only $129.95
• Dana Design – Snow Factor Backpack, 55% off, only $119.95