Camping Tips

Batoning wood with a knife is a great way to make kindling at the campsite. Before I talk about how to do it, let me first talk about when you would not want to baton wood. It is not meant ...

On our last 50 Campfires Field Trip, we had the good fortune of celebrating a birthday with friends at the lake. It was hot and sunny, and a perfect day for fun in the sun. Our mission has always been ...

A few years ago I was camping with some friends, and as soon as we got there, one of the guys started carving a spoon. I soon learned that he does this every time he goes camping, and I thought ...

What Do the Numbers on Binoculars Mean? If you’re shopping for binoculars, chances are you’ve seen a series of numbers and symbols in the product description. Something along the lines of “12-40×40” or “10/30×25”. To the uninitiated, these can be ...

How to Choose Binoculars A good pair of binoculars should be part of every hiker’s kit. They can allow you to get a better look at the wildlife, or to zoom in on natural features like waterfalls and cliffs, which ...

Do I need a bear canister? That’s a good question. When you’re camping in bear country, it’s important to remember that bears have a strong sense of smell. Scratch that. Bears have a very strong sense of smell, about equivalent ...

Best GPS Apps For Hiking As recently as the turn of this century, every gas station and convenience store in the country had racks full of road maps. Nowadays, not only is it hard to find a paper road map, ...

Can Camping Stoves Be Used Indoors? A camp stove is a near-necessity for surviving in the wilderness. It’s lighter than an open fire grill, it’s more reliable, and it doesn’t require you to light a large, open fire. It’s also ...

Are camping cots worth it? Camping cots have been around for as long as people have been sleeping in tents. They’re essentially minimalist beds, with no fancy, newfangled frills like box springs or mattresses. Today’s camping cots are typically manufactured ...

Sometimes, a camping or backpacking trip turns sour. Maybe you went left instead of right at the last trail marker. Maybe you had to take a detour and got lost in the woods on your way back to the trail. ...