Place a box of Arm & Hammer Fridge-N-Freezer baking soda in the closet . This box sells for under a $1 at Target. It is much cheaper, more environmentally friendly and doesn’t have the heavy perfume odor of many of the other products in the air freshener aisle. The box of baking soda also includes a handy area on the side of the box to write in the “change by” date. Make sure to put in a new box as needed to keep your hiking closet smelling fresh. Discard the contents of the used box by pouring it down your garbage disposal or drain to keep that fresh as well.
Get the funk out of a Bear Vault:
To remove odors from a bear vault, wash the vault and the lid by hand with a mild dishwashing liquid such as Ivory, Dawn, etc. Dry thoroughly with a soft dishtowel. Place a box of Arm & Hammer Fridge-N-Freezer baking soda in the vault. Cover with the lid but do not close the vault completely. After 3 to 4 days the vault should be odor free. Remove the baking soda and discard.
Melissa’s potentially world famous smashed sandwich
On day hiking trips you probably don’t want to use your regular backpack but still want to carry something more than energy bars and water. Hence the invention of the “smash sandwich”.
Place two slices of your favorite cheese, cut in half, in the center of a soft burrito. Top with lettuce and thin slices of tomato. Roll up the burrito and wrap it in foil. Place “sandwich” in your hiking bag cramming into the bag as needed. As you hike, the burrito will get softer, the cheese will get warmer and by lunch time you will have a delicious, nutritious and potentially world famous smashed sandwich.
This seems obvious, but I always take a pair of sandals with me for the drive back. It sucks to have to keep your heavy socks and heavy, dirty boots on in the car after a hike.
The Zen Stoves site has all you need to know, including tips on how to choose a stove, how different fuels work, how various stoves work, how to build a stove from a Pepsi/Coke/Heineken can.
This almost happened to me: I had coins in my pocket and a couple of rechargeable batteries. I noticed a very hot sensation in my pocket, pulled out the batteries and noticed they were super hot. Apparently the coins touched the poles and created a closed circuit: eventually they could have exploded.
Easiest hack: put tape over the battery poles to keep this from happening. But better yet: avoid carrying batteries in your pocket (stow ’em with your camera case if possible). Some brands of rechargeable batteries come with carrying cases, which are way handy and will prevent this too.
First of all, consider using an interior liner and exterior cover to minimize the need to wash your sleeping bag. Frequently washing down sleeping bags reduces the loft of the filling and the thermal qualities. However, down sleeping bags should be washed at the end of the season before long-term storage.
Do not use regular detergent such as Tide, etc. Use a product specifically designed for washing down sleeping bags such as NIKWAX Down Wash
Use only a commercial front-loading washing machine, which is available at laundromats. Do not wash your down filled sleeping bag in a home washing machine.
Follow the directions on the down washing product to ensure that you use the correct amount, washing cycle, etc.
Dry the sleeping bag according to the instructions on the manufacturer’s care label or the down washing product. If your sleeping bag can be machine dried, be sure to use a
front-loading commercial dryer. Do not dry your sleeping bag in a home dryer.
If machine drying, regularly removing the sleeping bag from the dryer and gently shake it to help restore the loft to the down.
Avoid over-drying, you don’t want to bake the down. After a few cycles in the dryer, compress the down and feel for moisture and stop drying as soon as it feels dry to the touch. At this point it won’t be totally dry: take it home and air-dry it for a few more days before storing it for the season.
Save money on shelves for your hiking-gear closet by skipping the high-priced home stores or household storage sections of most stores.
Check for shelves in the garage/automotive area of your local hardware store or Walmart. For example, these shelves from Walmart are easy to assemble, sturdy, slim enough to fit in most closets yet large enough to hold all those small hiking necessities such as bear vaults, cooking equipment, hygiene supplies, etc. These Walmart shelves are only $14.44 versus similar Sterilite shelves which cost $34.88.
Even if you hate Walmart, the concept still applies: storage supplies can be much cheaper outside the housewares department.
At the start of backpacking season, or at least annually, check the expiration dates your first aid supplies. While bandages have a long shelf life, many of the medications, like Vitamin I, salves, antibacterial wipes, etc. expire within a year or two. Also, it is a good idea to check the expiration date of personal care items such as toothpaste, sunscreen, etc.
An online company, Minimus, carries a wide variety of small and travel-sized items that you may need to replace. Their prices are surprisingly low and you can order a single two-tablet packet of ibuprofen or as many as you need. There are no minimum or set quantities and shipping is free on orders of $20 or more. We’ve ordered items from Minimus several times to update our earthquake kit and the orders have always been shipped quickly and accurately.
Buy a food dehydrator, vacuum sealer and copy of Linda Frederick Yaffe’s book “Backpack Gourmet: Good Hot Grub You Can Make at Home, Dehydrate, and Pack for Quick, Easy, and Healthy Eating on the Trail”.
Take her examples and cook up a few dozen meals for storage in a closet or the freezer and have them on hand any time you decide to take a backpacking trip. Pair her dishes with bulk granola, energy bars and whatever other dried odds and ends you like to eat while hiking and your pre-trip hassles will be minimized.
#1 safety item to carry – a Whistle. If you ever fall down a ravine you may not be able to get up or yell for help. Modern “pea-less” whistles are shrill and can save your life. I refer you to Amy Racine, who fell 60 feet, broke both legs and a hip and crawled for 3 days in Sequoia National Park – she had no whistle. Read “Angels in the Wilderness.”
You put new batteries in your flashlight and stow it in your pack or suitcase and when you retrieve the flashlight for use, the batteries are dead. Arrgghh…the flashlight got tousled and the switch slid to the on position.
Next time, turn one (and only one) of the batteries around in the battery compartment. This keeps electricity from flowing even if the switch moves to the on position.
Hygiene
A no-stench gear closet
Place a box of Arm & Hammer Fridge-N-Freezer baking soda in the closet . This box sells for under a $1 at Target. It is much cheaper, more environmentally friendly and doesn’t have the heavy perfume odor of many of the other products in the air freshener aisle. The box of baking soda also includes a handy area on the side of the box to write in the “change by” date. Make sure to put in a new box as needed to keep your hiking closet smelling fresh. Discard the contents of the used box by pouring it down your garbage disposal or drain to keep that fresh as well.
Get the funk out of a Bear Vault:
To remove odors from a bear vault, wash the vault and the lid by hand with a mild dishwashing liquid such as Ivory, Dawn, etc. Dry thoroughly with a soft dishtowel. Place a box of Arm & Hammer Fridge-N-Freezer baking soda in the vault. Cover with the lid but do not close the vault completely. After 3 to 4 days the vault should be odor free. Remove the baking soda and discard.
Food and nutrition
Melissa’s potentially world famous smashed sandwich
On day hiking trips you probably don’t want to use your regular backpack but still want to carry something more than energy bars and water. Hence the invention of the “smash sandwich”.
Place two slices of your favorite cheese, cut in half, in the center of a soft burrito. Top with lettuce and thin slices of tomato. Roll up the burrito and wrap it in foil. Place “sandwich” in your hiking bag cramming into the bag as needed. As you hike, the burrito will get softer, the cheese will get warmer and by lunch time you will have a delicious, nutritious and potentially world famous smashed sandwich.
Hygiene
Take clean footwear
This seems obvious, but I always take a pair of sandals with me for the drive back. It sucks to have to keep your heavy socks and heavy, dirty boots on in the car after a hike.
Travel
Scoring a permit to hike Mount Whitney
You wanna climb the highest peak in the Lower 48? So does every other hiker, so you have to go through some rigamarole to hike the peak.
The Whitney Portal Store BBS offers a complete guide to Mount Whitney. You can’t go wrong with these tips.
Gear:
All you need to know about backpacking stoves
The Zen Stoves site has all you need to know, including tips on how to choose a stove, how different fuels work, how various stoves work, how to build a stove from a Pepsi/Coke/Heineken can.
Go there and get cooking.
Safety
Keep batteries from shorting out
This almost happened to me: I had coins in my pocket and a couple of rechargeable batteries. I noticed a very hot sensation in my pocket, pulled out the batteries and noticed they were super hot. Apparently the coins touched the poles and created a closed circuit: eventually they could have exploded.
Easiest hack: put tape over the battery poles to keep this from happening. But better yet: avoid carrying batteries in your pocket (stow ’em with your camera case if possible). Some brands of rechargeable batteries come with carrying cases, which are way handy and will prevent this too.
Gear
Wash a down sleeping bag
First of all, consider using an interior liner and exterior cover to minimize the need to wash your sleeping bag. Frequently washing down sleeping bags reduces the loft of the filling and the thermal qualities. However, down sleeping bags should be washed at the end of the season before long-term storage.
Do not use regular detergent such as Tide, etc. Use a product specifically designed for washing down sleeping bags such as NIKWAX Down Wash
Use only a commercial front-loading washing machine, which is available at laundromats. Do not wash your down filled sleeping bag in a home washing machine.
Follow the directions on the down washing product to ensure that you use the correct amount, washing cycle, etc.
Dry the sleeping bag according to the instructions on the manufacturer’s care label or the down washing product. If your sleeping bag can be machine dried, be sure to use a
front-loading commercial dryer. Do not dry your sleeping bag in a home dryer.
If machine drying, regularly removing the sleeping bag from the dryer and gently shake it to help restore the loft to the down.
Avoid over-drying, you don’t want to bake the down. After a few cycles in the dryer, compress the down and feel for moisture and stop drying as soon as it feels dry to the touch. At this point it won’t be totally dry: take it home and air-dry it for a few more days before storing it for the season.
Gear
Organize your gear closet on the cheap
Save money on shelves for your hiking-gear closet by skipping the high-priced home stores or household storage sections of most stores.
Check for shelves in the garage/automotive area of your local hardware store or Walmart. For example, these shelves from Walmart are easy to assemble, sturdy, slim enough to fit in most closets yet large enough to hold all those small hiking necessities such as bear vaults, cooking equipment, hygiene supplies, etc. These Walmart shelves are only $14.44 versus similar Sterilite shelves which cost $34.88.
Even if you hate Walmart, the concept still applies: storage supplies can be much cheaper outside the housewares department.
First aid
Check expiration dates on first aid supplies
At the start of backpacking season, or at least annually, check the expiration dates your first aid supplies. While bandages have a long shelf life, many of the medications, like Vitamin I, salves, antibacterial wipes, etc. expire within a year or two. Also, it is a good idea to check the expiration date of personal care items such as toothpaste, sunscreen, etc.
An online company, Minimus, carries a wide variety of small and travel-sized items that you may need to replace. Their prices are surprisingly low and you can order a single two-tablet packet of ibuprofen or as many as you need. There are no minimum or set quantities and shipping is free on orders of $20 or more. We’ve ordered items from Minimus several times to update our earthquake kit and the orders have always been shipped quickly and accurately.
Food & Nutrition
Save Money on Backpacking Food
Buy a food dehydrator, vacuum sealer and copy of Linda Frederick Yaffe’s book “Backpack Gourmet: Good Hot Grub You Can Make at Home, Dehydrate, and Pack for Quick, Easy, and Healthy Eating on the Trail”.
Take her examples and cook up a few dozen meals for storage in a closet or the freezer and have them on hand any time you decide to take a backpacking trip. Pair her dishes with bulk granola, energy bars and whatever other dried odds and ends you like to eat while hiking and your pre-trip hassles will be minimized.
SAFETY
#1 safety item to carry – a Whistle. If you ever fall down a ravine you may not be able to get up or yell for help. Modern “pea-less” whistles are shrill and can save your life. I refer you to Amy Racine, who fell 60 feet, broke both legs and a hip and crawled for 3 days in Sequoia National Park – she had no whistle. Read “Angels in the Wilderness.”
I now have a whistle on every fanny / back pack.
—
Rick Deutsch -Mr. Half Dome
Author: “One Best Hike: Yosemite’s Half Dome”
http://www.HikeHalfDome.com
You put new batteries in your flashlight and stow it in your pack or suitcase and when you retrieve the flashlight for use, the batteries are dead. Arrgghh…the flashlight got tousled and the switch slid to the on position.
Next time, turn one (and only one) of the batteries around in the battery compartment. This keeps electricity from flowing even if the switch moves to the on position.