Helpful Tips
If you have a helpful tip or any advise useful to backpackers, campers, or hikers that you would like to share, please let us know. Papa GnawBone will see to it that it gets posted on this page and you will be given full credit for your contribution.
Hiking Boots:
When you are going for a short walk in the woods any good, comfortable shoe will do. If you have more strenuous hiking in mind, make sure you have a pair of good lug soled boots that provide plenty of support for your ankles. Going down hill is actually harder on your legs and ankles than up hill. Walking with your feet at an angle to the slope will give you better traction in slippery conditions.
The more serious backpacker will want to have a rugged pair of hiking boots with a lugged, Vibram brand sole. I have kept traction on ice and wet granite boulders, wearing Vibram brand soled boots.
GBK
Blisters:
To help prevent blisters on your feet, wear two pairs of socks. I like to wear a pair of white, silk socks, ( thin cotton socks will not do), with a pair of thicker, cushion sole, wool blend socks over them. That will help to wick moisture away from your feet, and reduce friction against your skin.
GBK
Tents:
There are a few things I like to do whenever I get a new tent. Of course, the first thing I do is throw away the instructions. I don’t necessarily recommend you do that, but it is a good way to learn how not to set your tent up.
When you get a new tent, practice at least once by setting it up in the yard. Preferably on a warm, sunny day. Turn the garden hose on and get the tent good and wet. As it dries, the fabric will draw up around the stitching in the seams. After the tent has dried, I like to spray it with a good silicone water repellant.
GBK
Moisture Barrier:
Always carry a sheet or two of 8x10, 4 mil. clear plastic with you. It is well worth the couple extra ounces in your backpack. Place it under the floor of your tent as a moisture barrier. Make sure to tuck the ends under the edges of the tent. Any exposed plastic will just channel water to your tent floor. If you like sleeping under the stars, like I do, put a sheet of plastic under your sleeping bag. Use a second sheet over the top of the bag to keep the dew off. Be sure to use some sticks or something to raise the cover plastic several inches above the sleeping bag. You will need that for ventilation.
GBK
Cleaning your Mess Kit:
When I was in the Marines, I learned to clean my mess kit with sand. It does a really good job of cleaning. You don’t have to be humping the desert with 1st. Tank Battalion to get your cooking gear clean. If you are near a stream that has a sandbar, or just small pebbles in the stream bed, that works well also!
Remember to clean your cooking gear well away from the stream itself.
GBK
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