Want to learn how to hang a bear bag properly so a bear cannot reach your food? Use the PCT method: find a branch 15-20 ft up and at least 4-6 ft out from the trunk, toss a weighted cord, clip your food bag to a carabiner on the line, hoist it up, and lock […]

I learned to read contour lines the hard way. Years ago, on a backpacking trip in the Cascades, I sketched a "shortcut" across a slope that looked easy on satellite imagery. The topo map I had stuffed in my pack would have told me it was a 200-foot cliff band hidden under tree cover, but […]

Planning a multi-day canoe trip starts with choosing a destination, locking in permits, mapping your daily mileage and portages, arranging a car shuttle, building a meal plan, packing the right gear (PFD, dry bags, shelter, water filter), rehearsing safety skills, and finally loading and balancing the canoe. I have spent more than 30 nights on […]

When I planned my first 3-month section hike, I almost missed the permit window by a single day. That scramble taught me something every multi-day backpacker eventually learns the hard way: how to plan a multi-day backpacking trip is less about gear and more about the boring paperwork, research, and decisions you make weeks (sometimes […]

I've planned saltwater trips around tide charts for years, and the difference between a slow day on the water and a banner day almost always traces back to one thing: I picked the right tide window. In this guide, I'll walk you through how to plan a fishing trip using tide charts the same way […]

Pitching a tent on uneven ground is the backcountry skill that separates a restorative night outdoors from waking up at 3 a.m. wedged against the foot of your tent, damp and wondering why your back hurts. Our team has spent more than 200 nights testing pitches across the Lake District, the Sierra Nevada, and the […]

If your paddle board is going soft overnight and you suspect the seam, this guide on how to patch an iSUP seam will walk you through the exact process I use after running a paddle board rental fleet for years. Most seam leaks on inflatable SUPs are fixable at home with a PVC patch, a […]

I woke up at 2 a.m. on a cold shoulder season night with my hips grinding into the ground. After 6 months of weekly trips, my favorite inflatable sleeping pad had finally sprung a slow leak. If you have ever dealt with a hissing pad, a saggy middle, or a deflated air mattress in the […]

I've patched more inflatable kayaks than I can count over the past decade, from a 2 mm pinhole in a sun-baked Sevylor to a 6 inch gash in a Kokopelli after a class III rapid. This is the exact process I walk every paddler through when they call our team asking how to patch a […]

I've patched more tents than I can count over the last decade, from a pinhole in a backpacking fly to a 6-inch tear in a family cabin tent after a windstorm. The good news: how to patch a hole in a tent is a skill anyone can learn in a single afternoon, and a quality […]