Camping & Backpacking Gear

For nearly five years, I used the same Primus Express canister stove for backpacking. After enduring lots of abuse, I finally had to put it to rest (flames were coming from places they shouldn’t!). I went to my local outdoor store, saw a remote canister stove on sale and impulsively bought it. Now that I […]

Let’s be clear: your kids probably don’t need a cot for camping.  For years,  my kids just slept on a cheap $15 foam pad and never once complained about being uncomfortable (they fall asleep so quickly when outdoors all day long that comfort isn’t really an issue; adults are another story though!). 

Let’s be clear: so long as you are following the principles of Leave No Trace, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to hike.  But that doesn’t mean you aren’t likely to get a bunch of weird looks if you carrying an umbrella while hiking or backpacking.

For years, I used a self-inflating sleeping pad or foam pad when backpacking.  When I finally switched over to an inflatable pad, I was surprised at how annoying it was to blow up.

When Oukitel first asked me to review one of their smartphones, I was a bit confused.  I write about camping and backpacking. What do phones have to do with that?  Then I saw the Oukitel rugged phone selection and got excited. Yes, I wanted one of these. It didn’t hurt that my current phone was