Tips, Tricks, and Hacks Archives - Backpacking Light

Animal Encounters in the Backcountry

Ryan Jordan — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 16:00:01 +0000

Ryan shares some principles about how to manage wildlife encounters, based on his own encounters with wild animals in the backcountry.

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Handling the Heat: How to Use Your Palms to Stay Cool

James Montavon — Tue, 30 May 2023 15:00:50 +0000

Learn how to manage thermoregulation while hiking through effective utilization of your palms.

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Is Buying a Home Freeze-Dryer Worth the Money?

Drew Smith — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 15:00:40 +0000

Home Freeze-dryers are handy but expensive. Are they worth the cost? We show you how to find out.

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Walking With Marcus: How Stoic Philosophy Informs My Ultralight Backpacking

Andrew Marshall — Fri, 19 Aug 2022 15:00:00 +0000

Can an ancient Roman philosophy make you a better backpacker? It all depends upon your application.

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How to use Gaia GPS to Find Hidden Backcountry Routes

Backpacking Light — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 15:00:00 +0000

Learn Ryan Jordan's process for discovering hidden backcountry routes by integrating current base maps, satellite imagery layers, and historical USGS maps.

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Using lines of position to fix your location on a map

Ryan Jordan — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 15:00:00 +0000

Learn how to identify and use lines of position to help fix your location on a map while traveling in the backcountry.

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How to use the Garmin inReach Mini without a smartphone

Ryan Jordan — Sat, 21 May 2022 03:35:34 +0000

Learning how to use the Garmin inReach Mini (or Mini 2) satellite communicator without a smartphone opens up opportunities for overall battery management and more efficient messaging, navigation, and tracking.

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Why is it hard to freeze-dry liquids?

Drew Smith — Tue, 10 May 2022 15:00:00 +0000

In part four of his ongoing series, Drew Smith tackles freeze-drying a smoothie.

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The Backpacking Poncho: An Ultralight Alternative to Rain Jackets

Drew Smith — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 15:00:00 +0000

Drew Smith makes the case for backpacking ponchos. They provide more ventilation vs. rain jackets and can also function as ultralight tarps.

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Mindfulness Meditation for Backpacking

Andrew Marshall — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 15:00:00 +0000

Andrew Marshall explores an ancient life skill that is surprisingly applicable to backpacking - meditation.

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