Carrying a bear canister is something that backpackers have to do in many US National Parks and most areas of the California Sierra. Here is the most current information (July 2022) on where bear-resistant containers are required, what type, and when.
Hiking trails in the United States offer an abundance of edible berries that are great for raw snacking. They add fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants to your trail diet. Blueberries, blackberries, huckleberries, mulberries, raspberries, and strawberries, are just a few examples of the delicious and nutritious berries you may encounter. If you’d like to try foraging wild berries, here’s what you need to know about identifying them, when they typically ripen, and where you’ll most likely find them. Blackberries Blackberries are easy to spot because the fruit is aggregated, meaning each berry contains a cluster of tiny round berries. Blackberries […]
No Pain, No Maine? Long-distance hiking or thru-hiking is challenging both mentally and physically. Whether hiking the Appalachian Trail or another long-distance trail, the continuous step-by-step motion from dusk to dawn, repeated day after day, requires considerable effort and determination. This routine can feel monotonous, and it may involve pain and discomfort. Thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail (AT) understand that the 2,168-mile journey from Georgia to Maine will not be free of aches and pains. This is reflected in the common exchange among AT backpackers: “No Pain, No Maine.” However, this doesn’t mean that a thru-hike is a painful or […]
A common question we get from backpackers is, “What backpacking meals do you have that are low in sodium?” Low sodium is a regulated term for food containing 140 mg of sodium or less per serving. Most packaged food will not meet this definition because salt functions as a natural preservative and drying agent. Fresh food and water-packed meals are your best bet for finding low sodium food. Beyond that, dried single ingredients, especially freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, are more likely to be low in sodium than dried packaged meals. A small amount of sodium is found naturally in many plant foods, although most get added […]
The main job of a food storage bag is to prevent moisture and air from permeating the contents inside. Standard household freezer bags are readily available and inexpensive, making them appealing for storing homemade dry foods or repacking commercial backpacking food to reduce space. Storing dry food long-term in non-barrier packaging like plastic freezer bags will allow oxygen and moisture from the surrounding air to absorb into the food, where bacterial contamination and growth can occur. Eventually, the food will become soggy and mold. If this happens, the food will be unsafe to eat. Freezer bags will work okay for […]