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The Ideal Sewing Kit for Your Thru-Hike
A sewing kit is one of the most underrated hiking necessities. Here is what should be included in your sewing kit to be most prepared.
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![A woman wearing a black beanie and grey shirt out in the forest]()
3 Popular Outdoor Hoods to Keep You Warm
The head represents about 10% of the body’s total surface area and leaving this exposed to the cold can rapidly reduce your body temperature. Here are three different types of hoods you can wear in the outdoors to keep you warm.
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![a large cow trough filled with moss and mirky water]()
How to Purify Water While on Trail
Having a few purification tablets in your pack provides a great backup in case you need to purify water while you are hiking.
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![Colorful down and synthetic jackets hanging, down vs. sysnthetic]()
Synthetic vs. Down: Which is Best for Your Thru-Hike?
The two most popular insulators are made from synthetic fibers or down. When preparing for your thru-hike or backpacking trip, you should know which type of insulation is best for your needs.
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![insect repellent being sprayed onto clothing]()
How to Use Permethrin Insect Repellent on Clothing
The insect repellant, Permethrin, is designed for clothing and is effective against mosquitoes, ticks, spiders, chiggers, and mites.
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![4 different common tent stakes]()
Holding Strength of 4 Common Tent Stakes
We tested the holding power of four of the most popular and commonly used tent stakes to see how they performed. Here is what we found…
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![multiple different kinds of tent stakes laid out in a pile]()
4 Types of Common Tent Stakes
There are four basic types of commonly used tent stakes: the Y-stake, V-stake, Shepherd’s Hook stake, and the nail stake.
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![knives laying on scale]()
What Type of Knife Should I Carry?
Every thru-hiker and backpacker should carry a knife. The best knife is one that can carry out multiple functions and remain lightweight.
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![A Smartwater bottle, Hydro Flask, Platypus Water Bag, and Nalgene bottle next to each other on a table.]()
The Best and Worst Backpacking Water Bottles
We have identified two types of water containers you should avoid and two types you should consider using for your next thru-hike or backpacking trip.
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![shovel being measured]()
Should I carry a shovel on my backpacking trip?
If you are going on an overnight backpacking trip or a thru-hike, you should really carry a shovel with you to dig your cat holes.
