Channel: How-to Guides

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Helpful Hints for Quick and Easy Tent Setup

Your new tent most likely came packaged with instructions for setup, which should give you a good idea of how to actually pitch it. No matter who made your tent or how complete the manufacturer’s instructions are, there are several steps you can take to make pitching easier time after time. Follow along as Backcountry Edge Gear Specialist Becky discusses some great tips for how to set up your tent.

Fabric Denier Explained

So, what does this term “denier” mean when we’re talking about fabrics used in outdoor gear and clothing? In simple terms, denier is a unit of measurement that expresses fiber thickness of individual threads or filaments…

Backpack Size Capacity Explained

When choosing a backpack, whether it’s for day hikes, extended trips or somewhere in between, it can be difficult to know what size capacity you need. To make matters more confusing, different backpack manufacturers use differing methods to measure the capacity, or volume, of their packs. As a result, you may see capacity expressed in terms of liters or cubic inches (and perhaps both!) on specification charts. In this informative Expert Advice video, Gear Specialist Becky sheds a little light on the sometimes mystifying subject of backpack capacities and offers some tips on what to look for when determining the size capacity you need.

How to Fix Imperfections in Tent Mesh

As manufacturers of lightweight gear for backpacking continue to innovate, the materials they are using maintain a high tear strength at a fraction of the weight of traditional fabrics.  The mesh used in tent construction perfectly…

Why Use Rubber Tips for Trekking Poles?

Trekking poles are usually built with hard metal or carbide tips at the pole ends, which provide traction on trails, snow and ice. These tips can sustain damage when used on “improved” surfaces, though, and should be covered with rubber tips or “tip protectors” when used often on hard terrain such as pavement. Just as you change your shoes depending on the specific activity you’re pursuing, you should consider your trekking poles’ tips before stepping out with them. In this Expert Advice video, Backcountry Edge Gear Specialist Becky reviews when, where and why to use rubber tips with your trekking poles.

Tent Trail Weight vs. Packed Weight Explained

So, what’s the difference between a tent’s “trail weight” and its “packed weight?” These two specifications may appear side by side on a list of information about your specific tent, but they refer to different combinations of your tent’s components. In this Expert Advice video, Backcountry Edge Gear Specialist Becky clearly speaks to what each of these specifications means.

Choosing a Compression Stuff Sack for your Sleeping Bag

When you’re trying to save valuable space in your pack during a backpacking trip, compression stuff sacks are very useful tools to help reduce the volume of soft items like your clothes, or especially your sleeping bag. If you’re lucky, your sleeping bag’s manufacturer included a compression stuff sack made specifically for the size of your sleeping bag, and this may help you reduce your sleeping bag’s packed size to an acceptable level. More likely, only a regular stuff sack was included with your sleeping bag, which limits your compression abilities. Maybe you don’t have a stuff sack at all.  Regardless, it is likely that you can safely compress your bag down to a smaller size with the use of an accessory compression stuff sack. The question then becomes “what size do I need?”

Backcountry Edge Gear Specialist Becky breaks it down for you in this informative video to help you find a compression stuff sack that’s not too big or too small, but just right.

How to Care for Down Jackets

Jackets and other outdoor apparel pieces with down insulation are relatively easy to care for, but require a little bit of special handling in order to keep these items looking and performing as good as new. In this Expert Advice video, Backcountry Edge Gear Specialist Becky offers several important tips for proper laundering and storage of your down-insulated outerwear. Got some minor damage or feathers migrating through the outer fabric? Don’t worry; we’ve got help for those issues, too!

How to Stuff a Sleeping Bag into its Stuff Sack

Getting your sleeping bag to fit back into its stuff sack can seem like a magic trick. The perfect way it was packaged at the factory appears impossible to recreate without splitting seams in the stuff sack or possibly damaging your valuable sleeping bag. In this Expert Advice video, Backcountry Edge Gear Specialist Becky offers a few tips on how to safely and easily stuff your sleeping bag back into its stuff sack after a night’s sleep outdoors.

Why Use a Backpack Rain Cover?

If you’re going on an extended backpacking trip over the course of days or weeks, you will almost certainly experience rain and other less than ideal weather conditions. Why risk having to deal with soaked or even potentially ruined gear? A backpack rain cover is an inexpensive add-on to your pack (some packs even include a rain cover with purchase or have them incorporated into the pack design) that can be deployed quickly and easily to keep your pack and its contents dry in wet weather. In this Expert Advice video, Backcountry Edge Gear Specialist Becky reviews the benefits of backpack rain covers and gives some pointers on sizing and use. Watch and learn why the question at hand is really, “why would you NOT use a backpack rain cover?”

Why Choose a Women’s Specific Backpack?

As a female backpacker or hiker choosing new gear, the question of whether to consider a women’s specific backpack vs. a men’s or non-gender specific pack comes into play early in the decision-making process. Yes, some women can comfortably carry a men’s backpack (and some men can comfortably carry a women’s pack, as well). So why choose a women’s specific backpack model as a female backpacker? Backcountry Edge Gear Specialist Becky breaks it down for you in this informative video. The name of the game is ideal fit, and following her points to consider, you’ll be ready to choose a pack with the perfect fit for your body. 

6 Tips for Tent Storage

You’ve just made a big investment in an awesome tent and want to keep enjoying it for years to come. Believe it or not, how you store your tent can be the biggest factor in how long it lasts. Follow along as our Gear Specialist, Becky, discusses some great tips for storing your tent at home and on the trail.

How to Install the Ruff Wear Dirtbag Seat Cover

It’s always fun to include 4-legged pals on outdoor adventures, but the interior of your car may not always agree. The Dirtbag Seat Cover provides extended-coverage protection from muddy paws, wet fur, and other tag-alongs. Learn how to install it into your car with this helpful video from Ruff Wear.

How To Fit The Ruff Wear K-9 Float Coat

Designed to provide the ultimate in canine flotation, the K-9 Float Coat is a full-featured life jacket for four-legged swimmers. Abrasion resistant materials endure wear and tear and adjustability ensures that your dog receives the appropriate fit.

How to Choose a Sleeping Bag: Fill

A key component to the comfort and warmth of your sleeping bag is the type of insulation it contains, commonly referred to as the “fill.” Here we explore the three primary types of insulation used in sleeping bags: synthetic, down, and treated down.