It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve gone backpacking. Forgetfulness strikes the best of us. Don’t ruin your next backpacking trip by forgetting something important.

Here', I’m breaking down my full packing list.

While every trip is unique, and locations and climate will heavily influence your backpacking experience, some things remain the same. Here’s my breakdown of everything I might take with me backpacking.

The Most Obvious Things:

• Backpack
• Sleeping Bag
• Sleeping Pad/Mattress
• Tent/Shelter

The Essentials That Aren’t as Obvious:

• Stove with Sufficient Fuel
• Cookset (Pot/pan)
• Water Treatment (water filter, iodine, treatment tabs, or plan on boiling all water)
• Water Storage (at least one water bottle, plus dromedary or water bladder),
• Headlamp/illumination (with spare batteries)
• Rain gear (at least a rain jacket, even if no rain in forecast)
• Clothing with multiple layering options (puffy jacket, fleece, wool baselayer, synthetic tshirts, underwear, long johns, socks, beanie)
• Map and Compass (navigating plan)
• Sun Protection (hat, sunscreen, lip balm, etc.)

Very Important Things:

• Personal Hygiene items
• Pocket knife
• Eating utensil, bowl or plate, cup/mug
• Spare clothing/dry layers to change into
• First Aid Kit (including nail clippers, mole skin/blister care, ace wrap, athletic tape, duct tape, pain reliever)
• Lighter
• Trowel and toilet paper
• Trash bags (for trash and option to keep stuff dry if needed),
• Extra zip-lock baggies

Extra stuff (optional):

• Raincover for pack
• Dry sack (for phone, keys, camera, etc.)
• Camp shoes (sandals or something comfy to change into once arriving to camp)
• Coffee or tea (who am I kidding, this belongs at the top of the whole list)
• Spare cordage (for hanging food in a tree, lowering a pack down a cliff, etc.)
• Extra tent stakes and guylines (for your tent in case of extreme weather)
• Foam pad to sit on
• Footprint for tent
• Insect repellent
• Bear spray
• Quick-dry towel
• Journal and pen
• Camera

Got something I missed? Leave a question in the comments and let me know I can improve the essentials list!

The post Packing List: What to Bring on a Multi-Day Backpacking Trip appeared first on Hazeadventure.

And maybe this experience is burned in your mind, forever associated with camping. Why would you ever want to do that again? I've got good news for you. It doesn't have to be that way.

You can actually have a GREAT night's sleep when camping. Here’s how:

Proper Gear

Pairing a suitable sleeping bag with a quality sleeping mattress/pad is the golden combination and it will go a long way to having an enjoyable nights sleep. Most people’s sleep problems while camping stem from a poor quality sleeping pad. It’s the gear item people go cheap on most frequently, and it’s the biggest mistake.

A quality sleeping pad or mattress will keep you warmer and better insulated from the ground. Plus, the softer surface is much more comfortable than a cheap foam pad. Quality sleeping pads/mattresses can be purchased for relatively cheap (consider the cost of one night at a hotel vs. every future night of quality sleep while camping). Buy a good pad and you'll be happy forever!

Choose The Right Sleep Site

-Look for site that is either flat, or with a gentle slope (just a few degrees of slope), and position your tent with your head uphill. The gentle slope will move water away from you in case of rain. Plus, I find it to be slightly more comfortable than being perfectly flat. Just don't sleep with your head downhill! That's a no-no and you will be very uncomfortable.

Bonus: Look for a site with organic material, such as pine duff (what you find on the ground around pine trees), or grass. Not only is this surface much softer than bare rock or hard dirt, it will help insulate you from the ground and keep you warmer throughout the night.

Loose Fitting Baselayer and Clean Cozy Socks

I like to have a pair of wool socks that are only used for sleepy time. Dirty, sweaty socks are not ideal as you will not feel as comfortable and will likely lead to the killer of quality sleep; cold feet. Sleep in loose fitting clothing. In cold weather, I will sleep in long underwear and a long sleeve shirt.

Keep Your Feet Warm at all Costs!

Cold feet will guarantee you an uncomfortable, sleepless night. Avoid this by making sure your feet stay on your pad throughout the night. Don't let your toes hang off your pad and touch the ground! The ground will sap your warmth and turn your toes into icicles. On really cold nights, I like to stuff a jacket in the footbox of my sleeping bag. This decreases the amount of air my feet have to warm up, and adds extra insulation between my feet and the ground. Add a Nalgene bottle full of hot water to your sleeping bag and you've got major cozy time ahead of you.

Don't go to Bed Cold

Sleeping bags don't generate warmth. They only help preserve the warmth your body creates. So if you start cold, you're more likely to stay cold. Do some light exercises before hopping into your bag. Do a few jumping jacks, have a dance competition, or do some planks in your bag. Just don't exert yourself to the point of sweating!

Eat Food and Drink Water

Nutrition and hydration play a major role in keeping your body warm throughout the night. Your body burns calories to keep you warm. Your body requires caloric energy. If you barely eat anything, you will be more likely to be cold than after you eat a large meal. Eat well -> sleep well. And don't forget to drink water either. People often fear a nighttime bathroom run, and therefore dehydrate themselves. Don't do this! A well hydrated body will be warmer and happier!

Get Up and Pee (for the love of everything holy)

We've all been there. Struggling to sleep while you desperately have to pee. But you don't want to get out of your nice warm sleeping bag. And so you just decide to not sleep ever again and be miserable for the next four hours. Just go pee! In exchange for two minutes of discomfort outside your bag (you were already uncomfortable) to go pee in the forest, you will receive a night's-worth of quality sleep and a nod of approval from your old Boy Scouts leader. Not only will you will be infinitely more comfortable. And you will actually be warmer. Your body diverts energy from the rest of your body to keep your pee warm in your bladder, energy that would be better spent on the rest of your body (like your extremities). Eliminating your pee frees up energy for your happiness.

The post How to Sleep Great While Camping appeared first on Hazeadventure.