Author: Chuck Byrd, Austin Sierra Club Outings Leader, Webmaster and ExCom member. email: cbyrd4@austin.rr.com

This part of the website was written especially for those campers who are new to the game and would like a few helpful hints about how to make sure their early camping experiences are not disasters.

Consequently, the site is divided into three sections:
1. The BASICS - what everyone needs to know about basecamp camping (also known as car-camping) - backpacking is not addressed here. If you need advice on backpacking essentials, talk to one of the Austin Outings leaders one-on-one and we can steer you in the right direction.

Boots - Start with good boots. Get them at a camping supply store. You will pay more, but you will get boots that fit your feet properly. Good boots have inserts to cushion your feet and solid ankle support. Go to REI or Whole Earth Provision and plan on trying on lots of pairs of boots. There are lots of good, well-designed and well-made brands. I prefer Vasque boots because they are light but supportive. I have a pair for summer and an almost identical, heavier, more expensive pair made with Gore-Tex for winter or mountain hiking. Other people prefer leather boots (Asolo makes good ones). Never buy boots by mail order or over the Internet unless you are buying identical replacements. Even then, I would be wary. Take your time. Talk to experienced boot fitters (not those young punks at the discount store). Take two pair of socks with you for testing boots - heavy hiking socks and light nylon sock-liners (I use men's dress socks and they work fine). Make sure you buy boots that fit well with bulky socks without cramping your toes. Spend a lot of time finding boots with a toe box that will not cramp your toes on the downhill. All decent boot stores have a carpeted incline for testing the toe box. It has steps on the back and a steep carpeted incline to allow you to test the boot in a down-hill simulation. Make sure you test every boot you are interested in on the incline. Let the boot fitters show you how to lace your boot properly to protect your toes on a steep incline. Still not sure after looking at all those boots? Rent a pair. The selection is not always great and they tend to rent boots that are sturdy and leather, for obvious reasons, but it will give you an idea of how your feet will feel in hiking boots and may help you avoid the purchase of a boot that will not work well for you.
If you buy boots, make sure you spend some time breaking them in before you take them on an outing. Almost all boots are stiff at first (although one reason I like the Vasque brand is that they need very little break-in.) Wear them around all weekend on several successive weekends. Pay attention to where they rub or constrict your feet, toes or ankles. Read the break-in and care instructions.
Buy moleskin. Moleskin is a layer of felt-like padding with an adhesive backing that can be put anywhere on your foot where your boots rub or chafe. Until your boots conform to your feet, use moleskin (or duct tape) to keep that 'hot spot' from becoming a blister.
Here is some good advice from Dr. Preston, Author of Wilderness First Aid.

Date: May 08, 1998 08:46 AM
Author: Dr. Gilbert Preston
Subject: Blisters
As you've discovered so painfully, the best treatment for blisters is prevention. And prevention begins with good fitting boots-no lift in the heel, snug over the instep, satisfying wiggle room in the toes. Feet swell over the course of a day spent hiking, more so with a heavy pack. Better to judge fit on a new pair of boots later in the day. And bring along your own sock combination-store socks never fit and who knows what you can catch from such grody things. Foot problems are way high on the list of things that most commonly require medical attention in hikers and backpackers, so the next step is be prepared-a decent foot module in a realistic first aid kit should include duct tape or the equivalent, thin moleskin, a clear self sticking bandage material often sold under the tradename "Tegaderm" which is kind of like "Gortex" it allows water vapor out, but won't let water droplets in. In addition, try to find a surgical dressing we use for bedsores sold as "Duoderm." Surgical supply stores sell it. Buy some individual packets of Betadine cleanser. The duct tape is for prevention-cover your known hot spots, the places you always-get-a-blister-if-you're going-to-get-one with the duct tape before you start to hike. Stop and cover any hotspots that develop along the trail (It helps to soak your feet in cold creek water if you have the opportunity, to reduce the thermal injury before you cover the hotspot). If you develop a blister in the early stages, clean the area with the Betadine, and cover it with a piece of the Tegaderm. Cover the Tegaderm with molefoam, and tape it all in place with the duct tape(Adhesive tape is good for dressing wounds in the hospital and clinic-not so good for tough trail duty). For the serious "I got blisters so bad I gouged a hole in my foot and I can't walk another step" circumstance, clean the area with Betadine, cover with the Duoderm, and tape it in place with the duct tape. Voila! Pain virtually gone, healing begun, walk on home. Good hiking.

RETURN TO TOP

Sleeping bags - very important item. There is nothing worse than feeling a blue norther blow in and the temperature drop and finding out that your old Roy Rogers cotton sleeping bag is not going to cut it. Good sleeping bags are rated for temperature. If the bag is not rated, don't consider buying it. If you are only going to buy one bag (people who camp a lot usually have more than one - a warm one for cold weather/mountain camping and a less-expensive bag for warm-weather camping), buy one that is rated to at least 20 to 15 degrees F. (A rating to 15 degrees means the bag will keep you reasonably warm when the outside temperature is no lower than 15 degrees.) Down bags are the most expensive and they are very warm and light, but they have disadvantages as well - if they get wet, they are a mess. They get lumpy and they smell bad and they are never really the same afterward. They also have a tendency to lump up and develop cold spots as they age and they leak feathers as they get older. Your dad's old army or hunting bag probably looks like this now. I recommend a synthetic fiber bag. They are fairly light but they keep their 'loft' for some time, they don't bunch as much and they are easier to clean and care for. Again, if your first trip is into the mountains, consider renting a decent sleeping bag from a rental counter at a reputable camping gear store (see note on RENTAL above). They will steer you into a bag that will keep your trip from turning into a frozen nightmare. It will also allow you to figure out what type of bag you like best - extra long, mummy style, rectangular (if you are a restless sleeper, you may wind up with a mummy bag wound around your throat most of the night. Rectangular bags, on the other hand, are seldom as warm.) If you are diving into camping along with a significant other, consider sleeping bags that zip together to form a double bag. This will restrict your bag options but will enhance the camping experience significantly.

MAINTENANCE TIP: Don't store your sleeping bag in the stuff bag that comes with it. Long-term storage in a stuff bag will damage the loft and compress the bag so that it does not provide the warmth that it should. Expensive bags often come with a much larger cotton storage bag. An even better option is to hang the bag on a hanger in your closet with plenty of room to 'breathe.' Most sleeping bags can be washed in a big, front-loading washing machine at your local laundrymat. Wash it by itself with just a tiny amount of gentle detergent like Woolite. Wash the bag only after repeated use or evident soiling and only infrequently. Read your bag instructions carefully - some bags should not be washed at all.

RETURN TO TOP

Thermal Pad - Consider this a part of the sleeping bag. Never consider camping without a thermal pad. Sleeping directly on the ground on a tent floor is a sure way to spend an intensely uncomfortable night, not because of the lack of padding (although that is a factor, too) but because a thermal pad is so named because it keeps warm objects (that would be you) from having the heat sucked out of them by the frigid ground. Therm-a-rest brand pads used to have a virtual corner on the market, but they are costly ($100 for a good one) and in the last few years less expensive competitors have made inroads into their market. If you cannot find a pad you like (or can afford), you still have two other options: rent a pad (is this starting to sound familiar?) or buy an inexpensive foam pad. The foam pad will be bulkier and harder to pack, but it will cost considerably less and will work almost as well as a Therm-a-rest. Always clear the area under your tent of sharp objects and stones before you pitch the tent. Thermal pads come with a repair kit, but it is not something you want to be doing at 10 PM on a cold dark night.

Air mattresses are popular in Texas because they are cooler than a thermal pad on hot nights, but air mattresses are very inefficient at providing warmth on cold nights. Don't expect an air mattress to substitute for a thermal pad when the ambient temperature is below 50 degrees F. It won't do the job.

MAINTENANCE TIP: Don't store your thermal pad in the stuff bag that comes with it. Long-term storage in the stuff bag will eventually cause the collapse of the tiny foam cells that make the pad retain heat and the result will be flat areas and cold spots on your pad. When you get home, remove the pad from the stuff bag and open the valve to let it fill with air. Store it with the valve open in an inflated state against a wall in a store room and it will last a lot longer and provide warmth longer.

RETURN TO TOP

Water - Running out of water is one of the most common and dangerous mistakes inexperienced campers and hikers make. Experts argue about exactly how much water you should take and people consume water at different rates, but everyone agrees that you need at least a liter and a half for a simple four-hour hike, so plan on starting with that amount. Increase that amount significantly if you anticipate a hot hike without much shade or a hard hike in which you gain a lot of altitude. You should always drink before you are thirsty and you should always drink a little more than you think you need in order to keep your body properly hydrated on a long hike. Always plan on tanking up on water about an hour before you leave on the hike. Lots of hikers like the hydration packs that hold 2 - 3 liters of water in a bladder with a drinking hose (see the photo below right). The packs, which are also popular with bikers, often have pockets and clips for your gear so that all you need is the single pack.

Avoid coffee and tea (you don't need a diuretic) and consider taking at least one bottle of GatorAid or orange juice to help keep up your energy and blood sugar and electrolytes.

Again, some good advice from Dr. Preston:

Date: May 07, 1998 09:30 AM
Author: Dr. Gilbert Preston
Subject: Dehydration
Great question! More wilderness epics start with dehydration, and deteriorate from there, than you might imagine. Hard hiking in hot weather, or at altitude, can easily cost you 4-6 liters of water-you can lighten the load by preloading-drink a quart or so before bed the night before, and another quart before leaving camp in the morning. Carry a minimum of 2 quarts with you, 3 if you can carry that much. The only reliable rule of thumb is the advice to watch the color of your urine-if its colorless, or nearly so, you're well hydrated. The darker it is, the less well off you are. If you allow yourself to get thirsty, you are already 3-5% dehydrated, and after that, you begin to lose strength, endurance, and ultimately, your faculties. Remember to start hiking before dawn in the desert, and stop during the hottest part of the day. Resume travel as the sun starts to slide.

RETURN TO TO

Earplugs - Get the good ones that fit in your ear and are rated to block at least 25 decibels or, better, 30 decibels. Lots of inexperienced campers are uneasy about putting in earplugs, fearing that they won't hear the sound of the blood-sucking wolverines as they attack the camp. The first time you pitch your tent next to the king-hell snoring champion of the western world, however, you will be willing to take your chances with the wolverines. Earplugs can also get you through a stormy, rainy night without being startled bolt upright at every thunderclap. (Check for tent leaks before you go back to sleep, though, so you make sure you are not going to wake up in a puddle.)

RETURN TO TOP

Bug repellent - Like everything else, the best thing to do is to avoid the problem. Pack repellent and take it on your hikes, but before you break it out, try other means of avoiding getting chomped: Eat garlic and brewer's yeast, both of which are good for you anyway, before leaving on the trip. Load your body up starting a few days prior to the trip (it takes a while to work out of your body in the form of sweat and breath). If you are traveling with a romantic partner or significant other, be sure to share the plan with him/her and follow the regimen together or there may be trouble. Avoid all colognes, after-shaves, perfumes, scented soaps, perfumed deodorants and any other cosmetics which include scents of any kind. Bugs are attracted to artificial scents and using them will greatly increase your chances of getting bitten. Again, start this no-artificial scents routine several days before you leave for the trip and make sure your camping clothes are clean (look for scent and dye-free detergents) and well aired (hang them outside in the sun or bright shade for several hours before packing them). It always amazes me to hear people wailing 'Why me? If there are bugs anywhere within miles, they find me." If you ask them, you find they are using highly-scented soap, perfumed deodorant and maybe a 'touch' of toilet water. To humans they may smell like the testing counter at Dillard's cosmetics. To bugs they smell like the deli counter.
Wear light-colored, loose fitting clothes. If the bugs are really bad, use a mosquito net that hangs off a hat and covers your face. Blood is in rich supply and close to the skin in the head and that is the first place the bugs target.
When you buy repellent, get the good stuff. Not all repellant is effective. Most research concludes that repellents with DEET are the most effective at preventing mosquito and tick bites. There have been some toxic reactions to DEET, mostly in children, so you might want to check out the research on this before deciding to purchase it. If you are concerned about DEET (lots of folks are and there may be good reason to be), you can still find effective repellents without it. Some of them are seriously overpriced. I think your best bet is to purchase a good product at a camping store like Whole Earth or REI. They should carry both DEET and non-DEET repellents. Burt's Bees sells an herbal bug repellent (see photo above) that I like because it does not have a strong chemical smell but still keeps the bugs away. Keep the bottle with you, though, because after about an hour of hiking or other activity, it loses it's effectiveness and must be re-applied. Avon's Skin-so-soft and the various knockoffs may be effective (some research suggests that they are effective only for 15 - 20 minutes after application), but overpriced. You can find effective repellents cheaper. Some companies are putting out sunscreen/bug repellent combinations; it sounds like a good idea, but some of the research points out that DEET-based repellents are seriously diluted by sunscreen (this is true if you put sunscreen on at the same time as repellent, incidentally). I don't have any personal experience with these products, so check them out for yourself. Make sure you don't get a product that is only halfway effective at both jobs. Also, make sure you buy a bottle, tube or pump spray, not an aerosol can which is bulky, takes up too much space in your duffel and is not designed for air travel. Travel-seal your repellent in a ziplock bag for air travel. If you bag things together, put it in with your sunscreen, not with your toothbrush and, of course, don't put it in your carry-on unless you want to donate it to the security folks at the airport. Here is a good website where you can find a further discussion about avoiding the critters that consider you lunch: http://www.gorp.com/gorp/activity/hiking/skills/beatbugs.htm

RETURN TO TOP

Sunscreen - You can get into various arguments about whether 45 SPF is any better than 30 SPF or 15 SPF or whatever. Skip the arguments and buy a small tube or bottle of the kind that works the best for you. Remember that you are considerably closer to the sun on a 14,000 ft mountain than you are in Austin and you can get a real painful burn on a clear, cool, breezy sunny day on a mountain trail. Pay attention and cover that honker unless you want to be called Rudolph for the rest of the trip. If you think sunscreens are greasy, try Shade, an alcohol-based screen that protects without the oily feel of most screens. Travel-seal it in a ziplock bag for air travel. That way if it leaks, you can turn the bag inside out and wipe yourself down with the leakage. Waste not, want not.

RETURN TO TOP

Tents - The basic function of a tent is to keep you dry. If the tent performs that function, it has done its job. Most novice campers buy a tent based on price. You can get a fairly decent tent for $100 or so at a discount store and it will normally last you a season or two, so there is no need to jump right into the high-quality gear until you figure out what you want the most in a tent. Two things are essential to keeping dry in a tent: a good, watertight rain fly and a watertight floor. Some of the less expensive tents come with instructions on sealing the seams on your tent before using it. This is important and should always be done before you take it out in the field. Go over each and every seam with the sealant and let the tent dry properly before using it. In addition, you should buy a can of waterproofing (ScotchGuard is also good, but I hear they are taking it off the market) and spray the tent, and especially the rain fly, with waterproofing before using the tent. Finally, buy a groundcover for the tent. The teenager at the discount store may insist you do not need one because this tent has a super floor…yadda, yadda, yadda. Ignore him. Thick mil painter's dropcloth will work or you can buy a section from the groundcover plastic at the camping store. Place the fully-assembled tent WITHOUT THE RAIN FLY on top of the plastic sheeting and carefully mark the outline of the tent on the plastic sheet. Then carefully cut the sheeting along the outline. When you are finished, the ground cover should fit exactly under the main body of the tent without any protrusions of sheeting. Imagine water running off the side of the tent. If the water will drop on the sheeting, trim the sheeting back until it will not. When you put the rain fly on the tent, the fly should be positioned to drip water on ground, not on sheeting. Mark the sheeting FRONT at the front so you will always know how to place the sheeting under the tent. (NOTE: most expensive tents either come with a 'footprint' made for that tent shape or offer a footprint for an extra cost. Consider the purchase of a footprint for your tent. It will help keep you dry.)

MAINTENANCE TIP: Although you may be tempted to carefully fold your tent into a nice neat square package before putting it away in the carry bag, you need to be aware that frequent creasing along exactly the same lines every time causes undue wear on the creases and promotes fabric breakdown and leaks. Here it is best not to be a neatnik and color inside the lines. Try to fold your tent slightly differently every time you put it away and it will keep you dry longer.

RETURN TO TOP

Sierra Club¨ and "Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet"¨ are registered trademarks of the Sierra Club.
Sierra Club Website Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.

Last updated:  January 10, 2008   Content © 1999-2002 by the Sierra Club.