Browse our guides by topic — pick a category to see every article in it.
Hypothermia: how to recognize it and warm someone up in the field
Hypothermia can strike on any wet, windy day, not just in deep cold. How to recognize it at every stage and safely rewarm someone in the…
Trekking poles: every use, on the trail and in camp
Trekking poles do far more than help you walk: knee-saving descents, balance on bad ground, safer river crossings - plus tent poles, tarp supports, splints, a…
Axes and hatchets: choosing, using, and maintaining a camp axe
From a belt hatchet to a splitting maul: the axe family explained, what each part does, how to split and fell safely, sharpening and handle care,…
Sharpening and tool care: keeping your backcountry tools working
A sharp, clean tool is safer and lasts for decades. How edges and angles work, how to sharpen a knife, axe, shovel, saw, and multitool, rust…
Multitools in the field: how to actually use one in the backcountry
A multitool is the backcountry fix-it kit: what each tool inside is for, why it complements a knife rather than replacing it, the features that matter,…
Camp saws: folding saws, bow saws, and how to cut wood safely
Why a saw beats an axe for most campers: folding saws vs bow saws, how teeth and blades work, what a saw does in camp, safe…
Camp shovels and entrenching tools: how to choose and use one
From an ultralight trowel to a folding steel entrenching tool: the whole family of backcountry digging tools, every job they do — catholes, fire pits, drainage,…
Leave No Trace: the seven principles, explained
The seven principles of Leave No Trace, explained and made practical — how to plan, travel, camp, handle waste, build fires, and respect wildlife so the…
How to keep kids entertained while camping — without screens
Take the screens away and kids get inventive. Dozens of screen-free ways to keep children of every age happily busy at camp — scavenger hunts, campfire…
What to wear in the bush: layering and fabrics for every condition
Dressing for the bush is a system, not a single jacket. How to choose and layer clothing — base, mid, and shell — from fabrics that…
Wilderness knives explained: types, terms, and how to use one
Fixed vs. folding, full vs. partial tang, carbon vs. stainless, and every knife term decoded — plus what a blade actually does in the bush and…
Poison ivy, oak, sumac, and giant hogweed: identify, avoid, and treat them
The rash-and-burn plants every hiker should recognize. How to identify poison ivy, oak, and sumac, avoid the urushiol that causes the rash, decontaminate fast, and treat…
How to find food in the wilderness (in any climate)
You can live weeks without food, so it is rarely the first emergency. How to find food in forest, mountain, desert, coast, tropics, and cold country…
How to find water in the wilderness (in any climate)
Almost every landscape hides water if you know how to read it. How to find water in forest, mountain, desert, coast, tropics, and snow country —…
Backcountry hygiene and sanitation: staying healthy in the field
The thing most likely to cut a trip short isn't a bear; it's dirty hands or bad water. How to stay healthy in the field: hands,…
How to hike safely in the heat
Heat changes the math of a hike. How to travel safely in hot country through timing, water discipline, clothing, and pacing, and how to spot trouble…
How to protect your food and camp from animals
Most dangerous wildlife encounters are invited by the smell of food in camp. How to store food and manage odors with canisters, bear hangs, and clean-camp…
Lightning safety in the backcountry
Lightning is one of the most avoidable backcountry killers. How to plan storms out of your day, use the 30/30 rule, take the lightning position, and…
Low-visibility navigation: fog, whiteout, and darkness
When you can't see, you navigate by instrument, not by eye. How to travel safely in fog, whiteout, and darkness using compass bearings, pace counting, and…
How to escape quicksand, bogs, and mud
Bogs, mud, and quicksand trap the people who panic and fight them upright. How to recognize soft, sucking ground, cross it if you must, and get…
Wound care in the backcountry: cleaning, closing, and stopping infection
In the backcountry the danger isn't usually the wound; it's the infection that follows. How to clean, close, and dress a wound in the field, spot…
Heat illness: preventing and treating heat exhaustion and heat stroke
Heat illness is a ladder you can step off early. How to recognize and treat heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke in the backcountry, and…
Lost in the wild: stay calm, stay put, stay alive
The most important survival skill isn't fire or shelter; it's the ability to stop, calm down, and think. What to do the moment you realize you're…
How to signal for rescue in the backcountry
Staying alive is only half the job in a backcountry emergency; the other half is being found. How to signal for rescue with everything from a…
How to stay warm through a cold night
A cold night can be dangerous, not just miserable. Insulate from the ground, dial in your sleep system, and use the field tricks that keep you…
Crossing difficult terrain: scree, talus, steep slopes, and snow
Loose rock, steep slopes, and old snow are where hikers get hurt. Technique for crossing scree, talus, boulder fields, and snow safely — and knowing when…
Snakes, spiders, and stinging insects: avoiding bites and stings
The small creatures hurt the most people. How to avoid snakes, spiders, scorpions, ticks, and stinging insects — and treat a bite or sting calmly, including…
Reading the clouds: forecast the weather by the sky
The sky is the most current forecast you have. Read cloud types and sky signs to see rain, storms, and lightning coming hours ahead — and…
How to find direction without a compass
Lost your compass or drained your phone? Find north with a stick and the sun, an analog watch, or the stars — and turn a rough…
Surviving cold-water immersion and falling through ice
Cold water kills faster than you think. The 1-10-1 timeline, how to self-rescue back onto ice, and how to treat someone pulled from cold water —…
How to splint a sprain, fracture, or dislocation
A limb injury far from the trailhead can strand you. How to assess the injury, improvise a splint and sling, protect circulation, and decide when to…
How to build a survival kit you will actually carry
The best survival kit is the one you have on you. How to build a light, need-based kit — fire, water, first aid, signaling, navigation —…
How to build an emergency shelter with no tent
When you have no tent, shelter is your first survival priority. How to pick a safe site and build a debris hut, lean-to, or tarp shelter…
Choosing and setting up a safe backcountry campsite
A good campsite is chosen, not stumbled into. Pick safe dry ground, pitch for wind and rain, separate cooking and food storage, and Leave No Trace.
Hike all day: pacing, footing, and the Ten Essentials
Big miles come from habits, not heroics: pace steady, kill hot spots early, use poles, eat and drink ahead of need, and carry the Ten Essentials.
Avoiding and handling wildlife encounters
Most animals want nothing to do with you. Manage food, keep your distance, and know the right response for bears, moose, and mountain lions.
Reading backcountry weather and staying ahead of storms
Weather turns back more hikers than anything else. Read the forecast and the sky, plan around afternoon storms, and carry a bad-weather backstop.
Map and compass navigation (and what to do when GPS fails)
GPS dies; a map and compass never do. Set declination, orient the map, follow a bearing, and triangulate your position when you are unsure.
How to cross a river or stream safely
Moving water is deadlier than it looks. How to scout a crossing, cross with the current, set up your pack and poles, and when to turn…
Backcountry first aid: stop bleeding, treat shock, beat the cold
Help in the backcountry can be hours or days away, so the first minutes of an injury are yours to manage. You do not need to…
Know before you go: a pre-trip safety plan
Most backcountry emergencies are not caused by bad luck. They are caused by small decisions made before anyone left the trailhead — a skipped weather check,…
How to start a fire in any conditions
Build a fire when conditions fight you — no lighter, high wind, soaking wood, or deep snow. Every ignition method from a pocket kit to nothing…
How to purify water in the backcountry
Water is one of your most urgent needs in the backcountry. You can go weeks without food, but only days without water — less in heat,…