Starting a fire is one of the most useful skills you should have to ensure you can impress the ladies. Just kidding. :P But following these tips will make sure your fire is up and ready before you know it!

A mattress will smooth the way for old bones and warm your backside when you sleep on cold ground. There are 4 basic types of trail camping mattresses.

You should be familiar enough with your stove before a trip that you can operate it safely when tire, in a storm, and in the dark. Always use these guidelines for safe stove use.

How can you tell if water is safe? You can’t. You can only estimate how clean it might be. Water that smells or looks stagnant or mucky is probably not good to drink. But even water that is clear and fresh can contain Giardia or other organisms that can make you sick.

When hikers head out to the drylands, they tend to be more concerned about rattlesnakes than heat. The opposite should be true. While you’re likely to runinto only a few rattlesnakes, the twin dangers of dehydration and hyperthermia are lurking at every turn.