Tips to Get Started

  • 6 Tips for Backpacking Beginners

    From planning to debriefing, these tips will help you to put together a successful backpacking trip for beginners.

    Read the Guide 

  • Tips for Backpacking with Your Dog

    If you’re thinking of taking a backpacking trip with your own dog, we jotted down a few of our tips to help teach how to get started backpacking with your dog.

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  • Tips for Your First Thru-Hike

    to help you prepare for your thru-hike or long-distance trek, we’ve made a list of seven things we wish we’d known before our first day on the trail.

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  • Tips & Tools to Keep Family Camping Fun

    Here are some hard-won pointers on family camping essentials to pack for vehicle-based family adventures great and small.

    Read the Guide 
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Sustainable Camping Tips

10 Tips for Choosing a Sustainable Campsite

Sleeping in the dirt means you have a lot of choices. And you just might be surprised that there are so many different best practices to minimize your footprint and help conserve outdoor spaces for the next generation. So, we’ve put together our tips for choosing a sustainable campsite.

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How to Poop in the Woods

If you are going on adventures in the backcountry, at some point you have to poo. There are right ways to do it and wrong ways. If you’re wondering how to poop in the woods, we’re here for you.

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Tips by Activity

  • Backpacking & Thru-Hiking

    Get tips on everything you need for long hikes as avid thru hikers share their secrets on gear, self-care and keeping your sanity on the trail.

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  • Car Camping & Overlanding

    Car camping is not just for beginners Check out these 14 car camping tips for an epic weekend of the four wheeled variety.

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  • Winter & Snow Camping

    From Antarctica to the Arctic Circle, and Norway to South Africa, these are winter camping tips learned from experiencing a truly global winter.

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All Expert Tips from Therm-a-Rest

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How to Plan a Backpacking Trip: The Permit Process

How to Plan a Backpacking Trip: The Permit Process

Katie Griffith

Back in 2013, before I moved to the foothills of Washington’s Cascade Mountains, I realized I had to figure out how to plan a backpacking trip. What spurred the realization?...

How to Plan a Backpacking Trip: The Permit Process

Katie Griffith

Back in 2013, before I moved to the foothills of Washington’s Cascade Mountains, I realized I had to figure out how to plan a backpacking trip. What spurred the realization?...

Backcountry Camping with Kids

Backcountry Camping with Kids

Kathy Holcombe

As outdoor natives, we spurn anything that keeps us from getting outside. Work. Injuries. Weather. Deadlines. The flu. Societal norms. However, not all of these are doomed to be obstructions...

Backcountry Camping with Kids

Kathy Holcombe

As outdoor natives, we spurn anything that keeps us from getting outside. Work. Injuries. Weather. Deadlines. The flu. Societal norms. However, not all of these are doomed to be obstructions...

Snow Camping Basics

Snow Camping Basics

Kyle Miller

Camping in the snow can be a little intimidating, but with a little preparation and a few pro tips, a winter's night outside may be your new favorite adventure. Kyle...

Snow Camping Basics

Kyle Miller

Camping in the snow can be a little intimidating, but with a little preparation and a few pro tips, a winter's night outside may be your new favorite adventure. Kyle...

Guide Tips For Your Backcountry Challenges

Guide Tips For Your Backcountry Challenges

Therm-a-Rest Team

An Everest guide gives his tip for accomplishing your backcountry goals, whether you’re climbing or backpacking.

Guide Tips For Your Backcountry Challenges

Therm-a-Rest Team

An Everest guide gives his tip for accomplishing your backcountry goals, whether you’re climbing or backpacking.

How to Stay Fresh and Clean in the Backcountry

How to Stay Fresh and Clean in the Backcountry

Jenny Abegg

Though only 5 p.m., the forest was dark and snow fell heavily. The eight of us (three wilderness therapy guides, plus five participants) huddled around a fire beneath a tarp...

How to Stay Fresh and Clean in the Backcountry

Jenny Abegg

Though only 5 p.m., the forest was dark and snow fell heavily. The eight of us (three wilderness therapy guides, plus five participants) huddled around a fire beneath a tarp...

How to Stay Comfortable in the Backcountry - 5 Tips

How to Stay Comfortable in the Backcountry - 5 ...

Therm-a-Rest Team

Have you ever been traveling amidst stunning natural beauty, unable to appreciate it because you are freezing and drenched? No? You should try and keep it that way. If you...

How to Stay Comfortable in the Backcountry - 5 ...

Therm-a-Rest Team

Have you ever been traveling amidst stunning natural beauty, unable to appreciate it because you are freezing and drenched? No? You should try and keep it that way. If you...