• GEAR UP: A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO BIKEPACKING

    If you’re used to cycling and backpacking, much of the bikepacking experience will be intuitive. What might not is riding with a fully-loaded bike. For that reason, it’s wise to start with some easy singletrack or mellow gravel, allowing you to get familiar with how your loaded bike handles.

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  • TIPS FOR YOUR FIRST ALPINE CLIMBING TRIP

    Alpine climbing can be entirely unpredictable. Before heading out, chat with your partner about the types of risks you are both willing and unwilling to face and keep that in mind as you make decisions. Don’t be short-sighted: success is not always about reaching the summit at all costs

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  • TIPS FOR BUDGETING FOR YOUR NEXT THRU-HIKE

    of the many reasons hikers give for abandoning their thru-hike, running out of money should not be one of them. Properly budgeting for your next thru-hike, and sticking to it, can mean the difference between crossing the finish line and a miserable hitchhike home.

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  • TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED WINTER BACKPACKING

    New to the idea of extending your backpacking season into winter? Fear not–it doesn’t need to be an epic winter sufferfest. Here are some other helpful tips to get your winter backpacking started on the right foot:

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HOW TO PACK A BACKPACK

  • Water Treatment 101: When & Why Should I Treat Backcountry Water?

    While a wilderness source may seem perfectly clear and clean, it can carry microscopic pathogens—harmful, disease-causing organisms that are invisible to the naked eye. The only real way to verify that your water is safe to drink is to treat it. And the effort it takes to treat water is minor compared to the complications of illness.

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  • Water Filters 101: What the 99.XX% Removal Claims Mean

    Purchasing a water treatment device can be tough. From the various technologies available to the numerous claims by manufacturers, it can be hard to understand what you’re even buying—and why. To help with this, we look at one of the most common claims water filters make and how you can decode it.

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  • Water Treatment 101: Demystifying Backflushing

    Just about every water filter out there requires that you clean its cartridge to flush away filtered-out material and restore its flow rate. As a bonus benefit, cleaning your filter regularly will also extend its lifespan. Giving your water filter a quick backflush will keep it running at its optimal rate.

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  • Water 101: Clean Water Solutions to Prepare for Emergencies

    Water is our most important resource, but you never know when a disaster could compromise your local water supply. We’ve put together the information you need on some clean water solutions to help ensure you have access to water that’s safe to drink during all kinds of emergencies.

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  • Backcountry Water 101: Danger Zones

    The best way to greatly minimize the risks of infection is by treating backcountry water with a filtration or purification system (more on that later), but you should also educate yourself about the wilderness water contaminants that pose immediate threats to your health, and the backcountry “zones” in which you are more likely to encounter them.

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  • MSR’s Complete Guide to the Basics of Water Treatment

    We developed this series of water treatment articles to help you make an informed decision. Each overview links to a deeper story on the subject. The information presented here is founded in peer-reviewed science and communicated by the experts at the Mountain Safety Research water research lab.

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SUSTAINABILITY TIPS

LEAVE NO TRACE: MANAGING HUMAN WASTE OUTDOORS

This is a story about poop. It’s about the principles of Leave No Trace camping not changing exactly, but evolving in the way we need to apply them. Because we are loving our wild places to death by treating them like giant toilets.

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5 WAYS TO BE A CLEANER BACKCOUNTRY CAMPER

While backcountry trip planning quickly conjures up a long list of questions (How much food do I need? What equipment should I bring? Is the weather going to cooperate?), very rarely do they circle back to our impact on nature.

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ALL EXPERT TIPS FROM MSR

Filtered by: hiking x
6 Training Tips MSR blog Scott Rinckenberger

6 Training Tips to Get You Hiking Farther, Faster

MSR Team

Dry-trail season is just around the corner.

6 Training Tips to Get You Hiking Farther, Faster

MSR Team

Dry-trail season is just around the corner.

MSR Trail Base Water Filter Kit

The 3-in-1 Versatility of the MSR Trail Base&#x...

MSR Team

Gravity filtration, plus a small trail filter and a water storage bag. What more do you need?

The 3-in-1 Versatility of the MSR Trail Base&#x...

MSR Team

Gravity filtration, plus a small trail filter and a water storage bag. What more do you need?

desert hiking

Desert Hiking Tips

MSR Team

A few things to know before you go.

Desert Hiking Tips

MSR Team

A few things to know before you go.

Smarter Snacking: Fueling for Long Days in the Mountains

Smarter Snacking: Fueling for Long Days in the ...

MSR Team

The best strategies for ensuring you get the calories to carry you through.

Smarter Snacking: Fueling for Long Days in the ...

MSR Team

The best strategies for ensuring you get the calories to carry you through.

MSR Staff Picks: 5 Fast-and-Light Pieces

MSR Staff Picks: 5 Fast-and-Light Pieces

MSR Team

This one is for the ounce-counters, minimalists and ultralight packers.

MSR Staff Picks: 5 Fast-and-Light Pieces

MSR Team

This one is for the ounce-counters, minimalists and ultralight packers.

Timelapse of a Glacier: A Climbing Ranger’s Perspective of Mt Baker

Timelapse of a Glacier: A Climbing Ranger’s Per...

MSR Team

Photos and story by Leif Whittaker Every weekend when I arrive at a trailhead that I have been to a hundred times before I wonder if I should get a...

Timelapse of a Glacier: A Climbing Ranger’s Per...

MSR Team

Photos and story by Leif Whittaker Every weekend when I arrive at a trailhead that I have been to a hundred times before I wonder if I should get a...