Latest Articles
How to Make a Camping Toilet
When camping you have several options when choosing your campsite. You may choose to stay at a campground with showers and restrooms for your convenience. Campground restrooms are often well-stocked with toilet paper and running water for your hygiene needs, though not all public outhouses are created equal. Also, porta potties are not always available…
How to Make a Camping Hammock
There is nothing like being in nature, and rocking gently between two trees in a hammock. Hammocks are not only an alternate sleeping arrangement from sleeping on the ground, but also provide a nice spot to relax while camping. Making a camping hammock is a relatively easy thing to do. All you need are some…
The Best 8-Person Tents – Top 5 Reviewed
If you love camping trips with friends and/or family, an 8-person tent may be the perfect solution for your camping needs! As its name suggests, an 8-person tent has enough space to comfortably sleep 8 people, but may also be ideal for smaller groups that need lots of gear storage space. Finding the ideal 8-person…
How to Plan a Camping Trip
You and your friends have just decided you need to have a little trip into nature and have made the great decision that you want to camp. So now what? When camping you need to have a solid plan in order to try and avoid hiccups and ensure that you have as great a time…
The 8 Best Big Bear Hiking Trails
100-miles northeast of Los Angeles sits Big Bear Lake, a mountain resort community of 21,000 people nestled in the middle of the San Bernardino National Forest. There is a wealth of recreational opportunities in the resort village and a freshwater lake which is great for fishing. With 300 days of sunshine on average per year,…
The 8 Best Day Hikes Near Denver
Denver, the capital city of Colorado, is famous for its pristine mountain vistas and idyllic landscapes. Like the rest of Colorado, Denver and the surrounding area are bursting with alpine lakes, forests of evergreen trees, mountain views, and gorgeous natural beauty that makes for some of the best hiking in the continental United States. Switchbacks…
The 3 Best Kayaks For Camping Reviewed
Do you want to explore the great outdoors by kayak? Then you need the right equipment to help you seamlessly glide over lakes, navigate tricky currents, and help you stay comfortable and stable – no matter where the journey takes you. With so many kayaks on the market, it can be challenging to find the…
How to Prevent Condensation in a Tent
Camping in the great outdoors can be a remarkably cathartic and freeing experience. It can also be a real struggle. Some campers have had the misfortune of cozily drifting off to sleep in their dry warm tents only to wake up covered in cold water. Although leaks are often the culprit for this, condensation is…
The Best Car Camping Gear
Planning a car camping trip and are wondering what essential outdoor gear to pack? Don’t stress: our team at Outdoor Command has got your car camping needs covered. We often get asked: ‘What should I bring on a car camping trip?’, and though the answer differs per camper, somethings are always on our list. That…
How to Pack a Tent in a Backpack
A tent and a backpack can be your key to the great outdoors and nearly limitless adventure. With so much of life flying by at breakneck speeds, especially in our urban jungles, camping is becoming more of a necessity. Getting out and spending some nights in nature is a skill though that many of us…
5 Best Base Layers For Hiking
When it comes to hiking, layering clothes is the key to staying comfortable in the great outdoors. Though high-quality jackets and pants are always a good idea, you should never neglect the most important piece of hiking clothing: your base layer. A base layer for hiking needs to tick a lot of boxes. For example,…
Best Hikes Near Seattle
We’re lucky out here in Seattle. With a temperate climate that allows for year-round exploring, it’s easy to get away and find a new trail near your backyard that shows you fantastic highs away from city smog. Some of the best hiking in Washington is just on the other side of our metropolitan realms, from…
How to Hang a Tree Swing
Tree swings are generally relegated to the yards and parks here in civilization and not so frequently found in the backcountry. This makes sense because installing a tree swing is just slightly too much trouble to be worthwhile if you’re out camping or hiking for a day or two. However, if there are particular campsites…
What is Cowboy Coffee?
Coffee has been a staple of the long haul since traders and Dutch investors brought the bean from the horn of Africa to Europe and, by extension, Europe. There’s no question that a morning cup of joe is delightful and warming in all seasons here in the modern world, and perhaps it’s doubly so out…
How to Start a Fire with Rocks like Bear Grylls
A campfire is one of the essential features of a campsite or a rest-stop on a hiking trail. Unlike some other things we think are absolutely necessary but aren’t really, like a tent, a campfire cannot be foregone if you want to eat any food that isn’t premade and ready to eat. A campfire is…
How to Remove Burrs from Clothes
Hikers and backpackers who tend to take their trekking off the beaten path and into brambles and weeds have doubtless had the perturbance upon exiting the bristles and tall weeds of looking down to see that their hiking clothes are completely covered with small, round spores that are covered with sharp hook-shaped bristles. These spores…
Why Do My Hands Swell When I Hike?
One of the most common but rarely-discussed ailments out on the hiking trail is a mysterious condition where hikers’ hands will swell up, causing rings and watches to feel incredibly restrictive and panic to possibly set in upon afflicted hikers. There’s a lot of misinformation about hand swelling on the hiking trail and the simple…
What to Wear When Hiking
Even when weather conditions seem favorable, hikers are still out in the elements the entire time they’re backpacking on a day hike. Hiking clothing is designed to support hikers through any kind of backcountry roughness but it’s up to hikers themselves to know what kind of clothing they need and how to pair various articles…
What to Wear When Hiking in Winter
For hikers who can withstand cold weather, the winter months are just as good as the high season to explore the backcountry. On really cold days in places covered by a blanket of deep snow trekking and backpacking can be darn tough. Design features that help hikers keep up their body temperature and prevent common…
6 Best Large Tents for Family Camping
Are you a family camper that loves nothing more than to explore the great outdoors with your loved ones? Then you need a spacious family camping tent that has enough room to comfortably stretch out after a long day in nature. Perhaps one that always comes with some handy room dividers to enjoy some alone-time…
The 8 Best Hiking Backpacks Reviewed
Critical characteristics in the best hiking backpacks are stability, comfort, weight distribution, and ample space in the main compartment. Hikers need lots of space to carry all of the outdoor gear they need on a day hike or a long-distance thru-hike on the PCT or the Appalachian Trail. All that outdoor gear can be quite…
How to Make an Ankle Brace
When we hear about ankle injuries, we tend to think of athletes. But, in truth, athletes are not more at risk than backpackers and hikers. In fact, ankle injuries is one of the most common accidents that occur while camping. Common Ankle Injuries The ankle is where the tibia and fibula of your lower leg…
The Best Convertible Hiking Pants Reviewed
Hikers need a pair of pants with breathability and a high range of motion to withstand the various challenges presented by hiking trails in the backcountry. The best hiking pants are both waterproof and quick-drying to prevent chafing in inclement weather conditions or on a hike with river crossings and other water hazards. Modern hiking…
The 6 Best Dome Tents – Reviewed
Looking for a dome tent to keep you safe and sheltered on any camping trip? Then let our experts navigate you towards the best options on the market! We’ve bundled our favorite dome tents in one, comprehensive overview. These are our go-to tents for backpacking, family camping, and backcountry adventures. We’ve ensured to include something for every…
How to Prepare for an Overnight Hike
Beyond the backpacking gear list, an overnight hike requires many considerations to be properly planned and effectively executed for maximum return on investment to the hikers involved, which will usually come in the form of backcountry vistas and an often much-needed morale boost from time spent in the tranquil solitude of a backpacking trip. A…
The Best Vegetarian Backpacking Meals
Backpacking takes a lot of energy but the usual suspects for backpacking meals are often palate-numbing, repetitive, and full of processed ingredients to make them portable. Most hikers and backpackers rely on beef jerky and hot dogs to make a good-to-go meal at a makeshift campsite or restore energy on a backpacking trail. Health-conscious backpackers…
What to Bring on a Hike
Even hikers who have cut their teeth on many backcountry day hikes have trouble selecting what backpacking gear they want to include in their rucksacks before they set out on the next outdoor adventure. From the absolute essentials like the right pair of hiking shoes or hiking boots to the arguably superfluous backpacking accouterments like…
What is a Thru-Hike?
The classification of hikers may confuse those new to backpacking or unfamiliar with navigating hiking trails through the backcountry. Enthusiasts often speak of day hikes, section hikers, and thru-hikes. Long-distance hikers make the backcountry sound like a wonderland when they regale listeners with tales of trail magic and trail angels. Sure, these aren’t as complicated…
The 4 Best Stargazing Tents – Reviewed
November 26, 2019/Samantha Bos Table of Contents Love stargazing on a clear night whilst camping in nature? Then you need a tent to match! The Best Stargazing Tents allow you to peak up at the night’s sky, without having to leave your shelter. Comfortable, cozy, and convenient: what’s not to love about that? What makes…
The 7 Best Binoculars for Hiking
Ahh, the old binoculars. A handy device that we often see, stowed away in the back of the closet. Maybe your grandpa had a pair he handed down to your father. Weighty and impressive to the touch, they often told a story. Feeling something like a family heirloom because you know they unlock new worlds…
The Best Hiking Daypacks Reviewed
Every outdoor enthusiast, whether you’re a hiker, a mountaineer, or just a general nature lover, needs a reliable daypack to carry their most important gear. A solid day pack can take you all around the world, carrying your stuff for years before showing signs of wear. It’s an essential part of your hiking closet, giving…
How to Use a Compass
Maybe you’ve been to a national park or traversed backcountry hiking trails plenty of times and haven’t yet found any reason to add a compass to your hiking gear yet. It may seem like outdated technology, but a compass is essential to have with you in the great outdoors to help find a campsite or…
How to Use a Bear Canister
Across large swathes of the United States, the backcountry is also bear country. Backpackers and hikers who frequent such well-renowned campsite-rich national parks as Sequoia National Park, King’s Canyon National Park, Denali National Park, Yosemite National Park, or the Adirondack Mountains know well enough that in bear country, the lengths required to bear-proof a rucksack…
The 7 Best Hiking Insoles Reviewed
Just as we all have different fingertips, DNA strands and tastes in popular music, our own feet are unique as well. Some have higher arches, some with lower strands, but almost everyone will get pretty tired after a demanding day’s hike. But that’s something about everyone’s athletic potential we can improve. You probably won’t make…
Is Hiking Good Exercise for Weight Loss?
People hike for any number of reasons, it’s an excellent form of exercise to keep your body healthy. Hiking is also a popular way to explore new areas and see different natural environments. However, with new year’s resolutions just around the corner, a lot of people might be considering hiking as a way to lose…
How to Waterproof a Backpack
No matter what kind of outdoor adventurer you are, a waterproof backpack is an important requirement. Whether you’re flying down white water rapids, on a mountain expedition in the snow, of simply trekking through a rainy day, you need to keep your equipment dry. Every outdoorsman should know how to waterproof a backpack, at some…
How to Train for Hiking
It’s the eye of the tiger, it’s the thrill of the hike. Any amount of time spent backpacking down a hiking trail will invigorate hikers with the challenging physical exertion required to navigate oneself and all one’s hiking gear up and down elevation gains and rocky pathways. Hikers who haven’t prepared themselves for the hiking…
How to Use Hiking Poles
Hiking poles are a common sight on the trails, they’re used by many hikers to improve their backcountry experience. Trekking poles can come across as a hindrance to those who don’t use them, and they definitely are if you don’t use them properly. However, when used in the proper manner, hiking poles can make your…
How to Tie Hiking Boots
Even if you were very selective when you bought your last pair of hiking boots or hiking shoes, there may come a time when you start to feel some slippage in the heel, blisters form regularly, or pressure points begin to develop on the top of your foot or in the toe box. Hikers are…
How to Prevent Blisters When Hiking and Keep Your Feet Healthy
Blisters are the Achilles’ heel of backcountry hikers, sometimes literally depending on where they form. The best hiking is done on winding, changing trails and that kind of trek causes blisters even on shorter day hikes. May hikers know how painful and inconvenient blisters are but aren’t fully aware of methods for preventing blisters. Like…
How to Pack a Backpack for Camping Like a Pro
The best campsites are cached away in mountains and valleys, often at the terminus of long hiking trails that course and wind through the most untouched backcountry wilderness. Hybrid backpacking trips and multi-day camping trips delight backpackers who camp at these remote places. Before the natural vistas and landscapes can be taken in, though, backpackers…
Dryvent vs Gore-Tex: Which is Better for Hiking?
Durable water-repellent outerwear like rain jackets and hiking boots are indispensable pieces of gear for every backcountry outdoor activity from mountaineering to snowboarding to backpacking. Whether it’s wet out or the trail is full of snowy obstacles and water crossings, high-performance oleophobic waterproof shell fabrics help keep water out. They should also be designed with…
The 8 Best Sleeping Bag Liners – Reviewed
Want to upgrade your camping comfort in just one, simple step? Then you need to add a sleeping bag liner to your sleeping bag. Yes, getting an even better night’s sleep really can be that simple. A sleeping bag liner is, as you’ve probably already guessed, a liner designed to fit inside any regular sleeping…
How to Make Your Backpack Lighter
Ever wish that backpacks in real life could be like those in video games that hold tons and weigh ounces? Most backpackers dream of the day when those bags become a reality. Magical bags might not be available today, but light, well-prepared travel is still very possible. Fortunately for you, this guide has all the…
How to Plan a Backpacking Trip
Nothing says adventure like a person, a backpack, and the open country. Whether you want to backpack through the Pacific Crest Trail or cross the mighty Alps, this step-by-step guide will prepare you the most properly. You will be blazing your own trail before you know it! Step 1: Backpackers Need to Know What They…
River Crossing – How to Ford a River
Hiking in the wilderness is a great experience that many people enjoy. Most hikers stick to well-known trails and maps to ensure a safe and fun experience. Now imagine backpacking through the countryside and coming to what was expected to be a stream has now become a river. Snowmelt can cause a stream to fill…
The 5 Best Thermoses – Reviewed
Is there anything better than a hot drink on a cold day exploring the great outdoors? For us, that first sip of hot coffee or chocolate during a break on a cold, grueling hike is hard to beat. That is exactly why we rate high-quality thermos as an essential piece of gear for camping and/or…
5 Best Sleeping Bags for Kids – Reviewed
November 18, 2019/Samantha Bos Table of Contents Love family camping or planning an outdoor adventure with the kids? Then you need to invest in some proper sleeping gear specially designed to keep your young ones cozy and warm at night! To help you navigate your way towards the top-rated products on the market, we’ve bundled our favorites…
How to Clean Hiking Boots
Now that you’ve taken your boots across some prairies, pastures, streams, and steep ravines, it’s time to give them a wash. All that grime, dirt and dust from the trails and backroads slowly starts to accumulate and can negatively impact your performance, hindering your destination arrival in an efficient manner. It’s always best to maintain…
Hiking with Cats
Taking your pet along for a trek in the backcountry is very popular, as on almost every trail you’ll see someone hiking with dogs. However, taking a hike with a feline friend is a lot less common, but it’s growing in popularity every day. If you’re a cat owner who’s ever felt left out when…
How to Camp Without a Tent
Camping without a tent probably strikes you as making about as much sense as deep-sea fishing without a boat. In fact, many campers who enjoy roughing it on brief excursions into the backcountry with nothing but an ultralight rucksack have been strategizing for a long time about how best to embrace the philosophy of ultralight…
How to Camp on the Beach
Sand dunes, tidepools, and the rolling waves right at the shoreline await campers who enjoy partaking in beach vacations and camping trips and want to combine the two together into an oceanside camping getaway. Beach camping abounds with characteristic nuances and particulars that are easy to grasp for as-yet uninitiated campers and great rewarding fun…
How to Camp in the Winter
Calculating campers and backpackers may reason that the secret to winter camping trips is to simply head south and camp in warmer climates. Fleeing cold temperatures is a common tactic and certainly better than hanging up your camping gear for the season, but for a real challenge with staggering rewards, every camper and backpacker should…
How to Break in Hiking Boots
So you’ve decided it’s time to upgrade from a part-time to a full-time hiker. No longer satisfied with something like a hi-top sneaker with ankle support, you’re moving on up in the world to a pair of new hiking boots. A great choice and a worthwhile investment that will keep you going for miles and…
How to Go Camping on a Budget
When it comes to budget vacations, camping is an excellent choice. Hiking and exploring the great outdoors has always been a favorite budget pass time, with so much to see and do at very little cost. Usually, a camper’s biggest expenses are equipment purchases, big-ticket items like tents can cost a lot if you want…
The 7 Best Camping First Aid Kits
When a less-than-dire disaster strikes the campsite, be it in the form of a scrape needing gauze, a splinter needing tweezers, or an allergic reaction needing antihistamines, a first aid kit can save campers annoyance and possibly rescue the entire camping trip from a frustratingly sudden conclusion. Most of the essential medical supplies you’d typically…
How to Become a Park Ranger
To be a Park Ranger is one of the most envied jobs within the American outdoors community. You get to wear the iconic Smokey the Bear hat, you get to spend your time in the pristine outdoors, and you get to get paid to do it. What else could you want in life? With such…
Camping for Beginners: How to Get into Camping
So you want to try camping for the first time, but you’re now sure how? Don’t worry, you aren’t alone. In 2016, 4.7 million Americans went camping for the first time, so there’s nothing stopping you. Taking up any new hobby can seem intimidating, with so many new things to learn. However, there are plenty…
How to Charge Your Phone While Camping
Out in the wilderness, it can feel nice to disconnect from the outside world and forget about your mobile phone for a while. On the other hand, it can be incredibly useful and convenient to have full use of your phone in the backcountry. When you’re out in nature, power outlets can be hard to…
Camping Cots and Air Mattresses: What’s Best for You?
Camping trips are always a whole lot of fun during the day time when campers are out on the trails backpacking, playing guitar at their base camp or any of the other fun things campers can do out in the backcountry. Then when night falls, the camping trip can be ruined by campers who don’t…
How to Avoid Ticks When Camping
When we think about a camping trip pleasant ideas come to mind: fresh air, spacious environments, calmness, etc. We do not think about disgusting little vampires that can make our life miserable, of course… But, if you are reading this article, you are already one step ahead in making your outdoor adventure a great one:…
How Much Water to Bring Camping
When camping one of the key supplies to pack is water. As we all know, water is key to our survival in any situation. When in the outdoors that is even more important as you may not be near a ready water source at all times. You want to make sure that you and everyone…
The Best Walkie Talkies for Hiking
Walkie talkies, or two-way radios, may seem to some hikers like too much technology to carry along in a rucksack on a hiking trip into the backcountry. Part of the reason many hikers go on these excursions is to be off the grid, incommunicado and able to reap the health benefits of peaceful ventures into…
The 6 Best Backpacking Tents
Oh, the great outdoors. Nothing like spending the day walking around some trails with friends, a couple of laughs and a few good views. You reach some lakes, you cross some streams, at one point you hear the squish of the mud beneath you as you press firmly into your boots. Your body becomes tired…
6 Best Hydration Packs for Hiking – Reviews
Ahh, water. The source of life, covering the majority of our planet and even contributing to the largest portion of our body mass. We cannot really overstate its importance, considering it is the most essential thing for virtually all life forces on the planet, and when searching for life on other planets like Mars, we…
The 7 Best Hiking Sun Hats Reviewed
When hiking in the winter, many of us wear a beanie or other warm winter hat, to keep our heads warm and provide a bit of protection from the elements. The same is necessary for the summer, for different reasons, but it’s equally important. A wide-brimmed sun hat is recommended for hiking during the summer,…
The Best Hiking Socks to Prevent Blisters
Blisters are a hiker’s worst enemy, these tiny little annoyances can ruin some otherwise amazing treks. There are a number of steps anyone can take to prevent blisters while hiking so that your feet stay happy and can carry you on adventures to come. Blisters can be caused by a number of reasons, from ill-fitting…
The Best 5 Person Tents – Top 6 Reviewed
November 10, 2019/Riley Draper Table of Contents When camping in larger groups, it’s nice to have accommodation with enough room for everyone. For family camping and group trips, a reliable and high-quality 5-person camping tent is the ideal backcountry home. From huge cabin tents to space-saving free-standing designs, there are many different 5-person tents available…
How to Attach Sleeping Bag to Backpack
We all know that backpacks can end up a bit overstuffed before setting off for a trip, there’s so much to remember to bring with you. One of the bulkiest items a backpacker needs is a sleeping bag, almost all campers need to travel with one of these, but they take up an enormous amount…
How to Adjust a Trekking Pole
Hikers and trekkers who frequently tackle different terrain or regularly traverse difficult types of terrain know about the knee and back pain that can develop after repeated bending of the upper body to scramble over rocks on otherwise flat terrain or going uphill just to go downhill later on mountainous trails. Well-seasoned hikers have probably…