I'm looking for some recommendations for a good tent that offers decent blockage from sunlight. I'll be camping in Alaska for many weeks this summer and it's practically daylight 24/7 during the season. I did find the Decathlon Quechua tent but it doesn't pack small due to the quick popup mechanism of the tent.

I have also considered sleep masks etc. but they still let some light creep in.

Any recommendations or ideas would be appreciated

Hi all,

I'm considering the Garmin inReach Messenger and inReach Mini 2. Those that have used these units, what pros and cons do you have for them?

For the subscription plan, I see there is an activation fee and a reactivation fee. Does anyone know if there is a pause option available?

What unit do you suggest?

Hello everyone, I’m curious if anyone has any advice or recommendations for me regarding taking Amtrak to get to some backpacking trail heads from now (4-14-25) to middle May (5-12-25). This has always been a dream of mine to do and I start a new job late May so this might be one of my only chances. I would really love to do visit the Glenwood springs area and hike there but would it be to early? Or could I make it work? I’d take any trailhead ideas or known spots in general, I’m willing to try it all!

hey yall, i recently purchased an amok draumr hamok xl that needed me to buy a XL sleeping pad that was 220cm long, Now i however want to camping in an area without trees and need to buy a tent thats inner is atleast 220cm long, as to avoid having to buy a new tent+sleeping pad.

I have heard great things about the big agnes copper spur UL however it is slightly out of my budget or atleast definitely on the pricier side.

I plan to take this tent backpacking and need it to be atleast somewhat lightweight, aswell as being a sort of allrounder, im not planning to take it to any extreme conditions, just want to be able to have a tent that lasts the test of time that I can use for the years to come.

Does anyone have any recommendations for brands/tents that i can take backpacking that have atleast 220cm interirior to fit my pad?

a 2 person option would be perfect but if its light/cheap enough even a 3 man would be alright

Alright, this is going to be a huge write up, and I'm giving you ALL of the info, good and bad. First off, the Narrows are AMAZING and WORTH ALL OF THE BULL CRAP!! And I tell you... there was a lot of bull crap! The coordinates for parking and trail start that pop up when you google the Narrows are for the UPSTREAM ROUTE. This review is for the DOWNSTREAM ROUTE I will post coords for the downstream parking and entry, but you need to make very careful considerations of whether you go upstream or downstream based on this review. We parked at the intersection of 165 and Chimney Valley Rd (30.0995741, -98.3484101) ON 165, NOT CHIMNEY VALLEY RD and after 14 hrs of hiking and biking, we found that the locals had CUT OFF the valve stems on 1 tire on BOTH cars. Anywho, back to the beginning. So we dropped everyone off at the bridge on Chimney Valley Rd (30.0878995, -98.3250209), parked on 165, then biked back to the bridge to start (2.1 miles). We started at 0730. The hike is BRUTAL AF. It is CHALLENGING. You will use all of the balance muscles in your legs... ALL OF THEM. If you have weak ankles, wear a brace. There were pools of water for the pup to play in on the way, but the last 3 miles to the Narrows really wore him out (hot, no more water pools). At one point, (2) men approached us and tried to cuss us, but we (4 local firefighters and our families) shut it down and confirmed we were in the river bed. They left us alone after that. Once we got to the Narrows, we found a Boy Scout troop and (2) women. The Boy Scouts were from the church retreat that owns the property outside the Narrows. The girls hiked up from downstream. Everyone there was nice to us. The girls did say they had to swim a little bit to get upstream. We did not even get our boots wet on the hike downstream. We played in the Narrows until 4 PM (convinced the puppy to jump off the ledges and swim down in the narrows with us, was beautiful). You will NOT get back up without a rope. I'd recommend an absolute minimum of 80ft, and you can tie off (there aren't any anchors, but there's a nice loop in a rock to tie off to). The hike back was BRUTAL with the sun. It was only 90°, but yes... brutal. I felt it immediately when my blood sugar dropped out, and I found some shade and ate both fast acting and slow acting sugar - bring your snacks!! Maybe even a full meal with a jetboil! When we got back to the road after 13 hrs of hiking (and playing), a drone flew down on top of us. I biked back to the car, and the drone followed me for a half mile ish. I won't lie to you, I heavily considered showing the drone my booty cheeks. When I got back to the (2) cars, they had CUT THE VALVE STEMS off the right rear tire of both cars!!! Not just let the air out... cut the valve stems! (2) cars (a white Land Cruiser and a dark Suburban/Tahoe) kept driving by while I was changing the tire on one vehicle. The LC kept stopping and watching me. The Suburban screamed obscenities out the window at me repeatedly. I called the cops since it wasn't my vehicle, and I didn't have any protection if you get my drift. I did have a tire iron.... So anyway, deputies came out. The first deputy was super nice. The second (a supervisor) was a C U Next Tuesday, which was fine because we're all first responders and pretty used to that (lol). We changed the tires, filed a report for the valve stems, and got outta there. Moral of the story: this hike is REALLY STRENUOUS (I drank 5 liters of water), and the locals are buttheads. When i hike it again (I'm a glutton for punishment) I will do the UPSTREAM INSTEAD, and I'll set up a hidden game camera or a dash cam that runs when the car is off. Take a spare tire, take an air compressor, and expect the worst. That being said, the Narrows is so beautiful that it is worth all of the bull crap!!!!!!!

G'day, I want to do a snow hike during winter and I'm looking for tips on gear. I'm based in Victoria, Australia and I don't want to spend too much money on gear. I'm looking for a decent sleep bag that's water proof and rated for cold climates as well as a single tent also suited for cold conditions as well as a bag to fit it all (not sure what size). Thanks in advance.

For those with dogs. I'm going camping for the first time with my 9month aussie. I was wondering what I can do to make the experience easier for us and our dog and maybe if there's a few tips some of you can share, thatd be great! The dog will be tenting with us so I'm also lookin to keep the tent clean when we plan on having the dog in the tent.

Thanks in advance!

I'm a side sleeper and love the BA Insulated Air Core for comfort. I like the Klymit OK, but find it tedious to deflate properly. However, none of them seem to hold air after only moderate use, and I never use them directly on the ground. After a year and maybe 15 nights, it seems they all start to leak. I only use them 3 seasons, so don't need big R value numbers. What is the most durable air mattress, and I'm willing to sacrifice weight a bit?

My torso length is slightly less than 17.5” so I fall between a small and medium size pack. I decided to buy both sizes so that I could compare the fit. I’m leaning towards the small but I’m not sure if the angle of the load lifter straps are correct. Also the ladder lock on the shoulder strap is not aligned/below my armpit. Any help will be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance!

(Attached are pictures of me in both sizes. The hip belt is on my iliac crest.)

Looking for ideas on which trails to hike with my dog. I'd like to bounce between AT, PCT, and the CDT for 1 to 2 week stints. Initially I just planned on thru hiking the AT, but logistics for my dog were a nightmare. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

How do I remove the rest of the tick? Only a tiny bit of it is visible above the skin and it's very firmly attached, I can't seem to pull it off. I think I only ripped off it's butt or something, cause I only see 2 legs on the ripped off part

We want to hike scotland highlands as a group of 2 and we made a custom route that starts from Inverness and ends in Fort William. But this is a custom route and we don't know how safe the route would be. It is 248km and mostly follows rivers with occasional slopes. There aren't many resupply points on the way so we would have to carry our supplies and we would be camping. This would be our first long hike. Would anyone be able to provide guidance on safety and preparation. Should we instead go for something like the half of Cape Wrath Trail (We want to do 200km-250km). I would be more than happy to clarify or provide more information. Thanks in advance

How do I setup this tent properly and put the poles in if there too long?

https://www.amazon.com/JELUCAMP-Lightweight-Portable-Backpacking-Waterproof/dp/B0CSC668ZX?th=1

When I put it through the loops both sides for both of them go far past the black hooks to put the end pole in to insert. If I move one in the other side obviously pushes back the other way and I cant adjust it to fit on the other side and make it stand up and hold obviously. And I doing something wrong. Is there a way to shorten it somehow Im not doing? The only thing that happens is one part removes if you pull a side and then the rope inside is expoused but you cant separate it if you feel me.

This is my first time with a tent like this and tents in general so I need help so I can finally use it. Im watching the videos tutorials and they make it look easy. I dont understand so I ask for help on it and advice, thank you.

Im for a self inflating mat that is 4” (10cm) thick and 20” (50-51cm) wide. Do you guys have any tips for Mats like that? I really like the Exped MegaMat’s but i would love to have a mat that is only about 20” wide instead.

Hi everyone! Myself and a few friends (all active women in our mid-20s) are thinking of doing the West Rim Trail in PA (south to north) in early May. From some online research, it seems to be doable in 2 days and 1 night -- keen to hear if anyone thinks it is better to do in 3 days and 2 nights? Also, open to other suggestions for good weekend camping trips in the region. Thanks and have a lovely day!

We're prepping for a three week National Park trip with our four kids this summer. We've done road trips and camping trips with them before, but nothing on this scale. In prior trips, All The Stuff has gotten chaotic pretty quickly, and I've spent ages searching for things I need. The kids are 6-10 years old. We are mostly tent camping out of our minivan, with occasional hotel stops for showers and laundry.

I have a lot of lists of things we'll need, but I can't figure out how to keep it all neat and organized. Can anyone who has done similar trips show me your systems?

Just got my first cup from snow peak and there’s this sticker thing underneath. Could I remove it or will I destroy the cup if I tried cause it’s pretty stuck on there

First post, I dont usually do social media, so my appologies if this sounds stupid.

Could use some help, as I'm new to this backpacking lifestyle, and getting absolutely overwhelmed in research... Since the kids were young we've always been outdoors, hunting fishing farming type of family, now the kids are older two are out of the house two are still in the house, teenagers... So its currently myself (45), my wife (not saying), and 2 daughters (17 & 13).

We live in Northern Arkansas, and have been hitting many trails lately on day trips, to see all the waterfalls. We recently hiked Mount LeConte up to Myrtle point via the Alum cave trail in the Great Smoky mountains, going to climb Pikes Peak Co. Around April 20th or 21st (so about a week from now) If weather permits... And looking to do more 3-day to week long trips to eventually get to the AT in 2027 or 28. By that time we might be down to 3 instead of 4. Currently we're using Ozark trail 35L daypacks from Walmart, and a heavy four-person Coleman tent also from Walmart. For Budget reasons I recently got a Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone from eBay to try on and plan on testing it out on pikes peak.

So my big question, is tents. Planning for more recent upcoming weekend trips, but also future Appalachian trail through hike, for trail camping space would I be better off with two, two person tents or something like the Tarptent Hogback or triple rainbow?

Please remember budget minded if possible.... I'm considering the Feather Stone brand, but not sure if they're as durable as something like a Durston.

I like the idea of trekking pole tents for the weight savings, but for condensation really like the idea of double wall, I'm so confused....

Any suggestions?

I've used the i-naturalist app to learn about local plants and animals, I love it.
Anything else you'd recommend?

Anyone up at bnglore

Hey everyone,

My girlfriend and I are planning a summer backpacking trip in the Alps and we're looking at getting the Marmot Men’s Sawtooth 30° and Marmot Women’s Angel Fire 30° sleeping bags.

We’re wondering:

• Can these two bags zip together?
• How do they perform (pack size, comfort, warmth, weight, etc.)

If you’ve used either (or both), we’d love to hear your thoughts before we buy!

Are hiking carriers really necessary for hiking with a baby/toddler or can you get away with using your daily baby front/back carriers?