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Trailkit Outdoor
A field notebook, pencil and compass on granite, macro

Field notes

Field notes

Definitions and judgment calls that the gear pages assume. Read the note, then open the roundup if you are ready to buy.

Sleep

An air pad lying on frosted bare ground, cold rising from below
Field note 01What R-value means on a sleeping padR-value is how well a pad resists heat loss into the ground. Thickness is not the same number.Used in → How to choose a sleeping pad
A mummy bag hood cinched tight at a frosty dawn
Field note 02How to read a sleeping bag temperature ratingA rating is a class, not a promise that you will be warm at that number.Used in → Best sleeping bags for backpacking
Macro of a single down cluster lofted on dark fabric
Field note 03What down fill power meansFill power is loft per ounce of down, not the warmth of the whole jacket.Used in → Best insulation for the trail
A quilt strapped down to a sleeping pad
Field note 04Why backpacking quilts feel draftyA quilt is warm if you stay on the pad and strap it down. Otherwise it is a blanket with a hole.Used in → Quilt or sleeping bag?
Macro of a filter cartridge with water droplets
Field note 05What a backpacking water filter removesHollow-fiber filters catch bacteria and protozoa. Viruses and chemicals are a different problem.Used in → Best water filters

Shelter

A tent standing upright on bare granite with no stakes
Field note 06What a freestanding tent isA freestanding tent stands before you stake it. Semi-freestanding still needs a stake.Used in → Best backpacking tents
Boots and a pack under a tent vestibule in rain
Field note 07What a tent vestibule is forThe vestibule is the porch for wet shoes and the pack. It is not a kitchen.Used in → Best backpacking tents
Inner mesh tent visible beneath a half-pitched fly
Field note 08Double-wall vs single-wall tentsDouble wall manages condensation. Single wall saves weight and asks for skill.Used in → Best solo backpacking tents
A mesh-heavy tent in a summer meadow at dusk
Field note 09What three-season gear meansThree-season gear is for spring, summer, and fall. It is not for winter camping on snow.Used in → Three-season or four-season tent?
A small brush sealing a tent seam, macro
Field note 10When to seam-seal a tentSome tents need a seal before the first storm. Some are taped at the factory. Read the tag.Used in → Why tents get condensation

Rain and layers

Macro of water beading on jacket fabric
Field note 11What DWR means on a rain jacketDurable water repellent is the finish that makes water bead. When it stops beading, the fabric is not always leaking.Used in → Best cheap rain jackets for backup and short hikes
Rain pooling and sheeting off a tent fly
Field note 12What hydrostatic head meansA lab number for how much water pressure a fabric resists. It is not the whole rain jacket.Used in → Best cheap rain jackets for backup and short hikes
An open underarm zip on a rain shell, close crop
Field note 13Why rain jacket pit zips matterPit zips dump heat when you are climbing in a shell. A logo does not.Used in → Best cheap rain jackets for backup and short hikes
A fleece and a puffy hung side by side on a pack
Field note 14Active layers versus static layersThe jacket you hike in should not be the jacket you sit in.Used in → What to wear hiking in shoulder season

Footwear

Side profile of a trail shoe on a rock, low angle
Field note 15What heel-drop means in hiking shoesDrop is the height difference between heel and toe. Changing it quickly is how calves complain.Used in → Best wide toe box trail shoes
A broad bare footprint in mud beside a wide-toe boot
Field note 16What a wide last meansA wide last is a different shape. Sizing up is not a wide shoe.Used in → Best hiking boots for wide feet
A pair of camp clogs beside a tent door
Field note 17When camp shoes are worth packingWorth it beside the car. Usually not worth a long carry.Used in → Best car camping comfort gear

Packs

A soft tape measure along a hiker's spine, back view
Field note 18How to measure backpack torso lengthPack size is torso length, not your shirt size.Used in → How to fit a backpack
A hip-belt buckle cinched on the hips, close crop
Field note 19What a backpack hip belt is forThe hip belt carries the load. Shoulder straps keep the pack from falling back.Used in → How to fit a backpack
A tent, a sleeping bag and a pack together on a groundsheet
Field note 20The big three of backpacking gearShelter, sleep, and pack. Fix those before you cut the toothbrush.Used in → What backpacking base weight means
A liner bag inside an open pack in light rain
Field note 21Why a pack liner still mattersA waterproof pack is nice. A liner is the thing that keeps the bag dry.Used in → Rainy weekend

Water and food

A tablet fizzing in a water bottle on a rock
Field note 22When hikers need electrolytesWater replaces water. Salt replaces salt. Tablets are not a meal.Used in → Desert hiking water planning
Trail meals portioned into bags on a tarp
Field note 23How much food to pack backpackingStart from meals you will eat, then add a margin. Calories on a spreadsheet are not dinner.Used in → How to pack a bear canister
A rope over a high branch with a food bag at dusk
Field note 24Why bear hangs failA hang needs the right tree and the right distance. Many camps do not have that tree.Used in → Best bear canisters
A tiny alcohol stove with a faint flame on bare rock
Field note 25Alcohol stove fire restrictionsA tiny alcohol stove is not legal everywhere a canister stove is.Used in → Camp stove safety
A sealed waste bag and trowel on desert slickrock, tasteful
Field note 26What a wag bag isSome places do not want a cathole. A wag bag is how waste leaves with you.Used in → How to dig a cathole