How to Fuel Your Body in the Backcountry
Q. What's the trick to having enough energy while on a big outing?
Ask the Gear Guy
Not sure which gear to buy? Need tips for maintaining your equipment? Ask the Gear Guy for help.
How Do I Store a Camp Kitchen?
Q. I have everything I need for my first camp kitchen except for a good way to store it. Any ideas?
How Tall Should a Walking Stick Be?
Q. I'm making my own walking stick. How big should it be?
Do I Need to Pack a Pillow?
Q. How important is it to pack a pillow for my upcoming backpacking trip?
3 Tips for Setting Up Your Tent
Q. My friends keep telling me I'm setting up my tent wrong. How should I be setting it up?
How to Keep Dirt Out of Your Tent
Q. I hate when the inside of my tent gets filthy. I always track in dirt from my boots. Any tips for keeping it cleaner?
Comfortable Camping With a Bad Back
Q. I have a bad back. I don’t care if it’s a mat or a cot, but I need something to keep me more comfortable while camping.
How Do You Keep Food From Getting Soggy in a Cooler?
Q. When the ice melts in my cooler, it gets everything all wet and soggy. What can I do to avoid this?
How to Keep Pots From Turning Black
How do you keep pots from your mess kit from turning black when using them over a fire?
Need Good Boots That Aren’t Too Expensive
Q. The bottoms of my boots wore off, so I'm in desperate need of some good boots that aren't too expensive.
Prevent Tripping Over Tent Guy Lines
Q. How can I keep people from tripping on my tent guy lines at night?
4 Tips to Make Your Tent Last
Q. Hello Gear Guy, I just got a new tent. What can I do to make sure it lasts me the longest amount of time possible?
How to Replace a Broken Tent Pole
Q. Yo Gear Guy! This weekend when I was setting up my two-man tent to air-dry, one of the fiberglass poles broke. Any places that I could go to get a replacement?
How to Clean a Dirty Pocketknife
Q. Dear Gear Guy, I got a pocketknife from my grandfather, and it's all dirty and rusty. Can you tell me how to clean it, please?
How to Prevent Smelly Gear
I'm going to the 2017 National Jamboree. What is the best way to prevent my gear from getting smelly as I use it?
Best Tent for a Good Price?
What's the best tent I can buy for a good price?
Tips to Lighten a Backpack
Q. My troop likes to go backpacking. I’d like to participate, but my pack is really heavy. How do I lighten it?
Best Way to Build a Survival Shelter
Q. What is your best idea for a survival shelter? How would you build it?
Looking for Durable and Comfortable Pants
Q. I'm looking for pants durable for trail building and comfortable for wearing around camp. Ideas?
Blow-up Sleeping Pads
Q: Is it worth it to buy a blow-up sleeping pad?
Best Way to Get Ready For a Long Hike?
Q. My troop is going on a 25-mile hike soon. What is the best way to prepare for it?
Good Shoes For Both Hiking and Gym
Q. I'm looking for a good pair of hiking shoes I can wear to gym class. Ideas?
Staying Warm in a Hammock
Q. I think hammocks are comfortable, but I don’t like being cold at night. What’s the best way to stay warm in one?
How to Tell if a Bike Tire is Full Enough?
Q. Yesterday my friend told me my bike tires needed air, but I don't think so. How can you tell if a tire is pumped up enough?
Will my sleeping bag be warm enough?
Q. My dad says my sleeping bag will be fine in the cold, but I’m not so sure. What do you think I should do?
How to Minimize Sleeping Bag Odor
Q. Whenever I go camping my sleeping bag gets all smelly. How do I make it smell better?
Storing Backpacks During Wintertime
How should I store backpacks during wintertime to keep them in good condition?
How to Wash a Smelly Camp Pillow
Q. When I wash my camping pillow, the material inside lumps up and gets uncomfortable. What should I do?
Difference Between Tent’s Trail Weight and Packed Weight?
Q. Most tent labels list two weights, a trail weight and a packed weight. What's the difference?
Looking for the Best Portable Speakers on the Market
What are the best portable speakers on the market?
Looking For a Lightweight, Packable Electric Lantern
I am looking for a lightweight, packable and budget-friendly electric lantern. Suggestions?
What’s the correct walking stick height?
How tall should a walking stick be?
How to Get Back to Your Car at the End of the Trail
Q. We plan to backpack a 24-mile point-to-point trail but only have one car. How do we get back to our car?
How To Clean Your Lantern
Q. I have a lantern that has a removable glass covering, and it has soot all over it. How can I get it off?
Cot or bedroll?
Q. On camp-outs I see some boys with cots and others with bedrolls. Which should I use?
How to clean a sticky knife
Q. Whenever I go camping I always cut oranges with my knife. But then my knife sticks and is hard to get open. What is the best way to de-stick my knife?
Propane canister or liquid fuel stoves?
Do you recommend a propane-canister or liquid-fuel backpacking stove? I've heard good things about both.
Find a Good Sleeping Bag for Under $100
I need a good summer sleeping bag. What should I get with $100?
Wear cowboy boots on a hike?
Is it OK to wear cowboy boots on a hike? I have a pair that is very comfortable.
How to stake out tents on a sandy beach
We went camping on the beach last weekend. The wind blew all night long and made our tents flap like crazy. Any advice?
Waterproof bandage for badly sliced finger
Q. We were on a backpacking trip when my buddy badly sliced the tip of his finger. What, Gear Guy, would you have done?
How to prevent chafing on the trail
My troop just went on a weekend camp-out. After we climbed this big hill, I started chafing in my groin area. How do I prevent chafing?
Contents of a bike emergency kit
I go biking with my friends all the time. Is there anything I should be carrying, like a Swiss army knife?
How to prevent pots from tipping over
Q. The pot on my backpacking stove tipped over and burned my brother. How do I solve this problem?
Quality polarized sunglasses at a good price
Q. I'm looking for quality polarized sunglasses at a good price. Do you know of any?
How can I keep ticks away?
Every time I go hiking, I always get attacked by ticks! What can I do?
Recommend a snowboarding backpack
A. The Dakine Heli Pro DLX 20L isn't cheap, but it could be exactly the pack that fits your needs.
How to replace a skateboard’s grip tape
Q. Help, Gear Guy! The grip tape on my skateboard is starting to fall off. How do I remove it?
How to stuff a sleeping bag back in its sack
Q. Every single time I go camping, I have trouble rolling up my sleeping bag and can never get it back in the bag. Help!
How to fix smelly hiking boots
My hiking boots smell terrible. Is there anything I can do to take care of that?
