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Home » Archive for  Quick Tips (Page 2)

Category: Quick Tips

Some quick tips and ideas to make outdoor pursuits a little more efficient.

Quick Tip: Easy Bake Oven Post-Trip

Posted onJanuary 13, 2017January 4, 2018AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

Hot cinnamon rolls or warm danish for post-trip enjoyment? Why yes. Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, Quick TipsTagsfood, quick tip, winter

Quick Tip: Sun shield reflector for insoles

Posted onJanuary 4, 2017October 15, 2019AuthorPaul Mags7 Comments

Some DIY reflective insoles to help keep the feet warm when stationary in winter. Read More …

CategoriesGear, Quick TipsTagscar camping, cheap outdoor gear, DIY, footwear, insoles, quick tip, winter

Quick Tip: Pre-packaged winter meals

Posted onDecember 12, 2016January 31, 2017AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

A quick way to make a meal for winter backpacking. Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, Quick TipsTagsfood, quick tip, winter

Quick Tip: Measuring distance with a lanyard

Posted onAugust 31, 2016September 1, 2019AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

A quick and dirty way of estimating map mileage using a compass lanyard or similar sized string. Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, Quick TipsTagsmileage, navigation, quick tip

Quick Tips: Backpacking rules of thumb

Posted onJuly 22, 2016April 22, 2020AuthorPaul Mags5 Comments

A grab bag of some quick answers to some common questions I’ve answered over the years. Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, Quick TipsTagsquick tip

The fine art of the truck bivy

Posted onJune 22, 2016October 25, 2020AuthorPaul Mags5 Comments

Maximize weekend time and camp near the trailhead. Do a truck bivy! Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, Quick TipsTagscamping, car camping, quick tip, time bank, truck bivy

Quick Tip: Ziplock bag map cover

Posted onJune 7, 2016January 31, 2017AuthorPaul Mags1 Comment

A simple and effective map cover to keep your printed maps protected while outdoors. Read More …

CategoriesGear, Getting Started, Quick TipsTagsmaps, quick tip

TBT Gear: Cheesecloth

Posted onJune 2, 2016June 14, 2019AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

TBT follow-up to my surprisingly popular article on Pecorino Romano cheese. How to keep all cheese even longer in the backcountry? Use some cheesecloth. Read More …

CategoriesGear, Quick TipsTagsfood, quick tip, TBT Gear

Quick Tip: Burning end of cord

Posted onApril 5, 2016January 31, 2017AuthorPaul Mags7 Comments

A frayed piece of utility cordage? Here’s a very simple way to help prevent it from fraying further. Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, Quick TipsTagscord, DIY, guylines, quick tip

Quick Tip: Ammo boxes for caching

Posted onMarch 29, 2016April 21, 2017AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Caching food or other supplies for off-the-beaten trips or even convenience? Surplus ammo boxes are an inexpensive and easy way cache these supplies. Read More …

CategoriesGear, Quick TipsTagsbackpacking, cheap outdoor gear, food cache, gear review, quick tip

Quick Tip: Pull tab guyline tensioner

Posted onMarch 22, 2016April 24, 2018AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Make a guyline tensioner out of pull tab from a can. Light, cheap and easy to use. Read More …

CategoriesGear, Getting Started, Quick TipsTagsbackpacking, camping, cheap outdoor gear, DIY, guylines, quick tip, shelters, tarp

from Google Image Search

Quick Tip: Test strip containers for storage

Posted onFebruary 24, 2016October 5, 2018AuthorPaul Mags1 Comment

Empty glucose test strip containers for diabetes work well for misc. hiking, camping, backpacking and even geocaching storage. Read More …

CategoriesGear, Quick TipsTagscamping, containers, quick tip, storage

Quick Tip: Sun shield for winter camping

Posted onJanuary 27, 2016October 9, 2018AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

A simple trick for sleeping warmer at night. Read More …

CategoriesGear, Getting Started, Quick TipsTagscamping, cheap outdoor gear, quick tip, winter

Quick Tip: Green soda bottle for alcohol fuel

Posted onJanuary 21, 2016July 14, 2019AuthorPaul Mags9 Comments

A simple, effective and safe way to carry denatured alcohol. Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, Quick TipsTagsalcohol stove, camp stoves, quick tip

Quick Tip: Blue foam for changing winter boots

Posted onJanuary 13, 2016January 31, 2017AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Another great use for the humble scraps of blue foam Read More …

CategoriesGear, Quick TipsTagsblue foam, quick tip, winter

Quick Tip: Lithium batteries for cold weather

Posted onJanuary 5, 2016January 31, 2017AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

In the cold weather, bring some lithium batteries. Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, Quick TipsTagscamping, quick tip, winter

Quick Tip: Don’t burn your snow pot!

Posted onDecember 11, 2015January 31, 2017AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Winter backpacking? Don’t burn the snow pot! Here’s how to melt snow the right way. Read More …

CategoriesGetting Started, Quick TipsTagscamping, cooking, quick tip, winter

Quick Tip: Ziplock bag wallet

Posted onJuly 28, 2015March 13, 2017AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

A Ziplock bag for a wallet seems obvious. But then I saw a review for a $35 hiker wallet. Perhaps the idea is not obvious after all. Read More …

CategoriesGear, Quick TipsTagscheap outdoor gear, gear, wallet

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A reunion and a backcountry wedding reception ... A reunion and a backcountry wedding reception ... Our good friends Mark and Judy returned from three+ years in the UK. They’ve been catching up with friends, seeing places they missed and reacquainting themselves with the American West. …. @ramblinghemlock and I grabbed a camping spot near the Needles district and took off hiking for the day. Soon a friend of theirs joined Joan and me that evening, with Mark showing up at night. … The three of us went to The Confluence saw what I think iis one of the most storied sites in the American West. It is where the Green and Upper Colorado (Grand) Rivers join and form one of the most important rivers basins in the world for historical, cultural, and economic reasons. … After this hike, we made it back to our site, and Judy joined us and surprised Joan and me with an impromptu backcountry wedding reception with cake and champagne! … The following day we showed a well-known backcountry panel and Newspaper Rock off the paved road. An excellent weekend to reacquaint with friends! … #hiking #camping #petrogylphs #pictrographs #Utah #Moab #CanyonlandsNationalPark #canyonlands #ColoradoPlateau #TheNeedles Ph# 8 c/o mark and ph# 9 c/o judy
The absolute tried and trued gear that a middle-ag The absolute tried and trued gear that a middle-aged guy uses …. It seems like my feed comes up with the-latest-cool-article-to-sell-you-crap from the BigOutdoorCongelemorate. You know the type of article: Something about what an extreme Crossfit Yoga HeliSkier guide uses for their intriguing sounding job. Usually with links for expensive gear modeled by photogenic people doing things I am not nearly cool enough to do and then rhapsodizing about in a way that sounds like a cross between a Zen monk and the latest Banff Film Festival entry. This is not one of those articles … :🚁 Read more of my usual subtle thoughts via link in profile. :🎿 …. PCO @ramblinghemlock ... #hiking #backpacking #camping #livingmybestlife #Blessed #rei1440 #liveoutside #hashtagabouthashtags .
A low- key backpacking trip. Photos 4-6 courtesy o A low- key backpacking trip. Photos 4-6 courtesy of @ramblinghemlock ... #hiking #camping #Backpacking #coloado
Is there any better sound than rain on a tent at n Is there any better sound than rain on a tent at night? ... #hiking #Backpacking #colorado #camping #sanjuanmountains
@ramblinghemlock used a cotton bandanna pee rag re @ramblinghemlock used a cotton bandanna pee rag regularly since 2010 in environments as diverse as the desert of the Colorado Plateau to hikes in the Smokies. ... This past year she started using the well-known and popular @kulacloth favored by many backpackers. ... Here are Joan’s thoughts on contrasting the Kula Cloth to the humble bandanna EDIT: For the curious, we added a link to a $10 MYOG kit (with 100 fasteners) that requires no sewing! ... 🥾More thoughts via link in profile.⛺ ... #hiking #backpackpacking #camping #LNT
Hiking and camping with friends in the La Sal Moun Hiking and camping with friends in the La Sal Mountains. ... #hiking #camping #utah #Moab #LaSals
After our time in the San Juans, we went to the ed After our time in the San Juans, we went to the edge of the Colorado Plateau to Chimney Rock National Monument. This Ancestral Pueblo settlement perches on a prominent overlook with rock formations that line up with an 18.5-year lunar cycle. … Located at the edge of the mountains and the Colorado Plateau, this area also served to trade with various goods found onsite. Most prominently, Chimney Rock is in direct alignment with Chaco Canyon ninety miles away, with possible signal fires getting seen across the distance between these two points. The Pueblo founded other settlements in the area. … I last went there just after Chimney Rock became a national monument but glad to return as there’s always more to see, and it is a place where Joan’s never visited. We both enjoyed seeing Chimney Rock while in the area. .. #colorado #sanjuans #sanjuansmountains #ChimneyRock #ChimneyRockNationalMonument #archeoastronomy #ColoradoPlateau #AncestralPueblo
@ramblinghemlock and I went to the Weminuche Wilde @ramblinghemlock and I went to the Weminuche Wilderness in the San Juan Mountains.  Though still summer in our desert home, autumn’s arrived in the alpine terrain. The ground cover’s russet, you can hear the elks bugle, and there’s a nip to the night air. … With no 14ers or prominent alpine lakes, we had this stretch mainly to ourselves. Just how we like it! ... #colorado #sanjuans #sanjuansmountains #continentaldividetrail #Weminuche #hiking #backpacking #camping
@ramblinghemlock shows her patented technique for @ramblinghemlock shows her patented technique for drying tents. .. #hiking #Backpacking #colorado
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  • Home
  • Ramblings
    • Musings
    • Books and Media
    • Videos
    • From The Web
    • Thru Hikes, Long Walks, or Routes
      • My Alphabet Soup summary
      • Vermont’s Long Trail
      • Appalachian Trail
      • Pacific Crest Trail
      • Colorado Trail
      • Continental Divide Trail
      • Ring The Peak Trail (Pike’s Peak)
      • Benton Mackaye Trail
      • Tahoe Rim Trail
      • Uinta Highline Trail
      • Collegiate Loop
      • A Walk Across Southern Utah
      • Great Divide Trail (Canada)
      • The Northern New Mexico Loop
    • Other Outdoor Jaunts
      • Utah
      • Colorado
      • New Mexico
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Florida
      • Georgia
      • Nebraska
      • New England
      • Nevada
      • North Carolina
      • Oregon
      • South Dakota
      • Texas
      • Wyoming
    • Photos
    • PMags News
    • Press
  • Nuts and Bolts
    • New to the outdoors? Start here!
    • Getting Started
    • Quick Tips
    • Trip Planning
    • Quick and Dirty Guides
    • Food
    • Gear
      • All Gear Posts
      • Gear Reviews
      • Gear Quivers
      • Gear Lists
      • Budget Gear
      • What I’m Wearing
      • Clothing and related
      • Footwear
      • Packs
      • Shelters and related
      • Sleeping bags, quilts, and pads
      • Stoves, cooking, and related
      • Water containers
    • Road trip and car camping – gear and techniques
    • Winter trip reports, gear overviews, tips, and techniques
  • Subscribe by email
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  • About PMags.com
    • Who is Paul Mags?
    • About Joan West
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