What type of travel rucksack should you buy?

So you are out to buy a travel rucksack but there are some considerations when buying a travel rucksack. The question we need to answer is - what are you going to use it for? At this point it can get detailed and I wish to avoid this and keep it simple to buy the right travel rucksack so here are some tips in this article. So I hope it is useful

Your travel rucksack really needs to be fit for purpose. Is it going to be used for hiking and rambling or travelling? You need to know as you need to understand how waterproof and strong it needs to be especially if you are going hiking with your travel rucksack. Taking a travel rucksack on your holidays and just using it for travelling is not so much an issue. However a travel rucksack for hiking does need some attension.

Of course make sure that the travel rucksack is nice and comfortable. Nowadays most travel rucksacks are very comfortable compared to rucksacks years ago. A good travel rucksack now has a breathing system to allow some air to your back and help to stop you sweating. So in my case this is a great idea. In addition the straps are now adjustable to fit not only your shoulders but adjustable so you can wear the travel rucksack high or low on your back. This is useful.

Most travel rucksacks which are large now come with the all important belt. Your hips should take more of the weight instead of your shoulders as this is the strongest part of your body. So make sure that a belt is included. The picture illustrates a travel rucksack belt

You need the travel rucksack to be waterproof. A good feature is a rain cover complete with a zip away bag cover. So that when it does start to rain (which you need to be prepared for) then you unzip your rucksack rain cover and cover the rucksack for rain protection. Again a useful feature. However some hikers do say that a handy top pocket is wasted by the rain cover. I suppose it is a personal trade off – pocket or cover? What is your choice?

What I do is keep my contents of the travel rucksack dry by using a plastic bag in the travel rucksack. Therefore I use this for waterproofing and shy away from the waterproof cover. However some people like it so I have included it. It is whatever you feel comfortable with as both methods are good for keeping a travel rucksack dry.

Another really good feature is a unique movable bio system which means as you bend or twist, the pack remains upright. This means that the centre of gravity remains the same reducing the risk of falling or loosing your balance – nice feature.

I always say – have a large number of pockets in your http://www.hikingrambling.com/blog/uncategorized/the-important-points-to-consider-when-packing-your-backpack-gear. Pockets make it easy to store and retrieve the smaller but things like map, compass, emergency whistle, pocket knife etc.

Have a really great hike or travel well and enjoy your travel rucksack as its all part of the fun.

Hiking Gear You Need to Take on a Ramble Or Hike

OK so we are going to go hiking. Before you do you need to understand what hiking gear you will need to take with you. The camping stores are full of lots of hiking gear that they want to sell you and lets face it – you want to buy (just like me).
However some important things you will need with you and for you to consider when deciding what hiking gear you need.

1. Rucksack. Sounds obvious but you want a quality rucksack when hiking. There are different sizes of rucksack depending on the type of hiking you are planning. You also need to investigate how to pack a rucksack as this is also very important and has a big impact to your positive or not so positive hiking experience. This is really a subject of its own and this is just a quick note to guide you in the right direction. However you need to concentrate on packing the heavy items at the top with easy access to the things you may need first (such as waterproof clothing etc). Also I suggest you go to a camping store rather than buying on line unless you are confident on exactly what rucksack to buy. The camping store will guide you on a one to one basis as deal with all types of hiking gear.

2. Clothing and waterproof gear. You will need to take at least one pair of complete clothing depending on the number of days you are hiking for. Whilst your clothes can get wet they should be resistant to absorbing water (i.e not jeans) and it is better to take a number of thin jumpers than a thick jumper. Also please remember 80% of heat is lost through your head - so a hat to insulate your head from the cold is important. In addition most importantly buy some good quality waterproof gear. A good raincoat (not thin) and waterproof leggings is essential to keeping dry and safe on a hike – this is especially in England where I hike. This hiking gear is very important for a hike.

3. Hiking boots. Essential item to your hiking gear are hiking boots. You need strong boots for the tough trail ahead. Your boots should support your ankles as well as your feet. Make sure they are comfortable and fit well. Also make sure that you wear your hiking boots a number of times before you use them on the hike. This will help prevent blisters - not very nice. If there was one thing you had to concentrate your money on as part of your hiking gear I would say good quality hiking boots.

4. Map, Compass. It is obvious but you need to know where you are going and plan your route and have a map and compass. It is an essential aspect of your hiking gear. It is also very important you know how to use them

Go to my blog on links in this article for a free report on a compass

Get it here

You need to know how to read a map and how to set a map using your surroundings and a compass. Again important part of your hiking gear.
This is not a complete list of all the hiking gear you need to take on a hike however it is a start for the main essentials.

The above hiking gear will help you to prepare for a fantastic and memorable hike. Have a great time!

Camping stores: there are other – cheaper places to get camping gear

When a child walks into a sweet shop or toy shop you know that they could easily spend your cash. The same thing is for me when I walk into camping stores. I could literally end up buying the store and get carried away and maybe buying stuff that is not needed!

You do however need the right gear whether it be hiking or camping. Whilst hiking or camping is not really an expensive pastime compared to others, it is very easy to get excited and spend many dollars in camping stores buying all sorts of items. Of course you will be paying the top prices in general and therefore this of course can be a problem.

There are a number of ways you can get cheaper deals other than camping stores.
Firstly consider department stores selling camping equipment at the end of the season. They market their goods on a season by season basis. Therefore at the end of the summer season they will be focused on summer stock clearances to make way for the new season gear. This therefore presents opportunities for deals on camping gear working out cheaper than camping stores. So may be some good opportunities here.

There is then the obvious option of buying hiking and camping gear online as it will be cheaper, however you need to be careful. There are some gear that you need will need to try on and get expert advice I will say should be avoided on the internet unless you know exactly what you are buying. Especially items like rucksacks and in particular hiking boots I would never buy online. The process of choosing these items is a whole separate subject however I strongly suggest you buy these items from camping stores where you can get the best personal advice of which is the best for you. Buying all other item types online is great.

There are also options where you can borrow such as a tent or stove. Other equipment you can even hire if you are not going to be hiking or camping again. Some people have a bit of fun and hold private parties for camping gear instead of buying from camping stores. These options may not be the common ways of buying camping gear but certainly cheaper than camping stores.

So in summary you just need a bit of sense when buying camping gear. Some items you need to buy from camping stores however you can reduce the cost by simply using other methods mentioned in this article – so go out and get some cheaper stuff!

I hope this has been useful so have a great hike or camp whether you are buying from camping stores or finding the cheaper ways

What to Wear When You Are Outdoor Hiking - From the Top Down

Well its great to go on an outdoor hiking experience. However like anything worthwhile there are problems to overcome. The problem I have seen many times is that people that are going on an outdoor hiking experience for the first time, do not wear the correct clothes. Or they just don’t know what to wear.

Wearing the right clothes does not mean you have to get the credit card out again every single time. However it is important for safety reasons and for comfort reasons for wearing the correct outdoor hiking gear. You just need to follow some simple steps. So I have out together something that I wish I had for the first time and I believe will be useful – what to wear on an outdoor hiking experience from the top down.

1. The top - your head. A lot of your body heat is lost through your head so wear a thick woolly hat to keep you warm.

2. Your torso. People believe they need a nice thick jumper when you are outdoor hiking. This is not the best idea. To insulate from the cold you need to wear a number of thin layers of tops. The reason for this is that you can have some form of heat control (take off or put on layers until you are at the right temperature).

Also and more importantly the air between the thin layers will act as a heat insulator and will keep you warmer when you are outdoor hiking. In summary a number of thin layers is better than 1 thick jumper.

3. Your trousers. Need to be light and strong and also need to be non absorbent in case they get wet from the rain or falling in a stream (not Corduroys or Jeans). I always wear army greens as they are very strong, dry very quickly and are light. In addition army greens have many pockets and handy to keep the small essential items when you are outdoor hiking. So look out for these at the camping stores. However jogging bottoms should be OK.

4. The bottom - your feet, most important. Of course you need good hiking boots but also 2 pairs of socks, one thick pair and one thin pair. This will help stop blisters as the socks rub together and not your skin. The thin pair should be worn first.

Of course make sure you have the right waterproof gear. So you need a waterproof top, trousers and gaiters for your feet. Also make sure this is very handy for the sudden downpour – not at the bottom of your rucksack when outdoor hiking

Finally when you are outdoor hiking make sure you have at least one change of extra clothing. If you are outdoor hiking for 2 days take clothes for 3 days and so on. You absolutely never know what Mother Nature has in store for you especially on the mountains which attracts the rain very easily and quickly

….. and - have a great outdoor hiking adventure.

How resolve a Kids hiking problem – mosquitoes

For those who love hiking - we of course want to pass this on to our kids and watch our kids hiking and get the buzz that we do. However before you do there are problems to resolve.

When you take kids hiking you sometimes need to tackle things in a different way to adults. One of these problems for kids hiking is mosquitoes.

During your hike you need to make sure your kids are fully protected by mosquito spray. I know I cannot trust my kids to put on the spray correctly themselves and fully so I always do this myself or I get an older child to do it for me.

So get them to stand still in their kids hiking gear, with their feet nicely apart and their arms stretched out to their sides. See the picture above to see the pose required.

Yes they would need to close their eyes. Now hold the spray about 12 inches from their body and spray all over - hands, arms and torso. Legs and feet are most important as this attracts the other bugs from the ground. Next you need to protect their necks and ears. So get your kids to put their hands out and spray into their cupped hands. You then need ask them to rub behind the ears and neck so that the solution in their hands are spread very well in these particular areas.

You have now given the best mosquito protection for kids hiking during the hiking day. Of course do not forget to spray yourselves as well – and other adults.

Once your hiking day is completed – you have come off the mountains and you are ready for camp you will need to ensure you are all protected during the night by a mosquito net. This is really important for all of your hiking team but especially for your kids hiking protection.

There are many types of net you can buy however I normally use a Dome or Self supporting net as I find these the best for camping for kids hiking.

One thing of consideration here is to consider the mesh size. This will depend on the where you are hiking in the whole and the size of mosquitoes in the area. So look this up to buy the correct net

So always protect you and your kids from mosquitoes by spraying correctly and using mosquito nets when taking your kids hiking