trailsense.enwild.comEnwild TrailSense – hiking, camping and trail running articles and how-to advice

TrailSense ™ Menu Backpacking & Camping View All Backpacking & Camping Backpacks & Day Packs Sleeping Bags and Pads Tents Accessories For Your Feet Trail Running Apparel Outdoor Culture Shop Enwild Videos2024 Awesome Gear Guide Toggle Search Form Search ARTICLES STORE Search our site Search Our Store Get the Inside Edge on the Outdoors TrailSense is where the real people from Enwild share helpful insights on the awesome gear we carry. Wondering what type of sleeping bag you need for your next adventure? Looking to shave some weight from your pack? Whether you hike, run or roam, we’re here to help you with friendly advice, in-depth gear reviews and how-to guides. 2024 Awesome Gear Guide Our Spring/Summer 2024 Awesome Gear Guide is full of apparel, footwear, and gear that breaks new ground, provides reliable functionality, or simply offers exceptional value that our Gear Specialists find worth celebrating. Backpacking & Camping Outdoor Culture Trail Running What Size Backpack Do You Need? When choosing a backpack, whether it’s for day hikes, extended trips or somewhere in between, it can be difficult to know what size you need. To make matters more confusing, different backpack manufacturers use differing methods… Backpacking & Camping Backpacks & Day Packs How to Maintain External Locking Trekking Poles Despite the abundance of backpacking-specific terms and jargon, a backpack is a fairly utilitarian piece of gear—it’s designed to carry everything you need for a day, night, or even weeks in the woods. If you’re getting tripped up by complicated product descriptions and ever-evolving features, realize almost all backpacks share the same foundational parts. With this in mind, here’s the basic anatomy of a backpack. Accessories Backpacking & Camping How to Properly Dry Leather Hiking Boots One of the simplest steps backpackers and hikers can take to increase the longevity of their leather hiking boots is to perform regular maintenance such as cleaning and conditioning, along with ensuring that wet boots get… Backpacking & Camping For Your Feet How to Fit a Hiking Boot Whether you’re planning to head out for a quick hike or preparing for a big backpacking trip, a pair of properly fitting hiking boots is key. While it’s easy to get excited about certain brands, particular features, and specific materials when shoe shopping, in the end, nothing will affect how you feel about your boots more than their fit. With this in mind, here’s a quick guide on how to fit a hiking boot. Backpacking & Camping For Your Feet Basic Anatomy of a Backpack Despite the abundance of backpacking-specific terms and jargon, a backpack is a fairly utilitarian piece of gear—it’s designed to carry everything you need for a day, night, or even weeks in the woods. If you’re getting tripped up by complicated product descriptions and ever-evolving features, realize almost all backpacks share the same foundational parts. With this in mind, here’s the basic anatomy of a backpack. Backpacking & Camping Backpacks & Day Packs How to Pack a Backpack Backpacks come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and configurations—after all, the needs of a weekend warrior heading out for a quick overnight are different from a thru-hiker hitting the trail for a few months. Despite… Backpacking & Camping Backpacks & Day Packs What is a DWR and How Does it Work What is DWR and how does it work? DWR stands for Durable Water Repellent, a treatment applied to outdoor outerwear which helps resist water. Apparel Types of Backpacking Stoves Learn about different types of backpacking stoves! See pros & cons of liquid fuel, canister, solid fuel and alternative fuel stoves. Accessories Backpacking & Camping Choosing Between MSR Canister and Liquid Fuel Stoves From the classic liquid-fueled MSR Whisperlite to the superlight canister-powered PocketRocket Deluxe to quick-boiling integrated stove systems that run on canisters, there is seemingly an MSR stove for every type of activity and user. While it’s… Accessories Backpacking & Camping What Causes Condensation in Tents Waking up and discovering that the inside walls of your tent are wet is a nuisance that torments everyone from backpackers at remote sites in the mountains to families spending a night away from home at… Backpacking & Camping Tents How to Adjust Your Trekking Poles for a Proper Fit We explain how to adjust your trekking poles for a proper fit, plus fitting wrist straps and basic use. Accessories Backpacking & Camping Trail Running How to Stuff a Jacket into a Self-Stowing Pocket From lofty down and synthetic puffy coats (men’s/women’s) to lightweight wind shells (men’s/women’s), many of today’s jackets are designed to pack into their own pocket—providing compact storage for stashing in your pack and, in some cases,… Apparel Backpacking & Camping Gear Check: Prep your Camping Gear for Summer In springtime, the cold winds and snow of winter recede into memory as the days lengthen, drawing us out to camp and hike, run and roam. Maybe you hibernated all winter or perhaps it’s been a… Backpacking & Camping Outdoor Culture How to Choose Gloves and Mittens We’ve all felt it: When it gets cold, your body directs more blood to core areas of your body. While that warms your heart, this response leaves your hands cold. Knowing how to choose gloves and… Apparel Backpacking & Camping Trail Running How to Choose Men’s Backpacking Boots The connection between man and the trail, backpacking boots play a vital role in the kit of those who prefer to measure their time in the backcountry in days instead of hours. Unlike boots built for… Backpacking & Camping For Your Feet How to Choose a Backcountry Water Filter Proper hydration is essential for an enjoyable trip. Carrying water is manageable for short trips but as any wildland firefighter will tell you, water is not a lightweight liquid (1 gallon = 8 pounds). If you… Accessories Backpacking & Camping How to Choose a Backpacking Pack Backpacking packs generally have larger capacities and more robust suspensions in comparison to daypacks. These bigger packs are designed to carry the larger amounts of gear (40+ liters) required for overnights or multiple-day adventures. They also… Backpacking & Camping Backpacks & Day Packs How to Choose a Backpacking Tent Joining other essentials such as a backpack and sleeping bag, a tent is usually one of the basic items of a backpacker’s kit. Like with a camping tent, comfort is a factor but because a backpacking… Backpacking & Camping Tents What is Trail Mix? What is trail mix? Trail mix, or GORP, is the ultimate trail snack, popularized by endless variations. While ‘GORP’ is fairly specific – Good Old Raisins and Peanuts – the term ‘trail mix’ simply means a… Accessories Backpacking & Camping Trail Running How to Choose a Pack for your Dog Dogs packs have a simple goal: to allow your pet to share the load when you’re together on the trail. Dog packs come in many sizes and configurations, allowing you to find the perfect fit for… Accessories Backpacking & Camping Trail Running National Park Service Founder’s Day On August 25th, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed into law Pub.L. 64–235, H.R. 15522, 39 Stat. 535, An Act to establish a National Park Service, and for other purposes. Less formally known as the Organic Act… Backpacking & Camping Outdoor Culture Trail Running More than a Name It’s a change more than two years in the making: The outdoor gear retailer known as Backcountry Edge has become Enwild. Our customers and fans have supported us since 2004, when Tim King shipped his first… Outdoor Culture Boot Lacing Techniques for a Better Fit Given how much we hike, run and roam, many of us dream about the perfect-fitting hiking boot or running shoe. One of the problems in achieving that goal is that our feet have unique shapes and… Backpacking & Camping For Your Feet Trail Running Benefits of a Sleeping Bag Liner If you have a sleeping bag, you can benefit from a sleeping bag liner....