Boots, Tents, Sleeping Bags, and More: How to Choose and Use Outdoor Gear

Podcast Notes Playlist: Latest Episodes

Art of Manliness

Key Takeaways

• Our feet have a memory: they have a certain way that they like to fit inside a shoe
• Do not put your footwear next to the fire because the fire will break down the synthetic materials in the shoe
• Put a footprint tarp under the tent to protect the bottom lining of the tent
• One of the best things you can do to take care of your sleeping bag: When you first wake up in the morning, reverse your sleeping bag and let it air out before you put it back into your backpack
• Make sure that you go into your sleeping bag hydrated and ensure that you are not wearing restrictive clothing
• Spend more on your sleeping pad than you do on your sleeping bag; get a sleeping pad with the highest R-value that you can afford
• Create the “butt divot” to sleep better when camping: Before setting up your tent, make a divot in the ground that is the size of your bottom
• Use a fixed-blade knife instead of a folding knife; the fewer moving parts, the better
• Get a backpack with a waist belt if you are going to carry something over 20 pounds

Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org

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A fair amount of gear is involved in making a camping or backpacking trip a success, and choosing that gear can be a little intimidating as there are lots of options, and it's expensive to boot.

Here to offer some tips on selecting gear and getting the most out of it is Craig Caudill, an avid outdoorsman, the director and lead instructor of the Nature Reliance School, and the author of Ultimate Wilderness Gear: Everything You Need to Know to Choose and Use the Best Outdoor Equipment. Today on the show, Craig and I discuss some things to know when purchasing things like boots, tents, sleeping bags, and more, and we offer some specific recommendations as to the gear that's worked for us respectively. Craig also offers tips on using outdoor equipment, including how to dry wet boots without damaging them, whether you should put a tarp under your tent, what to do if you get hot and sweaty or cold in your sleeping bag, a hack for sleeping more comfortably on the ground, and the best kind of knife for an outdoorsman to carry.

Resources Related to the Podcast

• AoM Article: How to Filter and Purify Water for Traveling, Camping, and Survival
• AoM Article: The Benefits of Hammock Camping
• AoM Article: How to Pack a Backpack for Backpacking
• AoM Article: Two Things You Should Be Doing to Take Better Care of Your Camping Gear
• AoM Article: Outdoor Hydration Showdown — Nalgene Bottle vs. Water Bladder
• AoM Article: How to Choose the Perfect Survival Knife
• Craig's books
• Native Summit in Edmond, OK
• Brett's Tent: Hubba Hubba 2-Person Backpacking Tent
• Hennessy Hammock Tent
• Warbonnet Hammock Tents
• Military Modular Sleep System
• Brett's Sleeping Pad: Big Agnes
• Kate's Sleeping Pad: Therm-A-Rest Trail Prolite Apex
• Backpacking Cot
• Brett's Backpacking Pillow: Sea to Summit Aeros
• Brett's Water Bladder: HydraPak Shape-Shift
• Craig's Water Filter: Sawyer Mini
• Brett's Water Filter: Katadyn Hiker Pro Hand Pump Water Filter
• Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter
• Brett's Backpacking Stove: Jetboil Stove
• Fire-Maple Backpacking Stove
• MSR Backpacking Stove
• LT Wright Handcrafted Knives
• Fast Fire Firestarters
• Hill People Gear Backpacks

Connect With Craig Caudill

• Nature Reliance School
• Craig on IG
• Craig on LinkedIn