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

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 PodcastAoM Article: How to Filter and Purify Water for Traveling, Camping, and SurvivalAoM Article: The Benefits of Hammock CampingAoM Article: How to Pack a Backpack for BackpackingAoM Article: Two Things You Should Be Doing to Take Better Care of Your Camping GearAoM Article: Outdoor Hydration Showdown — Nalgene Bottle vs. Water BladderAoM Article: How to Choose the Perfect Survival KnifeCraig's booksNative Summit in Edmond, OKBrett's Tent: Hubba Hubba 2-Person Backpacking TentHennessy Hammock TentWarbonnet Hammock TentsMilitary Modular Sleep SystemBrett's Sleeping Pad: Big AgnesKate's Sleeping Pad: Therm-A-Rest Trail Prolite ApexBackpacking CotBrett's Backpacking Pillow: Sea to Summit AerosBrett's Water Bladder: HydraPak Shape-ShiftCraig's Water Filter: Sawyer MiniBrett's Water Filter: Katadyn Hiker Pro Hand Pump Water FilterSawyer Squeeze Water FilterBrett's Backpacking Stove: Jetboil StoveFire-Maple Backpacking StoveMSR Backpacking StoveLT Wright Handcrafted KnivesFast Fire FirestartersHill People Gear BackpacksConnect With Craig CaudillNature Reliance SchoolCraig on IGCraig on LinkedIn