The sun can be a dangerous enemy while hiking, your outdoors all day so walking around with no protection on will leave you badly sunburned. Here is how to protect yourself! Wear a long sleeved shirt The button up shirts that Colombia and other brands have like Royal Robins are great to wear while hiking. With their built in sun protection and long sleeves you can still look fashionable or go out to dinner while wearing your hiking shirt. When you don’t put an undershirt on the shirts also ventilate like no other shirt. A great benefit for the hotter days. The hiking that I do is usually in my…

In this day and age, your phone goes with you everywhere. Looking up maps, taking photos or video’s and listening to music. Keeping them charged is the challenge. But is it still a challenge? Not really. With the latest technology that keeps getting better and better. You do not really have to worry about it so much. And the battery life of your mobile phone will surprise you when hiking. Not constantly checking email or watching the latest news will really save your battery. Lets go over the ways to charge your electronics and phone while on trail. Conserving battery power This is of course not a solution to the…

Hiking at the end of the day is getting to point A to point B. When on a long distance thru hike you may want to get there faster or slower. Hiking more a day can make a difference. But how do you manage it? Lets discover how you can hike more kilometers or for my American friends Miles a day. First and foremost, hiking a long distance trail is about enjoying yourself and most of the time answering a question you have. If your question is how much can my body take then you can hike as much as you want. If you are going for another reason or…

Moss is a plant you encounter a lot of in the Northern parts of the World. Its uses are many and our ancestors used Moss a lot in day to day life, and so can you while hiking. When hiking in the Northern forests of Europe, United States or Canada. You will encounter a lot of Moss growing on the forest floor and on fallen trees. Moss can be quite handy for Hikers, when hiking you sometimes have to improvise. Lets go over the different uses Moss has and how you can use them while out hiking. Toilet paper in a pinch Cleaning agent Bedding and comfort Wound dressing As…

Wildcamping in the Netherlands is not allowed, but there is a way to legally camp in nature areas at the Pole Camp grounds in the Netherlands. Here is how. Update 2020 with COVID:It is with mixed feelings that I write this update about pole camping in the Netherlands. With the whole COVID business, the Pole campsites were closed until further notice. However, they have decided to dismantle all the Pole Campsites in the Netherlands. Due to campers not behaving accordingly and leaving trash etc. So this too has been ruined by irresponsible people and hikers. Pick up trash and beware of rules. That’s all. Setting up your tent and sleeping…

In the Netherlands where I hike the most I have found a bunch of cool stuff before. Like a beer bottle from the 1960’s of a major brand. If you keep your eyes open while hiking you can stumble upon a lot. From geocaches to much more. I happened upon the beer bottle while walking around the woods in Hoenderloo. I never seen that beer bottle before from that brand so I was curious enough to bring it with me. Every beer bottle I find in the woods goes with me. Because if you recycle it here in the Netherlands you get 10 cents for it. When I got home…

Winter hiking is something I really enjoy in the Netherlands. When the first snow comes the forest and heath fields turn into something beautiful. Lets dive into the best hiking in the Netherlands during winter! In the Netherlands the winters are not that tough as in many other parts of the world. Minus 10 degrees Celsius is about as low as it will go. For this reason you can go out and hike in some of the more beautiful parts in the Netherlands all year long! If you want to avoid the big summer crowds in the woods this time of year also lets you be as alone as you…

Socks are a major point of debate in the hiking and backpacking world. Or are they? Some brands and materials are better than others. Lets dive into them. What are the most comfortable socks? For me the answer is always Merino wool socks. When its hot out I put on some thinner ones and when its cold out I take a mid weight sock. And everything in between. Merino wool socks work best because they wick the moisture away and lessen the chance of blisters. Pay attention to the lessen the chance. Because blisters are always a possibility. Merino wool and wool in general has the ability to maintain temperature…

After buying your sleeping bag you want to know the steps for storing and stuffing it. This is important to learn for the life of your down sleeping bag and storage space in your backpack. Lets get into the steps Stuffing or rolling your down sleeping bag This can be short and sweet, do not roll your down sleeping bag while on trail. Always stuff the down sleeping bag. This is for a couple of reasons. Its easier and faster than rolling your sleeping bag. Once you get the technique down, stuffing a down sleeping bag is way faster than rolling it. Same thing goes for a lot of items…