The Backpacker

Choosing the right binoculars and spotting scopes is dependent on many factors, such as your primary use for the device, your desired options, and your budget.

Choosing Binoculars

Binoculars come in many different types. Specialized binoculars are available for birdwatchers, hunters, and other specific applications, such as sporting events. Discount binoculars may seem attractive, but your money will be wasted if the discount scope lacks the necessary features to inspire you to take them off the shelf and put them to use. The best binoculars for you are ones that have the features you want without adding unnecessary cost.

One very important feature to consider when choosing a pair of binoculars is weight and size. If you will be carrying your binoculars over long distances or packing a considerable amount of gear, you may want to choose compact, lightweight binoculars.

One important feature for those who wear eyeglasses is the type of eyepieces present on each model. Special eyecups are required to visualize properly with binoculars while wearing corrective lenses.

Nitrogen gas-filled binoculars keep the lenses from fogging up and are a desirable option for most. If you plan to use your binoculars to hunt at dusk or in other low-light conditions, you will need to choose a pair with wider lenses that allow in more light for better viewing conditions. Coated lenses can also improve the lighting, but add to the purchase price of the binoculars.

Most people, especially bird watchers, prefer a wider field of view. However, this requires sacrificing magnification to gain a greater visual area.

Popular Types of Binoculars

• night vision binoculars
• compact binoculars
• stabilized binoculars
• birding binoculars
• waterproof binoculars
• zoom binoculars
• digital camera binocular
• military binoculars
• digital binoculars

What’s Popular in Binoculars

Some popular brands of binoculars are Zeiss Binoculars, Bushnell Binoculars, Vivitar Binoculars, Steiner Binoculars, and Nikon Binoculars. You can read binocular reviews written by actual owners online to help you decide which brand you prefer.

Choosing a Spotting Scope

Spotting scopes are used to locate and observe objects the same as binoculars, but spotting scopes are much more powerful than binoculars. They are in essence portable telescopes designed to withstand the rigors of the outdoors and frequent transportation. Scopes provide a brighter, clearer image with greater detail than what is seen through a pair of binoculars.

Spotting scopes are available with either a straight body or an angled body. The difference is often a matter of personal preference.

When choosing a spotting scope, the greatest determining factor is your budget. You may want to field test a few different types of scopes to determine the most comfortable eye relief length for you.

Magnification is varied by replacing the lenses. Most wildlife and bird watchers prefer a magnification in the 20x- 40x range.

What’s Popular in Spotting Scopes

Popular brands of scopes are Carl Zeiss Scopes, Leupold Scopes, Leica Scopes, Burris scopes, Weaver Scopes, Nikon Scopes, and Bushnell Scopes.

Choosing between binoculars or a spotting scopes is an individualized process. Selecting the right binoculars or spotting scope for you depends greatly on your desired use and your budget.

Purchasing the most expensive devices or whatever happens to be on clearance that week is not the best method for selecting an ocular device. Spend some time researching brands and determining a desired feature set before making your purchase.

Great recipes for backpacking and camping excursions can vary from the basic to the elaborate. Even simple recipes cooked on an outdoor fire can taste exquisitely if prepared properly.

Knowing a few great recipes for backpacking and camping before you venture out into the wild can make your meals seem heavenly.

The Basics

Bisquick on a Stick
Everyone loves Bisquick on a stick. This camping tradition is simple enough for children to prepare and enjoyed by everyone.

Simply mix the batter with water and roll out a biscuit. Place it on the end of a sharpened stick and pinch the ends to secure. Roast over an open flame until golden brown. You can also use prepackaged biscuits from a pressurized cardboard tube. To satisfy a sweet tooth, brush melted butter on the outside, coat with sugar and fill the hole from the stick with jam, jelly, or fresh berries.

Mix up your own maple syrup for pouring over the biscuits by combining 1 cup of brown sugar, ¼ cup water and 2 tablespoons margarine. Heat until bubbly and serve warm.

Breakfast Bisquits
Last night’s can of beans can be washed and used to make the morning’s breakfast. Drop in a few tablespoons of biscuit mix, add an egg, and place the can in the fire for five minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper or cinnamon and sugar- eat with an oven mitt and spoon straight from the can!

Multipurpose Meals

Beef and Vegetables
Slice up beef into chunks, add carrots, potatoes, onions, celery, and broccoli, and pack in foil packets with a little butter or margarine. Place foil packs directly into the fire and roast for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic, or steak sauce for flavoring.

The leftover meat and vegetables can be made into soup if refrigerated. Add water and seasonings like parsley, oregano, and black pepper to taste. You can also add instant mashed potatoes to the broth for instant and nutritional thickening.

Tuna and Noodles
Boil noodles rapidly for 12 minutes and drain. Add one can of drained tuna and one can condensed cream of mushroom soup. Mix well and serve warm as a side dish.
(peas are optional).
Add salt, pepper and beef cubes to the leftover mixture along with broccoli and melted cheese for a delicious, well, rounded meal.

Desserts

Energy Bars
Heat and stir 3/4 cup packed brown sugar and 1/2 cup honey. Bring t o a boil and remove from heat. Add 1½ cups peanut butter and stir until smooth. Stir in 5 cups whole grain cereal flakes and 6 ounces mixed dried fruit. Spread out to cool and cut into portion-sized bars.

Apple S’mores
Slice apples into matching lengths, spread with peanut butter, and create an apple sandwich with a marshmallow in the center. Toast lightly over open flame and eat warm!

These great recipes for backpacking and camping can be adapted for your individual taste and substitution of items may create the next great backpacking and camping recipe!

The choices in cookware for backpacking can be overwhelming. Determining exactly what you need and choosing between options is often difficult for the new backpacker. Getting advice from seasoned hikers and researching the differences in backpacking cookware can help sort through the confusion.

Getting What You Need: the Basics

Every person in your party will need to carry one cooking pot that holds one pint of food, one snug fitting lid that doubles as a plate and frying pan, one spoon and a sharp knife. You will also need a collapsible handle, a wire bail, or potholder to fish your pot out of the fire.

This basic cooking package will be enough to cook and eat basic meals while in the backcountry. You may want to include a pot scrubber to make clean up easier. All items should nest inside the pot to save space in your pack.

Choosing a Metal for Your Backpacking Cookware

Ideally, backpacking cookware is light, easy to clean, durable and heats evenly. The three basic metals used for outdoor cookware are stainless steel, aluminum, and titanium. Each works well and price is the major determining factor.

Aluminum
Aluminum is the basic metal for backpacking cookware. It is lightweight, durable, and inexpensive. Over time, it can become pitted if not washed and dried thoroughly.

There has been some recent concern over aluminum leeching into foods from cookware, with a possible link to Alzheimer’s disease. This prompted many concerned hikers to switch to stainless steel cookware.

Subsequent studies have shown this may be unfounded since the amount of aluminum deposited in foods from cookware is four times less than the amount consumed by ingesting an antacid. If you are concerned, you can spend a little extra on a stainless steel pot.

Stainless Steel
Stainless steel cookware is moderately lightweight, durable, and less likely to scratch or dent then aluminum pots. A stainless steel pot is easier to clean than aluminum but is also heavier to carry. It can also heat less evenly, resulting in scorching of food in spots, so be sure to stir often.

Titanium
Titanium cookware is the ultimate in backpacking cookware. It is 50% lighter than steel, nearly indestructible and cleans up easily. It is also much more expensive than aluminum and stainless steel pots. Like steel, it can heat foods unevenly and frequent stirring is required to keep your food from burning.

The Extras

A few extras may be considered if you plan to backpack frequently, or if you plan meals that are more elaborate. A basic upgrade would consist of a fork (possibly in the form of a combination utensil pack), a camp spatula, an extra pot, and even a coffee pot.

Pampered hikers can splurge on an outdoor espresso maker, wire whisks, ceramic mugs, separate plates, frying pans and spice containers- but these items are unnecessary.

Choosing cookware for backpacking should be limited to the basics and affordable solutions are available for every budget. Packing only what you need will make your load lighter and your trip less cumbersome. Enjoying nature’s simplicity is one of the great attractions for backpackers and hikers.

Pocket knives, hunting knives and survival knives are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Some perform single functions while others are intended for multi-purpose use. Choosing a great knife begins with understanding how you will most often put the knife to use.

• Will you be using the knife occasionally or every day?
• Do you hunt large or small game?
• How important is portability?
• Do you need a multi-purpose knife or only a single, fixed blade?
• How often do you prefer to sharpen your knife?

When choosing the perfect hunting, survival, or pocketknife, you must also consider which type of knife you prefer.

Basic Types of Knives

Folding Knives
Folding knives have a hinge that conceals the blade in the handle of the knife. This is an ideal choice if you plan to carry your knife every day. Folding knives slip easily into a pocket or are stored in a small pouch on a belt. Many folding knives have combination blades or a variety of other tools contained in the same unit. Pocket knives are a type of folding knife.

Fixed Blade Knives
Fixed blade knives are a great choice for hunting and survival knives. They are stronger than folding knives, specialized for different functions and come with a protective carrying sheath. Some types of fixed blade knives have interchangeable blades that can be changed for different activities.

Each type of knife also comes in several different blade options.

Types of Knife Blades

Drop-Point Knives
Drop-point knives are constructed of thick, sturdy steel. The sharpened edge runs the full length of the blade. This feature allows a hunter to skin an animal quickly without damaging the meat.

Clip Point Knife
The clip-point knife is a good general-duty knife. It is strong enough to perform nearly any activity and is versatile enough to adapt for many different functions. Keep in mind that it is not as durable as a drop-point knife because it has a thinner blade. The clip point blade tapers to a sharp point and is a popular knife for hunters.

Specialized Blades
Some hunting knives have specialized blades that perform tasks such as skinning or gutting an animal. These blades are very useful but may require special care. For example, a gut hook blade is curved and requires a special round file for sharpening and is only sharpened on one side.

You may also choose a non-slip handle material and a blade size to match your usual performed tasks. Choosing great pocket knives, hunting knives and survival knives depends greatly on your budget and your purpose for the knife.

Understanding the different types of knives available is the first step in selecting the perfect knife for you.