Lets say that your walking down a hiking trail, you do not see this big snake on the trail, step on it, and it bites you right on the leg. So what do you do?

Post your comments in the snake bite quiz thread of the forums.

Handcrank flashlights are an excellent choice for hiking, camping and disaster preparedness. With these things you do not have to worry about the batteries going bad. Because you just “crank” them a few times and recharge the battery.

In the hands on test, 1 minute of crank time equaled to about 10 – 15 minutes of light. Which is pretty good for a compact unit like this.

Post your comments in the Eco twistr review thread of the forum. The flashlight in the video is from EDC Depot.

When getting ready for a hiking or camping trip, some people are not sure what they should bring. This video discusses some of the items I carry in my food bag. It was filmed a couple of years ago while my kids and I were on an early spring camping trip.

Personally, I like to take a couple of Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) apart. Then mix and match so the food bag has the stuff I like in it.

Food that does not have to be kept cold are at the top of the list. Beef jerky, because of its high protein content is a good choice. But if your on a salt restricted diet, you might want to look at the salt content before you just grab and go.

For snacks, high protein energy bars and sun flower seeds are good to keep on hand.

Post your comments in this thread of the hiking and camping forum.

First things first – if you do not know what it is, do not eat it. Its that simple, eating plants found in the wilderness is a gamble. Know what the plant is before you eat it, there is no second chance.

The fruit of the various species of plant called huckleberry is generally edible. The berries are small and round, usually less than 1/4 inch in diameter, and contain 10 relatively large seeds. Berries range in color according to species from bright red, through dark purple, and into the blues.

In taste the berries range from tart to sweet, with a flavor similar to that of a blueberry, especially in blue/purple colored varieties. Huckleberries are a favorite of many mammals such as bears and humans. In the Pacific Northwest of North America, the huckleberry plant can be found in mid-alpine regions, often on the lower slopes of mountains.

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The large ALICE pack is one of the most popular packs on the market. These packs are big enough to carry several days worth of clothing, food and other gear. Add this to the fact that they are inexpensive, and there is no wonder why they are so popular.

One of the reasons why this pack is over looked some some serious hikers, it is not designed for comfort. Most military surplus equipment is not designed to feel good – its designed to work in the most rugged situations known to man. Even though the Large Alice is a tough pack, sporting an aluminum frame, it is just not very comfortable to carry.

In this video we are going to cover some of the points and other information about the Large Alice pack.

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This video is the last of a three part series. The first two parts discussed the basics of navigation with a GPS and compass. This third and final video of the series takes us through a 6 – 8 mile over night hiking and camping trip.

We will cover the the basics one more time and then use a USGS topo map to aid in the navigation.

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Using a compass and GPS is not really that difficult, but its not that easy either. Before a hiker or camper takes their GPS and compass into the wilderness, they should spend some time getting familiar with both of them.

One way to get some practice with the GPS and compass is to use it around the neighborhood. Mark your house as a waypoint, walk to the end of the street and use the GPS and compass to find your way back home. This sounds pretty simple.

This second video is designed to bring someone to the second level of experience with a GPS and compass and how the two are used for navigation.

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After the hiking or camping trip is over, its then time to clean the gear. One item that is often over looked is the water filter. If the water is left in the filter too long, bacteria will start growing in it. This will render the filter useless on the next hiking trip, because it will be full of bacteria.

Cleaning a filter is pretty much a straight forward operation. Get a large bowl of clean tap water, put some unscented bleach in with the water and wait a few minutes. Then use the water filter to pump the water from the bowl into the sink. Or, pump the water from one bowl to another, and then repeat. This way the bleach water is reused a couple of times.

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