This is just a small collection of Camping and Hiking tips that may save you time, money, and aggravation.

•  Do you have tents, tarps, ponchos or other fabrics that need to be waterproofed? Are you sick of spending big bucks on those silicone sprays that just wear off and need retreatment every year or two? Try using Thompson's Water Seal (yup, the same stuff you use to waterproof the deck!). You can paint it on, spray it on, or dip items in it, and it is a hell of a lot cheaper! Test a small area first, and if you are okay with it, go ahead and dip or coat the item.

•  Do you do a lot of family or group camping? Ever have a rainy weekend turned your campout into a mudfest? There's a solution. Spend about $30 on a military surplus parachute. Suspend the chute over your site like a huge umbrella. The chutes are not waterproof, but if they are hung with sufficient pitch, they will shed water (just like a tent, do not touch the inside, or you will start a drip. These can also be coated with Thompson's Water Seal as mentioned above. They are typically 30-40 feet in diameter, and will therefore cover an entire campsite, tents and all.

• Backpackers everywhere have been the beneficiaries of many advances in technology... cool gear and gizmo's abound these days! The primary advances have come in the area of weight and size reductions due to leaps and bounds in materials technology. One of the best examples is the sleeping bags offered by Snugpak. Their 2 and 3 season bags compress down to the size of a loaf of bread, and weigh about 1.5 lbs. The picture below is of my Snugpak Travelpak 650 shown next to a can of Coke for size comparison. This is a great bag for Spring, Summer, and some Fall camping (2-3 Season). One could fit this bag, a Bivy Shelter or poncho, some food, a water filtering canteen and a couple extra clothing layers in a day pack. At these size and weight parameters, a hiker has no excuse for being unprepared on the trail when weather rolls in.

• The other area where technology has made great advances is in that of backpacking water filters. These save you from having to carry many gallons of water with you on camping and hiking trips. There are many nice makes and models out there, so I will not drop any one name as far as a brand. There are also Water purifying bottles, straws, etc for emergency use. There really is NO excuse for not having one or more of these in your possession when tromping into the wild.

• A Gerber Tool is quite a commodity in the woods. Probably the best use when camping (that no other pocket knife can really claim) is that you can use the pliers to move hot cans, canteen cups, and other items in and out of the fire.

• Where you put your campsite or shelter is very important. Just as in the real estate business... Location, location, location!  When building a shelter or site in cold weather, it is recommended that it should not be located in a valley or on a hilltop. It should be built 50 to 100 feet above the valley floor. This is because the cold settles down into the valleys, making the valleys 20 or more degrees colder. The hilltops are more susceptible to wind which will chill you all the more. Locate a shelter on the south side of a hill as the ground gets a lot of sun throughout the day and will be warmer both during the day, and at night as the accumulated heat is radiated from the ground.

• NOTE: The reverse of this may apply in hot temperatures, ie: build shelters in valleys, and on North side of hills.

• NOTE: Water is EXTREMELY important, so be careful to locate your shelter or site near enough that it is easy to get at!