I’ve learned a TON about traveling in the wilderness from books. Here are my top four wilderness canoeing books… The Path of the Paddle, by Bill Mason Bill Mason is a Canadian patron saint of canoeing, and this is the book that taught multiple generations of paddlers how to canoe. I took a copy of […]
The PakAlarm is an affordable and reliable way to bear proof your camp. Basically it allows you to run a tough monofilament line around your tent which, if tripped, sets off a very loud siren. I’ve used it on two arctic and subarctic trips so far and wouldn’t go north without it again. Here it […]
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Stephan Kesting (@essentialwilderness) It’s just not worth getting hurt when you’re just training. I bailed off this trail because it was cold, it was raining, and I was underdressed. Treevalanches were coming down all around me, and getting hit in the head with a big icy […]
If I just had a dollar for every time I’ve been told, “Never stand up in a canoe”. Everybody knows that, right? Well, everybody is wrong. If you stand in a canoe you should do so carefully, but I do it all the time. I stand up to get a better view of rapids downstream, […]
Fire irons are two pieces of metal, typically tubular aluminum, that can be laid across a fire to provide a stable surface for cooking. In my experience this simple setup is much lighter, portable, stable and rugged than carrying any sort of grill with you into the woods.
A personal floatation device keeps you on the surface of the water and stops you from drowning, but it’s also SO much more than that, especially on a long expedition. First, the layers of foam act as an insulator to keep you warm and as body armour if you’re getting bashed against rocks. It’s your […]
Bear spray is an important piece of wilderness equipment. I’ve carried it in black bear, grizzly bear and polar bear country and it’s always added to my peace of mind; after all, 20 years of research suggests that it’s more effective than a gun at deterring aggressive bears). But any tool badly used can create more problems […]
