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As the saying goes, "necessity is the mother of invention" and most likely, anyone who has been on more than one or two hiking trips has discovered an ingenious way to remedy common annoyances encountered while on the trail. I've discovered that people who spend time in the great outdoors and do a lot of hiking tend to be quite resourceful. What I intend to do with this page is to share some of the tips and tricks I have learned so far. If you have something interesting to add to the list then send me an email and I'll post your tip and your name (I'll give credit where credit is due).

• Make a pillow by putting several clothing items into a stuff sack before you go to sleep for the night.
• Use an empty plastic film container to store matches and a stricking surface. It's small and it keeps them dry.
• Use small plastic bottles, the kind that contain eye drops or saline solution for people who wear contact lenses, to store hydrogen peroxide. After the saline is gone I pull the tops off, rinse them out and add the peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is good for cleaning out and disinfecting small scratches and cuts.
• Place a plastic garbage bag on the inside of your backpack as a waterproof lining and then place the items inside. If you hike through a heavy rain it keeps your gear and clothing dry. Also use one around your sleeping bag. I learned the hard way at Isle Royale. After hiking for about 5 hours in the rain I discovered that my sleeping bag and all my clothes were soaked. Fortunately the rangers were nice and let me borrow a sleeping bag.
• Use your plastic grocery bags while hiking. Put a bag over each boot if you must enter your tent, but don't want to remove them; it will keep your tent clean. Put one bag inside of another and tie the handles together; you now have a light-weight "bucket" to carry water back to your site for filtering or washing up. There also good for storing wet gear.
• Place a couple carabiners on your backpack and hang wet clothes through them so they dry out while you're hiking.
• Recycle the lint collected by your dryer. Store the lint in a zip lock bag to keep it dry and then use pieces as kindling for starting fires. It's lightweight and catches fire easily.
• If you like to have a waterproof barrier between the ground and your tent try using a piece of TyVek. TyVek is the protective barrier that builder's wrap around the exterior of a house before the brick or siding is put in place. You can sometimes find pieces of scrap at construction sites. It folds up easily, is very resistant to tearing and is lighweight.
• If you have a trail map that's not plastic-coated then open it to show the appropriate section and store it inside a plastic bag to keep it free from sweat, bug repellant and rain.
• Baby wipes are a great way to clean up after a long day if it is not possible to wash up with soap and water or it's too cold to jump in the lake.
• Duct tape is handy for many uses and emergencies. Wrap a few feet around the fuel bottle for your camp stove for simple storage.
  Submitted by James Clifford
• Hi, I was reading about your tips and tricks today and I noticed you said to use a film canaster for matches because it is waterproof. Well I found that if I wrapped about 2 or 3 feet around it, it makes for a match holder and a tape despencer. Its light weight and it doesnt take up any space at all. I did see that you wrapped tape around your fuel bottle, but if you run out of fuel, you have to carry your empty tank around just for tape... I know they dont weight alot but it takes up space. Just a helpful thought, that I found useful. Thanks for your tips they helped alot! God Bless.
  Submitted by Adam Long -- Lynchburg Va.

If you've got a tip you want to share just send me an email. I'll post your information along with your name so you get credit for it.