HIKING, CAMPING & BACKPACKING, OH MY!

GEAR TO STAY SAFE & COMFORTABLE IN THE WILD

- BY AUGUST GARRY

When I get overwhelmed by the screens and pings and static buzz of my day-to-day life, there is nothing to do but decamp for camping. A few days hiking beautiful trails and national parks never fail to make me feel calmer, happier, and clearer about what's truly important in life. But unless you're Bear Grylls, you'll probably want to bring some modern conveniences with you to keep you alive while you're out communing with the natural world. We all know the basics: pack a tent if you don't want to die of exposure, a sleeping bag if you don't want to freeze, a good pair of shoes and wool socks, a source of light, and plenty of food and water. But I've got some recommendations for gear you might never have thought of before—but you'll be happy you did!

Pressing the inner vessel into the outer vessel can take a bit of elbow grease—on average, it took my friends and me closer to 30 seconds than the promised eight—and you'll need a stable, relatively flat surface to do it on, but the end product is clean water without any noticeable taste. But what really excites me about the GeoPress Ti, above other water bottle purifiers, is that the outer vessel can also be used as a cookpot. If you're going on a long hike, cutting down the amount of stuff you have to fit in your backpack is really important, so any piece of gear that can do double-duty like this is a godsend. The outer vessel is taller than other cookpots I've used, which can feel a bit precarious perched on a camp stove, but once I got used to it, I didn't have any trouble. Overall, I really enjoy the GeoPress as a convenient way to filter and purify water and a useful multi-tool.

Grayl 24oz GeoPress Ti Purifier ($219.95)