If you're spending time outdoors, you never know when you'll need to trim, pry, sharpen or whittle, and a good blade is key. Among the great pocket knife makers, Portland-based Gerber Gear is one of the heavyweights, known for its high-quality blades, and right now, you can grab the popular Gerber Gear Swagger Folding Pocket Knife for just $24.94 on Amazon.

That's a massive 41% off this highly-rated camping knife, which receives an average of 4.4 stars among customers and makes a great gift.

"This Gerber you can count on for years," writes one reviewer, who calls it the best knife they've ever purchased.

This pocket knife weighs 4.4oz and has a 3.25in stainless steel G10 blade built to stand the test of time for your outdoor adventures, and designed for Every Day Carry.

The Swagger uses an assisted opening that makes it safer to use, and while some reviewers note that it's a little stiff the first few tries, it soon loosens up and becomes pleasingly easy to open with just one hand.

If you're not in the US, scroll down to the bottom of this article for today's best deals on Gerber knives where you are.

This simple but essential camping knife comes with a lifetime warranty and is perfect for camping, hunting, bushcraft and just opening packages at home.

Not in the US? These are today's best deals on Gerber knives where you are:

• Best camping knives: folding knives for wild expeditions
• The best multitools: for camping, hiking and other outdoor adventures

Leatherman has launched a voluntary recall of two of its popular multi-tool models due to a design flaw that may pose a risk of injury to users.

According to an alert by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Portland-based multi-tool pioneer has issued a recall of the models after discovering the flaw, which Leatherman says only affects “a small portion of units.” According to the official recall, the tip of the knife blade in some units may not fold fully into the handle, which may result in a “laceration hazard.”

Approximately 17,000 of these products have been sold in the United States at REI, hardware, cutlery and other stores and online at Leatherman and Amazon between July 2024 and March 2025. There have been no reports of injuries from the flaw.

This recall involves the Leatherman Charge Plus and Charge Plus TTi multi-tools. The Charge Plus multi-tools come in both black and stainless steel colors with a black MOLLE or black nylon sheath. The Charge Plus TTi multi-tools are stainless steel and have a black nylon sheath. Both have the brand name “Leatherman” etched on them.

If you believe you own either of these products, you should immediately stop using it and visit Leatherman’s recall page to determine if your multi-tool requires recall. If your item is affected, you will not be required to show proof of purchase and will receive a pre-paid shipping label to return it to Leatherman to be repaired free of charge.

• The best multitools: for camping, hiking and other outdoor adventures
• Best camping knives: folding knives for wild expeditions

Heading outdoors with a map doesn’t just help to keep you safe – it can help you discover natural features you might otherwise have overlooked or choose the best route to a summit according to your ability level. These days, we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to online maps, with navigation apps like AllTrails, OS Maps and Komoot leading the way, and now the US Geological Survey has got in on the action.

The USGS is a scientific agency that studies the landscape of the US, so they’ve been amassing data useful to hikers and backcountry explorers for nearly 150 years. With the launch of its new digital 25K Recreational Topos – so-called because they have a 1:25,000 scale – you can access highly detailed maps of any area in the US you want to explore with a user-friendly design that the agency says is built for recreational users.

“Whether you are a seasoned explorer or a casual hiker, the new USGS maps are a game-changer for recreational activities,” says Ariel Doumbouya, a USGS geographer and product lead.

The maps show subtle changes in terrain so you can plan routes that match your skill level, time constraints, and interests. Specialized symbols denote important recreational features you might be interested in, such as trailheads, campsites, and other amenities. Rivers, trails and forests are emphasized to help you focus on recreational opportunities, as are protected areas, such as National Parks, to encourage responsible exploration.

“They empower adventurers to explore the outdoors with greater confidence, insights, and awareness of their surroundings,” says Doumbouya.

A 1:25,000 scale means one inch on the map represents 25,000 inches on the ground, or roughly 1.4 miles, which is the common scale used in Alaska, Canada, and by the U.S. Military.

The new 25K Recreational Topo is available through the USGS topoBuilder app, where you can customize and download digital OnDemand Topo maps featuring the most up-to-date data from The National Map. The maps can be integrated with GPS devices such as your phone, GPS watch or other apps, so you can use them for navigation in the field, and perhaps most exciting of all, they’re all free for digital use.

Check out our article on how to read a map to get the most out of your experience, and if you’re relying on a digital device for navigation, always carry a portable charger and consider bringing a paper map and compass for backup.

• The best cheap GPS watches: log your adventures without depleting your savings

When Leatherman launches a new product, most who love the wilder side of life tend to sit up and take notice. But we usually expect it to be a multi-tool. After all, the Portland-based brand is the pioneer of multi-use tools featuring blades, screwdrivers, corkscrews, and more that hikers and campers never leave home without. But while the new launch from Leatherman is still pocket-friendly and enormously practical, there's a sharp difference: they're all knives.

Leatherman's new knife range isn't a total departure for the brand – it's dabbled in limited-edition blades in the past. But now it looks like the brand, which launched the very first multitool over 40 years ago, is taking a confident step into the competitive world of premium folding knives.

Calling the range "a natural evolution" (and we'd have to agree on this point), Leatherman says the new line, which features five sleek-looking models, is "built for those who live with purpose."

At first glance, it's clear the new blades share plenty of DNA with their multi-use cousins, and by that we mean they're slim, designed for Everyday Carry, and expertly crafted in Portland using premium materials. They're also pricey.

Leatherman knives: the goods

All five models are built with MagnaCut steel, which was developed specifically for EDC blades and is known for its durability, corrosion-resistance and edge-retention. Machined G10 handles are made using fiberglass soaked in resin, which the brand says is both durable and provides better grip, while "jimping" – a process that cuts ridges – on the knifepoint spine also improves grip and handline control. Radius edges also help with a comfortable grip and give the knives an impressively clean look.

The lightest models in the range weigh less than four ounces (104g), or about the same as a deck of cards, and all models are fitted with a deep carry pocket clip that's adjustable for right or left-hand pockets.

If you like to move fast without being weighed down, the two lightest models are the Blazer, which is designed as a go-anywhere-do-anything versatile blade, and the minimalist-by-comparison Glider, which looks ideal for fastpacking. Both feature the patent-pending Compression Wedge Lock for safety and ease of use.

For a tougher design, the Pioneer is heavier-duty and weighs substantially more to perform against difficult tasks that will be loved by bushcraft experts, while the Trac looks to be an all-rounder that will work for every activity from hunting to foraging.

Finally, if you're just looking for something reliable for whipping up a great meal at camp, check out the Rustle, which at $279.99 is a little cheaper than everything else on the list, all priced at $299.99.

Leatherman's new range of knives is out now and you can browse the full range here. If you're searching for something with more versatility, take a look at our article on Leatherman multitools.

• Best camping knives: folding knives for wild expeditions
• The best multitools: for camping, hiking and other outdoor adventures

The action is heating up in hit US survival reality TV show Alone, and if you're anything like the Advnture team you won't want to miss an episode. But if like many of our expert gear testers, you spent a lot of time travelling abroad, it's not always easy to catch up.

That's where VPN (Virtual Private Network) services come in, as they allow you to avoid the geo-restrictions that can kick in when you touch down in another country.

NordVPN is recommended by the experts on our sister site Techradar, and has just launched an exclusive deal for Advnture readers.

Right now you can get up to 79% off NordVPN, four months free and a free Amazon gift card as well. But the offer only runs until July 10, so you'll need to be quick!

After last year’s trip to the Arctic Circle, Alone season 12’s producers are sending the latest batch of survivalists on a very different adventure. This time out they’ll fend for themselves in South Africa’s semi-desert Great Karoo region, where water will be scarce, and elephants, giraffes, leopards and lions roam wild.

The location may have changed for Alone season 12 but the premise remains the same. Ten brave survivalists will be dropped in the middle of nowhere where they’ll have to survive in extremely hostile conditions. Armed with just their clothes and the 10 items they’ve selected from a pre-mandated list (items like toothpaste and fishing line hardly count as luxuries), the contestants have to use their wits to hunt, forage and protect themselves from the elements. The player who lasts the longest will take home a cash prize of $500,000.

To make things even harder, they won’t have any company on this most extreme of reality shows. They won’t even have a camera crew to interact with, as every one of Alone season 12’s survivalists will have to record their exploits using an assortment of cameras, GoPros and mounts.

You can stream the whole season online in the US and Australia. And don’t worry if you’re heading overseas at any time over the next couple of months. We’ll explain how you can use a VPN to unblock your usual streaming service and watch Alone season 12 wherever you are in the world.

Watch Alone Season 12 anywhere with NordVPN

How to watch Alone season 12 online in the US

US viewers can tune into Alone season 12 on the History Channel, with new episodes of the 10-part season debuting every Thursday. The latest episodes will also be available to stream on History.com the following day.

The 11 previous seasons of Alone are available to watch via the Hulu streaming service.

If you’re based in the US and don’t have cable you can stream the History Channel via Sling TV and Fubo.

If you’re heading off an overseas adventure of your own you'll need a powerful VPN to unblock your usual American streamer when overseas. Find out more below.

How to use a VPN

Geo-blocking means you won’t be able to watch Alone season 12 from everywhere, but US viewers who are traveling overseas but can‘t survive without the latest episodes don’t have to miss out. With a good VPN (virtual private network), you can stream the shows you love from anywhere.

NordVPN is the best of the bunch as it offers superb speeds and excellent customer service.

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're in the US and want to view your usual American service, you'd select US from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the show. Head to your platform of choice and stream Alone season 12 from anywhere on the planet!

Can I watch Alone US season 12 in the UK?

New seasons of the American version of Alone usually air on Sky History in the UK but they usually take a few months to arrive. We recommend keeping an eye on TV listings in August.

Don't forget: US fans visiting the UK can tap into their usual American streaming services and watch Alone season 12 from anywhere with NordVPN. Details above.

Watch Alone season 12 in Australia

Australian viewers can watch Alone season 12 on streaming service Stan, with new episodes debuting every Friday from June 13. Subscriptions start at $12 AUD per month.

If you want to catch up on most of the previous adventures, the first 10 seasons of Alone US are available for free via SBS on Demand, along with episodes of spin-off show Alone Australia.

Aussies traveling overseas can use one of the best VPN services to access their usual streaming service from abroad. We recommend NordVPN.

Alone season 12 trailer

Alone season 12 FAQs

Alone season 12 contestants

• Pablo Arguelles (55), video editor from Jacksonville, Florida
• Colton Gilman (35), carpenter from Red Lodge, Montana
• Will Lamb (34), exotic animal rancher/fabricator from Leakey, Texas
• Kelsey Loper (35), horse trainer from Winnett, Montana
• Baha Mahmutov (50), homesteader/railroad maintenance from Wharncliff, Ontario, Canada
• Douglas S Meyer (57), primitive technology instructor from Kannapolis, North Carolina
• Dug North (53), user experience designer from Nashua, New Hampshire
• Nathan Olsen (52), tech CEO from Buhl, Idaho
• Jit Patel (35), outdoor educator from Anakiwa, New Zealand
• Katie Rydge (46), survival skills instructor and mentor, Emerald Beach, NSW, Australia

Alone season 12 episode list

• Prologue (Thursday, June 12) – "Before the Drop"
• Episode 1 (Thursday, June 12) – "The Land of Great Thirst"
• Episode 2 (Thursday, June 19) – "Best Laid Plans"
• Episode 3 (Thursday, June 26) – "Thirst Trap"
• Episode 4 (Thursday, July 3) – "Finding a Foothold"
• Episode 5 (Thursday, July 10) – "The Tempest"
• Episode 6 (Thursday, July 17) – "Purpose"
• Episode 7 (Thursday, July 24) – "Echoes of Emptiness"
• Episode 8 (Thursday, July 31) – "Weak Spot"
• Episode 9 (Thursday, August 7) – "The Promised Land"
• Episode 10 (Thursday, August 14) – "No Regrets"

More from Advnture

• The best water purifiers and filters: clever devices for supplying fresh drinking water
• How to survive a night on a mountain
• We asked Leatherman for their top recommendations. Here’s what they said

VPN services are evaluated and tested by us in view of legal recreational use. For example:a) Access to services from other countries, (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).b) Safeguarding your online security and making your online privacy more robust when abroad.Future plc does not support nor condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. We do not endorse nor approve of consuming pirated content that is paid-for.

Season 12 of Alone, the hit US survival reality TV show, premieres on the History Channel on Thursday, June 12, 2025

After last year’s trip to the Arctic Circle, Alone season 12’s producers are sending the latest batch of survivalists on a very different adventure. This time out they’ll fend for themselves in South Africa’s semi-desert Great Karoo region, where water will be scarce, and elephants, giraffes, leopards and lions roam wild.

The location may have changed for Alone season 12 but the premise remains the same. Ten brave survivalists will be dropped in the middle of nowhere where they’ll have to survive in extremely hostile conditions. Armed with just their clothes and the 10 items they’ve selected from a pre-mandated list (items like toothpaste and fishing line hardly count as luxuries), the contestants have to use their wits to hunt, forage and protect themselves from the elements. The player who lasts the longest will take home a cash prize of $500,000.

To make things even harder, they won’t have any company on this most extreme of reality shows. They won’t even have a camera crew to interact with, as every one of Alone season 12’s survivalists will have to record their exploits using an assortment of cameras, GoPros and mounts.

You can stream the whole season online in the US and Australia. And don’t worry if you’re heading overseas at any time over the next couple of months. We’ll explain how you can use a VPN to unblock your usual streaming service and watch Alone season 12 wherever you are in the world.

How to watch Alone season 12 online in the US

US viewers can tune into Alone season 12 on the History Channel, with new episodes of the 10-part season debuting every Thursday. The latest episodes will also be available to stream on History.com the following day.

The 11 previous seasons of Alone are available to watch via the Hulu streaming service.

If you’re based in the US and don’t have cable you can stream the History Channel via Sling TV and Fubo.

If you’re heading off an overseas adventure of your own you'll need a powerful VPN to unblock your usual American streamer when overseas. Find out more below.

Watch Alone season 12 from anywhere in the world

Geo-blocking means you won’t be able to watch Alone season 12 from everywhere, but US viewers who are traveling overseas but can‘t survive without the latest episodes don’t have to miss out. With a good VPN (virtual private network), you can stream the shows you love from anywhere.

NordVPN is the best of the bunch as it offers superb speeds and excellent customer service.

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're in the US and want to view your usual American service, you'd select US from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the show. Head to your platform of choice and stream Alone season 12 from anywhere on the planet!

Can I watch Alone US season 12 in the UK?

New seasons of the American version of Alone usually air on Sky History in the UK but they usually take a few months to arrive. We recommend keeping an eye on TV listings in August.

Don't forget: US fans visiting the UK can tap into their usual American streaming services and watch Alone season 12 from anywhere with NordVPN. Details above.

Watch Alone season 12 in Australia

Australian viewers can watch Alone season 12 on streaming service Stan, with new episodes debuting every Friday from June 13. Subscriptions start at $12 AUD per month.

If you want to catch up on most of the previous adventures, the first 10 seasons of Alone US are available for free via SBS on Demand, along with episodes of spin-off show Alone Australia.

Aussies traveling overseas can use one of the best VPN services to access their usual streaming service from abroad. We recommend NordVPN.

Alone season 12 trailer

Alone season 12 FAQs

Alone season 12 contestants

• Pablo Arguelles (55), video editor from Jacksonville, Florida
• Colton Gilman (35), carpenter from Red Lodge, Montana
• Will Lamb (34), exotic animal rancher/fabricator from Leakey, Texas
• Kelsey Loper (35), horse trainer from Winnett, Montana
• Baha Mahmutov (50), homesteader/railroad maintenance from Wharncliff, Ontario, Canada
• Douglas S Meyer (57), primitive technology instructor from Kannapolis, North Carolina
• Dug North (53), user experience designer from Nashua, New Hampshire
• Nathan Olsen (52), tech CEO from Buhl, Idaho
• Jit Patel (35), outdoor educator from Anakiwa, New Zealand
• Katie Rydge (46), survival skills instructor and mentor, Emerald Beach, NSW, Australia

Alone season 12 episode list

• Prologue (Thursday, June 12) – "Before the Drop"
• Episode 1 (Thursday, June 12) – "The Land of Great Thirst"
• Episode 2 (Thursday, June 19) – "Best Laid Plans"
• Episode 3 (Thursday, June 26) – "Thirst Trap"
• Episode 4 (Thursday, July 3) – "Finding a Foothold"
• Episode 5 (Thursday, July 10) – "The Tempest"
• Episode 6 (Thursday, July 17) – "Purpose"
• Episode 7 (Thursday, July 24) – "Echoes of Emptiness"
• Episode 8 (Thursday, July 31) – "Weak Spot"
• Episode 9 (Thursday, August 7) – "The Promised Land"
• Episode 10 (Thursday, August 14) – "No Regrets"

More from Advnture

• The best water purifiers and filters: clever devices for supplying fresh drinking water
• How to survive a night on a mountain
• We asked Leatherman for their top recommendations. Here’s what they said

VPN services are evaluated and tested by us in view of legal recreational use. For example:a) Access to services from other countries, (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).b) Safeguarding your online security and making your online privacy more robust when abroad.Future plc does not support nor condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. We do not endorse nor approve of consuming pirated content that is paid-for.

Looking for the perfect Father's Day gift? How about 17? Right now, you can scoop up the highly-rated Gerber Gear Truss 17-in-1 EDC Needle Nose Pliers Multi-Tool for just $41.29 at Amazon.

That's a massive 31% off the regular list price for this multi-tool, which receives an average 4.7-star rating among customers who note its excellent quality and value.

"If you want a multi-tool that performs exceptionally well for a multi-tool that costs less than a hundred dollars, buy this one," writes one happy customer on Amazon.

Made from durable stainless steel, this multi-tool is designed to stand the test of time, even when it's spending days, weeks, and months packed away in your backpack and exposed to the elements. With a compact and slim design that's just 4.25in closed, it conveniently travels with you, featuring a tool lock and lanyard hole for secure everyday carry.

In addition to a full plain edge blade and full serrated blade, the Truss features needle nose pliers, standard pliers, wire cutters, saw, cross driver, wire stripper, scissors, three sizes of flathead driver, and can and bottle opener and more.

This deal applies to the Gray Standard Sheath model and we recommend you act today if you want to grab this deal before Father's Day.

If you're not in the US, scroll down to the bottom of this article for today's best deals on Gerber multi-tools where you are.

The Truss is asily accessible and fits compactly in your pocket or attached with a lanyard. A butterfly opening and locking feature protects it when not in use.

Not in the US? These are today's best deals on Gerber multi-tools where you are:

• The best multitools: for camping, hiking and other outdoor adventures
• Best camping knives: folding knives for wild expeditions

Leatherman invented the multi-tool and needless to say, the Portland-based brand knows its tools are the best, which is why you seldom see them at a discount. Right now, however, you can snag the pocket-sized Leatherman Rev for just $39.96 at Amazon.

That's a healthy 20% off the regular list price for this indispensable multi-tool, which reviewers say is the "best one yet" from the brand and keeps a toolbox full of functionality at your fingertips.

Whether you're cracking open a cold one at the campsite or tinkering under the hood of your truck, the Rev has you covered, with 14 tools including an outside accessible 420HC blade.

Weighing just 5.8oz and less than four inches long when closed, the handy Rev boasts multiple pliers and screwdrivers, a file, bottle opener, can opener and more.

Not in the US? Scroll to the bottom of this article to find the best deals on the Leatherman Rev near you.

This slim and ultra-portable tool is perfect for those new to multi-tools and makes a great gift for anyone outdoorsy in your life. Not sure if it's the right tool for you? Check out Leatherman's guide to the best multi-tools for hikers, campers, trail runners and climbers.

If you're not in the US, you can look below for today's best deals on the Leatherman Rev where you are:

• The best multitools: for camping, hiking and other outdoor adventures
• Best camping knives: folding knives for wild expeditions

A California hiker has revealed how she survived for 24 days in the wilderness after going missing in a snowstorm.

Tiffany Slaton, 28, was found alive and safe earlier this month after more than three weeks on her own in California's Sierra Nevada. She was reported missing in late April after becoming stranded in a harrowing snowstorm during a solo backpacking trip.

During a news conference with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Department, Slaton described how she had become lost and found herself in grave danger when the weather took a turn for the worse.

You can view local station WGXA News' report of the story below, including footage of the news conference.

She originally had a bicycle, a tent, two sleeping bags, and plenty of food, but these became lost in the storm, leaving her with just a lighter, a knife, and a few snacks. She also had a phone, which could not connect when calling 911, but pointed her in the general direction of civilization, some 20 miles (32km) away.

Without shelter or an effective way of summoning help, Slaton began the long journey towards safety, navigating snowdrifts up to 12ft (3.7m) deep as she trekked through the high-altitude Kaiser Pass area.

At one point, she was injured in an avalanche and was forced to 'pop' her knee back into place.

When her snacks ran out, Tiffany relied on her survival skills for food, foraging wild leeks, drinking snow and even making tea from manzanita shrubs and pine needles.

"The worst thing you can do in an emergency situation is panic," said Tiffany, an experienced horticulturalist.

As she worked her way through deep snow and more storms, a full-scale, multi-agency search operation unsuccessfully scanned some 600 miles (966km) trying to find her.

After 24 harrowing days in the wilderness, Slaton stumbled onto the Vermilion Valley Resort, which leaves cabins open during the winter months for hikers who may need them. Just eight hours later, she was miraculously discovered by the resort's owner, Christopher Gutierrez, who had arrived to open the lodges for the summer.

"That was the 13th heavy snowstorm I had been in, and it was going to be the last one," continued a relieved Tiffany, who lost 10lb in body weight (4.5kg) during the ordeal.

"If he hadn’t come that day, they would’ve found my body there."

• The best first aid kits: be prepared for accidents and emergencies
• The best snowshoes: for cold-play adventures all winter long

Spending any significant time outdoors means arming yourself with the right tools to trim, pry, sharpen and whittle, and a good blade is key. Among the great pocket knife makers, Portland-based Gerber Gear is one of the heavyweights, known for its high-quality blades, and right now, you can grab the popular Gerber Gear StrongArm Serrated Fixed Blade Knife for just $74.89 in REI's Memorial Day sale.

That's a healthy 25% off this top-rated camping knife, which receives an average of 4.6 stars among customers and makes a great gift.

"General, everyday carry fixed blade knife for the woods, does it get any better?" writes one reviewer, who calls it the best knife they've ever owned.

This tough knife is built with survival in mind, featuring a full-tang 420HC steel blade with a serrated and plain edge. A black ceramic coating on the blade prevents corrosion when it's packed away for long periods or facing damp conditions, so it keeps performing season after season, and a rubberized diamond-textured handle provides a solid grip for delicate procedures.

At 10.9 ounces, this is a solid blade and not a lightweight knife, but it's ideal for car camping where weight doesn't matter, but performance and reliability really does.

If you're not in the US, scroll down to the bottom of this article for today's best deals on Gerber knives where you are.

This knife has a striking pommel at the base of the handle for hammering in tent pegs and comes with a modular nylon webbing sheath featuring both removable belt loops and a snap-in MOLLE strap so you can carry it however you want to.

Not in the US? These are today's best deals on Gerber knives where you are:

• Best camping knives: folding knives for wild expeditions
• The best multitools: for camping, hiking and other outdoor adventures

Leatherman is the LeBron James of multi-tools, and the Portland brand knows its tools are the best, which is why you don't often see them at a discount. Right now, however, you can snag the minimalist Leatherman Skeletool CX for just $89.95 at Amazon.

That's a respectable 17% off the regular list price for this multi-tool, which reviewers call the "perfect EDC" tool.

When we asked Leatherman which of its tools is best for different outdoor activities, this was the one recommended for climbers, who have to contend with a lot of gear, often in perilous situations. From trimming webbing and prying open stubborn carabiners to tightening bolts, you’ll find all sorts of uses for the Skeletool, which fittingly looks a little bit like a carabiner and the brand is popular with both climbers and cyclists.

The Skeletool is lightweight at just five ounces and has just seven tools, but its design means you can clip it to your harness, and most importantly, you can operate it with one hand if you need it halfway through a pitch.

This deal applies to the Black/Silver colorway and we recommend you don't hang around as this discount is unlikely to linger.

Not in the US? Scroll to the bottom of this article to find the best deals on the Leatherman Skeletool near you.

This slim and ultra-portable tool is perfect for those new to multi-tools and built for everyday carry, boasting needlenose pliers, regular pliers, wire cutters, hard-wire cutters, a straight-edge blade, bottle opener and a large bit driver.

If you're not in the US, you can look below for today's best deals on the Leatherman Skeletool where you are:

• The best multitools: for camping, hiking and other outdoor adventures
• Best camping knives: folding knives for wild expeditions

Anything can happen when you get out in the wild, and that's why it would be crazy to head to camp without a multi-tool you can use to trim, fix and prise open gear. Right now, you can pick up the popular Gerber Gear Lockdown Pry 10-in-1 Multitool EDC Pocket Knife with Pry Bar for Survival for just $32.08 at Amazon.

That's a massive 47% off this multi-tool, which receives an average 4.4 star rating among customers.

"This is definitely one of the best multi-tools I've ever had. I've already had the pleasure of owning many of the best multi-tools there are, and still this one really tickles my fancy. Although it's simpler than alot of multi-tools out there, it has exactly what you need for many occasions," writes one reviewer.

This stainless steel tool features a pry bar, small and large flat drivers, nail puller bottle opener, 2.5" plain edge blade, chisel edge and more, plus it's perfectly sized for everyday carry.

If you're not in the US, scroll down to the bottom of this article for today's best deals on Gerber multi-tools where you are.

This low-profile tool is purposefully pared down to execute daily tasks efficiently, whether you're camping, hiking, fishing or hunting.

Not in the US? These are today's best deals on Gerber multi-tools where you are:

• The best multitools: for camping, hiking and other outdoor adventures
• Best camping knives: folding knives for wild expeditions

The more you explore, the more you realize that there’s a lot that goes into navigation for hiking. You need to know how to read a map, how to use a compass and have pockets or a backpack big enough to carry both. It can definitely seem formidable at first, but an easy place to start is with the four Ds of navigation. If you don’t know them, the four Ds of navigation are simple to remember and provide you with a really handy tool to help you stay oriented in the wild.

What are the 4 Ds of navigation?

Sometimes, a hike involves following an extremely clear and well-maintained path. You never need to pull your compass out of your pocket. Other times, either because of the lack of trail or weather conditions such as snow or fog obscuring the path or your surroundings, you need to use a little more brain power to figure out where you are and where you’re heading. The four Ds come into play twice on such an adventure – first, when you’re planning a hike, so you have an idea of what to expect, then again once you’re on the trail, to help you make sure you’re still on track.

1. Direction

Obviously, you need to know what direction you should be heading in, and what direction you are actually going. If these two line up, you’re doing great. If they don’t, it’s time to correct course.

When planning your hike, check the map and route description and get clear on what general direction you want to be moving in. Of course, for a long or winding route, this can change, but for each leg, you want to know if you should be moving north, east, south or west. That way if you lose the trail, you can pull out your compass, use it to establish which way is north, then ascertain what direction you’re walking in. 

There are other markers too that can help you to ensure you're going in the right direction, such as the rising and setting sun, the stars or other landmarks including mountains and rivers.

2. Distance 

Next up, you want to know fairly accurately what kind of distance is involved in your adventure. With a proper topo map, you’ll be able to figure this out to within about 100 meters. This helps you leave plenty of time to reach your destination before it gets dark, don the right hiking boots and carry the appropriate supplies. 

If you’re using a fitness tracker, it helps you know how far along you are on your hike too. If you’re expecting your hike to be eight miles and your watch says you’ve gone nine miles, you'll know to stop, reassess and figure out if you miscalculated from outset or if you’ve accidentally taken a scenic route. 

Knowing your expected distance also helps you stay oriented. When you’re setting off on that eight-mile hike, look at the map for waymarks that are about a third of the way, halfway and close to your destination. Clocking these as you go confirms your location and gives you an idea of how much longer there is to go.

3. Duration 

Duration of course, isn’t a set marker, so while it’s related to distance, it’s also distinct from it. Over time, you’ll learn how fast you tend to walk per mile, then knowing that you’re anticipating a six-mile walk will give you a good range of time you should expect to complete it in. If you find yourself walking for much longer than that, it’s a good idea to stop and get your bearings. Remember that your pace will be slower on steep climbs and faster on the flat.

4. Description 

Though it can seem romantic to just set off into the wild without a notion of what you might encounter, it’s not particularly smart. Luckily, there are lots of great navigation apps and guidebooks out there that detail your hike for you. Whether you’re reading a user description or looking at a map, make some notes (mental or on paper) as to what you’re likely to see on the way. Should the river be on your right or left as you head uphill? Are you passing any waterfalls or major mountains that can help you stay on track? Are you expecting a steep incline or descent? Sometimes, innocently, trail descriptions written by other users are just wrong, but if you know that a certain mountain is meant to stay to the northeast of you, or that you should be expecting a saddle between two peaks, you’ll never stray far.

And there you have it. Before you set off on your next adventure, establish your intended direction and distance, calculate your expected duration and familiarize yourself with the hike description. Then as you walk, you’ll be able to use your surroundings to confirm your location and if you do get off course, it won’t be long before you find your way back.

• Why learn navigation?

Emergency rescuers have warned members of the public to make sure they know how to signal a helicopter before exploring the backcountry. The advice comes after a hunter became lost in the Colorado wilderness overnight, and didn't know how to send a message to emergency helicopters circling overhead.

As OutThere Colorado reports, the man was part of a hunting party that had set up camp in the backcountry near the Upper Cataract Lake area in Silverthorne. The man's brother reported him missing on the morning of September 7 after he'd failed return the previous night.

Summit County Rescue Group (SCRG) dispatched helicopters, and crew member eventually spotted the man at around 5:30pm in a heavily wooded area with downed trees and dense foliage. He was tired and dehydrated, but otherwise fine.

Just saying hello?

After being rescued, the man explained that he'd seen helicopters above him earlier in the day, and realized they must be looking for him. He moved to open ground, but didn't know the correct way to signal that he needed help.

"He waved at the pilots in a very slight gesture that they interpreted to mean he was simply saying hello and not in distress," said SCRG in a statement. "An effective way to signal a helicopter is with big gestures such as waving both arms vigorously over one's head, or waving a bright-colored piece of clothing."

You can also send a universal distress signal by raising both arms to create a 'Y' shape, meaning 'yes, I need help'. If you don't need assistance, you can raise one arm and lower the other to form an 'N', meaning 'no'.

• Best hiking boots: footwear to keep you comfortable and secure on the trail

Knowing how to read a map is an immensely satisfying experience. However, it takes patience, practice and effort to reach a level where you’re yomping around like an explorer of old.  

There are four key elements to reading a map:

1. Choosing the right map
2. Understanding map symbols
3. Relating the map to the land
4. Orientating your map

We'll walk you through each of these stages so you're prepared for your next adventure, and can safely find your way.

Despite the increasing accuracy of the best GPS watches and handheld GPS devices, there’s still no real substitute for knowing how to read a map and how to use a compass. Batteries can run down, screens can break, and sometimes you just can't get a GPS signal, particularly close to cliffs or under dense tree cover.

Developing your navigation skills in turn gives you an appreciation for the lay of the land and enhances your wilderness survival skills. Put it this way, learning to utilize a map and compass develops you as an adventurer, while a reliance on technology actually deskills you.

Technology is also fallible. Cold can wipe your device’s battery out with alarming speed, rendering you unable to navigate. Drop or lose your device and you might have the same problem. We know what you’re thinking, people are fallible too and can make mistakes when pinpointing their current location, for example. That’s why, when you hit the trails in your hiking boots, we’d always recommend you take a map and compass, as well as a hiking app or GPS device as a back up, just in case.

Choosing the right map

Choose the right type of map

For hiking and other outdoor adventures, you will need a proper topographical map, produced by cartographers to a clearly identified scale. Topographical maps show detailed information on the nature of the terrain, roads, footpaths and - crucially - the gradients. 

A tourist map may not necessarily be to scale and won't contain all the features you need. Meanwhile, a road map will be to scale but will be so focussed on human features, such as roads, towns and cities, that it won't give you the information you require to be able to read the landscape.

Choose the right scale

Topographical maps come in a range of scales, such as the excellent 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 maps produced by Ordnance Survey in Britain, or the 1:24,000 maps produced by the United States Geological Survey in America. The larger the scale, the smaller the area that is covered by the map, which is slightly counterintuitive. 

So, a 1:25,000 map is a large scale map and shows a smaller area in more detail and a 1:50,000 map is a smaller scale map and shows a larger area in less detail. 

Small scale maps (1:50,000 or 1:40,000)

If you are going to be moving quickly across the landscape and covering a large distance — on a long trail run, for example — the detail offered by a 1:50,000 or 1:40,000 map should be sufficient. The last thing you want to be doing is constantly running off the edge of your map sheet. Other times you might want a larger scale map is on a multi-day expedition or when cycling. It's preferable to have everywhere you're expecting to go on one map rather than having to bring two or three along.

On a 1:50,000 map, 1cm is 50,000cm in real life, so 1cm equals 500 metres, and 2cm is 1,000 metres (1km). If you look closely, you'll notice that a topographical map is divided into grid squares. These squares represent 1km squared, so because on a 1:50,000 map 2cm = 1 km, each grid square is 2cm X 2cm.

Large scale maps (1:25,000 or 1:24:000)

For day hikes and more precise navigation, you'll want a smaller scale map in your day pack. The level of detail is greater, with more individual features allowing for a greater degree of accuracy when you're finding your way from A to B. For activities like night walking, you will definitely want a smaller scale map.

A 1:25,000 scale means 1cm on the map equates to 25,000cm on the ground (so 250 meters); therefore 4cm on the map equals 1000 meters (1km). So, the grid squares on a 1:25,000 map are 4cm X 4cm and represent 1 km squared.

Understanding map symbols

At first glance, it can be overwhelming trying to work out what the various lines and symbols mean, as there is an awful lot of information to take in and you might wonder if you’ll ever learn how to read a map. However, take a breath, consult the legend (sometimes called the key) and you will discover what the colored icons, symbols and lines represent.

Most maps use symbols and abbreviations, rather than descriptions, to show where things are. This is to avoid the map being crowded with writing, making it harder to read. The key as to how to read a map is exactly that: a key. Also known as a legend, the key sits in the corner of the map for you to refer to and tells you what the different symbols mean so that you know what you are looking at. Of course, different map brands in different countries have different colour codes and symbols, so it's good to familiarise yourself with the brand you are using.

Paths

Arguably most important to many map readers are the lines that indicate a public right of way or footpath and trails that you can both walk and ride (on a horse or a bicycle). Remember, though, just because a path looks clear on a map, it won’t necessarily be obvious on the ground, so keep checking your map to see whether you’re passing the landmarks that indicate you’re on the right track. It's worth also bearing in mind that paths may exist that are not indicated on your map.

Symbols and abbreviations

Symbols and abbreviations range from the essential – public toilet icons, little tent symbols signifying camping areas, and footbridge icons, denoting where you can cross rivers and streams – to the very useful: picnic spots, good viewing points and places to eat and drink. Brits often scour their OS Maps looking for PH, which means Public House (pub), for when they want to know where the nearest place is to get a beer!

Likewise, knowing the difference between various symbols can be really helpful when navigating through different types of terrain, such as different varieties of woodland. Pine plantations may be represented by icons looking somewhat Christmassy, whilst mixed woodland might be represented by a bushier, broccoli-esque icon. Once you know these details, you can often work out if you are where you think you are by the flora around you.

Contour lines

Contour lines are squiggly lines, with numbers next to them. The lines represent the contours (shape) of the land, and the numbers tell you the height each line is above sea level. The closer together the contour lines are, the steeper the slope. If a contour line is pointing in a ‘v’ shape and they look close together, this will suggest a narrow slope that is steep, also known as a spur. The inverse of this (a clump of lines in a roof, or ‘n’ shape) might signify a decrease in the height – often water features are found here, due to the slope aspect. These are known as re-entrants. 

Whether you’re a basic hill navigator or a seasoned pro, contours are incredibly useful when planning a route, as you can get a good picture of how steep it will be and prepare accordingly. The land's contours are the most fixed aspect of a landscape. Trees can be cut down, new paths can be built and old ones become overgrown, walls can be dismantled and streams can change course. What this means is, contours are the most reliable features on your map and the first thing you should use to determine where you are (more on that later).

If you are in a relatively flat area and see a clump of orange contour lines ahead, you know to expect some steep hills that require a tough ascent. Seeing spaced out contour lines indicates flatter land, which can also help you plan where you are going to pitch your best one-person tent for the night.

On most maps, the interval between contours is usually 5 meters, but in mountainous regions, it may be 10 meters. This can be checked against the legend. Contours can quickly reveal if the area planned will require a longer time to walk around. As a rule of thumb, for every 10 meters of height climbed, it’s worth adding on an additional minute of expected walking time.

For a short snippet of history on the origins of contour lines, take a look towards the end of this guide.

Relating the map to the land

Figuring out where you are on a map is the bread and butter of navigation and this is where people can go wrong and end up in the wrong valley. It's a bit like being a detective, using the clues that the land gives you to pinpoint where you are on the map. The temptation is to rush here, but it's much better to be absolutely sure of your location by using as many clues as you can.

Use the contours

To begin, take a good look around and read the land as much as you can, before even looking at your map. As previously mentioned, contours are the most fixed aspect of the landscape and this is the first thing you should look for. What is the land doing around you? Are you on a steep slope or a flat plateau? What is the land doing ahead of you? Behind you? To your right? To your left? Now, see if you can match these up to the contour lines on your map.

Look for natural features

Okay, you've got a sense of what the shape of the land is doing in terms of contours. Next, you can start to look for other natural features. Are there any obvious natural features visible? Crags, Streams, lakes, waterfalls and forested areas are all good things to look for next and then compare them to the map once again.

Look for human features

Human features like buildings, paths, walls and fences are the last thing you should use, as they are more liable to change. However, now you should be getting fairly confident of where you are based on the natural features around you, so you can use the human features to complement these. Like a detective, you will have gathered all of your clues and almost be ready to reveal to your friends that you are a master of deduction, pinpointing exactly where you are on the map...

Use your approximate elevation

One last trick is using the approximate elevation of features around you to solidify your judgement of where you are on the map. If you can see that you are broadly level with an adjacent summit or ridge line, you can use the contour lines on your map to work out how high you are and compare this to the elevation of your perceived location on the map.

Orientating your map

Once you're confident you know where you are, you can set (or orientate) your map using features around you. It's a bit like imagining you are jumping into your map. It involves getting the map to face the same way as you are by looking down it from your perceived location so that features that are ahead of you line up with their representation on the map. 

For example, if there's a prominent summit ahead of you, you can hold your map in front of you so that you are facing the summit physically and on the map too. Then you can check other features on either side to check that they match up.

Other factors to consider

Used correctly, a map can allow you to accurately plan a journey, giving a good idea of landmarks and features you will pass along the route, as well as how far you will be traveling. Adding compass skills will bring extra value to your map too.

It is always worth owning a map if you are likely to be returning to an area over and over again – there’s nothing more exciting than pouring over a paper map in the comfort of your own home, planning a new adventure. Generally, you can get hold of individual maps that cover particular areas. National Parks and popular hiking regions are usually extremely well catered for.

Of course, paper maps do eventually become dated, with new roads being built or areas suffering erosion and footpaths falling into the sea. Digital mapping software allows you to print up-to-date maps to scale and make multiple copies, which is useful for hillwalkers who want flexibility with their plans. The main mapmakers mentioned above all have digital platforms and they rank among the best navigation apps available.

Grid references

As a child at school, you'll have learnt all about co-ordinates and grid references, finding treasure on treasure maps or playing Battleships. In fact, you'll find that kids love maps. Teaching them your map reading skills is a great way to get them involved and keep them entertained on your family hike...

Any map you'll use in the outdoors is covered in faint lines, which make up a grid. Each grid square will measure a set area, and they have associated numbers, running horizontally and vertically along the edges of the map. These numbers are what you use to pinpoint your location on a map. This is useful for giving people directions to a remote camp spot, for example, or in an emergency to relay your location to mountain rescue.

To take a grid reference, remember the useful phrase: ‘along the corridor and up the stairs’. The first numbers you quote are the ones that run along the bottom of the map, from left to right – the ‘Eastings’. The second block of numbers you should quote are the ones read from bottom to top, known as ‘Northings’.

Four-figure grid references identify a single square on a map, and six-figure grid references (when you use the smaller incremental 1-10 markings between the numbers) identify a smaller square, which should be sufficient for anyone to locate the spot you’re talking about.

Latitude and longitude

Latitude and longitude are global addresses, written in numbers so that everyone can use them regardless of where they are. These are the numbers you see when you click on ‘Your Location’ on Google maps, and they give a very accurate reference point to where you are. They are given as coordinates, made from horizontal lines, with the equator referring to 0 latitude, and vertical lines, with the line passing through the prime meridian referring to 0 longitude. It’s worth noting that some international maps don’t use grid references, but use latitude and longitude only. 

Carrying a back-up

Finally, for those who wish to master the art of becoming a navigation pro, get practising and remember to carry a spare form of navigation in case one fails – for those in mountainous regions it’s worth carrying a spare map and compass separate to your main tools.

If you are also using digital mapping on your phone, it's a good idea to bring a portable charger or a solar charger, so that if your battery dies, you can charge it back up. Just don't forget the cable!

Hiking in Britain: should you use Ordnance Survey or Harvey?

The two mainstays for hikers in Britain are Ordnance Survey (OS) and Harvey.

Ordnance Survey are the national mapping agency of Great Britain and are very much pioneers in the field. It was Ordnance Survey who built triangulation pillars on high ground across the nation. This was in order to calculate the height of the land at various points. Their Explorer series is immensely popular with those heading into the British countryside. The usual scale for OS Maps are 1:25,000 and 1:50,000, though larger scale maps are available.

However, OS Maps are designed for general use. A popular alternative to Ordnance Survey is Harvey, which are designed specifically with hikers and mountaineers in mind. They are waterproof as standard and show the intricacies of terrain in more detail than OS Maps. Maps are available at 1:25,000, 1:30,000 and 1:40,000 scale.

So if you’re off to do the best walks in the Lake District, an OS map should suit you just fine. However, if you are traversing more technical ground, like the rocky terrain of the Isle of Skye’s Cuillin Munros, then Harvey could be the best bet.

Common map reading mistakes

Hidden or indistinct footpaths

Most maps will show when the footpath or right of way changes. If the green dotted line suddenly appears on one side of a solid black line before switching to the other side, this might mean there is a wall that needs to be crossed, which will either have some kind of signpost or small steps built-in. When walking across areas with multiple paths, keep track of which path you are walking on. For more on this, see types of hiking trails.

Confusing boundary lines, paths and footpaths

People can often misinterpret a boundary line for a path or footpath or vice versa when looking at a map. Boundary lines are sometimes old drystone walls, or disused fences, or may not exist at all. It’s important to recognize what this looks like so you don’t end up looking for a footpath that doesn’t exist when out on a walk. Check the map legend carefully

Walking while holding your compass

Walking a few paces sideways can throw your compass off course, even though you are still walking in the right direction. Magnetic interference from mobile phones and electronics can also affect the signal. Also walking whilst holding a compass can distract you from looking out for danger. It’s best to line your compass up with something in the distance and head towards that.

Selecting a moving object to walk towards

It’s best to be walking towards something in the distance that is not likely to move, such as a distinctive rocky outcrop, a trig point, a significant peak or church spire. In poor visibility, it is easy to mistake a sheep for a rock!

Not taking magnetic variation into account

Make sure you check for magnetic variation in the area you’re exploring and take it into account when lining up your compass. The magnetic variation will be printed on the map. In fact, a region's geology can affect your compass needle. The gabbro rock of the Isle of Skye in Scotland is notorious for throwing your compass completely out.

Not trusting your compass

If you think your compass is pointing you in the wrong direction, then start again to work out your direction. Check the compass hasn’t become de-magnetized, which is usually when a compass has been exposed to a battery or a torch. If it says the same direction again, then trust it – usually, it is right, and your sense of direction is wrong.

Top tip

Make sure you look after your maps by putting them in a clear map case, which helps prolong their lifespan and readability. OS Explorer maps are simple paper maps that can be cost-effective, while OS Active maps are slightly more expensive, plastic-coated maps that are water-resistant and can be much tougher and longer-lasting. Harvey maps are also water-resistant and are very lightweight.

• 10 backpacking essentials: the ultimate checklist

What are grid references? In this age of digital navigation, it’s no surprise that many ask. The availability and quality of digital mapping applications and GPS units have changed the way we navigate and pinpoint our location, while platforms like what3words threaten to make traditional grid references extinct.

However, knowing how to read grid references is still an essential skill in the great outdoors. Grid systems are a mainstay of topographical maps, and appear on many of the best navigation apps too.

With grid references, GPS co-ordinates and platforms like what3words at your disposal, you’ve got myriad ways of communicating a precise location to a third party. At Advnture, whenever we shoulder our best hiking backpack and hit the trails, we like to have a backup to technology, just in case of situations like failing batteries or a dropped phone or GPS unit. When it comes to describing location using a topographical map, grid references are key.

Once you understand how to read grid references, you can use your best compass to get an increasingly accurate numeric representation of a location. This knowledge could be crucial in an emergency, allowing you to effectively communicate your location to rescue services.

What are grid references?

So, what are grid references exactly? Put simply, a grid reference is a numeric representation of a location on a map. Cast your mind back to that treasure map when you were studying co-ordinates at school. When you were figuring out the numeric representation of that buried treasure, you were reading its grid reference. X marks the spot. The minor difference between co-ordinates and grid references are that co-ordinates are where the lines meet and grid references can be anywhere on or between the lines.

In the real world, it’s unlikely you’re going to go on a Goonies style adventure and read grid references to discover a pirate’s priceless hoard. Much more likely you’ll be using them to describe a location on a map. If you ever had to call mountain rescue, being able to supply an accurate grid reference for the location of a person in need will make a huge difference to the rescue effort.

What are grid references like around the world? Well, different nations have their own grid systems. The US National Grid (USNG) and the British Grid System work off the same principles, breaking the entire country down into metric squares, with grid lines orientated along the cardinal points of the compass.

Using Britain as an example, each 100 x 100km square has a two-letter identification. Each of these lettered squares is then broken into a 100 x 100 grid, with each square within the grid representing 1km.

The lines that make up the grid are called Eastings (the horizontal lines running east to west or vice versa) and Northings (the vertical lines running north to south or vice versa). On a topographical map, each of these lines is numbered sequentially from west to east and south to north respectively. Using this information, you can give a four-figure grid reference for a location.

How to read grid references: four-figure grid references

A four-figure grid reference describes the location of something to within a square km, so it’s ideal for big landmarks but not quite as useful for describing the location of smaller things like people or buildings.

Using the above map as an example, a four-figure grid reference is appropriate for describing the southwestern end of Wast Water, or to describe the location of the hill Whin Rigg’s main bulk. If we wanted to describe the location of smaller features, like Wasdale Hall or Lund Bridge, we’d opt for the greater accuracy of a six-figure grid reference. More on that in a second…

To find the grid reference, start with the horizontal reading (Eastings) and then the vertical (Northings). Another way of putting this, as has been repeated countless times in school classrooms, is along the corridor, then up the stairs.

The grid lines are labelled around the edge of the map, as well as more subtly at intervals within the map (this can be seen on the Eastings lines between the Northings lines 04 and 05 in the image above). Always remember that the numbers refer to the square diagonally to the right (east) and upwards (north) of the line. So, if your feature is between lines 13 and 14 when reading horizontally, its Eastings reference is 13. If your feature is between 25 and 26 when reading vertically, its Northings reference is 25.

Let’s use the example of the southwestern end of Wast Water in the image of the map above, which is in the NY 100 x 100km square of Britain.

First, read along the corridor: it’s between 14 and 15, so its Eastings reference is 14.

Next, go up the stairs: it’s between 04 and 05, so its Northings reference is 04.

Put all of that together and you get a four-figure grid reference of NY 14 04, which describes the square km that contains the southwestern end of Wast Water.

How to read grid references: estimating six-figure grid references

A six-figure grid reference describes the location of something to within 100 square meters. This is the level of accuracy you’ll want when describing the location of a stricken individual to mountain rescue. On a standard topographical map, there are no lines beyond those that are spaced 1km apart to help you achieve this level of accuracy, so you either have to estimate or use your compass Romer.

Let’s use Wasdale Hall as our example and find its six-figure grid reference. We already know its four-figure reference is NY 14 04 but we can describe both its Eastings and Northings reference with even more accuracy. Let’s estimate first…

Again, start by estimating along the corridor and imagine splitting the space between line 14 and line 15 into 10 more intervals (each representing 100m). Wasdale Hall looks as though it is exactly halfway between the two lines, so it would be on imaginary line 5. So, the Eastings reference is now 145.

Next, go up the stairs. Once again, Wasdale Hall looks about halfway between lines 04 and 05, so that would put it on imaginary line 5. The Northings reference is 045.

All put together, the six-figure grid reference for Wasdale Hall is NY 145 045.

Now you know how to read grid references, you can go beyond six figures, breaking down the map into increasingly smaller squares (10m, then 1m, then 10cm, then 1cm and so on). However, when using a large-scale topographical map, it is unusual to go past a six-figure reference.

How to read grid references: six-figure grid reference using a Romer

A quality baseplate compass will have a Romer, which can be used to measure distances you plan to cover with your best hiking shoes, and to aid your grid reference calculations too. As you can see on the compass above, there are three different Romer scales to be used depending on the scale of the map. In each instance, the intervals measure 100m, with an additional 50m interval on the 1:25k scale.

To use the Romer to help arrive at your grid reference, place the location you want to describe in the 0 corner of the Romer, as shown in the example below for Wasdale Hall using the 1:40k scale.

Start along the corridor again, this time looking back along the horizontal line to where it crosses the vertical 14 grid line. As we had estimated, Wasdale Hall is around 500m east of the 14 line, and its reading is therefore 5, giving it an Eastings reference of 145.

Next, it’s the stairs again, but this time look down the vertical Romer line to where it crosses the horizontal 04 line. Wasdale Hall is just over 500m north of the 04 line, so once again that’s a reading of 5. The Northings reference is 045.

Once again, when all is put together, the six-figure grid reference is NY 145 045.

The examples so far have been on 1:40k scale maps, but the same applies whatever scale you are using. Just remember to use the appropriate Romer scale when measuring. The example above shows the same Wasdale Hall on a 1:25k map, measured using the 1:25k Romer.

What is what3words?

One of the most recent developments in location technology and one of the best navigation apps is what3words, a platform that has given every three-meter square in the world a unique three-word address. 

The addresses stay fixed, so the Statue of Liberty will always be ///sulk.camps.sits, while the summit of Snowdon in Wales will always be ///perfectly.traffic.decking. The app uses GPS to pinpoint your location, from which you can simply select the square and get your three-word address. Many organisations, including delivery and rescue services will accept a what3words address when communicating with you.

Knowing how to season wood properly will make a world of difference when you come to build your campfire or get your wood burning stove going. Seasoning is the process of slowly drying out your logs over many months, or even years in the case of some hardwoods, to give you the best firewood. It is sometimes referred to as curing, too.

Wet wood won’t work well if you want wonderful campfires (try saying that after a few beverages around the fire). Wood from a newly felled tree is known as green wood and it contains up to about 50% moisture content. Logs that have not been seasoned properly are trickier to ignite, will burn less efficiently, produce loads of smoke, pollute the environment and will be detrimental to the lifespan of your wood burning stove, as they produce creosote. Not ideal, I’m sure you’d agree.

So, next time you pitch your camping tent and start a campfire, you'll want to ensure you’ve got properly seasoned firewood  –  wood that has been patiently seasoned and ready for the fire should have less than 20% moisture content. This magic percentage can take a while to achieve, depending on the type of wood.

However, the wait is worth it for a consistent, reliable, and clean burn. The last thing you want when cooking with your wood burning stove, or singing around the firepit, is a fire that keeps going out, won’t ignite easily and throws smoke out at you and your campmates.

How to season wood: time required

The best trees for firewood are generally deciduous hardwood trees like oak, ash, hazel, beech and birch. Wood from these trees is denser and they burn slower and for longer than softwoods like cedar and pine. However, they also take longer to season, with most varieties taking at least a year to reach the 20% mark and species like oak taking up to two years.

Softwoods come from evergreen trees and take less time to season, usually between six and twelve months. However, they are not as prized for firewood as hardwoods because they generally do not burn for as long, so you’ll have to keep topping the fire up, nor do they radiate as much heat as their deciduous cousins. On top of this, many softwoods are also sootier, cause more creosote build up and some have a tendency to spit, which can be dangerous. Having said all of that, cedar is a good softwood option, as it produces a pleasing scent and burns relatively well.

The season the tree is cut also has a bearing on how long the wood should be seasoned. Moisture content is higher during spring and summer than it is during the colder months. This makes winter the preferred season for chopping down firewood for the fire.

How should I store my wood in order to season it?

When it comes to knowing how to season wood, storage is key. Once you know how to store firewood, all you need to do is let time do its thing.

Knowing how to chop firewood is a useful skill here, as smaller pieces will allow moisture to evaporate quicker than large chunks. Ideally, you want to get pieces with a maximum diameter of 8 inches (20cm), while pieces of around 15 inches (38cm) in length will fit in most stoves.

Firewood should be stored outside in as bright a spot as possible. Bear in mind that a log’s bark will offer it natural protection from rain and many advocate this being the only form of shelter you need, while others recommend sheltering logs from above. If very wet weather is forecast, it’s worth completely covering your logs with something like a tarp, until the weather improves.

Ideally, you should stack your logs in rows of up to four feet high and make sure they are off the ground, using something like a pallet or a concrete platform as the foundation. A jumble of logs placed in a haphazard fashion won’t dry as effectively as neatly ordered stacks where air is free to flow.

Storing logs inside in a garage or outhouse will not allow the moisture level to reduce to the magic 20% mark. As well as this, it’s likely that a population of mini beasts will still be living on the wood and you don’t want them invading your house.

How do I know my wood is ready to burn?

After months or years of seasoning, there are a few tell-tale signs that wood is ready. Take two of your seasoned logs and bash them together. What you’re listening for here is a clear knock or ring, rather than the dull thud you’d expect with green wood. Study the appearance of your logs closely. If you can see radial cracks around their exposed edges, this indicates dryness. Their coloration should also be pale. In terms of feel, a seasoned log should weigh much less, and the bark should also come away easily.

Of course, You can always cheat all this and use a wood moisture meter to get a definitive reading.

What are Ordnance Survey maps (OS maps), I hear you ask? In a nutshell, Ordnance Survey are to British mapping what the BBC is to British television. They are a public owned organisation, a national treasure, a historic and pioneering institution that’s part of the very fabric of Great Britain. Like the BBC, they have had a long standing remit and serve a wide audience. Down the years they've produced various types of maps that have catered for the military, walkers, the government, cyclists and road users (just to name a few) in the countryside and in our cities.

All good and well, but what are Ordnance Survey Maps exactly, and what makes them special? Where we outdoorsy folk are concerned, an OS Map is a scale topographical map that can be used to navigate effectively across a given region. Their iconic orange Explorer and pink Landranger map series cover the entirety of Great Britain and have been a mainstay on British trails for many years. The sight furrowed brows as walkers pore over an OS map, studying every detail of a planned route, is something most Brits witness at some point.

The orange Explorer maps are 1:25 000 scale, perfect for those who like to strap on their best hiking backpack and head for the hills. Every square kilometre in Great Britain is represented by a 4cm grid square and there are a whopping 403 Explorer maps, covering everywhere from Land's End to John o' Groats. It’s even possible to order your own Custom Made map for an area that’s of particular interest to you. Regions of greater interest, such as national parks or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, are usually featured on a double-sided OL (Outdoor Leisure) sheet, which covers a larger area.

Landranger maps are smaller scale, at 1:50 000, making them ideal for navigation on longer expeditions or cycling trips. They are unsurprisingly less detailed than Explorer maps and don’t show quite as many minor footpaths, but armed with your best compass, you can still effectively navigate on a standard hike with a Landranger map.

OS maps are paper based and can get totally ruined by wet weather or tear relatively easily when the wind decides you’ve spent too long studying the contour lines. In answer to this, OS created the Active Map series, which feature the same Explorer and Landranger regions but are laminated and weatherproof. They are more expensive, but they’re worth it for their durability and practicality – plus, you don’t need to stow them in a dry bag.

However, there’s much more to Ordnance Survey than topographical maps. The institution has a long and distinguished history, as well as a potentially exciting future where hiking technology is concerned…

What are Ordnance Survey Maps? The history

It seems fitting that the Ordnance Survey was born out of a necessity to map the marvellous Scottish Highlands. This need arose during the Jacobite Rising of 1745 and is where its rather military-sounding name comes from, as the Board of Ordnance (the defence ministry) was tasked with surveying the land. 

The job fell to young engineer William Roy who, along with his team, created the Great Map, a 1:36 000 representation of the key Highland region. Before this, maps had been sorely lacking the accuracy and detail to plan effectively for military campaigns.

Later, Roy was tasked with settling an argument about the relative positions of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich and its Paris counterpart. He tasked pioneering instrument maker Jesse Ramsden with the creation of a theodolite to assist his work and he used the creation, along with trigonometry, to measure between the observatories. On 21st June 1791, the Board of Ordnance bought a new and improved Ramsden theodolite to start to map out the entirety of Britain in light of the threat of French invasion. This was the day the Ordnance Survey was born.

Starting with the English South Coast, they utlised redundant warning beacons as trig points and mapped out the land. The first OS map, for Kent, was published in 1801. Fast forward a hundred years and 20th century Britain had great demand for maps for all manner of purposes. In 1935, the Retriangulation of Great Britain began, with trig pillars built on many of Britain’s highest mountain and hill summits to serve as ideal triangulation points. Around 6,500 trigs were installed, many of which still stand proud today and feature in countless photographs of hikers holding their trekking poles aloft in triumph – so called "trig bagging" is now a popular pastime among hikers and runners

The Ordnance Survey website states that trig pillars were built on ‘inhospitable’ peaks, yet they never managed – or perhaps never attempted – to install any on the summits of Skye’s challenging Black Cuillin, other than on the relatively easy to reach apex of Bruach na Frithe. The Cuillin remained a difficult region to accurately map for many years, adding to the mystique and danger of Britain’s most challenging mountain range.

As computing technology and photography developed, the Ordnance Survey continued to evolve, becoming a civilian and commercial operation post-Second World War, with the last military presence leaving in 1983. The OS website was launched in 1995 and all its maps were digitised, ushering in a new age of data. The new millennium saw the launch of the OS Maps app, still one of the best navigation apps around today.

What are Ordnance Survey Maps? The future

Amazingly, today the digital side of the Ordnance Survey accounts for 90% of its turnover, showing the power behind the data the agency now holds. They serve business, government and consumers with their products.

But what about the future of OS mapping for activities like hiking, mountaineering and cycling? Today, a Premium OS Map app subscription gives you instant access to all of the Explorer and Landranger maps, allows you to find or plot routes, use AR Viewer to pan across wilderness regions and visualise routes in 3D to discover points of interest.

In effect, the AR capabilities of the app create digital twins to real world landscapes. Perhaps one day, we will don our VR headset and go for a walk in Snowdonia from the comfort of our bedroom…

Harvey Maps: the alternative to Ordnance Survey

Hikers in the UK are blessed by two topographical mapping choices: OS Maps and the excellent Harvey maps. If OS Maps are the BBC of mapping, then Harvey maps are perhaps Channel 4: sophisticated and a little more niche, with a particular audience in mind.

Harvey maps are designed specifically for hikers, cyclists, mountaineers, fell runners and climbers and their coverage reflects this. You won’t find a Harvey map for London or Birmingham, but you will find at least one type of Harvey map for the any of the UK’s upland regions.

Harvey are endorsed by the British Mountaineering Council and Mountaineering Scotland and are the map of choice for Skye, Lochaber, Glen Coe, Kintail, Killin, Ochil and Lake District mountain rescue teams. So, if you’re a bit of a mountain lover, choosing Harvey maps is equitable to when you’re on holiday and decide to choose your restaurant based on the one all the locals seem to frequent.

Harvey maps boast many features that make them appealing to outdoorsy folk. First of all, they’re made from durable, tear-resistant, waterproof polyethylene, which means no more soggy maps or awkward plastic cases – plus, they’re cheaper than OS’ laminated Active Maps. They do away with detail that’s unnecessary for mountain goers and there’s increased detail and labelling on crags and ridges, while the way the mountains are shaded makes the topography clearer than on OS Maps.

There are four types of Havey map for hikers: British Mountain Map series, Superwalker series, Ultramap series and Trail Map series.

Their British Mountain Map series features all the UK’s primary upland areas. Each is mapped to a 1:40 000 scale and there are larger scale maps on the reverse for key mountains, as well as bucket loads of information on things like a region’s geology, specific advice, safety information, navigation tips, climbing routes and more.

Harvey’s Superwalker series is the equivalent to OS’ Explorer series in terms of scale, at 1:25 000 (1:30 000 in Ireland). As with the British Mountain Maps, the reverse provides a treasure trove of information about the mapped region, as well as larger scale depictions of popular objectives.

The 1:40 000 Ultramap series is designed to be compact enough to slip into a small pocket in your down jacket and is printed on both sides of the sheet, perfect for days on the trail.

Also featuring a 1:40 000 scale, the Trail Map series features all of England and Wales’ National Trails, as well as the Scottish Great Trails, an ideal companion for a long-distance hiking adventure. Information for seeking accommodation, campsites and food is included, as well as an introduction to the trail and advice on weather, clothing and other hiking essentials.

Most of us grow up thinking that there are four seasons, unless you live in northern New England, Colorado or Montana in which case you know full well that there’s a fifth season: mud season. Mud season is a time against which residents of cold states brace themselves, bringing with it each year frustration and disappointment for those who love the outdoors.

Though colder states love their winter sports, the end of ski season is seldom lamented. Instead, people pack their down jackets away with delight and herald the longer, milder days that come with the arrival of spring. Few can resist the urge to dust off their hiking boots on the first sunny day and sprint for the hills for the first hike of the season, only to be met 10 minutes up the trail with a sea of sticky, impassable mud. Mud season has arrived and hiking seems off limits. But before you turn around, go home, and spend the next two months cleaning, read on to find out what causes mud season, how long it might last and what you can do outdoors to stay sane. 

What is mud season? 

Mud season is the name given to the period between late winter and early spring when the surface layer of ground that has been frozen for months starts to thaw. The thawing process melts any snow that’s been lying on the ground but the resulting moisture, in addition to spring rainfall, can’t seep very far into the ground because beneath the surface, it’s still frozen and will be for a while. Consequently, the top layer of earth gets extremely waterlogged and muddy, creating total havoc for anyone trying to travel on dirt roads and hiking trails on foot, motorized vehicle, horseback or bicycle. 

How long does mud season last? 

Exactly how long mud season will last depends a bit on where you are, as well as the conditions that year. If it wasn’t a particularly cold, snowy winter and it’s a warm, dry spring then it will be shorter, and of course, if you had a killer ski season you might be in for a longer mud season. Basically, it can last from March to May and is always too long. 

What can you do outdoors during mud season? 

Obviously, you can hit the gym or do yoga or watch TV, but after a long cold winter who wants to stay indoors a moment longer? Though your favorite trails might be off limits for a while yet, there’s no reason why you can’t get some fresh air and enjoy the change of seasons. Read on for our favorite ideas for getting outdoors in mud season. 

1. Low elevation hiking 

Yes, you can potentially go hiking in mud season, but hiking in mud is really irritating and it erodes the trails, so you’ll want to choose your trail carefully to find dry ground. Read our tips for hiking in mud and you can probably get on some mellow trails before summer. 

2. Running 

While the hiking trails might be largely off limits, you can still get your heart pounding with a run. Lower elevation, south facing trails might be dry if you like soft stuff under foot and of course, you can always hit the road. 

3. Road biking 

The mountain biking trails might be a sloppy mess, but you can still break the road bike out. Spring days before the weather gets too hot are ideal for road biking, just make sure you avoid rainy days and rethink your plans if it’s going to be much below 50°F/10°C. 

4. Rock climbing  

Although spring can be cool and wet, on a dry day you can definitely head to the crag. Look for rock that’s exposed to the sun and go in the afternoon so it has time to warm up. Bring a warm layer like a fleece jacket for when you’re on belay. 

5. Wildflower viewing 

Spring is the best time to view wildflowers in many locations and they can often be found at lower elevations first since higher elevations may still be snow-covered. Slow down and smell the wild roses on a country lane. 

6. Bird watching 

Birds that nest in the northern hemisphere return in the spring, so the trees can be really alive at this time of year. Read our first timer’s guide to how to bird watch and go and connect with nature in a quieter way. 

7. Nature journaling 

For another more serene activity, try nature journaling. After all, you can spend time outdoors without thrashing the trail or getting your heart rate up. Read up on how to start nature journaling, find a quiet spot by the river or under a tree and focus your mind. 

8. River sports

If adrenaline is more your thing, in a lot of areas, spring is considered the best time for river rats wanting to get in their rafts and kayaks because the spring runoff fills the rivers, however you’ll want to choose a good wetsuit as the water will be bracing. 

9. Fishing 

In the late afternoons in spring, the sun will warm up the water a bit, some bugs will make an appearance and depending on where you are, walleye, bass, catfish and rainbow trout will start biting. Get your waders on and head down to the river or lake. 

10. Head to the desert 

Finally, when you’ve just had enough of all that mud, you can do what everyone else does and get out of town. Utah is gloriously dry, warm and open for business during mud season, but is far too hot if you wait until summer. Check out one of Utah’s National Parks where you can hike on dry rock trails and go desert camping without even a spot of mud to ruin your fun. 

Have you ever wondered, what are contour lines on a map? Perhaps you know what they are but aren’t aware from where or when they first appeared? Maybe you want to know how to use them more effectively when you’re navigating in the backcountry? If the answer to any of the above is yes, you’ve come to the right place.

What are contour lines on a map?

So, what are contour lines on a map? Contour lines are used to represent the elevation of terrain on a topographical map and therefore represent the shape of the land. By studying contours, a proficient navigator will be able to identify valleys, hills, summits, ridges and steep ground just from looking at lines on the map.

Every contour line represents terrain of a certain height above sea level. The intervals between each line are always the same in terms of elevation difference. This interval depends on the scale of the map, though many 1:25 000 scale maps use intervals of 10 meters, while 1:40 000 often use intervals of 15 metres. So, on a 1:25 000 scale map, the line above the 400-meter line will be the 410 meter line, then the 420 meter line and so on until you reach a peak.

Contour lines that are close together indicate steeper ground than those that are spaced further apart. So, excessively steep ground, where you might need to swap your hiking boots for climbing shoes, is shown by contour lines that are bunched together. Areas on a map with few contour lines indicate relatively flat terrain. It’s often the case that key contour lines are bolder than others, such as every 50 meters on a 1:25 000 scale map.

The video below explains contour lines with handy visual examples:

Using contour lines when navigating

When finding your way around the backcountry and knowing how to read a map, an understanding of contour lines is essential. This knowledge is the foundation when it comes to triangulating your location, orientating your map, working out how long it will take to get from A to B and generally visualising the 2D map in front of you as a 3D landscape.

After a bit of practice, you’ll start to notice what contour features look like. Towards the top of a mountain or hill, you’ll notice progressively smaller loops of contours, as the terrain reaches a peak. In a V-shaped valley, you’ll see the same V-shape represented in the lines. For a narrow ridge, you’ll see tightly stacked, parallel contour lines falling away on either side of the crest. The more you get out there with a proper topographical map, the better you’ll be at translating the map to the landscape, and vice versa.

As you learn navigation, you’ll develop an appreciation for looking at the journey ahead on the map and visualising what to expect. Contour lines help you to form this picture of the journey in your mind, helping you to stay on the right course.

Using contour lines to triangulate

Here’s something to remember, contours are king. Contour lines are more important than any other feature when you are trying to work out where you are on the map. It’s tempting to look for the path you are on, or for the stream that's merrily trickling by alongside you, or the drystone wall that’s cutting across in front of your path, or the forest in the valley below. Before considering any of these, and before you consult your map or go anywhere near your best compass, first take a look around and work out what the land around you is doing and what that will mean for the contours you’d expect to see on your map.

We rely first and foremost on contours because we live in an impermanent world. Streams alter course, new paths are built, trees are blown over, forests are cleared, new woodland is planted, roads are washed away in floods, etc etc. Due to this, maps go out of date. It’s also easy to mistake one path for another on a map, or pick out the wrong forest, or think you’re crossing one stream when actually you are crossing another.

The most permanent and unique feature of the land is its shape, which – after a little practice – you can almost always match to the lines on your map. When learning how to triangulate, it is the most essential skill. Of course, even the shape of the land isn’t permanent, but it is the most reliable measure we have.

So, when it comes to working out where you are on the map, look at what the land is doing immediately around you and what you can see in the middle distance. Match this to the contours of your map and then – and only then – start to think about using other natural features like streams and forests to confirm your judgement. Human features, like paths, roads, walls and buildings, should be your last port of call when it comes to triangulation, as they are the least permanent.

Once you’re sure you know where you are, it’s useful to know how to orientate a map. By matching near and distant features based on their contours, you can turn your map so that it is orientated to your surroundings.

Using contour lines to estimate how long it will take to get from A to B

Timing is a crucial part of navigation. After all, you don’t want to be still on the hill when you’re supposed to have a reservation at a restaurant in the valley. Or worse still, you don’t want to be on dangerous ground when it gets dark without a headlamp (see our guide to the best headlamps for some good options).

With this in mind, it’s useful to be able to estimate how long it will take to get from one point to another. This is relatively easy on flat ground but more complicated when ascending mountainous terrain. Fortunately, there’s a handy rule you can use when ascending a slope to make accurate predictions: Naismith’s rule. Developed by Scottish mountaineer William W. Naismith in 1892, it is a practical way to estimate timings and average hiking speed when hillwalking.

Everyone hikes at a different speed, usually between 3 to 5km an hour. Let’s take an average of about 4km per hour. If point A is 4km away from point B, it would take you an hour to walk between them along flat terrain. However, let’s say point B is a summit, entailing quite a lot of elevation gain to attain. Naismith’s rule says that you should add 10 minutes for every 100 meters of elevation gain to arrive at an estimate for how long it will take you.

So, if you were ascending a 1,200-meter mountain from sea level and its summit was 2 km away, you would first consider the distance. Hiking at 4km an hour, it would take you 30 minutes to cover 2 km on flat ground. Now we need to consider the 1,200 meter ascent. Remember, we add 10 minutes for every 100 meters of elevation gain, which means 10 minutes multiplied by 12, as there's 1,200 meters to account for. 10 minutes multiplied by 12 is 120 minutes which, when added to the 30 minutes for the distance covered, gives you a 150-minute estimate to reach the summit.

Two hours and a half to the summit, means a there-and-back of around five hours in all likelihood. Best not set off at six in the evening, then.

Getting to grips with applying Naismith’s Rule to yourself takes a bit of practice, as everyone ascends at a different pace. As well as this, Naismith’s is more suited to steep ascents rather than steep descents, but the same principles can be applied with a bit of experience. Eventually, you can adjust it to fit your hiking style, giving you a reliable way of estimating timings.

The origins of contour lines

Contour lines were first used in 1584 to represent the depth of the River Spaarne in the Netherlands by Dutchman Pieter Bruinsz. The idea didn’t catch on until the 18th-century, though the lines were still primarily used for representing the depth of water features. The first recorded use of contours to represent land was by Italian Domenico Vandelli on a map of the Duchy of Modena and Reggio in 1746.

For the first time contour lines were used on a mountain, let me take you back to 1774, to a distinctively pointy and isolated mountain in the Southeast Highlands of Scotland called Schiehallion. There, Astronomer Royal Nevil Maskelyne was attempting a groundbreaking experiment to calculate the mean density of the Earth. His theory was that Schiehallion’s mass, as a portion the planet’s total, would have a discernible gravitational effect on nearby objects. By comparing this to the gravity of the entire planet, he arrived at an approximate result for the mass of the Earth, which has since been proved to be relatively accurate.

However, before he could do this, he first had to learn Schiehallion’s approximate mass and he tasked colleague Charles Hutton with calculating it. Hutton had the idea of interpolating a series of lines at set intervals that marked equal points of height around the mountain in order to do this. The result was the first use of contour lines to model a mountain’s form, an approach that has since become the standard way to show the shape of the land on a topographical map.

The best trees for firewood are generally dense, hardwood species. Like a good book or the TV series The Wire, they’re slow burning to begin with but soon grow to a consistent quality that the rest can’t match. Species like oak, ash, hazel, beech and birch are all great. In this feature, we’ll delve into why and tell you which species to avoid too.

Firewood is, as the name suggests, wood that’s been chopped, split and seasoned ready for use as fuel on a fire. However, not all wood makes for the ideal fuel and even wood that’s great in one place, isn’t recommended for another. Even if you’ve got the very finest firewood for your log burner at home, you shouldn’t take it with you on a faraway camping trip. Foreign wood can introduce invasive insects and diseases to a new area which, in the worst-case scenario, can destroy a whole forest’s ecosystem just as brutally as a wildfire.

So, when you next set out with your best camping tent with the intention of cooking or singing around the campfire, it’s good to know the best trees for firewood in the surrounding area. If you’re buying your wood, you can ask about this, to check you’re getting decent wood that’s sourced locally.

Once you’ve got your fuel, even the finest wood won’t burn well unless you know how to store firewood properly. This process, known as seasoning the wood, takes several months from the wood being cut from the tree to being dry enough (less than 20% moisture) to use on the fire. So, there’s plenty to think about here. Without further ado, let’s get into some of the best trees for firewood.

Best trees for firewood: hardwood or softwood?

When it comes to choosing between hardwood and softwood, there are advantages and disadvantages to both, so choosing the best option for your campfire or wood-burning stove is important. Softwoods come from evergreens and are less dense than their deciduous siblings, the hardwoods. This means they dry quicker and therefore need to be stored for less time.

If you know how to chop firewood, you will know how much effort it involves. Well, softwoods are easier to split, as well as being lighter to carry. However, the downside is that softwoods generally don’t burn as hot as hardwoods and nor do they burn for as long, so you’ll need a lot more of it if it’s your only fuel source. Softwoods are also sootier and cause creosote to build up over time.

Due to this, Softwood shouldn’t be used at home, but a seasoned softwood is fine for a campfire. In fact, a mixture of softwood and hardwood is the best firewood for a campfire, as the softwood acts as kindling and the hardwood will burn long into the night.

Great hardwood options

The following are the best hardwood options for your firewood...

Oak

The quintessential hardwood tree. Slow and steady wins the race. Like the proverbial tortoise, oak is perceived as being heavy and a bit dense, it takes a little while to get going but, once it’s up and running, it will win the race over many softwood hares. In fact, oak will burn for longer than pretty much any other wood. The key is to make sure there’s lots of effective kindling to things ticking along nicely to begin with. Speaking of slow and steady, it can take up to two years to effectively season oak, so make sure that tarp is fully waterproof.

Birch

Birch is a great option for your wood-burning stove as, even though it’s a hardwood, it burns quickly but produces a lot of heat while it’s at it. This is perfect for your camping meals.

Ash

Ash is another highly regarded hardwood that is frequently used as firewood due to its propensity to produce a good, consistent heat for a decent period of time. This means you can all sit back in your camping chairs and relax, safe in the knowledge that the fire will burn for some time yet.

European ash trees are currently reeling from ash dieback, a disease caused by a fungus that produces toxins which kill the tree from the inside. There’s currently no cure and it is estimated that, over time, 95% of the UK’s ash trees will die.

The fungus was brought into Europe on imported Manchurian ash trees, where it lived harmlessly, before jumping to native species. The native ash trees simply were not evolved to fight the fungus and so the disease spread. It’s a stark example of how introducing non-native trees and logs can have a devastating effect on the local environment.

This sad news means that, in the short-term, there’s plenty of ash around for use as firewood, as vast numbers are being felled to protect the timber stock. In the long-term, however, there will be very little ash to burn in Europe.

Beech

The caveat with beech is that it has to be well seasoned, as live beech has a very high-water content. However, once ready, beech makes for excellent firewood, striking a balance between the long-burning qualities of ash, while being much easier to light than oak.

Hazel

Hazel also needs to be very well seasoned but makes for a great choice, though it does burn faster than some hardwoods.

Cedar: a good softwood option

If you’re looking to create a bit of ambience with pleasant scents in the air, look no further than cedar. It provides a decent and ongoing heat, though doesn’t produce much of a flame.

Firewoods to avoid

There are many types of firewood to avoid. As we already know, wood that is chopped from a tree needs to dry to a 20% moisture level before it is suitable as firewood. Newly chopped wood is known as green wood and, if you can get it ignited in the first place, doesn’t burn well and produces a ton of smoke.

Driftwood is glorious for decorating your home and adding a sense of the seaside to your downstairs toilet, but it’s a bad idea to burn it as firewood. This is because it can release harmful chemicals due to the way it is saturated in salt.

There are a number of common species to avoid. This could be because some of them get overly excited and burn out too quickly, like an overzealous pal on the first night of a bachelor party. Some of them hate campfire songs and spit at anyone who sings them. Others just don’t warm us up as much as we’d like on those chilly fall evenings. Here are some common firewood species to avoid.

Larch

Despite being cheap, quick-drying and in plentiful supply, larch is not an ideal firewood due to its tendency to spit while it burns. This is not great for campfire safety. It also produces large amounts of soot.  

Pine

As firewood, pine has many similarities to larch. It makes for decent kindling but on an open fire it’s potentially dangerous, as it has a tendency to spit a lot and it produces large amounts of soot.

Poplar

Poplar is very smoky when burnt. Never mind ghost stories around the campfire, this sounds like a nightmare. You’ll need multiple washes to get the smell out of your best fleece jacket.

Alder

Alder is a hardwood that is considered a low-quality option. It’s a low-density hardwood and therefore won’t last as long nor burn as hot. Having said that, it does create a pretty flame and produces an earthy, smoky scent.

Those who know how to chop firewood know that there are two essential ingredients: knowledge of the correct technique and the right stuff. Now, when we talk about ‘the right stuff’ we’re not talking about personal attributes like strength and hardiness; no, we’re talking about the equipment you’re going to need to split those behemoth logs. With the required knowledge and the right equipment, anyone can learn how to chop firewood.

There are few things as satisfying as swinging a splitting axe into a large log and creating two pieces of firewood for yourself. Whether you’re creating a stash for the fire at home or preparing a campfire, knowing how to chop firewood means that you can create the optimum sized fuel for your blaze.

With the camping season now upon us, many of us will be heading to the backcountry in search of escapism. For us, the campfire is one of the highlights of any trip. There’s something about food cooked on a campfire that even the best camping stoves can’t match. Meanwhile, the ancient act of gathering around the flames to tell tall tales and sing under the stars never gets old, which is why people have been doing it for hundreds of thousands of years.

So, once you’ve sourced your fuel, either from a local store, or in the old-fashioned way from one of the best trees for firewood, you may need to chop it down to size, especially if you intend to cook on a wood-burning stove. Logs too big and your campfire won’t get going at all; too small and the fire will burn itself out before you’ve even finished singing Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash. Here’s our guide on how to do this (chop firewood, that is, not sing Ring of Fire).

How to chop firewood: what you’ll need

• A splitting axe or splitting maul
• A chopping block
• Wedges (for larger pieces of wood)
• Gloves
• Safety glasses

Depending on the size of your logs you’ll either need a splitting axe or a splitting maul before you unleash your inner lumberjack.

A splitting axe is the lighter of the two and is designed to split wood along the grain, breaking apart its fibers. Its metal head is tapered and the design of it is such that it shouldn’t get wedged in smaller pieces of wood, unlike what would happen with a traditional cutting axe.

A splitting maul takes the features of a splitting axe and combines them with the log splitting heft of a wedge and the weight of a sledgehammer. This makes it heavier and gives it a wider head than a splitting axe, making it even less likely to get jammed in the wood.

For larger logs, another approach is the combination of a wedge and a sledgehammer, often requiring two individuals: one to hold the wedge in place, the other to use the sledgehammer to set the wedge and then to drive the hammer down into the wedge to split the wood. A decent splitting maul will have a wedge-like head on one end and a sledgehammer on the other.

This video illustrates various splitting maul designs and how to chop firewood using them:

The reason a chopping block is so essential is that the lower your doomed piece of wood is, the more chance you have of missing it and bringing your axe swinging towards your feet – not ideal, I’m sure you’d agree. A chopping block lifts the wood off the ground and also means that the point at which you make contact is when the swing has the most downward momentum and power. Also, a hard chopping block won’t cushion your wood like the ground, meaning the full force of your swing is transferred rather it than being absorbed by the earth below.

A word on safety. Eye protection is essential, especially if you’re driving a sledgehammer into a wedge. Metal on metal and the forces involved can cause sparks to fly, and not in a romantic way, as well as tiny metal shards. The last thing you want is a shard in your eye. People, wear safety goggles.

How to chop firewood: technique

Now that you’ve got the right tools, it’s time to do that most satisfying of tasks: splitting firewood. Accuracy is half the battle here; the goal is to strike the thin edge of the axe or maul’s head into the top of the log with enough force to split it. It makes sense to choose a line of weakness that’s already visible in the wood and try to impact towards the edge that’s closest to you rather than the very centre.

Place your feet shoulder width apart and square to your target. Hold the maul in two hands, one towards the base of the handle and the other by the metal head. Raise your maul over your head (but not behind it), slide the hand by the metal head down to meet your other hand and bring it down, keeping your eyes fixed on where you want to hit. You can use your full body and tip toes to initially extend, before bending your knees as you bring the axe down for maximum force.

How to chop firewood without an axe or maul

I know what you’re thinking, it's all very well knowing how to chop firewood using a maul but most of us don’t own one. Even if you did own one, you may not take such a heavy tool on a casual camping trip.

Fortunately, you can split smaller logs, like the kind you'll get from campsite stores, using a fixed blade camping knife. Work the blade into a pre-existing crack in the top of the log so that the thicker part is in contact with the wood and the knife’s tip is beyond the log.

Using a hammer, tap the knife down into the wood before beginning more aggressive blows once it is firmly in place. If you don’t have a hammer, you can use a hefty piece of wood to do this. Eventually, your knife will work its way down the log, splitting it in two.

This video shows this technique:

When it comes to how to orientate a map, there are two main ways to do it. Also known as setting the map, orientating helps to relate your position and the landscape around you to the map, therefore making onward navigation more straightforward. It is the bread and butter of navigation and a good habit to get into every time you set off in any given direction.

The easiest way to orientate a map is to relate the features in front of you to the features on the map. The obvious drawback here is that such an approach is impossible in poor visibility. In this situation, you can use your compass to work out which direction magnetic north is and orientate from there.

At Advnture, we never head out into the backcountry without a map and compass. Sometimes we may use GPS technology or navigational apps to find our way, but we will always have the option of a map and compass stashed safely in our hiking backpack. This is because technology is fallible, batteries run out, cold kills gadgets and there’s always the possibility of dropping a device down a steep slope or into a rushing river.

A map and compass are useless unless you know how to use them properly. Knowing how to orientate a map is just one facet of the wider skill of knowing how to read a map. Experience is the best way to learn and we’d highly recommend booking a navigation course to really hone your skills.

How to orientate a map using features in the landscape

First things first. Contours are king. If you take just one thing from this guide, let it be the appreciation that contours are the most important navigational feature on the map, especially where hills and mountains are concerned. Of course, ignore all of this if you’re hiking through the Netherlands or Florida, where hills and, by extension, contour lines are somewhat rare.

The reason contours are king is that they are fixed, at least in the timescales we’re talking about here. The courses of streams change, field boundaries move, new hedgerows are built, walls are plundered for buildings, glaciers melt, roads and bridges are washed away by floods, houses are knocked down and rebuilt somewhere else. You get the picture. Nothing is permanent and contours are more permanent than pretty much everything else on a map. This is why you should never take a bearing off a sheep.

So, if you know where you are on the map, look ahead and see what features you can see. Start with contour features, such as what the ground is doing in front of you and around you, what happens to the terrain in the middle distance and then what’s going on in terms of distant mountain peaks, ridges, hills and escarpments. Taking each feature’s relative shape, height and distance away into consideration, you should be able to start to match them to the contour features on the map. 

You should be able to turn the map so that if you were to imagine jumping into it, the features would lie in the same direction both on the map and in your surroundings. You should then be able to roughly work out which way is north, east south or west using your map’s gridlines. This is also known as triangulation.

Next, ensure you’re happy with your judgment by matching other physical features in the landscape to the map, such as crags, glaciers, waterfalls, lakes and rivers. If everything is matching up, you’re onto a winner. Finally, you can always triple check with human features, such as walls or towns that you’d expect to be able to see in the valley. Remember, human features are the last port of call and, what’s king again? That’s right… Contours are king.

How to orientate a map using a compass

As previously stated, orientating your map using visual features is only as good as the visibility on any given day. The instances navigation needs to be most spot-on are when visibility is compromised. When this happens, it’s time to orientate using a compass. There are two ways of doing this. Here’s our step-by-step guide to the most straightforward.

Step 1: adjust your compass for magnetic declination

As magnetic north changes depending on where you are in the world, you have to ensure you adjust your compass accordingly. UK readers, you’re in luck. The variation between magnetic north and true north is currently so minor that this can generally be ignored.

We’ve compiled a detailed guide on how to adjust for magnetic declination, but at its most basic level it goes like this:

Your map should state what the magnetic declination is in degrees for the region you are in. Take your compass and turn the compass housing (bezel) until the red orientating arrow is in line with the direction of travel arrow. Next, turn the compass housing so that the index pointer corresponds to the number of degrees of the magnetic declination. Bear in mind that an east declination value will be a positive number, and a west declination value will be a negative number. 

Step 2: line the compass up with the map

Take your compass and line up the edges with the north-south gridlines on your map. Don’t worry that your red orientating arrow doesn’t point exactly map north. This is because it is prepped to point instead to magnetic north once it’s lined up with your compass needle.

Step 3: rotate both map and compass together

To orientate the map, rotate both the map and compass together until the red compass needle and the red orientating arrow match up. This is sometimes referred to as ‘putting red in the shed’.

And that’s it! You’ve orientated the map.

Another way...

There's another way to orientate a map using a compass that starts slightly differently to what was explained above.

If your map already has a line to show magnetic declination, you can take your compass and line its edges up along this. Leave your orientating arrow in line with the index line and the direction of travel arrow, as it will already be primed to point magnetic north. Now repeat step 3 above and you’re good to go.

This straightforward video shows both approaches to using a compass to orientate a map:

Knowing how to store firewood is important if you are to enjoy and use a campfire at home, or cook using a wood-burning stove. A campfire is, after all, one of the quintessential experiences of any camping trip. Humans have been making campfires and cooking, singing and telling tall tales around them since we first discovered how to ignite a spark. This discovery is said to have had a profound effect on our evolution to becoming the dominant species on Earth today.

So, when your tribe are gathered around, stories primed for telling, marshmallows ready on sticks, guitar tuned for the singsong – nothing is going to burst the balloon of excitement like damp wood that won’t ignite. You see, fuel for the campfire is a precious commodity and knowing how to store firewood – and where to get it in the first place – are essential bits of knowledge.

Yes, you can use your best camping stove to cook your meals and, yes, you can still gather around and tell stories with the light of your headlamps, but it’s just not the same as a campfire. There’s something that grounds us beautifully when staring into the crackling flames, warmed by the radiated heat.

So, here we give you our guide on how to store firewood correctly, both generally and for the fire pits and wood-burning stoves once you've arrived at the campsite. We also guide you on where to obtain your firewood and, for those who want to adventure in the Scottish Highlands, how to use firewood in a mountain bothy.

How to store firewood correctly

The simple fact is that firewood needs to be dry to burn well. The golden number here is a moisture level of below 20%. So, the first consideration is getting and keeping the wood dry. Newly cut wood is known as green wood and is high in water content. In order for green wood to become fully-fledged firewood, it has to age for several months, a process known as seasoning or curing.

However, there’s more to knowing how to store firewood than just getting it and keeping it dry; it also needs to be stored in a way that keeps it safe from bug infestations and issues with fungus and mould. And no, spraying it with the best insect repellent is not a good idea.

The ideal place to store firewood is outside. This is to give the logs the best chance of drying completely. Unless the logs are already dry, storing them in a garage or outhouse will not allow the moisture level to get down to the golden 20%.

Your woodpile should be kept off the ground to allow ventilation – a pallet is absolutely perfect for this task – and the outside of the wood should be exposed to the air. There’s no issue with leaving firewood uncovered if the forecast is dry. However, if any kind of precipitation is forecast, the woodpile is best placed under some form of cover. The pile should be stacked in rows of four feet high at most; a haphazard pile won’t give you the desired ventilation, ordered stacks are the key here.

Where to get your firewood for a camping trip

It’s important not to introduce wood that isn’t sourced locally. This is because foreign wood can introduce invasive insects and diseases, which in the worst case scenario can wipe out an entire forest ecosystem just as brutally as a wildfire. Don't take your own firewood to a campsite far from home.

Many campsites have their own stores of firewood and bundles can often be bought at a reasonable price. It may be that the site itself doesn’t have its own firewood store but staff will probably know of a local outlet where you can buy some, such as a gas station or grocery store.

If you are wild camping, campfires are frowned upon. The principles of leave no trace when camping can’t be followed if you create a new fire pit somewhere out in the wilderness. A portable camping stove is the much-preferred option for cooking, while you can always bring a hot water bottle along to keep you toasty when the sun sets.

As well as the remains of a backcountry campfire being unsightly for future visitors, there’s also the danger posed by wildfires to consider. While many wildfire are naturally occurring, most ignited by lightning strikes, open fires are also one of the main causes of what can be a devastating occurrence.

How to store firewood on a camping trip

So, you’ve bought your locally sourced firewood bundle and you’ve carried it over to where you’ve pitched the family tent. There’s just one problem, there’s a downpour forecast for the afternoon. Fortunately, it’s clear again for the evening, so the campfire singalong is not in jeopardy, but you'd best get the firewood under some form of shelter in the meantime.

As your firewood should already be dry enough to burn effectively, getting it out of the rain is your main priority, so store it somewhere dry. This could be in the trunk of your car, in a spare tent or under a well-erected tarp. When showtime arrives, fetch your firewood, gather your kindling and get that fire started.

Using firewood in one of the UK’s bothies

Bothies are buildings in the UK, mostly found in the Scottish Highlands, that are free for hikers and campers to take refuge in. All are permanently unoccupied and most are managed by the Mountain Bothies Association.

When staying in a bothy, there are no rules to follow as such, but there is a bothy code. Whether or not there will already be a store of firewood when you arrive at a bothy is a lottery but one way you can make sure there is by bringing your own. The bothy codes states that you should ‘burn only timber that is clearly firewood and never cut live trees’. It should go without saying, but don’t be tempted to plunder adjacent buildings by hacking at their wooden fences.

Finally, when you leave a bothy, make sure the fire is out. Bothies have been lost because of unattended fires.

Knowing what to do if you fall through ice is an important survival skill for anyone adventuring in extreme winter conditions, whether that’s in hiking boots, skates or skis. After all, crossing a frozen surface in winter is an inherently risky activity and not one that’s often recommended. 

If you’ve ever done it, or even considered it, you probably envisioned the sickening crack of ice giving way under foot, followed by a terrifying plunge into the frigid depths beneath the surface. This worst case scenario is extremely dangerous and can easily be fatal, but it doesn’t have to spell instant death. In this article, we take a look at what you can do if you fall through ice to stay alive and get yourself to safety. 

How long can you survive if you fall through ice? 

The answer to this varies, depending on your health and how you respond. Falling through ice can induce a cold shock response, where you gasp as you fall and accidentally inhale water. The panic can also cause you to hyperventilate, which can lead to unconsciousness. In both instances, drowning is a real possibility and can happen within minutes. 

Then there’s the possibility of cardiac arrest, which can occur if you have an existing heart condition. Upon detecting the cold temperature, your blood vessels constrict and your heart has to work harder to pump blood through your body. Again, this can happen quickly.

Hypothermia on the other hand, takes a bit longer. It could take up to 30 minutes in the water before you start to experience mild hypothermia. Once this sets in, you won’t have the capacity to take life saving action such as treading water.

As you can see, it’s important to respond calmly and quickly if you fall through ice to minimize your risk and have any chance of survival.

What to do if you fall through ice 

Naturally, the best way to survive falling through ice is not to walk on ice in the first place, but let’s say you’ve checked to make sure the ice is thick enough to walk on and started crossing it only to discover, too late, that its thickness is inconsistent and you step on to a thin patch big enough to fall through. As soon as you find yourself taking a plunge, spread your arms out wide to try to keep your head above water, and follow these steps: 

1. Keep a clear head 

Your best lifeline if disaster strikes is to try not to panic. If your head goes under, open your eyes underwater and follow the light to get your head back up above the surface in the area where you fell through. Once your head is above water, take deep, slow breaths. When you panic and hyperventilate, you trigger the stress response which overrides your brain’s ability to make rational decisions, and right now, you need to think clearly.

Diaphragmatic breathing has been shown to slow your heart rate and help induce the relaxation response, and while you don’t want to be relaxed exactly, this will help your nervous system stay calm and allow your brain to make logical, life-saving decisions.

Naturally, if there is anyone around, call out to them and alert them to your situation. They may be able to pull you out or call for help.

2. Ditch any heavy equipment 

If you’re wearing any heavy, cumbersome equipment like a backpack or skis, shed them quickly so they don’t pull you under. You may have to sacrifice these items in order to save your life, but if your backpack contains anything useful like dry clothes or a lighter and you can safely pitch it up onto solid ground so you have it when you emerge, do so. 

3. Keep your clothes on 

If you’ve ever taken a lifeguard course, you probably think that clothes and shoes should be shed as they will become heavy, make it difficult to swim and pull you under. However, winter clothes like down jackets and waterproof jackets can also trap air and provide buoyancy, so don’t waste time pulling them off if you don’t have to. 

4. Pull yourself out 

Continuing to stay calm, tread water as if you’re riding a bicycle and make your way back to the hole where you fell through. The chances are, the surrounding ice that you were standing on before you fell will be thicker and solid and you may be able to use your elbows to pull yourself out of the water and onto the ice. Get your torso on the ice, then swing out your legs one at a time. 

5. Lie horizontally on the ice 

Once you’ve pulled yourself out of the water, don’t stand up immediately, tempting though it may be, as you may fall back through. Instead, stay lying horizontally on the ice to spread out your weight over a larger surface and roll yourself away from the hole, back in the direction you came from until it’s safe to stand up. 

6. Get to safety and warm up  

Once you’re up, get to a sheltered area as quickly as you can. Ideally this will be an indoor space like a building or vehicle, but you might just have to find a rock or tree that shelters you from the wind – a cold wind chill will only speed up your risk of hypothermia. 

Next, you want to start warming up quickly but carefully. Immediately remove your wet clothes so you don’t continue to freeze, and get into dry clothes if possible. If you can, place something between you and the cold ground like a blanket or backpack.

Do not submerge yourself in warm water as this can induce heart arrhythmia. If you have access to a heat source, such as a hot water bottle or heating pads, don’t apply it directly onto your skin but wrap it in a towel first. Seek medical attention as soon as possible.

If you grew up watching television in the 1970s and 1980s, you have almost definitely had the “how to escape quicksand” conversation at some point. After all, how many times did you see your on-screen hero narrowly avoid being unwittingly sucked into the earth by some benign-looking bog? For decades, this omnipotent threat pervaded our favorite shows and left us afraid to wander off the hiking trail for fear of instant death. 

Then one day, quicksand just disappeared from TV and movies, only to be replaced by smoke monsters and snakes on a plane, leaving many of us to wonder if knowing how to escape quicksand is as necessary a survival skill as we were led to believe in our youth. Or are you more likely to just lose one of your favorite hiking boots? In this article, we answer the questions that haunted your childhood nightmares and describe some real life survival tactics in case you do actually encounter quicksand. 

Is quicksand real? 

Quicksand is real and while it used to be thought of as a special type of sand, it’s actually just any sand that is saturated with water. This makes it behave as a liquid which means it loses its supporting capacity. Quicksand is usually found near tidal flats like river deltas, along streams or on beaches where water pools have filled with sand. 

What happens if you get stuck in quicksand? 

We all have an image in our minds of what happens if you get stuck in quicksand. You’re probably walking through the jungle and take one misstep. First, you can’t pull your foot out. The harder you try, the deeper you sink in. Before you know it, you’re neck deep and reaching in vain for the elusive tendril of a banyan tree. Seconds later, bubbles at the surface of the quicksand are the only evidence that you were ever here.

The reality is that while you can get stuck in quicksand, your whole body won’t actually sink to the bottom of it. In fact, a 2005 article in the journal Nature found that it’s impossible for a human body to sink completely into quicksand. Quicksand is denser than your body is, which means you’ll mostly float on the surface. Your legs are denser than your upper body which contains your air-filled lungs, so they may sink, but your upper half will stay afloat. 

Is quicksand dangerous? 

There are some dangers associated with quicksand, but they’re not really of the instant drowning variety. If you were to get stuck in quicksand near a tidal body of water, you could be at risk for drowning and this has been the cause of some unfortunate deaths. Meanwhile, quicksand can cause structures like bridges and buildings to collapse and that of course can inflict harm. But in terms of being out on a hiking trail, you’re more likely to lose some precious time or a hiking pole. Sad, certainly, but not catastrophic. 

How to escape quicksand 

While quicksand may not suck you down you the way we’ve always thought, it is definitely hard to get out of. Lore always told us that struggling in quicksand only makes it claim you faster, and while we can’t find any scientific evidence of this, it probably does tire you out and certainly doesn’t help you get out quicker. Somewhere in the 1990s there was a popular theory that you should try swimming in it, though again, there’s no great research to back this idea up and it seems more likely your head could go under in most swimming positions you’re likely to try. Instead, here are some tips for how to escape quicksand: 

1. Avoid it 

Avoid hiking in a sandy, tidal area after a big rainstorm. If you are hiking in such an area, avoid sandy terrain that’s rippled or has water bubbling up to the surface. If you’re not sure, check the ground in front of you with your walking pole before taking the next step. 

2. Drop some weight 

If you step into quicksand and are wearing a backpack, take it off quickly and toss it onto firm ground. The lighter you are, the easier it is to extract yourself. 

3. Back out 

Straight away, see if you can just take a few steps backwards to get out of it. You probably will be able to get back to firm ground and if you lose a boot, you can deal with that in a moment. Be careful not to topple over. 

4. Lean back and float

If you can’t backpedal, the best way to escape quicksand is to do something you probably don’t want to do: lean back into it. This helps to distribute your body weight over a great area and allows you to slowly free your legs. Remember, your torso won’t sink, but do keep your head up above the surface. Try moving your legs in a slow rocking movement to help water circulate around them which allows you to free them. Despite its name, this will actually take some time – possibly hours – and require some patience. Never try to float on your belly as that increases the risk of your face and head going into the water. 

5. Carefully climb out 

Once your legs have floated up to the surface, keep them there and you may be able roll to awkwardly your side out of the quicksand if the ground next to you is firm. Otherwise, stay on your back and use your arms to make a gentle swimming motion to pull yourself back or sideways to firm ground. Use any tools at your disposal like hiking poles, reeds or tree limbs here to help pull yourself to safety. 

6. Don’t panic

There’s never really been any survival situation that’s benefited from panic. After all, when your Stress Response is triggered, your amygdala is deactivated and that’s the part of your brain responsible for rational thinking. Panicking might cause you to struggle which will tire you out. Instead, practise deep breathing which has not only been shown to help counter stress, it will also fill your lungs and help you stay buoyant.

Knowing how to take a bearing is crucial knowledge when navigating in wilderness areas or in challenging conditions. Using your map and compass, a bearing enables you to venture in the correct direction with confidence, even if you can’t see more than a meter in front of you.

A few other skills come into play, of course. You need to be able to read a map and having a good grasp of your average hiking speed is useful if you're following a bearing over considerable distances. However, once you've got all of this, you'll have great fun navigating your way around the backcountry.

Our qualified Mountain Leader is here to reveal what a bearing actually is, how to take one from a map and how to then follow it in your hiking boots across backcountry terrain. Compasses at the ready? Let's go!

What is a bearing?

A bearing is the direction between two points expressed in degrees, using north as a reference point. For example, let's say the summit is directly east of a mountain hut. North is always expressed as 0 degrees, so the bearing from the mountain hut to the summit would be 90 degrees. Similarly, the bearing from the summit back to the mountain hut would be 270 degrees. 

Of course, the direction from one arbitrary point to the another isn't always as straight forward as due east or due west. Let's say you are on a mountainous plateau in poor visibility and you know your location. You also know where you want to get to on the map. Taking a bearing allows you to work out the direction between your location and your objective on the map and then apply it to you real world navigation, using your compass.

How to take a bearing

Taking a bearing is a relatively complex process on the face of it. I've broken it down into the six steps below. For the relevant detail behind each step, click the links or scroll further down.

• 1) Find your location on the map – it's vital you know your exact location
• 2) Estimate the bearing – this acts as a handy check that you've measured the bearing correctly in the coming steps.
• 3) Line up A and B on the map using your compass – this is where A is your location and B is your destination
• 4) Align the map's grid with the compass' orienting lines – ensure the red orienting arrow is pointing north and the map is the right way around.
• 5) Read the bearing from the top of the compass housing – refer back to your estimate to check it's within the expected range
• 6) Align the compass north needle with the orienting arrow – having put your map to one side, the compass' direction of travel arrow will now point to your chosen location

Meet the expert

So, you know how to read a map and you known the basics behind how to use a compass. It's now time to put these skills into practice.

A great way to hone your navigation is to head out on a remote wild camp and use it as a base. You can develop your skills on a hike in the daytime and don your best headlamp for some night navigation once the sun has set. That's what I did when I pitched up in Wales' Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park.

For more detail on my step by step guide, see below:

Find your location on the map

When you take a bearing, you need to know where you are (Point A) and where you want to go (Point B). The first thing you need to do is triangulate to work out exactly where you are and match this to the map. Use terrain features to do this, using fixed natural features first – such as gradients, crags and rivers – and then confirming your judgement using human features, like paths, walls and fences, as these are more liable to change over time.

Of course, if you need to take a bearing it may be because visibility is low. Perhaps the cloud has rolled in or perhaps it’s the dead of night. When this is the case, working out exactly where you are on a map is much more difficult. In these circumstances, it’s a good idea to cross reference with the map every time you arrive at an obvious feature, such as a summit, a building, a clear junction of paths, a waterfall etc. It’s worth reiterating: there’s no point taking a bearing unless you know where you are on the map.

Estimate the bearing between Point A and Point B

So, you know where you are on the map, this is Point A. You’ve figured out where you want to be, this is Point B. It’s useful, especially in low visibility, if Point B is something that should be quite an obvious feature when you arrive there.

It’s a good idea to make an estimation of the bearing because this will give you more confidence when you come to measure it accurately. It also ensures one little lapse in concentration doesn’t lead to a big navigational error, such as getting north and south mixed up. 

Study your map and estimate what you would expect the bearing to be. To do this, Look at the direction of travel between Point A and B on the map. If it’s between north and east, you would expect a bearing between 0 and 90 degrees – closer to 0 if it’s broadly north and closer to 90 if it’s broadly east. If the direction of travel is between east and south, you’d expect a bearing between 90 and 180 degrees. South and west is 180 to 270 degrees and west to north is 270 to 360 (or 0 – as you’ve come full circle) degrees.

Line up A and B on the map using your compass

What often confuses people when they are learning to take a bearing is that the compass’s red north-facing needle does not come into play until you’ve put the map away. It almost seems counterintuitive because the north needle is what immediately springs to mind when we think about compasses. So, to reiterate, you don’t need to worry about the north-facing needle when calculating a bearing until you put the map away.

Bring your compass to the map and line up Point A with Point B using the straight edge of your compass, or the forward-facing lines on the base plate.

Align the map grid with the compass orienting lines

Being careful not to move the baseplate, rotate the compass housing (often referred to as the bezel) to align the orienting lines with the north-south gridlines on the map. Ensure the red orienting arrow on the compass is pointing north on the map and that your map is the right way around.

Read the bearing

Read the bearing from the top of the compass housing and refer it back to your estimate to make sure it is what you were expecting. In the illustrated example above, the bearing is 341 degrees, which agrees with the estimation of between 330 and 350 degrees. So to walk between Gwal y Cadno and the stone circle, a bearing of 341 degrees should be followed...

Align the compass north needle with the orienting arrow

Putting your map to one side, this is where your compass’s red north-facing needle comes into play. Rotate with your compass in hand until the north needle aligns with the red orienting arrow. The direction of travel arrow on your compass will now face the way you intend to go. It’s important to hold the compass horizontally, to allow the magnetic needle to spin freely. Holding it in two hands and locking your elbows to your side is a good way to ensure it stays level.

How to walk on a bearing

So, you've got your bearing and now you need to follow it. Here are three methods you can use to follow your bearing, as well as some advanced techniques you might require. Scroll down or click the links for more detail.

• Use terrain features as sighting points – if a feature lies directly on your bearing, you can walk to it safe in the knowledge that you're heading in the right direction.
• Or, use a friend as a sighting point – is poor visibility on featureless terrain, get a friend to walk in a straight line on your bearing until they're at the edge of your visibility.
• Walk with the compass set – walk with the compass held out in front, following the direction of travel arrow and making sure the north-facing needle stays within the north arrow
• Advanced techniques – when faced with an obstacle in poor visibility, you can box around it by turning 90 degrees, taking a set number of paces to avoid the obstacle and repeating this until you're back on your original bearing.

Use terrain features as sighting points

If the visibility is good, there are usually features in the landscape that you can use to help you get from Point A to Point B. For example, when you sight along the direction of travel arrow (see image above) and it’s pointing towards a fixed object – like a building, a rocky outcrop, or a distant summit – you can walk directly towards this with confidence that you are still heading in the right direction.

These sighting points become checkpoints along your route. Objects in the middle distance are better than those that are far away for two reasons. Firstly, they make for easy-to-reach checkpoints on your way to your objective. Secondly, features like a distant summit could be obscured by cloud as you walk towards them. For obvious reasons, don’t walk on a bearing towards a buzzard or a sheep; these don’t fall into the category of fixed objects.

Or use a friend as a sighting point

If visibility is really poor and you can’t use features in the landscape, you can use your buddy as a sighting point. Show them the bearing (even better if they’ve got their own compass too), ask them to walk ahead until they reach the edge of your visibility and tell them to stop. Check they are still in line with the direction of travel arrow on your compass – ask them to step to the right or left to get back in line if they’re not – and then walk forward to join them. You can then repeat this process, which ensures you stay on your bearing.

Walk with the compass set

If you’re alone and there’s very little visibility, you’re going to have to walk with the compass set. This means walking with the compass held out in front of your eyes, following the direction of travel arrow and making sure the red north-facing needle stays within the red north arrow. It’s quite rare that visibility is so poor that you can’t identify at least something as a sighting point, but every now and again this technique will have to be deployed.

Advanced techniques

It’s inevitable when walking on a bearing that you will meet the occasional obstacle that you can’t (or don’t want to) walk over, such as a bog or a rocky outcrop. This isn’t an issue If you are walking towards a clear object that you’ve identified as a sighting point. You can simply walk around the obstruction and continue to the sighting point, before taking another look at your compass to identify the next checkpoint on your bearing.

In poor visibility, this can be more of an issue. One way to get around the obstruction while making sure you stay on your bearing is to ‘box’ around it. Let’s say there’s a craggy outcrop that you can go over. If you turn 90 degrees to the right and walk for ten paces; turn 90 degrees to the left and walk another ten paces; and turn 90 degrees to the left again and walk for ten paces; before finally turning 90 degrees back to the right you should be back on your bearing and around the obstacle.

Why are map and compass skills important?

• A map and compass will never fail and can be used anywhere
• Winter, in particular, has the potential to sap the battery life of electronic gadgets
• Navigating using traditional methods is fun and rewarding

With many of us heading out into the hills and mountains in winter, the need to head in the right direction when confronted with poor visibility, the dark of night or, worse, a full on blizzard is critical. These days, there are always those who champion the use of technology over traditional navigational methods. However, technology is fallible, particularly when you throw in freezing temperatures and a whole load of precipitation, be it snow, rain, sleet or hail.

Your best compass won’t run out of battery. Your map won’t suddenly go blank in Baltic temperatures. Better still, the knowledge of how to take a bearing is something you can use all over the world, from coastal paths in South Africa to treks among Himalayan giants. Better still, the sense of satisfaction you’ll get from successfully finding your way through the backcountry without the use of tech is tangible.

Due to this, we never head for the trail without a map and compass in our hiking backpack. Once you’ve mastered the basics of map reading, it’s time to build on your skills and learn things like being able to take a bearing.

Love them or loathe them, rock cairns are a mainstay on our hiking trails. These stacks of stones, some broad and scattered, others artfully arranged, are ubiquitous features, cropping up everywhere from summits and cols to beaches and, of course, Instagram.

In this feature, we're here with our hiking experts take an objective look at humble rock cairns, investigating their purpose, revealing their history, giving advice on how to use them and considering whether or not they're bad for the environment.

What are rock cairns?

Cairns are man-made rock piles. The word “cairn” is a Scottish Gaelic word literally meaning “heap of stones”. In fact, some Scottish mountains contain the word in their name, such as Broad Cairn and Cairn Gorm (the mountain after which the National Park is named). While they are a common sight in rural Scotland and the rest of the UK, rock cairns are also found on every continent across the globe. 

Rock cairns range in size from the small ones you might see when you’re hiking that are just a foot or two high to hulking constructions such as the Brown Willy Summit Cairn in Cornwall, England which towers at over 16 feet tall. 

They are used as navigational tools in hiking, burial sites in many ancient cultures and more recently are being constructed as a form of artistic expression.

Meet the experts

What is the history of rock cairns?

• Cairns have been constructed since prehistoric times
• They were usually built as way-markers or to mark burial grounds
• There are some whose purpose remains a mystery

Rock cairns have been built since prehistoric times and are used across many different cultures as landmarks, burial sites and trail markers. The Aberystruth Archaeological Society in Wales recently revealed ancient cairns dating back 4,500 years that they believe were used to bury the leaders of neolithic tribes.

In Scotland, it is traditional to bring a rock with you when you climb a mountain to place it on the pile at the top, while highlanders returning from battle would remove a stone from a pile to mark their survival. In northern Europe and North American indigenous cultures they’ve been used to mark gravesites, while in Scandinavia they were historically used to mark coastal pathways. In Peru, rock cairns are built as shrines and they hold symbolism in folklore from Britain, Ireland and Greek mythology.

Finally, there are many rock cairns across the world that archaeologists still haven’t uncovered a meaning to.

How do I use rock cairns in hiking?

• Modern cairns are usually constructed to aid hikers
• Where trails are indistinct, a series of cairns may indicate the way
• Simply follow the cairns, a bit like joining the dots
• Some cairns have been created for artistic purposes

One setting where we do understand the meaning of rock cairns is in hiking. Today, rock cairns are most often constructed and used for navigation in the wilderness, and even form part of the national survey grid in some countries, placed at the highest peaks across the land.

For hikers, they’re basically the original compass or GPS device. Though states like Colorado and Montana are known for their well-marked trails, rock cairns are particularly useful and common in places like Scotland, where trails are a little less well-established, and in barren areas of mountainous states, such as in alpine tundra zones, or boulder fields on your way up a 14er. In such areas, if you lose the trail you can stop and search for a cairn to take you in the right direction. When you arrive at that cairn, if the trail is still unclear, look for the next one and follow them like that until you either find the trail again or arrive at your destination. 

The one caveat to this is that in recent years, people have taken to building rock cairns for artistic, rather than navigational, purposes. These may appear like harmless outdoor fun, but experts warn they can be dangerous on the trails as they might unintentionally lead unsuspecting hikers astray. To ensure this doesn’t happen to you, look for rock piles that are pyramid-shaped and appear as though they’ve been there a while (they may be covered in lichen, for example). If a pile of stones appears precarious and looks like it’s recently been stacked, it’s probably just the recreational endeavour of a modern day stone-stacking enthusiast.

Are rock cairns bad for the environment?

• It's been argued that cairns fly in the face of the Leave No Trace principles
• Ecologists also argue that moving rocks leads to unnecessary soil erosion
• As trail users, you should leave any rocks you come across alone

This brings us to an increasingly common topic of debate: are rock cairns bad for the environment? They seem benign at worst and aesthetically pleasing at best, however while stacking stones at the ocean's edge isn't a problem since that ecosystem changes with the tides, inland the activity may pose a problem. 

Some opponents argue that cairns fly in the face of the Leave No Trace rule of recreating in the outdoors, while ecologists suggest that stacking stones disturbs the natural ecosystem of the landscape and exposes soil to unnecessary erosion. Some wildlife experts even argue that precarious piles of rocks can pose the danger of falling and harming insects and animals.

The real problem seems to lie in the recent explosion of creating rock piles everywhere, seemingly for photo opportunities and social media posts. Ultimately, the common sense message seems to be that true rock cairns on hiking trails have been there a long time and serve an important purpose, but any time you head out in your hiking boots, you should leave the rocks alone. 

Survival guides are among the most useful books you will ever read. They could even save your life. These ultimate self-help manuals cover the basics of staying alive, like finding water, building a shelter, and managing bear attacks. They also make for great torchlight reads when you’re camping to accumulate knowledge that could be vital one day. 

There are hundreds of guides that outline every possible situation you might need to survive. Here are four classics that we have found essential reading for anyone who likes an outdoor adventure or wants to keep their family safe, whatever happens. 

Bottom line

A little knowledge goes a long way, and the best survival guides are packed with the wisdom of some of the world’s foremost experts. You owe it to yourself and your family to get informed. As well as being life-savingly useful, the skills you learn will be relevant for any outdoor experience, even if it’s a leisurely camping trip. We think the best guide, the one by which all the others should be judged, is the SAS Survival Handbook. This text features survival knowledge built up by an elite special forces unit over 80 years. But it’s very down-to-earth and aimed at civilians who want to get the facts for handling any situation. 

For a more holistic view of survival, we would also recommend Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival. It focuses on bushcraft skills and how to work with nature to thrive in the wilderness. 

Unfortunately, extreme weather events are becoming more and more common. The changes wrought by global warming are having an affect right across the globe, on every continent. Sadly, these events can lead to the destruction of peoples’ homes, the obliteration of natural habitats and the deaths of local wildlife and even people.

The outdoor regions we love to explore with our best hiking boots are just as under threat as anywhere. In fact, the more extreme the environment, the more extreme the weather tends to be. In recent years, flooding has reared its head in some of our most cherished national parks, in places like the English Lake District and Italy’s Cinque Terre (to name just two).

However, wildfires have been making the news time and time again in recent years. Tree-covered wilderness areas provide almost endless fuel supplies to a burgeoning blaze. Incredibly, every year there are 75,000 wildfires the US alone, destroying in excess of 7 million acres of land (that’s 10 times the size of Yosemite National Park). As users of the outdoors, it is important to know how to ensure we don’t accidentally seed what could become a devastating wildfire with our actions. It’s also wise to be armed with a few basic survival tips, should you find yourself in an affected region.

Wildfire safety: what causes a wildfire?

Most wildfires are naturally occurring, though it's not an overwhelming majority; sadly, humans cause a large percentage of the world's wildfires too. Most naturally occurring fires are ignited by a lightning strike. Much rarer are those started due to rockfalls, volcanic activity or meteorite strikes.

The key difference between a naturally occurring wildfire and one caused by human activity is that the latter are totally preventable. Open fires, camping stoves, cigarettes and vehicle use are some of the main causes, though there are myriad ways that a wildfire can be started by humans. So, here’s how you can prevent them…

Wildfire safety: prevention

Firstly, if you ever see an unattended campfire, or a fire that seems to be burning out of control, call the fire service straight away.

Open fires are common causes of wildfires, with trash burning the culprit more often than not. If you burn your trash, you need to do so in line with local regulations. Do not burn trash when its windy and always have a fire extinguisher handy.

If you’re a keen camper, you’ve probably made your fair share of open campfires. Sitting by a roaring fire on your camping chair, telling ghost stories, enjoying a sing song or just kicking back with a beverage or three is all part of the quintessential camping experience. However, it is crucial to put your fire out properly once you are finished with it.

You should have a bucket of water with you for any campfire session. Pour the water over the flames, stir the fire area with a shovel to soak the remaining embers and pour water on it once again. Finally, feel the campfire area with the back of your hand to ensure nothing is still smouldering.

Other wildfires caused by human activity are mostly down to lapses in common sense. This is stating the plainly obvious, but if you’re using a camping stove, remember to turn it off. If you’re a smoker, dispose of your cigarette responsibly. Never throw cigarette butts or matches on the ground, as both contain the heat potential to create a spark. Used cigarettes launched from a car are often the cause of wildfires. If you see anyone you know do this, it’s a good opportunity for you to step up as an educator.

How to stay safe in the case of a wildfire

Firstly, make yourself aware of the chances of a fire during the planning stage of your adventure. Regions that are prone to wildfires post the risk in their daily forecast, so always check ahead before setting out on a camping or hiking trip. If you live in a region where wildfires are a serious possibility, you should formulate an evacuation plan so that you and your family know exactly what you’ll do, should the alert be raised. The American Red Cross has created digital resources and videos on wildfires and other common hazards at an age-appropriate level for children.

Further, in a direct response to these increasingly dangerous conditions of excessive heat and drought,  the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) this summer introduced a new Fire Map to provide near real-time information about active wildfires. The WFCA Fire Map is the first of its kind to be mobile friendly, allowing people and community leaders to quickly access the map and track the path of the wildfire. 

If you find yourself in a region affected by a wildfire, don’t wait for the authorities to advise you to evacuate, make that decision yourself straight away. It is then worth staying informed about of the situation on the internet or by listening to the local radio. You should be able to gather useful information about the extent of the fire, evacuation orders, air quality and escape routes.

Covering up to shield yourself from heat and flying debris and embers is crucial if you find yourself in the vicinity of the blaze. Wear your most protective gear, such as your waterproof jacket, best hiking pants, best hiking gloves and a hat. If you’re carrying sunglasses, they are a barrier for your eyes, both in terms of smoke and debris.

Wildfires can spread very quickly, especially when whipped up by a strong gust of wind. If you’re on foot, never try to outrun the spread of a wildfire. After all, you won’t win a race with the wind. Instead, seek the sanctity of lakes, rivers or streams until the blaze passes.

By following these tips, hopefully you will be able to avoid the worst of a wildfire and remember to educate others should you see anyone doing something that might cause a wildfire.

The laws of physics that have sculpted the places we love to explore. It's the Moon's gravity that causes our regular tides, without which coastal walking would certainly be less interesting. Earth's continued geologic activity, powered by the heat from the planet's chaotic formation and the decay of radioactive elements, continues to lift mountains in to the sky – the Himalayas grow by around 2 to 3 inches every year.

Our mountain lakes were left behind by mighty glaciers, the water of which was likely delivered to our planet by planetesimals and asteroids during the Late Heavy Bombardment, almost 4 billion years ago. In fact, every element on Earth was forged in a dying star and, in the case of each element that's heavier than iron, much of what we're made of was created in unimaginably powerful supernova explosions, when massive stars reach the end of their life.

The point we're getting at is that the Earth and the stars we see at night are linked in a much more powerful way than most of us imagine and the laws of physics allow us to use this celestial display to enhance our own knowledge of our place in the Universe. As well as this, we can use our understanding of the night sky and the fact it too is governed by the laws of physics to enhance our knowledge of our place on Earth. Or, in other words, to navigate.

Yes, you can use the patterns in the night sky to effectively know which direction you're heading in. Learning how to navigate by the stars takes a little practice, but once you’d got the basics down, on clear nights you’ll be able to do your nocturnal wandering with confidence and without the aid of a map and compass.

Meet the expert

Today's best deals

How to navigate by the stars in the Northern Hemisphere

• Familiarize yourself with the night sky's most notable costellations
• A star finder app can assist with this

The most fundamental step to learning how to navigate by the stars is familiarizing yourself with the night sky’s most notable constellations. A little bit of stargazing will help you to get to know our cosmic neighbors – while a star finding app can also be extremely useful.

While there are many constellations that can come in handy, the most easily identifiable – and those most useful for backcountry navigators in the northern hemisphere – are Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

Ursa Major: Also known as the Great Bear, this constellation is home to a group of seven bright stars that are easily located on clear nights in the northern hemisphere. Collectively, these stars are known as the “Big Dipper” or "The Plough" and form the shape of a roughly hewn saucepan or ladle. The two stars that form the outward side of the pan’s container (called Merak and Dubhe) can be used to find Polaris, aka the North Star.

Ursa Minor: This smaller sibling of the Ursa Major, cutely known as the “Little Bear”, contains a group of stars dubbed the Little Dipper. Like the Big Dipper, this collection of stars has a saucepan-like shape, making it fairly easy to identify. The Little Dipper is also essential for celestial navigation in the northern hemisphere because the North Star is the last star on the Little Dipper’s “handle”.

If you’re a budding stargazer, check out our guide to the northern hemisphere night sky, where you’ll find a more detailed explanation of the stars, planets and galaxies visible north of 0° latitude.

How to find true north using the Big Dipper and Little Dipper

1. Start by locating the Big Dipper. As mentioned above, this group of stars looks like a large, slightly crooked saucepan
2. Draw an imaginary line between the two outermost stars in the constellation, which together form the outer edge of the pan
3. Extend your imaginary line roughly five times the distance between these two stars and you should be just a fraction to the left of the North Star (Polaris)
4. For confirmation that the star you’ve located is indeed Polaris, check that it lies at the tip of the 7 stars that form the Little Dipper

How to navigate by the stars in the Southern Hemisphere

The southern hemisphere’s lack of an equivalent to the North Star makes celestial navigation down south a little bit trickier than in the upper portion of the planet. However, a south bearing can be found using the constellation Crux.

Crux: Better known as the Southern Cross, this is a tiny constellation of five stars that vaguely form the shape of a cross or, to some eyes, a kite. Crux contains one of the southern hemisphere’s brightest stars – Acrux – and is visible from latitudes of about 33 degrees south and southward.  

How to find celestial south using the Southern Cross

1. Start by locating the Southern Cross 
2. Draw an imaginary line from the top of the cross to the bottom 
3. Continue south, extending your line by roughly five times the cross’s height
4. The end of this imaginary line gives you a ballpark bearing on south that can then be used to establish the other cardinal directions 

Using constellations visible in both hemispheres

Whichever side of the Equator you happen to be doing your navigating in, the constellation Orion – aka “The Hunter” – can be used to determine the direction of True North.

Here’s how it’s done: 

1. Start by finding Orion and the bright trio of stars that form Orion’s Belt
2. Find the three stars above Orion’s Belt that form Orion’s shoulders and neck. The central star in this trio is called Meissa
3. Trace an imaginary line from the central star in Orion’s belt towards Meissa, missing Meissa a fraction to the right. This line gives you the rough direction of True North

When you’re doing your hiking in unfamiliar backcountry terrain without one of the best GPS watches, a handheld GPS unit, or cell phone navigation app, the most reliable – and easiest – way to find your whereabouts is triangulation. 

In a few words, triangulation is using two or three landmarks in the terrain as reference points from which you can determine your location. If you’ve already learned the basics of how to read a map and how to use a compass, adding this navigational method to your skillset (see why learn navigation?) will be an absolute breeze – all you need’s a clear day, decent eyesight, your map and compass, and a little bit of instruction, which we aim to provide in the following straight-talking, step-by-step guide on how to triangulate your position in the field. 

How to triangulate: step-by-step instructions

Step 1: identify features in the terrain

Effective triangulation requires being able to spot landmarks in the terrain that you can subsequently locate on your map, so good visibility is essential.  

The best features are those that are easily identifiable, such as isolated peaks, lakes or ponds, rocky outcrops, saddles, large boulders, buildings, or an isolated copse or grove of trees. If none of these are visible, then other features you can use are patches of vegetation (in an arid landscape), patches of rocky ground (in a vegetated terrain), particularly steep segments of a slope (reflected on your map by contour lines that are packed closely together), depressions in the terrain, and bends in roads, trails, streams or rivers. 

Step 2: orient your map 

To match the features you’ve identified in the terrain to those depicted on your map, you have to first make sure your map is correctly oriented (i.e., facing the right way). 

Here’s how it’s done:

First, adjust your compass for the area’s magnetic variation. Don’t know how to do this? Check out our guide on how to adjust for magnetic declination. Next, orient your map by aligning the north-south grid lines on your map with the magnetic needle in your compass, which will point due north after adjusting for magnetic variation if you’re using a declination-adjustable compass. If you’re using a non-adjustable compass, add or subtract the degree of magnetic variation after aligning your compass needle with the map’s grid lines.

Step 3: get bearings on each of your landmarks or features 

To get bearings on each of the landmarks or features you have identified in the terrain, hold your compass in front of you and aim the direction-of-travel arrow (located at the top of the rotating dial) directly at the landmark – if you want to know more, check out our in-depth guide to taking a bearing. Next, turn the compass dial until the red end of the magnetic needle is aligned with the orienting arrow (the red arrow inside the rotating dial). In navigation-speak, this step is called “putting red in the shed. 

Step 4: transfer your bearing to your map

Move your compass to your map, placing the top of the long edge of the compass (either side works) on the landmark you’ve taken the bearing from. Make sure the orienting lines inside the compass dial are aligned with the north-south meridian line, and then use a pencil (or pen) to draw a line along the edge of your compass from the landmark to the compass’s base. 

Step 5: repeat 

Repeat steps 3 and 4 with two more landmarks or features. When finished, the point where the three lines you have drawn intersect (they usually form a small triangle) is your approximate location.

How to triangulate with one landmark

In certain situations, triangulating with a single landmark is feasible. If, for instance, you find yourself situated next to or on a landmark like a river, road, ridge, or trail, then you can simply repeat steps 1 to 3 of the triangulation process described above and your approximate location will be given by the point where the line you have drawn from the single landmark passes through the landmark or feature you’re next to.   

Knowing how to navigate without a compass is one of those survival skills that you don’t really need to know until you really, really need to know…by which point, you’re usually up the proverbial creek of poop without a paddle in sight. 

While we’d always recommend learning how to read a map and how to use a compass (and carrying a spare just in case), accidents do happen – compasses get dropped and broken, maps get tossed over cliffs by sudden gusts of wind, and GPS devices – like all electronics – can suffer mechanical failure, battery death, or just plain stop working at the most inappropriate moment.

In any of the above scenarios, would you be able to find your way to safety? 

In this post on how to navigate without a compass, we’ll show you how it’s done.

How to navigate without a compass using the sun

The sun is, luckily, one of the most reliable features in our universe and fairly set in its way as regards its daily habits. For this reason, it has been used by wayfarers, sea voyagers, all other kinds of travelers and explorers for millennia to get from their A’s to their B’s. 

As we all know, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun’s highest point in any given day is also due South. With this info, by simply observing where the sun is in the sky we can get a ballpark bearing for each of the four cardinal directions.

How to navigate without a compass using your map

If visibility is decent and you’re hiking in relatively featured terrain, navigating with a map alone is easily done. All you have to do is identify one or two obvious features in the terrain, find these on your map, and then use the feature to orient your map. Doing this, you can also use the grid lines or compass rose on your map to get a bearing on the four cardinal directions. 

How to navigate without a compass by creating your own sundial 

On sunny days, one of the simplest ways to get a bearing on north is by creating your own sundial using a stick, a pair of stones, and a little bit of patience. Here's how it's done:

• Start by sourcing a relative straight stick that measures 2-3 feet in length
• Poke the stick deep enough into the ground that it’s freestanding (i.e. you don’t need to hold it in place and the wind won’t blow it over) on a clear, level patch of ground
• Use your first stone to mark where the tip of the shadow cast by your stick lands 
• Wait 30 minutes 
• Place a second stone at the new point where the shadow cast by your stick now lands (the shadow should have moved and lengthened or shortened)
• Draw a line between the two stones – this line will give you an east-west axis, with the first stone representing west and the second representing east
• Stand facing your east-west axis with the sun behind you and your first stone on your left. The direction you are facing is north. 

How to navigate without a compass by using the stars

Like the sun, the stars are altogether reliable indicators of direction. All you need to use them to navigate is a clear night, decent eyesight, and the ability to identify groups of stars. 

If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, the night sky’s most useful navigational aid is a sizable shiner by the name of Polaris, aka the North Star. As the name suggests, this provides navigators with a bearing on the most popular of the four cardinal points: north. 

If you’re unfamiliar with the constellations and their occupants, locating the North Star requires identifying the Big Dipper, which is composed of an octuplet of stars that, were you to join the dots between them, would form a shape not altogether dissimilar to a huge pan with a crooked handle (pictured above). By following an imaginary line that extends upwards from the Big Dipper’s two outermost stars, you’ll eventually come upon the North Star. 

If you’re in the southern hemisphere, the go-to collection of stars for nighttime navigation are a quadruplet called the Southern Cross (pictured below), which – as the name suggests – is a huge, easily identifiable, cross-like configuration in the southern portion of the night sky. Once you’ve located this, draw an imaginary line from the top of the cross to the bottom, and then continue south by roughly five times the cross’s height. The base of this imaginary line gives you a ballpark bearing on south that can then be used to establish the other cardinal directions.

How to navigate without a compass using water features

In navigation-speak, water features are known as “handrails” because they can be used, like the rails on a staircase, to guide you along or close to your desired direction of travel.  

If, for instance, you know where a stream, river, or lake lies in relation to other features in the area, then you can use them as a reference for getting to where you need to go, or simply follow them as far as is needed before diverting course in the direction of your destination or next trig point.  

Streams on mountainsides are also handy navigational aids, especially when you’re navigating in poor visibility. Because all water flows downhill to meet other, larger water sources, you can use minor streams to reach larger, (hopefully) easily recognizable water features in the area. 

How to navigate without a compass with an analog watch

If you don’t happen to have one of the best GPS watches on your wrist, but an old-school analog variant, you may still be able to use your timepiece for navigation. 

The disparity between solar time and standard time means that this isn’t the most accurate way to navigate without a compass, but it can help you find a more general bearing if you’re in a bind and none of the other options mentioned above are feasible. 

To use your analog watch:

• Wind your watch back an hour if it is set to daylight savings time
• Take the watch off and hold it out in front of you in the palm of your hand, making sure it’s level with the ground
• Point the long, hour hand towards the sun 
• Using a pen or pencil, sketch a line outward from the midway point between the hour hand and 12 o’clock and from the exact opposite side of the watch. If, for example, it’s 6 o’clock, then this line should extend from 3 on one side of the watch and 9 on the other side
• Joining the line gives you a north-south line, with north represented (in the Northern Hemisphere) by the side pointing away from the sun

How to navigate without a compass using moss

This is probably the least reliable method of compass-free navigation, primarily because several other variables can come into play and give you a false reading. If you have no other means at your disposal and take your readings with a pinch of salt, however, learning how to navigate without a compass by using moss might prove useful in a bind.

Moss usually grows on the side of trees and rocks that spend most of the day in the shade. If you’re in the northern hemisphere, then, this means that moss is prone to growing on the northern side of natural features, and on the southern side in the southern hemisphere.  

However, it’s important to bear in mind that several other factors can cause moss to grow in any given location, most importantly humidity (from streams or standing water) and shade provided by other nearby features. 

• The best compass 2024: find your way with the finest standard navigational tools
• 7 reasons you need a survival shelter: the ultimate safety net

Ever taken your bearings with a compass, traveled on them, then found yourself a long way from where you’d hoped to be? If so, the chances are that you failed you failed to adjust correctly for magnetic declination (aka “magnetic variation”).

While there are myriad other ways to get things wrong when navigating with a map and compass, omitting this small but vitally important step is by far the most common.

Luckily, learning how to adjust for magnetic declination is easy, especially if you already know how to use a compass and how to read a map (if you haven’t yet been converted to map and compass use, our feature Why learn navigation? will hopefully do the trick!). In this article, we will show you how to adjust for magnetic variation with both regular and adjustable compasses, right after a quick word on why doing so is necessary in the first place. 

How to adjust for magnetic declination: a tale of three norths

Believe it or not, there are a grand total of three norths, not just the one. These are True North, Magnetic North, and Grid North. Each one is a little bit different to its near-namesake and the difference between two of them – True and Magnetic – is so significant that safe backcountry navigation requires a little fine-tuning with our compasses whenever we head out on a hike. But before we get into that, let’s first take a look at a brief bio of each one: 

True North (aka geodetic north) refers to the direction, along the Earth’s surface, of the geographic North Pole – the point whether the Earth’s latitudinal lines all meet at the planet’s northernmost point.

Magnetic North, in a few words, is the one that your compass needle points towards when held out in front of you. However, this is located quite a way from True North, and is not a fixed point, because Earth’s magnetic field is in constant flux and moving in tandem with changes in the liquid iron at the planet’s core.  

At present, Magnetic North is located somewhere in Northern Canada but is gradually shifting westward towards Siberia.  

Grid North While both Magnetic and True North refer to a specific location, Grid North refers to the northward direction represented by the gridlines on a map.

But aren’t these pointed towards True North? You may ask. 

Sadly, no. Because topo maps are flat and the Earth is spherical, cartographers have to make slight variations to compensate for the curvature of the Earth’s surface. As a result, the grid lines on your map actually point ever so slightly wide of True North. 

While the variation between Grid North and True North is so trivial that land-based travelers can ignore it without veering off course, the difference between Magnetic North and True North is a different story entirely. 

How to adjust for magnetic declination: what is magnetic declination? 

Magnetic declination, in a few words, refers to the disparity that exists between True North and Magnetic North – or, if you prefer, the angular deviation between the real, geographical north and the north pointed towards by the magnetic needle in our compass. 

This disparity varies depending on where you are in the world – simply put, because different locations lie at different angles in relation to Magnetic North. To give you an example, the current declination in Grand Canyon National Park is 10° East, while on Scotland’s Ben Nevis it is 2° West. 

Because our maps reflect how the terrain relates to True North, it’s necessary to adjust our compass for declination in order to take accurate readings. Navigating in the Grand Canyon, this would mean that if you take a bearing on the map, you need to subtract 10 degrees before following it, while on Ben Nevis you need to add 2 degrees. 

Why is this important? Well, being 2 degrees off might not make much difference over a few hundred yards, but over a mile or two it could land you well wide of your intended target. And with a declination of 10 degrees, a mere 1.5-mile hike would land you around a quarter of a mile wide of where you’d planned on going. 

How to adjust for magnetic declination: how to find the declination for your area

The easiest way to do this is to use the NOAA calculator, which uses the latitude and longitude of the location you enter in the search bar to provide an accurate and up-to-date declination value for that area. 

Some topo maps also provide the declination for the area covered in the legend or on the cover. The declination value that is given here, however, will be for the year in which the map was published. Because declination values are constantly changing, this will only be useful if you have the most up-to-date map available.

How to adjust for magnetic declination: step-by-step instructions

The process of adjusting for magnetic declination varies depending on the type of compass you are using – one with adjustable declination or one without.

How to adjust for magnetic declination with a non-adjustable compass

For compasses without adjustable declination, a spot of mental arithmetic every time you take a reading: 

1. Start by finding the declination value for your area or the area in which you plan to do your hiking. 
2. Each time you use your compass, any reading you take will be off by the declination value for your area, so you have to make declination adjustments for every bearing you work with. 
3. Bear in mind that an east declination value will be a positive number, and a west declination value will be a negative number. 
4. When taking a reading from the terrain and transferring it to your map, you must add the magnetic declination variation to get the correct bearing (west bearings are subtracted because you are adding a negative value).  
5. When transferring a bearing from your map to the terrain, on the other hand, you must subtract the magnetic variation to calculate the magnetic bearing you will travel on (west bearings are now added because you’re subtracting a negative value).  

How to adjust for magnetic declination with a declination-adjustable compass

Compasses with adjustable declination offer “set it and forget it” functionality – once you’ve set your compass, you don’t need to worry about magnetic declination again for the rest of your hike. 

Using a compass with adjustable declination, simply find the declination value for your area, use the compass’s adjustment key to shift the indicator to the required number of degrees either side of zero, and you’re good to go. 

The ancient art of whittling and carving bowls, mugs, spoons and other handy utensils has been going for many thousands of years. A craft born out of necessity, these days many people indulge in a spot of whittling just for the fun of it. While useful items are often still the objective, many people create works for purely decorative purposes too.

As an avid camper, I enjoy putting my camping knife to use and crafting items that will be beneficial to my basecamp. If using cast iron pots and pans in camp, wooden utensils are essential, as they don't damage the metal or their non-stick surfaces, and they don't conduct the heat generated by the camping stove. It's hugely satisfying creating something that's genuinely useful.

As well as all of this, the process of working wood promotes mindfulness and relaxation. It's also wonderfully accessible, with the only items required being a whittle-worthy blade, such as those found on a camping knife or multitool, some sanding paper and a bit of timber – though other items like saws and axes can be a help too.

To get you started on your whittling journey, I've put together a straightforward guide to whittling a wooden spoon. The finished product, no matter how rustic, is bound to be a thing of beauty and it won't be long before you're eying up creating an entire kitchen cupboards worth of bowls, ladles, spoons and more.

Meet the expert

Carving a camp spoon

A wooden spoon makes a useful addition to any outdoor cooking kit and is an ideal camp craft project for beginners. Following is a step-by-step guide explaining how to whittle your own wooden spoon.

1: Choose your whittling wood

First, choose your base bit of timber. For a small eating or serving spoon, you’ll need to find a small piece of wood about 8cm (just over 3 inches) in diameter and no more than 25cm (just under 10 inches) long. 

Look for a clean, broadly straight piece of wood that is free of knots. Study your chosen piece of wood and look for any natural curvature or similar features that you might want to use as part of the design of your spoon.

In terms of tree species, many different types of wood can be used for spoon carving. Some of the best include sycamore, birch, maple, cherry, lime, rowan or alder. Just avoid woods with a high tannin content if you want to use your spoon for cooking or eating – as a rule of thumb, the lighter-coloured the wood, the lower the tannin content.

2: Choose your whittling tools

The only essential tool required to start whittling is a small, sharp pocketknife. Knowing how to choose a camping knife and how to sharpen a camping knife can be useful before you begin. The last thing you want is a blade that'll be ruined by the process. 

However, a spoon or crook knife, which has a curved blade, is also useful for carving out the bowl of the spoon. A folding camping saw is also handy for cutting away branches or small limbs when selecting your wood. And if you get into whittling as a serious hobby, you might also want to invest in a carving axe, which makes removing bigger chips of wood for larger projects much quicker. 

Lastly, a selection of sandpaper in varying grits and some food-grade oil will enable you to finish your spoon.

3: Split your roundwood log or branch

Unless you’ve managed to find a split chunk of wood, the next step is to split your roundwood log or branch in half, using a camping axe or a fixed blade knife and a baton (a heavier branch or log is ideal). 

You should find that the wood will split exactly down the central growth ring, which should be clearly visible as a darker line down the middle of each of the split halves.

4: Mark out your spoon

Take one split half of your piece of wood and draw the outline of your spoon on the flat surface, using a carpenter’s pencil or a black marker such as a Sharpie. 

Leave a little extra wood at either end, as you’ll need to remove plenty of wood to form the spoon’s bowl and handle. This also makes it less likely to split.

5: Rough out the outline

Start to remove chips of wood, following the grain and shaving away surplus wood with long, smooth cutting strokes. You’re aiming to get down to your pencilled outline. 

Turn the wood around in your hands and work from both ends.

6: Shape the handle and bowl

Gradually thin your spoon out, shaving away more and more wood. Initially, focus on creating the basic outline. It's far easier to work on one horizontal or vertical plane at a time, so don’t worry about shaping the top or bottom of the handle or bowl until you roughed out the spoon as per your pencilled outline. 

Leave a little additional length at the bowl end of the spoon, as this will give you something to hold when trying to shape the spoon where the handle joins the bowl, enabling you to always cut away from yourself.

Next, you can carefully and steadily work on the depth of your spoon by taking wood away from the underside of the handle and starting to round off the bowl. When you are happy these elements, you can remove surplus wood from the tip of the bowl.

Finally, work on the top surface of the spoon. You may want to retain a flatter shape, or you may want to round off the handle. Now you are ready to hollow out the bowl.

7: Hollow out the bowl

Traditionally, bowls were hollowed out using a smouldering ember from a campfire. It’s much easier if you have a crook or spoon knife though. 

Use a scooping, twisting action right in the centre of the bowl, a bit like using an ice cream scoop.  Once you have made a small depression begin working from both sides from the middle outwards, cutting across the grain. Continue until you have hollowed out the bowl to an even thickness. 

You can hold the wood up to the light to assess the thickness of the bowl – don’t make it too thin or you may hollow straight through it!

8: Finishing your spoon

Unless you want to leave a rustic finish, you’ll probably now need to sand your spoon. Start with a coarse (60 or 80) grit and work through medium (100 or 120) and fine (240+) grits until the wood is smooth. 

To finish your spoon and protect the wood, lightly coat it with a food-grade oil. Edible drying oils such as hempseed oil, walnut oil or flax oil are the best choices, but olive oil will also work. Oiling your spoon will also help to bring out the grain.

The relentless march of technology has created a world where gear and high-tech gadgetry make many basic tasks easier, or simply does them for us, even in the great outdoors. For better of for worse, many take to the backcountry trails armed with GPS apps rather than a map and compass. Innovations in portable water filtration no longer mean we have to boil water collected from streams to make it safe to drink 

Even something we take for granted, the simple lighter, considered by many as the most ingenious gadget of them all, replaced the traditional method of rubbing sticks or stone and flint together to start a fire. However, even with a lighter, you still need a certain level of bushcraft skill to get a blaze going in the wild. 

Yes, bushcraft skills employing natural or simple tools are as relevant and rewarding to us today as they were essential to the hunter-gatherers, pioneers and frontiers-folk of the past. 

The following are five bushcraft skills you can master with a little practice in the outdoors.

Meet the expert

1. Start a fire

• First, you'll need tinder and kindling
• For tinder, carry small wads of Vaseline-soaked cotton wool in a sealed container
• Otherwise, birch bark is best  – pine cones, dried leaves, other barks all work well
• For kindling, gather twigs and create a tepee above the tinder
• Light the tinder and blow the ember into a flame

Making fire in the outdoors is a key bushcraft skill, and you won’t always have firelighters to hand to make it easy. Before you strike a match or spark your lighter, get things organized. First, you’ll need tinder and kindling. For tinder, I usually carry small wads of Vaseline-soaked cotton wool in a sealed container – they're light and dependably flammable. If caught without prepared tinder, I look for birch bark, which contains flammable oils, shred it finely and roll the thin strips into tight tangles. (Other barks, dry leaves, grasses, pine needles, scrap paper, tissues and other things also work well). Then get small twigs for kindling, and gather a pile of fuel wood – thumb-diameter upwards depending on the size of fire you need – ready to pyramid over the kindling when there's a flame.

Once you’re ready, make a ‘tepee’ with the small kindling – ideally split from dry, dead timber, and ranging in size from match to pencil thickness – on a dry surface, well sheltered from any wind, and with a space left for the burning tinder to be slipped into its heart. Place the tinder on a dry chip of wood, push the match or lighter into the tinder, and be ready to push the smoldering ball into the heart of the kindling when the flames catch. Then a little puff of breath to blow the ember into a flame, and the age-old magic of making fire casts its spell once again.

Tip: While matches and lighters are all well and good, a fire steel (or ‘fire striker’) such as the one made by Swedish brand Light my Fire is the most reliable way of starting a blaze in all weathers. Far easier than rubbing two sticks together, better than matches or a lighter in bad weather and good for thousands of strikes, a fire steel will work when soaking wet, in gusting winds and when your hands are too cold for more fiddly techniques. 

Ferrocerium fire steel rods are made from mischmetal – a mix of rare-earth metals, iron and magnesium – and when scraped with something hard like a knife blade they throw off sparks that burn, if only momentarily, at around 5,000°F/2,700°C. To use one, follow the instructions above to ready your fire, then push the steel's tip into the tinder, and scrape down the rod with a hard, sharp metal edge. Catch those sparks in a ball of tinder and you're well on the way to a blazing fire and a boiling billy can. 

2. Put together a ‘possibles bag’

• Create a possibles bag of everyday carry items that could become essential survival kit
• What you carry will be down to personal preference

For America’s early frontiersmen a ‘possibles bag’ was a pouch to carry both those things that might be needed during a day away from camp, and items which could become essential survival kit if things went wrong. Black powder, skinning knives and flints might be outdated but the concept of filling a small bag with useful items as an everyday carry still makes sense. The choice of what to include is personal, based on your own experience and expectations. I use a small orange nylon drawstring pouch that fits into my daysack or a large coat pocket. Inside are obvious items like a small camping knife, lengths of strong cord, pencil and notebook, a tiny LED torch and one or more ways of making fire. 

I also carry needles and thread, as well as a length of duct tape (wrapped around the pencil to save bulk), and important contact details are written on paper in case my phone dies. Something that has turned many a bleak situation into a happier adventure, is an 'emergency' $20 bill/£20 note (or a similar amount in local currency). Some people might want to carry a lightweight rain poncho, a power-bank for their phone, a spare pair of glasses, a bar of chocolate or earplugs. That's the thing about a 'possibles' pouch; its contents are all about your choices, your experience and whatever 'possibilities' you might expect. 

3. Turn a tarp into a shelter

• Sleeping under a tarp feels much more like sleeping outside than in a tent
• The nature of erecting a tarp means there are many possible configurations
• A favored configuration is a 'wedge with ridge' where a supporting structure such as a bicycle or kayak paddle holds one end up

Sleeping under a lightweight tarpaulin is very different from a night in a tent; you're protected from bad weather but very much sleeping outdoors. There are many uses for a tarp, though this is one of the absolute classics With tarps, as with most all outdoor kit, there's a trade-off between cost, weight and functionality. For ultralight adventuring, a tarp around 8ft (2.5 meters) long by 5ft (1.5 meters) wide will be big enough, but carry something twice as wide and you'll be able to create more configurations to meet different conditions and weathers. The origami of folding, pegging, guying and stretching tarps mean that there are numerous ways of erecting a simple oblong of light fabric, and it's useful to experiment with various different shapes, but have at least one configuration that you know you can put up in the dark, in any location and in any weather. 

My go-to shape for a tarp shelter is a 'wedge with ridge’. To put this up, peg one end of the tarp – the ‘foot’ – flat on the ground into the wind. Then raise the middle of the edge of the other end with a cord to a tree or over a bicycle, or kayak paddle, and then peg down the corners and the sides, so that the head end is a triangular opening facing away from the wind. Shove your backpack or extra kit down the foot end (both for storage and to raise the tarp high enough to create an air gap over your sleeping bag), and you're ready to shimmy in and got to sleep. It's a low profile set up that's snug against rain, and is well hidden for hole-in-the-wall-sleeping, but it pays to try and practise other setups to give yourself an arsenal of shapes for different terrains, weathers and tasks.

4. Learn your personal metrics for navigation

• Learning your average pace across different terrains is good knowledge for navigation nous
• It helps you plan and calculate how far you've travelled on any given day
• Time how long it takes you to walk a mile on flat ground, then apply this to other terrains

The word ‘navigation’ can scare some people, but in essence, it is little more than knowing where you are in time and space at any given moment – which is generally handy intel to have. To that end, learning and fine-tuning your own metrics can provide you with useful knowledge that pinpoints where you are, even after a day's wild walking. An understanding of what your average pace is across different terrains is good knowledge to have, for planning purposes and when you’re out there walking, wondering how far you’ve traveled. Make a note of how long, roughly, it takes you to walk a mile on a flat, good track. And how long on broken ground. How far can you walk in a day, and for several days in a row? What’s the optimum weight you can carry – the sweet spot, for you, between the joys of an almost empty pack and the benefits gained from carrying all the kit, rations and water that can make life on the trail more comfortable? Then, how accurate is your sense of time? Can you measure out the passing of five minutes accurately in your mind? What about an hour, or five hours? 

The pleasing thing is that, with practice, you can hone your self-knowledge and tune into your inner GPS. Practise counting off time before you look at your GPS watch or phone. Measure out a mile on a map or an app and see how long it takes to walk. Scale-up that distance to get an average pace. I know that I walk at a steady four miles an hour with a daypack; just by knowing how long I've been walking since leaving a given point gives me useful information, and more so if I know what direction I've been walking in. And that brings in the other important skill in navigation, sharpening your observation to note where you're positioned in relation to weather, land contours, wind directions, the position of the sun and other natural and geographical phenomena. By learning more about your own metrics, you’ll gain a gauge to measure the wider world against.

5. Whittle the items you need in camp

• With a camping knife, you can craft all kinds of useful items from wood
• Useful items include tent pegs, wooden spoons, spurtles and spatulas
• Medium-density green woods are easier to work with than dead or hardwoods

Wood is everywhere, and with a small, sharp knife and a bit of whittling knowledge it's easy to make useful bushcraft items that can make living outdoors easier and more comfortable. Pegs for pinning down a tarpaulin or tent guy-ropes are a good start; shave three or four inches of finger-thick stick into a point at one end, chamfer around the top of the other end to stop splitting when being driven into the ground, and add a small notch to hold loops or ropes. Job done. Making pegs establishes the common-sense techniques needed to whittle safely; push the knife away from you, hold the work with your other hand behind the cutting edge, don't steady the work against your leg while sitting down, and do use the thumb of your other hand to put controlled pressure on the back of the blade. A sharp blade cutting small slivers and shavings rather than hacking out chunks is the most efficient way to work. Learn to chip out small bits of wood with a scooping motion. Don't use too much force, just make smaller cuts. If your blade's looking a little too blunt for this, check out how to sharpen a camping knife. 

Wooden spoons, spurtles and spatulas are all easy to whittle and allow you to design what you actually need, whether it's long handles to reach the bottoms of deep pots, angled edges for scraping into corners or wide blades for spreading peanut butter, jams and cheese on bread. Medium-density green woods are easier to work than dead or hardwoods. A wood traditionally used for kitchen spoons and other utensils is sycamore; it's common (easy to find), has straight grain, cuts easily and is tasteless and odorless making it an ideal wood to start on. Hazel and ash are good too, and harder woods like oak and beech can be whittled but take more effort and need reliable technique. Obviously, avoid poisonous trees like yew. 

Try and envisage what you want to carve as you select your material so you can 'see' it in a branch of raw wood before you start work, and can incorporate natural curves and shapes into the design. You can carve most small items with a sharp knife, (learn how to sharpen a camping knife, and keep a stone or diamond sharpener to hand as you work), but if you get whittle crazy, a crook knife makes scooping out spoon bowls easier and neater, whilst many people use a small camping axe and chopping block to rough out shapes quickly before getting going with the knife. Keep it simple, though, because the joy of whittling is in sitting around a campfire making something useful with the simplest of tools and your very own hands. And the chippings and scrapings will come in handy as tinder for your next fire.

They say lightning never strikes twice. Except that it’s not true, as witnessed by Virginian park ranger, Roy Sullivan aka ‘the human lightning rod’, who was struck seven times – and survived all of them. (Although he eventually shot himself.) 

For the rest of us, the odds of getting struck by lightning on any given day is anywhere between a one-in-500,000 chance to one-in-a-million chance. It should be noted, however, that over a lifetime the odds drop to around a one in 12,000 chance. To put it another way, you’re about 678 times more likely to be struck by lightning than win the lottery. When you put it that way, it's clear that it's important to know how to avoid getting struck by lightning when out and about.

Of course, the odds of a lightning strike vary dramatically depending on what you enjoy doing with your spare time. If you like to hang out in high places, say the top of mountains in your waterproof jacket, then the chances of getting struck become more likely.

And it does happen. In August 2019, lightning killed five people and injured over a hundred during a sudden thunderstorm in the Tatra Mountains between Poland and Slovakia. A bolt struck the cross on the summit of Giewont and the current travelled along the chains that protected the ascent. So, for hikers, knowing how to stay safe can be the difference between life and death.

Today's best deals

Fortunately, nine out of ten people hit by a bolt do actually survive, although many victims are left with life-altering injuries. The wife of one of my best friends was struck by lightning as a child when out hiking with her family in the Cederberg Mountains north of Cape Town. She nearly died and it took her years to fully recover from her injuries.

A small amount of knowledge about the dangers of lightning can make a big difference. Here are our top tips for avoiding lightning strikes.

Check the weather forecast

• Change your plans if the weather forecast predicts thunderstorms

It sounds simple, but knowing what the weather will be like, particularly at the time you are likely to be on a summit, can make a big difference, as it allows you to change your plans to avoid the worst of the weather. If an electrical storm is forecast at a time when you had intended to be in a position of elevation, or you might be exposed on a ridge or peak, do change your itinerary – don’t risk it. If you were going to camp anywhere exposed, or beneath trees – make new plans. If you were thinking of going kayaking or canoeing on a lake or piece of open water, don’t. Save it for another day.

Calculate the distance

• Count the number of seconds between seeing a lightning bolt and hearing the sound
• Divide this number by 5 to get the distance in miles
• If the lightning takes 30 seconds or less to reach you, seek shelter

If you do get caught out in a storm, which can easily happen even if you check the forecast, and you’re in an exposed position, some simple math can let you know whether you need to seek shelter or not. 

Simply count the number of seconds between seeing a lightning bolt and hearing the sound, then divide that time by five to get the number of miles the strike is away (or divide by three to get the number of kilometres). As a rough guide, it’s suggested that if the lightning takes 30 seconds or less to reach you, seek shelter and stay in that shelter for 30 minutes – but use your own judgement.

Find the right shelter

• Get to low altitudes as soon as possible
• Avoid sheltering under tall objects and the mouths of caves

The worst place to be caught in a lightning storm is on a high point or ridgeline. Get to lower altitude as quickly as possible, preferably a valley or a depression of some kind. Avoid taking shelter under tall objects like trees, towers or poles. Avoid being the tallest object in a field. Also stay away from the mouths of caves, as the lightning can use a person to jump the gap from the ground above to the ground below.

Metal is bad

• Lightning is attracted to metal
• Get rid of any metal objects, leaving them a good distance from where you plan to shelter

One of the simplest 'how to not be struck by lightning' rules to remember is that lightning is attracted to metal. Get rid of any metal objects and make sure they’re a long way from where you plan to take shelter. This could be anything from the aluminium stays in your pack to trekking poles, climbing gear, ice axes and crampons.

Assume the position

• Crouch down into a ball to minimise your height
• Stay up on the balls of your toes and keep your heels together
• Individuals in a group should spread out

Crouch down into a ball to minimise your height. It’s recommended you try and stay up on the balls of your toes and keep your heels together (which, if you try it, isn’t that easy), with your boots on, if they have rubber soles. If you’re in a group, make sure you spread out.

And, just in case it does happen, you might want to keep some water handy – Roy Sullivan always carried a can of water in his truck, to help put his hair out when lightning strikes set his head on fire.

Maps are the first step on a great adventure. Whether you’re looking for breathtaking new hiking paths, fresh trail running challenges or different off-road cycling work-outs, maps are the starting point – the inspiration. In Great Britain, Ordnance Survey has been providing the finest, most detailed geographical mapping in the world for over 200 years, and its iconic, paper-based maps have long been outdoor explorers’ trusted companions.

But those maps are just the tip of the iceberg these days, and OS maps are now more mobile than ever. Literally. The smart modern adventurer is equipped with a smart phone and the OS Maps app, which not only provides everything the paper maps can offer in a convenient, electronic, pocket-sized form, but a whole load more features besides. This app isn’t just a gateway to adventure, it’s a way of enhancing it in all sorts of ways once you’re out there.

OS has been a pioneer of digital mapping ever since completing the first digitalisation of its entire Great Britain map collection back in 1995. This head start has allowed OS to develop its electronic offerings in line with all the latest technological developments ever since, so that it remains at the forefront of delivering the best and most powerful features outdoors addicts could hope for.

For starters, the app boasts all 607 OS maps for Great Britain, incorporating the entire OS Explorer 1:25,000 series of maps and the OS Landranger 1:50,000 series. This gives you access to over half a million premium ready-made routes throughout Great Britain from selected partners, such as Country Walking, Mountain Bike UK, BBC Countryfile, Sustrans, Trail Magazine and Trail Running. You can also view all public rights of way in Great Britain.

If you discover a route you really like, you can favourite it so that you can find it again easily, or share it with friends as adventurous as you are. Or maybe just to highlight in visual form that really massive climb you managed to pull off.

If you fancy creating your own individually-tailored excursion, though, OS Maps has all the tools you need to make it a reality. You can create unlimited routes for anywhere in Great Britain, easily adding waypoints, route descriptions and difficulty levels. If you’re planning a journey through a National Park, there’s even a Snap-To-Path function to quickly plot the best routes through them.

And when you’re out in the wild, the app even makes sure you won’t get lost. No, you don’t have to keep a constant eye on your mobile’s screen and risk missing that majestic view or that red kite swooping by (or coming a cropper on a gnarly downhill if you’re on your bike). The app will give warning alerts if you stumble off course.

On the other hand, if you’re the kind of explorer who loves going off-piste, you don’t have to follow a route. Simply press record and the app will track you every step of the way. And there’s no need to worry about losing the signal when you’re in the deepest, remotest countryside – which can happen all too often – because you can download your routes to your phone to peruse off-line. Or you can even go properly old-school, and print out your maps beforehand – with or without routes – in A3 or A4. 

And all of this is automatically synced across all your devices – mobile, tablet and PC.

Then there’s the fun, 21st century stuff the app has to offer. Even before you journey out, you can get a feel for the terrain you’ll be tackling using the 3D visualisation mode to create some glorious aerial fly-by views. Then, when you’re out and about, you can explore the surrounding area in greater detail using the AR (augmented reality) mode – your phone can actually “caption” the landscape around you so you can learn what those hills in the distance are called, or what landmark might be over the next rise.

Who says you should leave your phone at home to enjoy the great outdoors? With the OS Maps app, the outdoors can be even more fun.

The OS Maps app is available for just £23.99 a year or £2.99 monthly. Visit os.uk or download OS Maps on the App Store/Google Play.