HOW TO

When you’re heading out onto the trail, leave those cotton T-shirts at home. Cotton doesn’t breathe and it holds onto moisture. That means when you take off your pack at the end of the day, your sweaty shirt won’t be dry for hours.

At the end of a camping trip, it may seem impossible to get your tent back into that tiny stuff sack. Keith Hillman, owner of Out-N-Back, says with a few tricks, the tent will be put away without any frustrations.

There is a lot of talk about insect repellent, protecting from West Nile Virus with 100 percent DEET. Keith Hillman of Out-N-Back is concerned when his customers come in wanting “the meanest, baddest insect repellent on the market.”

You’re getting ready for a weeklong backpacking trip. You’ve got you’re backpack fitted properly (click here for our how-to clinic on fitting your backpack) and now you need to load it up. But is there a right and a wrong way to do that?

No matter how nice and expensive your backpack is, and no matter how well you packed it (click here to see how to pack a backpack), if your pack doesn’t fit you properly, you will be miserable on the trail.

In the backcountry, the natural water that you find may not always be clean. There have been outbreaks of cryptosporidium and giardia and by simply filtering the water, those and others can be avoided.

You've heard it all before, or maybe you haven't. But here are the 10 best ways to ensure you have a miserable time on your backpacking trip, from Keith Hillman, owner of Out-N-Back. For ways to rectify these do's or don'ts, talk with any of the outdoor experts at Out-N-Back at 1797 S. State St. in Orem.