Outdoor Yak

Heading out hiking or to climb a mountain peak and wondering about the effects of altitude on breathing? Bottled oxygen is normally only used for advanced mountaineering – common above 7,000m (22,965 ft) and practically mandatory above 8,000m (26,246 ft) when you enter the so-called death zone. For most recreational hikes you will not need…

Heading out for a day hike or a backpacking trip and wondering if you should get a pair of trekking poles and how to use them correctly? Trekking poles are sticks that you walk with and hold in each hand to help you walk further and faster. Hiking poles provide extra points of contact with…

Hiking is a physically intensive activity that involves hours of exercise. Are you interested to know how many calories you’ll burn while hiking? Hiking burns between 430 to 440 calories per hour for a 72kg (160 pound person). If you weigh more and/or have a faster metabolism hiking burns more calories. If your hike has…

Heading out for a weekend backpacking or a day trek and wondering if your pack is too heavy? There is no one predetermined pack weight but here are the general weight guidelines you should aim for: Your loaded backpack should not weigh more than 20 percent of your body weight. So if you weigh 80kg…

Are you heading out hiking for the first time in a while and wondering if you need to invest in some hiking boots or can you simply wear your old tennis trainers?  You don’t need to wear hiking boots, but there are many advantages to wearing them – especially if you’re carrying a large backpack….

Planning an upcoming hike and wondering if you’ll benefit from using hiking poles? In this guide, I’ll run over all the pros and cons of trekking poles to help you decide if you need them or not. Reasons to use hiking poles 1. Poles protect your knees Poles are not a magical cure for knees…

Heading out for a walk in the train and wondering if hiking boots are waterproof? Most hiking boots are water resistant and are fine for walking in shallow puddles, in the rain, and through the mud – but eventually, you will get wet. When wading in deeper water up to the ankles or in a…

Heading out on the trail and looking to know how much ground you can cover backpacking or hiking? In this article, I’ll get straight to the point and then go over the main variables that affect how fast or slow you’ll be moving. As a general guide, the average fit hiker can cover 3 miles…

It’s perhaps the most important question on the minds of many new and experienced hikers – exactly how much water should I bring on my next hike? On an average hike in 20°C (68°F) weather, you should expect to drink 0.5-1 liters (2-4 cups) per hour. However the exact amount of water you’ll need depends…

Are you heading out on a camping or backpacking trip and wanting to know how much fuel you’re going to need? For a weekend solo backpacking trip, a 100g canister of fuel will be enough to heat water and cook meals – you’ll get around 10 boils x 500ml. The general guide is to bring…