Beginners

35 Strategies For A More Enjoyable Hiking Climbing Or Camping Trip

May 24, 2022 by Jason Clements

These strategies come from the climbing community. Kansas City, Denver, Boulder, Providence, Harrison, Salt Lake City, are represented. Look for the artist, the adventurer, the high-rise window cleaner and the photographer. Who are the entrepreneurs, retail store managers, and gym owners?

I’ve compiled 35 of the very best strategies to help you have a more enjoyable hiking, climbing, or camping trip.

Obviously, things can go wrong or be less than perfect on any given trip. What would happen if you picked up one or more of these strategies to share on your next outdoor adventure. Can you…

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35 Strategies For A More Enjoyable Hiking Climbing Or Camping Trip

HCRB: What are two things that anyone can do to help ensure an enjoyable outdoor adventure?

Guy: Make good decisions and share the experience with friends.

Matt: Relax and live in the moment.

HCRB: Every climber should know…

Chris: 1. Learn what spray* means.

2. Leave no trace.

3. Treat all people with respect and empathy.

Did Leave No Trace Make A Big Mess In The Woods

September 22, 2016 by Jason Clements

I designed a 9-week experiment to determine how well waste would decompose in a 6-inch cathole versus a 12-inch cathole.

I used kitchen compost, Kirkland brand wipes, toilet paper, an egg, and half a banana in each hole.

The primary purpose of this article is to raise awareness about Leave No Trace principles. The secondary purpose of this article is to encourage you to not make a big mess in the woods by burying your waste deeper than 6 inches.

This article is not to criticize Leave No Trace. No other outdoor organization does as much good as they do.

Discussion Points For Your Class or Your Outdoor Partners

How good are you at leaving no trace when you poop outdoors?
Can you do better? How?
Based solely on your current opinion, how deep should you dig your cathole?
Have you ever come across someone else’s mess in the woods? Is that a big deal to you?
Kitchen scraps are not human waste – this isn’t science.
What other areas of leaving no trace can you improve?
Is music at the climbing crag a leave no trace issue?
Is carving your initial or love notes on trees or picnic benches part of leaving no trace?
How can you encourage your hiking, climbing, and camping partners to do better at leaving no trace?

Conclusions Derived From The 9 Week Experiment:

Rate of decomposition of buried waste materials at 6 and 12 inches is clearly identical.
A 6 and 12 inch cathole is indistinguishable from the surface.
Kirkland wipes will completely decompose when buried at either 6 and 12 inches.
Unburied wipes / paper decomposes at a significantly slower rate.

Recommendations Derived From The 9 Week Experiment:

Your cathole should, more than likely, be deeper than 6 inches.
Dig your catholes to a depth of 10 to 12 inches. That will allow for plenty of top cover (the soil that you place back over your used cathole) so that another hiker, climber, or camper will not disturb your used cathole if they happen upon it.
Design you own experiments.
Begin a discussion.
Raise awareness.

The Best Videos That Benefit The Kansas City Climbing Community

February 18, 2016 by Jason Clements

Here are the best videos that benefit the Kansas City climbing community. Take a quick look ESPECIALLY if you are brand new to hiking, climbing, or camping.

I don’t claim to be an expert at anything. These are the strategies that I use. I’ve taken what I’ve learned from my own experiences and from talking to dozens of my fellow climbers; and put together these videos. You will come to discover that some of the best members of your climbing community are always learning new ideas and tips – and improving themselves – and they ultimately share their best-practice ideas.

My way is not necessarily better than another way. Take what you want. Skip what doesn’t work for you. And you can share your best tips in the comments here or on the YouTube videos.

No Loose Chalk

Do you ever see signs posted in your gym that say, “NO LOOSE CHALK.” What that means is they do no want you to pour your climbing chalk into your chalk bag while at the gym. Your gym wants you to use a chalk ball.

The employees of your climbing gym have plenty of responsibilities – like keeping you safe (and the new climbers safe) giving beta, fixing spinners, getting your friends some rental gear, etc. The last thing you want those employees spending time on is cleaning up your chalk spill.

How To Fill Your Chalk Ball The Quick and Easy Way (3:45)

Finger Injuries…Noooooooo!!!

You’ve got to try Voodoo Flossing on your fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders. It works on sore forearms and sore calves. I’ve heard stories of seriously sprained ankles healing in a day or two. Sure, I am not a doctor; and yes, every body is different. But the stories I keep hearing give me great pause: “Is this really a tool that everyone should experiment with…”

Here’s How to Voodoo Floss Your Fingers (2:15)

How much did your tent cost? How much did your sleeping bag cost?

Yeah, those are quite the investment. And just like all of your climbing gear, you can perform some very simple maintenance on your soft gear (tents, sleeping bags, etc.) to help extend their life.

Here’s How to Store Your Expensive Sleeping Bag (1:09)

Here’s How to Store Your Tent For The Winter (1:45)

Bathroom. Yes, we have to talk about pooping in the woods.

Depending on where you are going, (ha ha, get it: “going”) you will have to know the rules for managing your waste. Some climbing places have full facilities – like they have at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch. Some other climbing destinations only have pit toilets – like at Sam’s Throne. And some places you are going to have to dig a hole to do your stuff.

Pro Tip: If you have to dig a hole; dig it at least as deep as your trowel is long.

Here is How I Build My Ultimate Poop / Toilet Kit. (2:25)

If you are a part of the Kansas City climbing community or any other climbing community, thank you for watching. Please share your tips and ideas in the comment section here or on YouTube.

Enjoy your next adventure!

Read more about other hiking, climbing, and camping tools and ideas in HCRBeta’s Gear Category.

Jason Clements is the founder of and writer for HCRBeta, Hike Climb Relax: How to… Jason has served as the President of the Kansas City Climbing Club. He lives in Shawnee, Kansas and also runs the cell phone recycling company, Cells for Cells, which recycles cell phones to raise money for families battling cancer. You can follow Jason on Facebook or on Twitter @jasonclements.

Project Ascent Helping Youth Experience Self-Worth, Accomplishment, Drive and Independence

February 10, 2016 by Jason Clements

Project Ascent Helping Youth Experience Self-Worth, Accomplishment, Drive and Independence

This is a guest post written by Scottie Mcelroy, the founder of Project Ascent

What Is Project Ascent?

Project Ascent was established to give at-risk and under-privileged youth an opportunity to experience nature through Rock Climbing. Rock Climbing is a unique sport in which individuals are put in a new environment without preconceived expectations on performance or success. Rock Climbing not only involves physical strength, but also mental fortitude. Rock Climbing facilitates problem solving and allows participants to fail and succeed in a controlled environment thus promoting adaptation. Communication between climbers plays instrumentally in the success or failure of a climbing expedition.

Why Project Ascent?

When I began climbing, I quickly realized the impact it made on my mental and physical life. I thought, “If I am gaining such incredible awareness and strength, what could climbing give to children who haven’t had the same opportunities that I have?”

An experience with Project Ascent will give children an immeasurable amount of self-worth, accomplishment, drive, and independence.

I have worked extensively with at-risk youth. I worked with a young man in Austin, TX to get him into the program because conventional sports like basketball and football were not for him. He longed for an opportunity to find something he excelled in and enjoyed.

We met Josh through a school outreach program that worked with area counselors to find youth that would potentially be candidates for our programs. Josh did not have an ideal home-life and his education and bad decisions were sending him down the wrong path.

Josh and several other children from the same school were accepted to attend one of our adventures. From the start I could see this is what Josh not only needed, but also what he wanted. He naturally excelled at the art of climbing. More importantly, he started engaging with his peers and the Project Ascent volunteers.

Building trust, confidence, and self-worth are a focus on Project Ascent trips.

After the trip, Josh reached out to me asking if there were additional trips he could attend. [Read more…] about Project Ascent Helping Youth Experience Self-Worth, Accomplishment, Drive and Independence

Best Hammock for a Beginner Hobo Hammock vs ENO Hammock

October 16, 2015 by Jason Clements

Which is the best hammock for a beginner? Hobo Hammock vs. ENO Hammock

I am a tent camper who is also a fan of hammock camping. However, I really hate bugs–especially in the summer. I hate mosquitoes, gnats, and grasshoppers. I’ve had a grasshopper startle me awake–landing on my face. Nope and double nope! I need my tent to block out the bugs. But in early spring or in late fall, when there are no bugs to gang up on me while I sleep, I completely enjoy sleeping in my hammock.

Just so you know my biases*: I only own an ENO double-wide hammock. I have slept in it on dozens of climbing trips. I have strung it up just to sit and chill out. I even have a special set up in my basement with giant eye-bolts drilled into the joists where I can relax and watch some MMA on a Saturday night.

I went to The Outdoor Gear Lab and looked at how they rated hammocks. To my eyes, all of the specs of those hammocks look about the same. Yes, all hammocks are different; yet they are all so similar.

There are thousands of hammock reviews online, so I am not going to write about the specs and breakdown each hammock. My experience suggests that hammock reviews get way too complicated, especially for a climber/camper like myself. If you disagree, post up your comment telling me why. I’m far from an expert. [Read more…] about Best Hammock for a Beginner Hobo Hammock vs ENO Hammock

The Best Camp Stove For Beginners (Snow Peak Giga Power v. MSR Pocket Rocket)

September 20, 2015 by Jason Clements

The Best Camp Stove for Beginners: Hikers, Climbers, and Campers.

Let’s talk about the two most popular camp stoves: The Snow Peak Giga Power Stove and the MSR Pocket Rocket. How do you know which is the best camp stove for beginners?

Prices as of September 2015

If you are an Amazon shopper, you can find the MSR Pocket Rocket for $34.94. You can find the Snow Peak Giga Power Stove with the auto starter for $49.99. Obviously, if you shop around, you’ll find some discounts.

Stability of The Surface 4-prong Snow Peak v. 3-prong MSR