Thanks for tuning in, and this was definitely a fun video to shoot! If you want to support the channel, check out hiking trail posters made by me and my wife (10% off with "OSCARHIKES") trailgoals.com/

The lack of a massive overburden of filler, chit chat, and plain old bs gave me the bends! Subscribed!

it's great to see a video with actual hacks and not "hacks" that are really just gear promo vids.

When possible I’ll heat 2 fist sized warm rocks in the fire - Put one in each wet sock to dry them and also provide a hot water ‘bottle’ for your feet and body that stays warm well into the night. Learned during military combat survival and rescue training in the 1990s

Okay, that spork hack is genius. Definitely stealing that

Im a postman ,i used rubber bands for lots of things . Instead of the silicone ,you can put few bands under your matt to stop it moving .you need to used big good quality ones ,otherwise don't work . You can do the same on your kitchen with the chopping board ,or any small things you want to stop sliding 😜

I use an old windscreen sun reflector sheet as a sleeping mat underlay to reduce punctures and add reflected heat.

The shirt to keep your pillow in place is a perfect idea!!!

I may not be sure that all 10 would work for my style of camping, but this was an honest, educational video that we can all take something from. Thank you. I forgot to mention, it’s refreshing to watch an outdoor video that’s not promoting a product👍👍👍

Dude, awesome advice on the bottle cap. I always bring a spare one but I never used it to push in the tent stakes. Thanks a million!!

Definitely like the scrubbing mesh! I definitely would never be ripping pine needles off of the trees, in order to clean dishes. But I don't like carrying a big scrub sponge either! Thanks 😊

You got me with the olive oil! Best tip for drying boots or socks is to take a few sheets of newspaper with you. Absorbs all water super fast. Can use the waste in a fire.

Since it's almost the same as heat release for me, I prefer to put the wet socks in the sleeping bag, between the bag and the sheet, somewhere around my waist. They may not be in the same place in the morning, but they are always dry. It is also good to use your thickest socks, as "sleeping socks" and only for that, and of course they should not be synthetic. And something that seems more fun than useful. Since I don't carry a table when wild camping, very often I use a shoe for a stand/holder in the morning for my cup of coffee and in the evening for a can of beer so that they don't accidentally fall and spill on uneven ground.

Rather than carrying salt and seasonings, I carry one or two bullion cubes in a small ziploc. If any dinner needs more seasoning adding a small piece is easy and no mess.

Silicone is great for a lot of things. I've thinned out silicone with naphtha and treated clothes to add a very long lasting DWR. You have to use clothes/fabrics that haven't had a DWR treatment though (if you use something that had a DWR treatment, the silicone will not bond to the clothing). Also, you want the clothes/fabric to be sufficiently breathable to begin with, because it will lose some breathability depending on how much silicone per volume of naphtha you use. (A couple thin, light, breathable baselayer shirts both treated with thinned silicone and worn over top of each other, in combo with a windshirt with the right water resistance, breathability, etc over a fishnet baselayer makes a great wet weather combo for all but the hardest, worst rain. Sort of works like Paramo, but far longer lasting between treatments and not as hot. Important that the windjacket be made out of polyester and not nylon, as nylon swells too much with moisture and loses breathability). You can do DIY anti odor treatments with a fresh 9 volt battery, some pure salt dissolved in some hot water, and some copper wire (attach a copper wire to each battery terminal and suspend it over a glass jar with the copper wires in the water). After a 4 hours or so, you have a decent amount of small particle copper chloride ions in the water. Buy some do it at home dye, follow the dyeing process and put that water-copper chloride suspension in with the dye, and it will bond the ions to the fibers, making a copper based version of the silver based Polygiene (silver chloride bonded to clothing fibers during the dyeing process). If I remember correctly, copper is even stronger and more broad spectrum of an antimicrobial than silver. Obviously works best with clothes/fabrics that have had little to no pre dyeing (hint, white clothes work best for this typically). Bamboo layered with a couple of layers of S-glass fiberglass cloth and high strength, lamination epoxy, and then with the inner diaphragms punctured and spray foam sprayed in the middle, makes some remarkably tough and strong for the weight fixed length, budget poles. (Though, carbon poles seem to have gotten less expensive in recent years and there are some good deals out there). Ghee keeps longer than olive oil. Refined coconut oil probably keeps the second best. Avocado oil, while it doesn't keep as well as the former two, is more multi-functional, as it works as a great pot/pan non stick because it has an unusually high smoke point. Rub some on the pot/pan for low water cooking. If you're just boiling water or the like, no real point. A flat piece of strong for the weight fabric with some loops attached in combo with a stick in the ground, makes a great and lighter windscreen than metal ones. Make a sideways V with the sharp point facing towards the wind and the stove in between the open part. Obviously the fabric goes over the stick in the ground to make the > or

Add the olive oil to your pan/pot and tip/roll it around to coat the entire pan before adding the food and it will help keep the food from sticking, make it easier to clean.

When wearing a rain jacket with a cap, use a small peg or clip to hold the hood onto the peak of the cap

In winter/spring touring I've naturally used hot water bottles to dry my socks (or more often than not, skiboots). But if only the socks are damp, then I've placed them on my quads (in such cold conditions, I often sleep with longjohns or capri-length merino of wicking underwear). Less gross and on my chest/tummy, but still big muscles and have not had damp socks in the morning.

Amazing line-up of great hacks. No wasted words. I can/will use all. Will share with all my backpacker friends and family. Keep them coming.

Ghee is another awesome option for adding fats to backpacking meals where olive oil may be a weird taste.

Eyeglasses Hack: I remove the temples (“arm” on each side) using a tiny screwdriver and replace them with a section of elastic. I attach using upholstery thread and needle through the screw holes. The result is lighter weight glasses that I can’t break or lose because I keep them around my neck. I have broken multiple pairs of glasses over the years, multiple ways; now solved.

That oil tip is not only calorie packing gold, but boy do I bet it helps one stomach less stellar food options 🤣 a little extra fat can help so many things taste better, especially preserved food.

I use a cleaned out plastic bladder from a box of wine as an inflatable pillow + a large Crown Royal sack as a pillowcase! Just push the little button on the nozzle and you can inflate it to the exact firmness you want and then deflate it to a tiny and lightweight ball of plastic 😊 Also, you can use any cloth bag… the Crown Royal sack is just soft and the perfect size

I watch a lot of these videos, but this one takes the prize!! I expect to use at least eight out of ten of these hacks going forward. Awesome, Oscar! 👏 What a champ! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Love the silicone suggestion. Thank you

Wow some actually useful tips I've not heard of before! Thanks!

One tip I saw in a video that I liked was when picking up your tent, leave one stake in so you can pull against it to roll it up tighter. Also stops tent from blowing in the wind if it's breezy.

Loads of really useful hacks. The only one I already knew was the silicone dots on the mattress. But do both sides so your sleeping bag doesn't slide off it.

The silicone to the bottom of the mattress is a really good idea. My son showed me this one and it has been a sleep saver.

Butter has the same caloric density as oil and tastes good on more foods. Will last almost a week in your pack.

I've watched a lot of hiking "hack" videos and almost all of these hacks I've never seen! Great video, great hacks my dude!!

I bring an extra bottle with wide entrance to use it as a pee bottle when it's raining or cold outside.

When I waterproof the seams of my tent, I put 4 straps of the silicone mix on the floor of my tent. It keeps my pad from sliding and I don't have to do it to every pad I have.

I’m not even a hiker, but these are some genuinely useful ideas 👍

Great video, personally I would go insane if I couldn’t wrap my arm around my pillow, no way I could sleep with it immobile like that.😂

I couldn't imagine the sock hack to work, so I tried it at home. Put one sock on the rack and one underneath my shirt. It does work - nice and dry and warm like fresh out of the dryer, while the one on the rack is still considerably wet - BUT obviously I'm a wimp, because I hated the first hours. It didn't stop feeling cold. Thank you anyway for the experience! 😂 Thanks also for the rest of the video and all the hacks! (Beginner's question: Isn't it easier to lay the bottle down to check if the ground is level? 🤔)

Thanks!!! I have seen a lot of "10 tips" videos and when I started to watch this one, I thought "what else can I pick up..." But I learned a lot new tips which I will start using!! Well done and thanks! Your videos are normally very good (content, delivery, pace, etc). Please keep it up!!

I camp a lot and am blown away by how many new methods this taught me! Awesome video

Man great video, some of the tips were amazing. TIP: from the Swedish army, put the wet sock along your legs and the top over your belt so the don’t slip. Works even below freezing

That water bottle as a level trick is so simple but so genius. Will definitely be using that.

Gear Nerdery at its finest. Having just spent 5 nights in the NZ mountains... all these tips minus the socks ones (I'd pass out) would have immediately helped. Thank you. My favourite hack. Rubberband in thermarest roll... use it to hold your phone on your trekking pole in the tipi tent for movie time!😊

Great! Useful and solving so many problems. Thank You a lot!

Great video as always, thanks. Maybe you could share how transporting your gear when you are using flights (what to leave at home or how you are protecting your stuff if it's going to registered baggage and so on). Those videos about transportation on UKposts can be improved (especially by those who are practical as you :) )

3:50 I do this too. After a couple of awkwardly angles left me sliding off my ultralite cot at night, I always lie down in the spot first to see if it's flat enough for my cot not to tilt.

You can use velcro strips for the pillow and also on the bottom of the sleeping pad instead of silicone. Loved the bottle cap for tent peg hack!

Spork measure idea is very inventive! Thanks for the tips!

T shirt/pillow idea super cool. I am pumping them up now to try. Well, done. Thanks, Ray.

ive seen thousands of hours of camping content and this was the first in a looooooooong while to have actually unique useful tips!

A hacks video that is actually insightful. I am genuinely stunned. Thanks a lot!❤

These were all legit really good tips and tricks. Thank you!

I'm a trail runner and aspiring fastpacker, and these tips are so useful! The ultralight community is a goldmine for fastpacking, which is just ultralight backpacking done a bit faster after all 😅 I've also seen the hiking community take things from the trail running community, such as water bottles on the front straps (we use soft flasks for less bounce) and frameless lightweight running packs 🥰

Thank you, will definitely try the T-shirt pillow technique, not sure about the sock drying but good for you

Already knew/did some, but the tshirt, bottle cap and spoon marking are both new to me and really clever! Thanks

Hands down the best way to dry socks. I’m gonna steal the bottle cap one. Thank you.

Barely heard any of those before, rly helpful

Most useful video I have seen on the Internet in a long time! Pure Genius!

Trying out the tent site - use the groundcloth. The one I used last time I went hiking is a tad short so I tied loops of string to the two points in one end. When I needed to camp (in windy, stable areas) I just hung the groundcloth on my trekking pole, see which way it wanted to go and if it was also relatively comfortable angle, you get the wind direction and ground level tested out at the same time. And the pole kept it from escaping in the wind.

The posters look great 👍 I was excited to see that you stock the GDT! A neat idea 😊

Big thumbs up. Keep it simple and concise. Way to go.

Some good ideas. Love that you deliver the info quickly. New subbie from Alaska 🙋🏻‍♀️🏔️💕

Brilliant! Thanks for sharing

bottle cap added to my gearlist ! amazing !

Good stuff! Awesome tips and I'll be using a few this summer.

Thank you for sharing these great ideas! I especially love adding the silicone to the pad! Mine always slides throughout the night. Does it add significant bulk for packing?

If you like cereal for breakfast you can fill ziplock bags with your favorite cereal and powdered milk. Very light and just add water. I do the same thing with pudding and cheese cake.

These are great tips! Thank You!

Wow an actual great video with hiking tips ?!? Maybe the first time I’ve ever seen one.

with some rain jackets it's possible to thread string through the cuff if you make two small holes, then add a spring toggle to tighten the cuffs

Fiji water bottle - square shape keeps it from rolling on a hill.

Excellent video Sir Clear and to the point

Could be one of the few videos whose content is as valuable as the comment section!

If the temperature allows, a stick of butter is also great. It works well with almost every food (olive oil in porridge? Nope) 🙂

Great tips Oscar! And great sense of humor! You had me for a second, thinking you’d put urine in your pot! Enjoy your vids, keep them coming.

Great job -- thank you!

Hi Oscar and thanks for this video ! The bottle cap is a very nice idea , thank you ! 🙂👍

These were really good! Thanks!

These are great tips, thanks. But I think the water bottle - ground level trick won't work because the surface area of the water bottle is too small. A small unevenness in the ground already gives a wrong result. But the other tips are great.

These are all great hacks, good video!

Great tips, thanks!

I learned more legitimate tips in this one video than an entire day of watching other ones. Subscribed.

First actually good backpacking hacks video. Subscribed.

Thanks for the great tips!

Thank you for making this video

Awesome tips! thank you so much :)

Rubber shelf liner pieces under the air pad to keep from sliding

I use fire to dry my socks. Definitely using the tshirt and pillow trick tho!!

OBSERVATION great channel and just subbed. I do prefer a 2 sided sponge made for teflon or non stick pans rather than vegetable netting as i have found the netting used on those bags is not as soft and scratches my cooking gear and drinkware over time.

Nice. Very helpful

Not really a hack but I always pull the insoles out of my shoes/boots after a long day even when at home. Helps them dry out faster and air outs a lot of the smell. I have footwear that are years old and still don't smell 👍

Thanks for the useful tips, Oscar

Awesome stuff cheers 👍

The silicone idea is good.

If you are camping in the cold, put the clothes and socks you plan to wear for the next day in your sleeping bag when you go to bed. When you wake up, you can put your pants, shirt, and socks on in the bag, which will be much warmer than the outside temperature or pull them out and dress. Either way, your acclimation to the ambient temperature will be much easier. I have done this and it makes a cold morning much easier. Hope this helps others.

Hello there! I have my ways regarding backpacking. Weight is king but mindset, comfort and joy are the goal. If you can judge a flat ground by sight then skip the glue stuff on the mattress and the bottle "trick". Your tent floor could suffer from that mattress sticking stress and the bottle water level trick is clearly a gimmick. I don't use an inflatable pillow, they are terrible, use the clothing or whatever sheet you ave left to stuff a t-shirt and make a pillow. You need to keep thing hot or cold? use the same clothing to insulate it. You have no stove? Make it from the cans of food you have. Always carry purifying pills with you to harness any water from a stream, To clean your pot if needed (i usually eat everything from the meal scraping the remaining with my finger) you can use any thing if it's not a teflon pan (teflon don't suit camping) you can use dirt, sand, leaves, branches, whatever, no big deal. carry honey, some kind of marmite, vitamins, olive oil can be drank easily, don't use butter unless it's a sealed container but then it uses space... carry lighters like 3 in different places, carry a blade, carry cord and learn your knots (4 is enough) carry 2 phones in case of emergency and a power bank for having fun watching something. VERY IMPORTANT: take care of your feet, comfy shoes where your foot don't slide, dry socks. I disagree with the method of drying them under the shirt, put them close to the fire if it's cold or just over your shoes to dry and carry enough socks to make sure you get a dry pair. (you can always hang things to dry over your backpack to dry during the day) This message is getting too long, I camped in all conditions in several countries. The key is to find multiple uses for one material. I once camped 2 weeks in the middle of NZ bush with a fuel station 5km from my tent in the winter. I peed in empty milk bottles to stay inside the tent otherwise my winky pinky would fall off from the frost outside. haha

Learned a little. The silicone is a good one. Not sure on the bottle cap. Seems like a grasp for straws? Use your foot if the ground is that soft and if it isn’t, re evaluate. If you are doing long hikes like this you want pegs you can hammer into concrete. Sturdy enough to push with your hand( without a bottle cap) in an easy scenario, and for that bad moment you will tell your grandchildren how you serviced the great storm.

Some great tips there, thanks!

With the wet socks if you ha e 2 layers place them between them so not directly on your skin. I sleep wirh my headlight arpund my neck. Love the plactic net idea. Adding to my kit right now.

For carrying small amounts of liquids, I got 100cl bottles that are used for vape liquid. Cheap small and seal tight

Did you apply the silicone while the pad was inflated or when it was deflated?

I was expecting this to be clickbait nonsense but these are actual, useful tips. 👍