How To Choose The Right Running Sock For Backpacking?

 Whenever I go on a backpacking trip I use running socks instead of regular socks. There are multiple reasons for this. First of all, they are more comfortable. They fit my feet perfectly, they have added protection at the heel and toe areas, and the best models are even thicker at the laces, so your feet are protected. The soles of the best running socks are also thicker, or they have a plush part that protects your feet against sharp objects and the impact of the ground.

My favourite socks for backpacking.
Source: Wikipedia

  So how can you choose the running socks that are the best for you? There are multiple considerations that you have to take into account. First of all, there are socks that reach only below your ankles, there are ones that reach over your ankles, and there are also ones that end somewhere in the middle of your ankles. The ones that end below your ankles are not the best for backpacking, as they don't hold your ankles steady in the boots, but these also prevent the boots from damaging the skin on your ankles. All in all these are the models I recommend for backpacking.

 The best running socks all have great breathability. Ventilation keeps your feet dry by allowing the sweat to evaporate from your feet. This ensures that you feet are going to remain dry no matter how hard you work during your backpacking trip. The best models even have antibacterial coating. This is important because the bacteria dwell in wet, warm conditions, the exact conditions that are present in your boots during a backpacking trip. Event though the best boots are breathable, you can count on your feet sweating during your trip. After all backpacking is hard and demanding, it is a sport, and you sweat during sports.

 The best socks have a little wedge at the heel area. Their neck is also thicker, these features are important in ensuring that the socks don't slip into the shoes during your trip. You are going to sweat a lot, the wedge and the thick neck all ensure that the socks stay in their place.

 The socks must have anti odour coating as well. This coating helps prevent and get rid of the bad odours that are natural, but quite unpleasant. These odours are a product of your feet sweating during your backpacking trip. You can get rid of odours pretty easily by hanging up your boots and allowing them to ventilate, but you can't do so while you are walking. Your socks are the only things that are going to prevent those horrible smells from developing  in your shoes.

Chances To Connect With Nature If You Live In a City

Cities offer great nightlife, but it hard to connect with nature.
Source: Wikipedia

 City living is a bit of a conundrum to me. People go to the city as it provides the best chances to get employment, and the best educational opportunities, and it also has the best recreational activities, like parties, museums, art galleries, not to mention that this is the place where you can meet the most interesting people simply because so many people are live in the city.

 However there is a big problem with living in a congested city, or at least it is a problem for me. I miss the tranquility of the outdoors a lot. I love connecting with nature, and it is hard to experience that connection among the concrete walls and buildings of a major European city.

 However not all hope is lost for those of us who want to experience nature while enjoying the peaks of living in the city. There are city parks, and some cities have such a good infrastructure that you can get out and experience nature with a small amount of travelling, not to mention that some cities are surrounded by beautiful, magnificent forests.

 The first thing that helps is if you are living in the outskirts of the city. This can be the suburbs, but I don't really enjoy living there, the whole mindset of the people there is not very interesting, and not very entertaining. With a little bit of research you can find places that are located close to the outskirts of the city, and you can go running in those areas. My benchmark for deciding if the area is close enough to where I live is if I can get to the forest and get a good jog in, and get back in a total in sixty minutes.

 If there is a forest, there are going to be chances to go camping. These chances include just a small patch without vegetation in remote areas, where not many people go, and you can set up your tent. These are excellent for spending a day or two during the weekend if for some reason you can't travel far away from the city you live in.

You can find great information on what to do in specific cities if you want to escape the hustle of your habitat. For example this website offers great ideas on where to spend your time in London if you are looking for a bit of outdoor experience.

 City parks also offer a great chance to connect with the wild. The best cities make sure that they have enough green areas in them, and big enough parks so that the inhabitants of the city feel like it is livable and the city is not just one big sea of concrete. These parks are excellent for cycling, jogging or just having a lunchtime stroll.

 The infrastructure also matters a lot. If the city is well connected it becomes easier to get out of it and reach remote areas that are excellent for outdoor activities. Such areas are little villages next to lakes, in valleys or forests. These places are reachable, and excellent for outdoor activities.

Keys To Backpacking With Your Spouse

 If you have been in a relationship for a long time like I have you are going to know that it can be hard to find activities that both of you can take part in, and both of you feel juiced about. The outdoors provides a host of occupations that you can take part in and feel great about. These activities are perfect way to connect with each other and then celebrate your shared achievement, success together.

 I have been jogging every morning with my spouse for months, when the summer was upon us and we decided to take our shared sports activity a step further and try out something new. We decided to try out backpacking. It is pretty similar to running, the difference is that you have to walk, not jog, and you have to do it for a longer period than running. Otherwise it is pretty similar.

 The key to successful backpacking is to have passion. Good advice, thank you you might say, the key to anything in life is to have passion. This applies to backpacking as well. If you are going to embark on a long journey together you will have to entertain each other, be passionate, because if you are passionate your state is going to infect others around you as well.

 Not to mention that you are going to spend a lot of time together in mother nature and you will have a torrid time if you drive each other crazy. A good chemistry contributes a lot to a successful camping trip.

Backpacking can e a romantic experience.
Source: Wikipedia

 You also need to make several decisions before a trip, great planning is the key to any successful backpacking trip. You will need to decide what kind of stuff to bring on your trip, you will need to decide what kind of tent bring, what to eat, what to wear. The worst scenario is if you start your trip with inadequate gear and you are out there on the track, and you have no way of replacing what you have left at home. And if you don't bring the right kind of gear on your backpacking gear, your needs won't be met, and you will be frustrated, which will lead to arguments. You most likely go backpacking to get away from it all and enjoy the silence, the tranquility of nature.

 The biggest upside to backpacking with your spouse is exactly that it is very quiet, you won't meet many people out there in the great vast outdoors. This is an excellent opportunity to spice up your love life a bit. You can try doing it in all kinds of exotic places, not to mention that you can always set up a tent in the wild if you want some more privacy, and you don't want to risk getting caught. If you are looking for tips on the subject, Love In A Tent is a great blog on the subject.

 Camping is an awesome way to spend time together with the ones you love. However it is important to do some kind of activity instead of just sitting around. Taking part in activities is going to give you new experiences and ways to get together, experience each other in different ways, and it is going to provide you with memories that you are going to remember for the rest of your life, and will create lasting friendship among you.

 What can you do on a camping trip? Well, this depends a great deal on what is the make up of your group. Obviously if you are a group of adults drinking games can be fun, but those are forbidden for children. There are activities that everybody can play regardless of age or sex, like sports, cooking, fishing, hiking, horse riding.

A delicious barbecue.
Source: Wikipedia

 The obvious activities include cooking outdoors. Most campsites allow you to set a fire in their designated picnic area, and some even allow you to do it by your tent. There are places and times where you are not allowed to start a fire, obviously you must not start a fire in the summer months when it is so hot that plants are dry and catch on fire easily. Always ask the local authorities about rules and regulations in the are. Get to know exactly when and where can you start a fire. After you are done cooking, make sure that you put out the fire. The obvious way is to pour some water on it, or if you are a boy, you can do it in another way as well. The safe way is to put some dirt on the ashes, so that you deprive the fire of oxygen.

 If you are cooking outdoors, you can choose to prepare many different kinds of food. Tinfoil cooking is a very common, popular way of cooking outdoors. It is easy, hygienic, and you can prepare delicious nutritious dishes this way.  All you need is the ingredients of the food you want to prepare, you wrap the whole pack in tinfoil, you put it on ember, and wait for around thirty minutes until it is done.

 The other popular way of preparing food outdoors is a BBQ. You will need special equipment in order to prepare food with BBQ, but it is worth the effort. Nothing makes the meat as juicy and as delicious as a great barbecue. Most campsites have a designated camping area that include gear for BBQ, you have to pay a little bit of extra to use these areas, but the money that you have to pay is worth a bit of great time with your friends and family.

 Most campsites have sports courts. You should definitely try these out, sports is a great way to connect with other people while breaking down social barriers, and sounding like the Incredible Hulk. Not all campsites have the same courts, call them before your camping trip so that you can get ready and bring all the equipment you need to use the courts. Such equipment might include tennis rockets, tennis balls, a basketball or football. Some campgrounds are built next to a lake, river, or they have a swimming pool. You might want to bring balls, mattresses and all the gear you need for sunbathing in order to make the most of your camping trip.

Some campsites have a badminton court.
Source: Flickr

 All in all there is nothing like connecting with the people that matter to you the most. The best way to do this is by going on a camping trip. It allows you to try out many different activities that break down social barriers, and provide you with long lasting memories that will fuel your friendship.