Choosing hiking boots and footwear is one of most important decisions you as a hiker or camper will make. They'll either make your trip memorable or miserable. To find what's best for you, ask yourself "What type of hiking do I do?"

Day Hiking (Light-weight)- Do you usually go for short hikes for one to several hours during week or weekend without a backpack? Then you'll want to consider these. They're lighter, flexible, and breathe better because they're usually made of fabric and split-grain leather. They're comfortable for day outings but you'll become fatigued and your feet will begin to bother you if you try to hike with a pack or for an extended trip because they aren't designed to support you like hiking boots below.

Backpacking/Hiking (Mid-weight)- Stiffer mid-weight hiking boots provide more support and protection for shorter 2-3 day trips or even day hikes with or without a light to moderate load. If you hike for a few hours and want more support and/or up to three days on or off-trail on easy to moderate trails get a mid-weight leather backpacking boot.

Which camping tent... Dome, family, 4-season, backpacking or cabin is right for you? They don't repel rain, cold, snow, or biting bugs equally.

Camping tents are an important outdoor gear investment. This article will give you information you need to make an informed decision about what kind is best for you.

First determine what type of camping you'll be doing? Do you only go out in summer or are you into 4-season camping? Make sure to prepare yourself for worst possible type of weather you'll encounter. Waking up to a foot of snow inside your summer camping tent because of a late fall blizzard isn't much fun. ;-)

After determining what seasons you'll need your tent for, estimate how many people you will usually camp with...

Sizing It Up

Camping tents are rated by number of people they can accommodate. But these ratings are like getting twenty circus clowns into a Volkswagon Beetle...goofy. :-) When they say it's a 4-person tent, they mean 4 people and nothing else, no hiking gear, no room for boots, just 4 people that hopefully know each other pretty well. Seriously, if you're looking for backpacking tents or hiking tents and weight is a big concern, then get cozy and use rating system, but otherwise I'd think bigger.