Survival

"Hello, this is 911. Please state your emergency." If you're calling for backcountry help on your cell phone, what you say--or sob incoherently--next could determine when you get rescued.

Ounce for ounce, few items can improve your survival chances more than a humble trash bag.

Lost your hiking partner? Here's what to do to make sure you both come home in one piece.

Doing more (fresh-baked pizza and rumaki hors d'oeuvres) with less (a canister stove and a frying pan) is the essence of backcountry cooking. But when you're stuck without pots, pans, or utensils for more than a week, knowing how to cook and boil water with these four stand-in containers can be a vital, calorie-providing skill.

Fording the river didn't seem risky until the moment your butt hit the water. Now you're soaked up to your pits as the evening mercury drops below 45-degrees F. Your goal: Prevent hypothermia.

Word up to Eric Schlosser and all you other health-food ninnies out there: A bag of greasy chips could save your triglyceride-loathing, carb-counting, GMO-bashing arses.

Few forms of hiking are more frustrating, exhausting, and potentially dead-ending than postholing (aka, flailing through thigh-deep snow). If a storm struck overnight or you forgot to pack snowshoes--but still have miles to go--save energy and stay drier by constructing your own Ojibwas.

Without any traction, you're not going anywhere. Here's how to cross an icefield with the stuff in your pack.

Put that hooch to good use with these tips for starting a fire, treating water, and even signaling for help.

Long before satellite beacons, humans thrived in the wild with the best technology available: a knife. And with that one tool and some basic knowledge, they fulfilled all life-sustaining needs.

What to do when the you-know-what hits the fan.

A soda can-sized emergency shelter!

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

Get found with this super loud whistle.

Light a fire fast, even in wet, cold, and windy conditions, with this waterproof lighter.

Everything you need in an emergency in one tiny little pack.

A tough knife and a fire starter all in one.

Keep bears away from your grub with this light and tough bear canister.

Does it work? Depends on which snake you ask.

Hate snakes? This product promises to send them running.

We tested bear canisters in three categories: best bargain, weekend size, and big trip size.

We air-dropped a blindfolded Jim Thornton into the middle of a 2-million-acre wilderness to find out.

This durable French knife has an odoriferous handle.

This light survival kit has all the essentials.

This multitool is tougher than any task it might face.

Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Update your survival kit for 2010.

Real reader bear questions answered by Buck Tilton.

Bears, beers, and booze——our resident bruin expert tells all in our 'Ask A Bear' column.

This tiny multitool packs a big punch.

Check out BACKPACKER readers's author page.

Most common backcountry injuries.

Your buddy just slid down a steep scree and broke his leg. Should you go for help–or haul him out? It's a tough call. The answer depends on several factors. Here's how to decide.

Here's how to prevent–and treat–three common backcountry eye problems.

Use this chart to determine if you can finish your trip–or should hightail it to the ER.

"Be prepared" is a great maxim, but be honest: Who among you packs a SAM splint and an irrigation syringe on every backpacking trip? Fear not–everyday items can serve as medical equipment in a pinch.

When you're miles away from medical help and it's serious: Here's how to handle extreme injuries in the backcountry.

Sprains, strains, and fractured bones. Here's what to do in the case of a distressed limb.

As much as we try to protect ourselves from extreme elements, sometimes the elements hedge even our greatest efforts. Here's what to do when Mother Nature wins.

Check out what to do when it's much more than a simple scrape or puncture wound.

Treating injuries miles from the ER is an essential skill. But don't pack a medical text: Instead, learn what really matters. Wilderness Medicine Institute cofounder Buck Tilton boils down a lifetime's worth of experience into 62 tips every hiker should k

This refillable lighter is a snap to ignite–even with frigid fingers.

Assess your winter climbing risks with this handy chart.

Got a burning ursine question? Ask our resident bruin expert in our new 'Ask A Bear' column.

After three decades of silence, a reporter reveals the story he was afraid to write.

Could you earn a merit badge in wilderness travel? Better ace this test, taken straight from the Scouts' own backpacking manual.

Scoutmasters wrote the book on camping, and built an army of pack-toting teens. But do the troops truly rule when it comes to outdoor skills? We pitted three Scouts against three average readers to find out.

Fast, hassle-free, ultralight,–we explore five different water treatment scenarios and the right system to use.

A waterproof firestarter that requires only one hand.

Kristin Bjornsen hikes into the Sierras to meet Gus, a new breed of highly trainedrescue professional that's already patrolling Yosemite for lost and injuredbackpackers.

Could a trail-savvy terrorist hike a nuke into America through wilderness areas on the Canadian border? An anonymous hiker-patriot alerts the White House.

Don't leave it in the car–mobile phones are the latest essential rescue gear.

Get the bug dope ready: The bloodthirsty mosquito is heading your way this summer.

Four myths about snakebites, dispelled.

Even expert hikers can take foolish risks. Stay smart–and safe–with these tips.

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

From stings to dehydration, this fully-stocked kit has everything you'd need to handle a medical issue, even when overseas

There is nothing like the African lion.

One Minnesota doctor and his team have discovered a new treatment that reduces the need for amputations.

Check out The Backpacker Editors's author page.

Baked or broiled?

An autumn climb turns life-threatening when a hiker endures a night in a whiteout at 12,000 feet in the Rockies.

On a snowy night in New Hampshire, Congressional candidate Gary Dodds crashed his car, wandered into the woods, and collapsed. Twenty-seven hours later, rescuers carried him out. And then the real drama began.

Make a fire fast with this pocket-sized tip

Seeing a bruin up close is a Yosemite highlight. Unless it's too close.

Chomped by a critter? Here's what to do.

Here are the top three wildfire dangers and how to avoid them.

Learn how to battle your way out of a raging river with these tips.

When you're stuck in the desert unexpectedly conserve, conserve, conserve.

Beware of dehydration when a sudden illness strikes.

How do hikers meet their maker in the backcountry? The answers may surprise you.

On August 25, 2005, Johan Otter and his 18-year-old daughter, Jenna, hiked right into the worst nightmare of any Glacier National Park backpacker: a 300-pound mother grizzly protecting two cubs. Here, in his own words, the 45-year-old physical therapist from Escondido, CA, shares the incredible story of their life-and-death struggle.

From snowblindness to wrong turns, everyday wilderness adventures can turn ugly if you're not prepared for everything.

Headed for the coasts? Keep those Tevas handy. Swelling oceans are threatening to submerge classic trails.

Always be prepared for adversity with these pieces of gear.

As temperatures rise, Minnesota's North Woods will likely go up in smoke.

Learn the steps to take if you're bitten by a poisonous snake.

On the trail black bears, skunks, grizzlies, rattlesnakes, and ticks are not your friend. Learn how to side-step them.

Things happen fast in the wilderness. It's important to learn the right and wrong actions beforehand so you can react accordingly.

Our pros Kristin Hostetter and Buck Tilton get you ready for the trails ahead.