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Hiking in Western North Carolina

Hiking FAQs

Which is the best pack?

Sleeping bag care and cleaning

Breaking in new footwear

Basic footwear care

What is your most comfortable boot?

Hiking FAQs

Get Hiking Gear

Which is the best pack?

Which backpack is the best? Is it the most expensive one? The answer: the one that fits you best. People’s backs are different shapes and sizes and different pack designs fit individuals differently. It is important to find the pack that fits you best because a poor fitting pack will make you just as miserable as wearing the wrong size shoes. Packs come in different torso lengths and many have interchangeable hipbelts and shoulder harnesses. Diamond Brand encourages you to come by so we can fit you in several different packs with weight, enabling you to find the pack that fits you best.

Sleeping Bag Care and Cleaning

The best way to maximize the life and warmth of your sleeping bag, whether it is synthetic or down, is to take good care of it in the woods and at home. Keep your bag out of the dirt and keep it dry. If your bag gets wet hang it out until it is completely dry before putting it in storage. Never leave your sleeping bag in its stuff sack, rather place it in a large breathable storage bag that does not compress the fill or hang it up in your closet on a hanger. Washing a sleeping bag is good thing if you do it correctly. Synthetic sleeping bags (Polarguard, Hollofil, or Quallofil) are best done in a front-loading washing machine because a top loading or agitator washing machine can damage the bag. Use about a 1/3 cup of mild detergent when washing the bag. After the bag is washed place it in a dryer on the no heat or the lowest heat setting, check on your bag every ten to fifteen minutes to make sure no hot spots are developing on the nylon shell. This will keep the shell from melting. Diamond Brand recommends hand washing all down sleeping bags with soap especially made for down products. We would like to thank Western Mountaineering for the following instructions for hand washing a down sleeping bag: “When you hand wash, fill the tub with warm water, add down soap and put the bag in the tub. A tip here is to keep your bag in its stuff sack and put the whole thing underwater. That way the air has already been forced out of the bag and you won’t have to fight air filled baffles floating to the surface. A Dryloft TM bag should first be turned inside out before being put into the tub. Carefully pull the bag from its stuff sack and gently knead the soapy water through the bag. It may be necessary to change the soapy water more than once, but don’t over do it. When you are satisfied that your bag is clean be prepared to rinse it several times. It is important that all of the soap is removed from the down before it is dried. If in doubt rinse again; five or more times is not uncommon. Do not wring water from your sleeping bag; instead roll it up tightly and carefully. A washing machine that will allow you to select the last spin cycle will remove a lot of water and save dryer time. Find a large dryer with good heat control, and set to low heat. First, watch for hot spots on the dryer drum that could melt the nylon shell. If in doubt use the no heat setting. A couple of clean tennis balls tossed in with the bag will help break up clumps of down and give you something to look at. Be careful! Don’t just tumble your bag until it feels dry; that may not be enough. Carefully feel the down insulation. If you still feel lumps, no matter how small, then your down is still wet! Break a twenty and add more dimes. In a couple of hours you will have a clean sleeping bag back to its original loft.”

Breaking in new footwear

Break new footwear in gradually. Wear as often as possible for as long as they are comfortable. Break in time will vary depending on boot, fit, and individual. Do not use the old soak and wear method. This is no longer necessary. To speed break in apply Nikwax Leather Conditioner to soften leather before wearing.

Basic Footwear Care

Clean your boots! Like all apparel, footwear requires cleaning. Dirty footwear will not breathe, repel water, or live as long as clean footwear. We recommend Nikwax Cleaning Gel and a brush or sponge. Condition the leather. We guesstimate three times a year, but if your leather is getting wet often, it will probably require more treatments. When the leather of a shoe feels stiff or “dried out”, it is more susceptible to tearing and sole delamination. Using a conditioner such as Nikwax Leather Conditioner will extend the life of your leather footwear. Waterproof them but don’t overdo it. Over waxing a boot can be worse for it than using nothing at all! The waterproofing of choice will depend on the kind of leather you have, its condition, use, and whether or not it has a waterproof lining in it such as Gore-tex. Drying and storage. Do not dry your footwear with a heat source! Air-dry them. Heating your boot could cause sole delamination or leather shrinkage. Once footwear is dry store in a cool dry place, not a basement or attic

What is your most comfortable boot?

The boots that best fit your foot will be the most comfortable. Feet are as individual as fingerprints; no two are the same. In fact, your left foot and right foot are not identical. Therefore, boots that are comfortable for one person may not be for another.

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