Adventure Ready

Plan the trip before the trip plans you

Adventure Ready is a plain-language guide to getting ready for a day hike, a paddle or a night in the backcountry. It gathers what US public agencies say about the ten essentials, weather, cold water, heat and public-lands rules, and names the document behind each point. It sells nothing and runs no tours.

Start with the ten essentials See all six guides
Illustration of layered pine-green mountains with a snowy peak behind a blue lake, a dotted trail winding down to the shore and a low orange sun.
Most trouble outdoors starts with something that could have been checked at home: the route, the forecast, the water and who knows where you are.
  1. Plan and tell someoneChoose a route that suits the whole group and leave the details with a person who is staying home.
  2. Pack the essentialsNavigation, light, layers, first aid, food, water and shelter, even for a short outing.
  3. Check the conditionsWeather, water levels and water temperature, and the rules of the place you are visiting.
  4. Be ready to turn backA plan B and a turnaround point decided in advance are part of the plan, not a failure of it.

Six guides, in the order a trip comes together

Each guide stands on its own, but together they follow one trip from the kitchen table to the trailhead and back. Every guide lists the public documents it is based on and the date it was last reviewed against them.

  1. Trip planning and the ten essentials

    A plan someone else holds, and the ten systems worth carrying on every outing.

  2. Hiking safely: route, pace and turning back

    Picking the right trail, keeping the group together and knowing when to turn back.

  3. Paddling a kayak or canoe safely

    Wearing the life jacket, dressing for the water, filing a float plan.

  4. Weather, lightning and flash floods

    Why no place outside is safe in a thunderstorm, and what to do about rising water.

  5. Drinking water, heat and sun

    Treating stream water, staying hydrated and recognising heat illness early.

  6. Public lands: passes, permits and Leave No Trace

    Passes, permits and reservations, and the seven principles for leaving no trace.

Public guidance first, and a plain line where it stops

Outdoor advice is full of confident rules of thumb. Some are sound; some are out of date; some were never checked. This guide takes the narrower path. It repeats what the National Park Service, the National Weather Service, the US Coast Guard and the CDC publish for the public, names the page each point comes from, and says so when a question needs training or local knowledge instead of a web page.

Read the editorial policy

  • Public sources onlySafety statements come from US government agencies, and the Leave No Trace principles come from the National Park Service page that reproduces them. Each guide lists its sources.
  • General, not a courseReading about cold water, first aid or navigation is not the same as practising it. The guides point to training rather than pretend to replace it.
  • Nothing for saleNo tours, bookings, gear picks, brands, advertising or affiliate links.

Three things to settle before you leave

  • Who holds your planRoute, group, return time and what to do if you are late, left with someone at home.
  • Where you shelter from lightningA substantial building or a hard-topped vehicle. The National Weather Service says no place outside is safe in a thunderstorm.
  • How you will treat waterClear stream water can still carry germs. The CDC names boiling as the best way to kill them.

The first guide turns these into a short planning routine, with the ten essentials that the National Park Service asks visitors to carry.

Open the trip planning guide