CTUG Blog
The Best Way to Carry Water While Hiking Desert Stretches: Capacity, Access, and a Setup That Works
When CTUG’s founders thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2018, their water setup started with safety pins. A pillow sack pinned to a shoulder strap kept a bottle up front where it could be reache...
Backpack Strap Pockets: What to Carry Up Front (Phone, Snacks, Tools)
If you’re at all familiar with our brand, you’ll notice that we make several different shoulder strap accessories. We've talked a lot about the water bottle sleeve on this blog, but that's really j...
How to Stop Bottle Bounce on Your Shoulder Strap Water Bottle Holder
Most advice on bottle bounce tells you to buy a snugger sleeve or switch to a smaller bottle. That advice misses the actual problem. Bounce is almost always an attachment issue, and once you unders...
What Are the Real Thru-Hike Essentials? (And Where to Actually Keep Them)
Every hiker has their own version of this story. You get home from a trip, start unpacking, and find something at the bottom of your bag that you never touched. Still rolled up, sealed, and carried...
How to Add a Water Bottle Holder to Your Backpack (And Why Most Hikers Get It Wrong)
Back in 2018, we were hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with a homemade backpack. People kept stopping us on the trail to comment on it, and those conversations kept going the same direction: "I love ...
Bear Can Basics: How to Pack, Open, and Actually Live With a Bear Canister
Learn how to pack, open, and manage a bear can on trail. Practical tips for BearVault lids, food packing, and smarter backpacking systems.
Best Backpack Water Bottle Holders for Ultralight Hiking
Choosing the best water bottle carrier for backpacking seems simple until you are halfway into a thru-hike dealing with bounce, blown-out mesh, or a hydration bladder you cannot properly clean. Hyd...
The Hills We Choose to Die On: Rethinking Outdoor Inclusivity - Savannah Bergeron
There’s a reason we’re moved when we see mountains, waterways, wild animals, sunrises. That reason is a bond that we should all have access to.
Scaling Up Without Compromising: An Update from CTUG
Big news from CTUG Co-Founder Nathan Ackerman:
We’ve partnered with a trusted manufacturer in Vietnam to help us keep your favorite gear in stock and invest more in our Michigan team.
This change s...