It seems like every summer brings a fresh hell鈥攍iterally鈥攐f , record-breaking temperatures, and meteorological anomalies you鈥檝e never heard of before (what the heck is a ?). But try telling experienced backpackers and hikers not to hit the trails when the mercury is popping and see what happens; a little thing like a heat index over 110掳F won鈥檛 keep some of us inside.

Unfortunately, that can, and sometimes does, result in dangerous situations such as heat illness, which can be uncomfortable at best and . So what鈥檚 a hiker to do when the summer sun turns their playground into something that resembles the surface of Mercury? Acclimatize.

Your body can and will acclimate to hotter temperatures, says David Fifer, associate professor of emergency medical care at Eastern Kentucky University and wilderness paramedic and coordinator of RedSTAR Wilderness EMS in Powell County, Kentucky. It just takes time. After some heat training, you鈥檒l feel less miserable out there, you鈥檒l perform better, your heart will beat more efficiently, and your risk of heat illness will decrease. In some states, temperatures will stay high for the next several months, so if you start heat training now, you鈥檒l be able to comfortably hike through some late-summer heat.

What Is Heat Acclimatization?

By , you鈥檙e encouraging your body to produce more , which kick into high gear to protect your cells鈥攊ncluding those in your heart and muscles鈥攆rom damage under stress (such as conditions during brutally hot days).

As this happens, a few things occur. First, you鈥檒l sweat more efficiently. You鈥檒l start sweating faster and also produce more sweat, explains Seth Collings Hawkins, associate professor of emergency medicine at Wake Forest University and a master fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine. This helps you cool down faster; your body gets rid of excess body heat as it vaporizes the sweat.

Circulation also stabilizes the more you acclimatize your body to heat. This means your heart won鈥檛 have to work as hard, your core temperature and heart rate won鈥檛 be as high, plus blood gets pumped to your muscles more efficiently.

How Do You Acclimatize?

, suggests Fifer. Start with easy, 20-minute walks outside in the heat, then every day (or every other day), increase that time by 20 minutes for a week or two. After that time, your body will start to get used to the new strain on your system. You don鈥檛 have to work hard to acclimatize: Your body adapts to the heat if you regularly spend time in a sauna or a hot bath, too.

How long it actually takes to fully acclimatize depends on you and your body. 鈥淵our baseline fitness is going to be a big factor in your acclimatization plan, and the more fit you are, the easier it鈥檚 going to be,鈥� Fifer says. If you鈥檙e at peak physical fitness, some studies suggest your body may adapt to heat training faster.

But if you鈥檙e out of shape, suffer from heart issues, or are overweight, heat illness can strike more rapidly, acclimatized or not. And if you鈥檝e been skipping a lot of gym sessions or have spent your whole summer so far indoors, planning a backpacking trip on the hottest weekend of the year isn鈥檛 a good idea.

Either way, if you鈥檙e planning any extreme activities, like a mid-summer thru-hike in the desert, Fifer says it鈥檚 wise to consult with a physician or knowledgeable athletic trainer first. Especially because a wide variety of medications鈥攊ncluding SSRIs for depression and stimulant supplements for weight loss鈥攃an interfere with your body鈥檚 ability to process heat.

Are There Limits to Acclimatization?

Acclimatizing your body doesn鈥檛 necessarily make it invincible. Hawkins cites studies that suggest that, no matter how acclimatized you are, your body can鈥檛 sustain a healthy core temperature when you鈥檙e in an environment hotter than 88掳F and at 100 percent humidity. In 50 percent humidity, the limit is closer to 122掳F, though the combination of temperature and exposure duration can both affect how well your body can acclimatize.

Speaking of humidity, heat adaptation in dry climates doesn鈥檛 tend to translate to adaptation in humid climates and vice versa. So if you can, train in weather you鈥檙e expecting to experience on the trail.

Don鈥檛 bail on time outside when it鈥檚 hot. Some studies suggest that spending a week or more away from the heat can be enough to set progress back at least a bit, meaning you鈥檒l have to spend a few days re-adapting. On the upside, according to the CDC, kicking it in your air conditioned living room or at the movie theater doesn鈥檛 seem to affect acclimatization, so soak it up when you can.

Then, when you do head outdoors this summer, don鈥檛 forget to stay hydrated and pack .

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Plenty of backpackers and campers, even those who will happily string up a hammock for some lazy afternoon hangs, offer a vehement 鈥渘o thank you鈥� when presented with the idea of spending the night in one. And not for no reason: eight hours trying to catch some shut-eye while wrapped up like a taco isn鈥檛 too many folks鈥� idea of a night well-spent. But these days, there are options for those who aren鈥檛 too keen on snoozing on the ground, either.

Enter lay-flat hammocks, whose clever designs offer a more familiar (i.e. flat) sleeping experience while still rocking you gently to sleep above the forest floor. Another tester and I tested several options while camping across the United States, from Michigian鈥檚 national forests to state parks in Texas. Below are the best lay-flat hammocks for nearly every type of adventure.

At a Glance

• Best for Car Camping:
• Best Comfort:
• Best for Day Hiking or Backpacking:
• Best Stability:

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Best for Car Camping

Tentsile Duo 2-Person Double Camping Hammock 3.0

Perhaps the most uniquely designed lay-flat hammock of the bunch, these triangular tree tents and hammocks from Tentsile kept me (and a buddy when testing a two-person model) as supported and horizontal as I could ever hope to be when suspended several feet above the ground. A variety of models that sleep one, two, or even three people have all the features you love in a tent, but with the added comfort of fewer pressure points: mesh netting with large zippered doors on camping models like the Safari, a rain fly, plenty of pockets, and even an optional ground conversion kit if you need to pitch it on terra firma.

We found the Duo hammock roomy and the base rigid enough to sit upright, play cards, or simply lounge, which made it an excellent option for rainy or sunny days, but more for camping than backpacking or hiking as it’s neither small nor light. One ding: Setup took quite a bit longer and required more straps than a traditional hammock since the triangle design had to be anchored to three trees instead of two, all of which had to be spaced apart just right. But once you get the hang of it: it鈥檚 magic.

Best Comfort

Haven Tent

If there鈥檚 an award for the coziest all-in-one hammock that feels the most like passing out in your own bed, but, you know, suspended in midair, it would go to the Haven. A zippered mosquito netting, durable rain fly, and plush insulated inflatable pad (complete with pump sack) make it one of the most comfortable and posh lay-flat hammocks.

There were plenty of pockets to stash items like books and headlamps and enough room for shorter campers to sit upright, which was nice. That said, the Haven is tippier than your average hammock, so getting situated when I first turned in required a bit of a balancing act (fortunately the mesh enclosure kept me from tumbling out altogether). Once you do, however, the experience feels like nodding off in a cozy cocoon. While the classic version is fairly narrow and better suited for slimmer campers, the XL and Safari versions provide ample space for larger campers. Bonus: with a few accessories, it can also be pitched on the ground if necessary.

Best for Day Hiking or Backpacking

Eno Skyloft Hammock

Eno knows hammocks. Including, apparently, lay-flat varieties. And this one offers a more supine sleeping position than most traditional hammocks thanks to collapsible spreader bars at the head and feet and an innovative trough design that helps you feel like you won鈥檛 flip out with one wrong move鈥搕hough it did feel a bit tippy when trying to sit upright. On the upside, it鈥檚 incredibly quick to set up, so you鈥檒l be snoozing in no time.

Technically, the SkyLoft is designed for leisurely hang sessions next to alpine lakes instead of overnights due to a lack of integrated mesh or built-in features like excessive amounts of storage (though there are two pockets). And it鈥檚 not supremely compatible with after-market bug nets, though there is a SkyLite version with integrated zippered mesh. That said, the tester certainly laid flatter than in more traditional hammocks and got an excellent night鈥檚 sleep. Bonus: the compact and easily portable package made it small enough to toss in a daypack for an afternoon hike.

Best Stability

Klymit Lay Flat Hammock

You might know Klymit for its wide range of inflatable sleeping pads, but the brand also offers a comfy and packable flat hammock. And while the tester鈥檚 butt did sink lower than their noggin in this model during testing, an extra wide spreader bar at the shoulders and dual adjustable straps at the feet kept them from being squeezed like an overripe apricot at their widest points, making for a more comfortable sleep setup.

The construction is streamlined and slightly more stable than other lay-flat hammocks thanks to no spreader bar at the feet, but still two points of contact. But if you plan to overnight in it on your next camping trip and want to be protected from the elements, you鈥檒l have to bring supplemental gear like netting and a tarp.

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For many, they鈥檙e synonymous with camping: Axes, hand saws, and hatchets. Equipment that makes you want to don your favorite flannel, pop a beanie on top of your unwashed, uncombed, leaf-littered hair, and chop something down. Build a log cabin. Stack firewood. Carve your name in soft pine.

Woods tools have long been a symbol of self-reliance, of survival, of strength in the great outdoors鈥攋ust think of the towering monuments to ax-wielding, square-shouldered lumberjack Paul Bunyan and his famous blue ox, Babe, or the scores of survivalist and bushcraft YouTube channels that exist expressly to teach viewers how to chop things down and build impromptu structures in the woods.

But on public lands and in backcountry campsites, these tools have become a plague: Rangers and land managers routinely report dozens of trees hacked at, chopped down, or de-limbed. And in an enlightened outdoor community where reigns supreme, many believe they are tools of a dissolute past and that it鈥檚 well past time that we retire them or even ban their presence in the backcountry.

It鈥檚 something Jeffrey Marion feels strongly about. After all, in addition to being a recreation ecologist and USGS federal scientist, he鈥檚 the author of Leave No Trace in the Outdoors, the official LNT manual. And his position is a logical one: Woods tools like axes and saws have their place in the outdoors, but not in backcountry recreation.

Getting some folks on board with the idea has been a struggle. Many outdoors people who ascribe to an older school of thought鈥攁 self-sufficient, survivalist, Walden-esque way of life鈥攕coff at the idea of leaving behind their woods tools when they hike into the wilderness. How would one build an impromptu emergency shelter or chop down a tree for firewood without them?

Marion鈥檚 answer: One doesn鈥檛. Leave No Trace implores outdoors people to (a) collect only dead and downed wood for campfires and (b) leave wilderness areas the same as or better than you found them, which precludes chopping limbs, branches, or trees, downed or otherwise.

There are ecological reasons for , of course. Damaging or removing healthy flora not only deals a blow to the health of trees, but also opens up forest canopies, which creates unnatural sunny areas that support non-native plants, some of which are invasive, Marion explains.聽

That doesn鈥檛 mean you should have at it on dead or downed wood, though. Standing dead trees often function as protective cavities for woodpecker, owl, and flying squirrel nests. Fallen logs can provide cover for wildlife and are filled with insects that are important to terrestrial food chains. Plus, downed wood鈥檚 natural decomposition replenishes soil, making it a vital part of a healthy ecosystem. If campers are hacking up these large downed pieces, they may be disrupting the natural process of the woods, resulting in more far-reaching implications than you might think.

But Marion has been struggling to get outdoorists to give up woods tools for years, most notably with an organization that鈥檚 near and dear to his heart: the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). A former Eagle Scout, Marion has helped implement and promote LNT principles in core BSA literature with great success, but many in the organization still hang onto and outdoor education.

According to Brian Gray, director of conservation for BSA, the organization has made a lot of changes in past years, including focusing more on outdoor ethics and cooking with gas stoves instead of over campfires as a way to negate the need for woods tools. But while he says they aren鈥檛 promoting the use of these tools in the backcountry, they鈥檙e still part of the curriculum. And I can鈥檛 argue too vehemently with his logic that reminds me of one presented by public school sex-ed teachers everywhere: If you鈥檙e going to use it, be safe about it.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a time for any type of tool, but the important thing is how you use it,鈥� Gray says. 鈥淲hat we teach is safety.鈥�

Trail Information Manager for the Jack 鈥淔ound鈥� Haskel agrees, at least with the first part of that statement. 鈥淭here are definitely places for axes and hatches and saws,鈥� he says, 鈥淏ut a busy and protected piece of land often isn鈥檛 the place for that.鈥� Especially along popular sections of trail, one campsite might host thousands of visitors a year. And if just a few are playing or practicing with these sorts of tools, it can result in a significant amount of cumulative impact.

Besides, LNT principles recommend not burning any piece of wood larger in diameter than an average person鈥檚 wrist. When the wood you鈥檙e meant to use is that small and easy to snap in half, an ax is overkill.

But Marion believes using vague verbiage like, 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 need it, don鈥檛 use it,鈥� isn鈥檛 concrete enough, and his studies have found that educational messaging alone has failed to effectively curb the damage they cause. Instead, he thinks it鈥檚 time that land managers and parks departments prohibit these tools in the backcountry outright. Doing so, he believes, could effectively prevent the destruction and felling of thousands of trees in protected areas that he, Haskel, and many other park and forest service employees have documented and witnessed.

What good are woods tools, then, if not for camping? According to Marion, they are perfectly suited for conservation, particularly trail construction and maintenance.聽

鈥淲e encourage people who like sharp tools to ,鈥� Haskel says, chuckling. 鈥淲e need your help. We will train you to use axes and saws and you鈥檒l do good with them.鈥�

Indeed, axes and saws can and should be used to help clear trails. They are invaluable for trimming limbs and clearing areas around campsites of overgrown brush. All have their place on trail work days in the hands of trained volunteers and rangers. So if you want to chop something down, volunteer for your local trail maintenance crew and swing away. But when heading into the backcountry on your own, leave the heavy hitters at home.

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I craned my neck, tipping my chin to the sky to gaze up at the behemoth before me, the 13,045-foot peak of Guatemala’s vanishing into the clouds. The plan: to hike up and spend the night near the top of the . I swallowed. The 鈥渁ctive鈥� bit gave me pause, but it hadn鈥檛 erupted since 1972, and what鈥檚 life without a little risk now and then?

Surrounding me at the trailhead bus stop not far from the city of Antigua was a small cadre of locals who offered to loan determined hikers walking sticks for the equivalent of $5. I gladly forked over the cash and shouldered my daypack, which was much too small for the volume of supplies the guide company had outfitted me and my fellow hikers with.

Normally, I wouldn鈥檛 have opted for a guided, small group hike, especially for a trail as straightforward鈥攁nd popular鈥攁s Volc谩n de Acatenango, as I鈥檝e been backpacking since I was ten, but this trip had come together at the last minute. My friends had done the majority of the planning, and we were all traveling light. There was little choice but to shell out a few extra bucks and let someone else provide the gear.

But that gear was less than desirable, especially for a typically ultralight backpacker. Among the stack of supplies we were each given was an oversize parka from the 1980s or 鈥�90s, bulky mittens, two liters of water in a hydration reservoir, and a Tupperware container packed with fully cooked鈥攁nd very heavy鈥攔ice and vegetables. At least my container, unlike those distributed to the omnivores in the group, didn鈥檛 contain a whole cooked chicken breast, too.

I strapped anything that wouldn鈥檛 fit inside my pack on the outside, not knowing I鈥檇 spend the whole hike trying (in vain) to keep it all balanced and stop it from bouncing all over the place.

For the first hour we hiked up a steep slope of fine scree that offered an exasperatingly similar experience to trekking in sand, every step an exercise in frustration. My only consolation: I鈥檇 been told that it got easier after the first mile or so.

It did not. The trail continued in an endless climb for the next four hours. The upside was that the and fertile farmland eventually gave way to more solid packed earth and a thick forest that offered cover from the warming sun as well as tantalizing views of the valley below through small breaks in the tropical foliage.

But that didn鈥檛 make the going any easier. I lacked energy; I hadn鈥檛 eaten much for breakfast and didn鈥檛 want to eat much more for lunch for fear the exertion would result in it coming right back up. I could have been in better hiking shape, and to top it all off, the local guide kept leaving a few of us slower hikers so far behind that we wouldn鈥檛 see him for an hour. Then he would stop for a break with the rest of the group, wait for us to catch up, and immediately continue on as the slower contingent huffed and puffed along after the well-rested group at the front. The stress and frustration of being left behind made the hike even more unbearable.

Until we neared the top. Suddenly, I found myself hiking through clouds, wisps of cumulus drifting across the trail and through the dwarf pine trees and between barren, limbless trunks of the high-alpine forest. The path started to level out, and I naturally picked up the pace in anticipation of reaching camp.

When I did, I dropped my bag and collapsed onto a log bench with a sigh of relief. After catching my breath, I joined the rest of the group at a lookout point to watch the sun dip behind Fuego volcano, across the valley, and paint the sky with impossibly vibrant oranges and yellows.

And as darkness fell, I gasped in delight as lava exploded from Fuego, a聽. I was amazed at not only the majesty of nature but also how it could make the most painful hike of my life absolutely worth every grueling step.

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