Two children walking through field outdoors
Two children walking through field outdoors

A Guide to Preventing Lyme Disease in the Great Outdoors

Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by bacteria primarily transmitted by tick bites. There are many different types of ticks and many different strains of Lyme. The smallest "nymph" ticks (many the size of a poppy seed) are the most concerning, as they are almost invisible to the naked eye and often leave an undetectable bite.

Lyme is the fastest-growing infectious disease in the United States, 1.5 times more common than breast cancer and six times more common than HIV. Lyme disease is prevalent across the entire country, with cases in all 50 states. The Center for Disease Control acknowledges at least 300,000 new cases of Lyme each year, or 824 per day, over 200 of which are children. That's four school buses of children newly diagnosed with Lyme every day.

Read the full article by Phyllis Bedford on Outdoor Project's website here.

Media Mentions

Why use a plastic bag when you can simply screw on this end cap, specifically designed for Sawyer water filters?

Zoe Gates
Editor at Backpacker

Media Mentions

In future, I’ll use gravity when I can, and squeeze when I have to.

Richard, aka "LowRange
Hiker

Media Mentions

For longer hikes, it’s convenient to carry a small backcountry water filter, such as a Sawyer Mini or Micro, which allows you to replenish your water from natural sources like streams or ponds.

Philip Werner
Author and Backpacker