Section Hikers Backpacking Blog Hiking and Backpacking for Beginners and Experts

The most important attributes of a winter sleeping bag for backpacking and thru-hiking are: high value insulation, low weight, compressibility, and interior space, so you can be comfortable and store gear, like damp boots and water bottles, in your sleeping bag so they don’t freeze overnight. Cost is also a …

Have you ever wondered why you don’t get thirsty on winter hikes even though your pee turns yellow and it’s clear that you need to drink more? Blame your brain. It’s not wired to recognize the increased amount of water vapor you expel in your breath when the air is …

The Vasque Snowburban II UltraDry is a heavy-duty winter hiking and snowshoeing boot with a UltraDry waterproof/breathable membrane and 400 grams of Thinsulate insulation, making them suitable for cold weather use. Vasque doesn’t publish a temperature rating for them but they’re comparable to other 400 gram insulated winter hiking boots (-40F) …

What are the best gifts you can buy for an ultralight backpacker who’s a minimalist and eschews material possessions? It’s a quandary, isn’t it? Here are some tried and true gear favorites that all ultralight backpackers lust for. They may be minimalists, but they like great gear just like everyone …

The Sierra Designs Nitro UL 0 is a lightweight winter sleeping bag that strikes an excellent balance between cold weather features and gear weight. Weighing just 2 lbs 8 oz, the Nitro UL 0 is insulated with 800 fill power DriDown. It also has a draft collar, which is arguably …