The Montbell Ultralight Thermawrap Jacket is a lightweight insulation layer (a size XL is 9.1 oz.) that is exceptionally warm.  I wear it directly over a base layer, replacing bulkier garments like a fleece pullover. It’s also windproof, which means I can shed an outer shell layer …

I keep lithium batteries in my backpacking gear repair kit.  I do this to reduce my ultralight pack weight since lithium batteries are 1/2 to 1/3 as light as alkaline batteries. However, lithium batteries also provide many more benefits besides lighter weight …

Last winter, my wife bought me some Grabber Hand Warmers to heat up my sleeping bag in cold weather. I didn’t pay much attention to them for almost a year until I tried one last weekend and I was blown away. These are …

I love the Appalachian Trail, but on weekends and in the summer time, it can feel really crowded. In fact, the ATC estimates that 4 million people hike on the AT each year, and a lot of their trail maintenance and stewardship …

These days it seems like there are two kinds of backpackers and hikers: those who love maps and those who prefer a GPS or just go without. I fall into the map lover category. As a kid, I can remember getting National Geographic …

Big Agnes is one of the premier gear manufacturers in the backpacking community. However, if you’ve never seen a Big Agnes sleeping bag, you may be in for a big surprise. Big Agnes was the first mainstream sleeping bag manufacturer to stop …

Over the past few weeks, I’ve become fascinated by the different types of mushrooms and fungus growing in the New England forests where I backpack. I’m not interested in eating them or even touching them, but they’re a very cool life form …

I was out hiking last weekend in the Middlesex Fells just outside of Boston. I am working on a project that I've set for myself, which is to inventory and be able to identify all of the tree species that grow in …

If you have trouble falling asleep when your feet are too warm, then the Kelty Light Year 20F sleeping bag may be the perfect bag for you, because it has a special zipper in the foot box that gives you complete control over …

  Here’s the gear list I used in on my last section hike over Mt. Greylock and up the Appalachian Trail into Southern Vermont during the long Columbus Day weekend. Designed for mid-autumn, it is a good deal heavier at 15 lbs. …

Last weekend, I finished the 8th and final section of my 270 mile End-to-End hike of the Long Trail, in Vermont. Of those 270 miles, I hiked about 230 miles by myself, beginning on May 23rd and ending on October 12th, 2008. …

Last year, I used 4 squirt bottles of Ben's 100% DEET to prevent mosquito bites. I'd slather Ben's on my legs, arms, and head every time I went backpacking and hiking near my home in Boston or when I visited my favorite …

  Here is my slightly abridged, take no prisoners, version of the Leave No Trace Principles. Plan Ahead and Prepare. Know local regulations. Shelters may be full; bring a tent, tarp or hammock. Carefully map out your route before you arrive including …

I just got home from a 42 mile backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail, starting in northern Massachusetts and ending about 14 miles north of the Massachusetts-Vermont border on Rt. 9, outside of Bennington, VT. This hike was significant because it included …