Backpacking gear has gotten really expensive. Here are 25 backpacking gifts for $25 or less, that any backpacker would love to receive. 1. Arlette Laan’s Backpacking Buddies 2. Ultralight Revel Gear 30′ LED Light String 3. Mountainsmith Beer Cooler Tube 4. Luci …

The Deuter Aircontact Ultra 50+5 Backpack is a lightweight, adjustable-length backpack that weighs 2 lbs 10 oz. It’s an internal frame backpack with a floating top lid that’s made with lighter-weight fabrics and a simple adjustable frame system that doesn’t compromise on …

The Outdoor Research Seattle Rain Hat is a waterproof/breathable Gore-Tex rain hat with a wide brim. While it’s billed as a rain hat, it can do double duty as a UPF 50+ sun hat, especially for water sports where its floating brim …

Outdoor Products Roll-Top Dry Sacks are reasonably priced dry-bag style stuff sacks that are good for organizing and packing hiking, backpacking, and camping gear in a backpack. Priced at $15 for a 3-pack, they’re an absolute steal compared to name-brand roll-top stuff …

A lot of backpackers get really stressed out when planning trips because they can’t find any information about pre-existing campsites along their route. While campgrounds, lean-tos, and signed designated campsites are usually easy to find out about, that’s often not the case …

You’re on a backpacking trip and your sleeping bag gets wet. What should you do? Assess the Situation The first thing I’d do is to assess how wet the bag is. If the foot end or cover are wet because they rubbed …

The QiWiz Big Dig Ultralight Titanium Trowel is an ultralight 0.5 ounce (15 grams) titanium cat hole trowel for digging holes in hard, rocky, and root-filled soil. It’s much sturdier than the cheap plastic trowels made by GSI Outdoors and much lighter …

Cooking in a camping tent or ultralight shelter can be quite hazardous, but sometimes you don’t have an option because bad weather prevents you from cooking outside. What are the hazards you have to watch out for and how can you cook …

Ultralight bivy sacks are used by backpackers for cowboy camping or under floorless shelters, such as tarps or pyramids, to protect their sleeping bags/quilts and sleeping pads from wind, insects, mice, and other creepy crawlers. Most are not waterproof and function more …

Millen Hill and Mt Dartmouth are two trailless peaks adjacent to Mt Jefferson in the White Mountains Presidential Range. Millen Hill is on the New Hampshire 200 highest list, while Mt Dartmouth is on the 100 highest list and the more difficult …

When you are really out in the wilderness, it’s likely that you’ll need to ford a river or stream where you need to wade across it to get to the other side. Depending on the temperature and water levels, fording rivers and …

Many ultralight sleeping bags are as lightweight as backpacking quilts, making them a viable component in an ultralight backpacking sleep system. Sleeping bags also have the advantage over quilts in that they are draft free because they can be zippered closed at …

The Kilkenny Ridge Traverse is a moderate 2-3 day, 27 mile scenic traverse of some of wildest and remote scenery in the White Mountains. It’s a particularly attractive route for backpackers interested in avoiding the crowds of day hikers who frequent the …

The Cutter Lyme Disease Test Kit determines if a tick is a carrier of Lyme Disease. Rather than testing a person or pet, the test can be used to determine if a tick carries Lyme Disease before any symptoms occur. It identifies …