The Hyperlite Mountain Gear NorthRim 55 Backpack is an ultralight backpack made with an extremely durable outer fabric called Woven Dyneema that is significantly more abrasion resistant than the Dyneema Fiber/Polyester laminate used to make Hyperlite’s regular ultralight backpacks. While it’s priced …

Backpacking and camping sleeping pads are rated using R-values which measure their ability to keep you warm when you lie down on the cold ground. The higher the R-value, the greater the insulating power. It’s much more technical than that, but that’s …

More and more ultralight backpacking packs are being made with waterproof materials like Dyneema Composite Fabrics (DCF), Ultra, Liteskin, EcoPak, and XPac. These fabrics absorb very little water and are bonded with a waterproof layer that prevents them from being soaked through …

The Cape Wrath Trail is considered the hardest hiking route in the United Kingdom. Located in Scotland, it runs from Fort William, through the Highlands and Western Scotland, to the lighthouse at Cape Wrath, the northwestern-most point of Scotland. Approximately 230 miles in …

Skin Out Weight is the weight of your backpacking gear, water, food, fuel, the clothing you’re wearing, your shoes, watch, sunglasses, smartphone, trekking poles if you use them, and anything else on your person or in your pack. Backpacking Base Weight, in …

The Outdoor Vitals CS40 is an ultralight rolltop backpack made with Ultra fabric that weighs 27 oz. It has two pre-curved carbon fiber stays that act as a frame with a removable hipbelt held in place by velcro. While it is made …

The Gregory Baltoro has long been the Rolls Royce of expedition-sized backpacks, combining superb load-carrying comfort with a highly functional set of pockets, access points, and external attachment options for wilderness backpacking and international trekking (available in 65L and 75L models). While …

The Altra Lone Peak 8 is a zero-drop trail running shoe that’s good for hiking and running across a wide range of conditions. It’s a moderately cushioned shoe with a very wide toe box so your toes can splay out and relax. …

More and more backpackers are switching from sleeping bags to backpacking quilts because they’re lighter weight, more compressible, and more comfortable, especially for side sleepers. While top quilts have always been popular with the hammock crowd, they’re also a great sleeping system …

Hot spots and hiking blisters occur when increased friction from your footwear causes the outer layers of your skin to separate from the inner layers, a process called “shear.” When the layers of skin separate, the resulting void is filled with fluid …

There is really no substitute for experience when it comes to winter hiking, backpacking, and camping. You can read about it in books and watch videos, but the best way to learn is to go out with an experienced friend who can …

A 60-liter backpack is the sweet spot for backpacking trips 5 days in length or less, including packs in the 55-liter to 65-liter range. This backpack volume is large enough to hold a sleeping bag, a one or two-person tent (or a …

When you melt snow for drinking water in winter, your stove, if you use a liquid fuel (white gas) stove or an inverted canister stove, is going to get red hot and start to melt the snow it’s sitting on. Melting a …

Mt Mansfield (4393′) is the highest mountain in Vermont and can be quite challenging to climb in winter conditions. I recently climbed the peak with several friends, including my friend Ken, who is hiking all of the Vermont 4000-footers this winter. I’ve …