Backpacking Skills
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Lightweight Backpacking: The Big Three
The three heaviest items in your backpacking are your backpack, your sleep system (sleeping bag+pad), and shelter, often called the…
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Water Caches, Trail Magic and Trash on the PCT
For most hikers, the Pacific Crest Trail begins in a blazing desert without encountering a sure water source for just…
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5 Essential Winter Survival Skills
Winter is when the training wheels come off for hikers, climbers, and backcountry skiers. When all of the planning and preparation…
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Best Backpacking Stoves and Pots for Cooking Simple One Pot Meals
Simple one pot backpacking meals are a great option if you want more variety in your backpacking diet, you want to…
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Hiking in Hot Weather by Kevin Ortcutt
Like many others, my backpacking plans are dictated more by available time than by the weather outside! Getting on the…
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Square Tarp Pitches
Shaped tarps get boring after a time. Most are pre-cut with a specific shape in mind and they can only…
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Fleece Buyers Guide
Fleece is a synthetic fabric that’s proven ideal for outdoor recreational use because it’s warm, fast-drying, and extremely durable. Fleece…
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Logan Bread Recipe
Logan bread is a dense quick bread full of dried fruits and nuts. Named after Mount Logan in the Yukon,…
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9 Campsite Selection Tips
Good campsite selection is an important backpacking skill. Here are some tips to pick a safe and comfortable campsite that…
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Planning a Hike: Sunrise and Sunset Times
No matter how fast you hike, the distance you can walk in a day is largely a function of the…
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The 10 Dumbest Things to Bring on a Backpacking Trip
We’ve all brought dumb things on backpacking trips. Oh yeah. I’ve certainly had my share. But it’s still fun to…
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Reader Poll: Who Makes the Best Freeze-Dried or Pre-Packaged Backpacking Meals?
If you were to look into the foodbags of most hikers, you’d be horrified or amazed, or maybe both. I…
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Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain
If you do a lot of hiking, climbing, snowshoeing or skiing in winter in the mountains and you haven’t had…
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Distance Discrepancies Between Digital Mapping Tools, Paper Maps, and Guidebooks
Have you ever noticed that the distances computed by digital mapping tools are substantially different from paper maps and guidebooks…
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