Backpacking Skills

Hyperlite Mountain Gear’s small and large packing pods are the ultralight equivalent of the luggage packing cubes that people use to pack travel bags. They’re U-shaped to fit snugly into Hyperlite’s backpacks and can be used in place of a white plastic compactor …

Layering is one of the most important skills that winter hikers must learn.  It’s the key to staying comfortable in cold weather and preventing perspiration from chilling you. Perspiration reduces your clothing’s ability to trap the warm air heated by your body heat. …

Hillsound Trail Crampons are a winter traction aid that’s tailor-made for hiking on inclined trails covered with hard ice or packed snow where you need longer and sharper spikes to penetrate the surface and give you a good grip.  They’re compatible with insulated …

While the small spikes on Kahtoola Microspikes and Hillsound Trail Crampons can provide extra winter traction on icy trails, there are times where you want a more aggressive crampon for winter hiking and light scrambling. While you can use heavy-duty mountaineering or …

There are three kinds of winter hiking boots: insulated winter hiking boots, mountaineering boots, and pac boots. Which kind of winter hiking boot is right for you? Here’s a detailed guide that explains the differences between these so you can pick the …

Hillsound Trail Crampon Ultras and Kahtoola Microspikes are the most popular winter traction aids for hiking on packed snow, ice, and mixed ice and rock. They’re like tire chains for your feet, with tiny metal spikes and chains that are attached to …

Sealskinz’s Waterproof Extreme Cold Weather Gauntlet Gloves have a high degree of dexterity and warmth. I use them when I need to use an ice axe above treeline in winter and need a warm glove that is flexible enough to wrap around …

Norrona’s Falketind Flex1 Softshell Pants are technical mountaineering pants that are ideal for winter hiking and climbing. They’re stretchy, wind-resistant, and highly breathable to keep your legs cool and dry during high exertion activities. Feature-wise, they have four zippered pockets, two long …

There are many ways to attach snowshoes to a backpack, although some of them are more energy-efficient and comfortable than others. How you go about doing this depends on the characteristics of your backpack and the places where you can attach or …

The North45 SureFit Anti-Fog (Non-Magnetic) Balaclava prevents lens fogging when used with a ski mask or glasses. The balaclava is made with merino wool and is available in multiple sizes. It consists of two attached pieces, a regular balaclava that covers your …

Snowshoes are heavy, weighing between four and five pounds a pair, so most winter hikers are happy when they don’t have to carry them on a winter hike. But how can you tell when they won’t be needed? This is a question that …

Most three-season tents can be used for winter camping or backpacking if you set them up below treeline, they have strong aluminum or carbon fiber tent poles, and you bring sufficient sleeping insulation and warm clothing to remain comfortable in cold weather. …

The biggest mistake that new winter hikers make is overdressing by wearing heavy or medium-weight baselayers that are hard to remove if you start to sweat. You’ll be much better off wearing a very thin crew or quarter-zip shirt and adding additional …

Topographic maps are used by hikers and backpackers to plan routes, estimate travel times, find water, good campsites, and track their progress on hikes. They’re designed to depict the three dimensional shape of the world (mountains, valleys, plains, etc.) in two dimensions …