Backpacker mag gear issue

[David Ure]

Man I hated that issue….

;)

[Miguel Arboleda]

You must have, if you remember it so well! ;-P

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Travis, you say that like it is a bad thing.

I see it differently. It means the companies can afford to advertise again! Look at BP mag a year ago, in the months after the economic collapse. They were so thin it was sad. Ads are what pay for the magazine.

When companies can afford to advertise it means people are buying.

[Sam Haraldson]

In either '05 or '06 the Backpacker Gear Guide included a review of a computer printer that had a handle on it.

[Travis Leanna]

Sarah,
I hope you're right!

[David Ure]

"In either '05 or '06 the Backpacker Gear Guide included a review of a computer printer that had a handle on it."

Yes, but Sam, it was the lightest one they tested.

[Nick Gatel]

Miguel,

Nice article. And you just pushed my Backpacker Magazine hot button. Their articles on specific trails, turn those trails into super highways of hikers, just like you encountered in Japan. And this is what I hate.

We have a trail where I live called the Desert Skyline Trail. Well, it really wasn't much of a trail… you had to travel cross country and do some route finding. But since Backpacker reviewed it a few years ago, it now is a trail due to the number of people who started hiking it.

Fortunately the BLM or someone has posted some "you will die" signs, so that has scared off quite a few folks.

[Miguel Arboleda]

Hi Nick,

I'm glad you liked the article.

Their articles on specific trails, turn those trails into super highways of hikers, just like you encountered in Japan. And this is what I hate.

I know just what you mean. Which is why I never write about trails or try to promote places I love, mainly because I prefer to walk them without the crowds! I also feel that there are too many articles written about technical and logistical aspects of backpacking and not enough good articles and books written about the experiential and emotional aspect of backpacking. So I try to concentrate on that.

[Laurence Beck]

Nick, I think the Skyline trail is aka: Cactus to Clouds right? I hope no one takes that trail lightly! I have tried it three times. In each case I only made it to the upper tram station.

First time: Too much snow beyond Long Valley.
The other two times… it was a decision between "having a beer at the bar" or continuing on to San Jac. Well, if they would just put a bar in the emergency shelter cabin at the peak…

[Jack H.]

"Their articles on specific trails, turn those trails into super highways of hikers."

I respectfully disagree with that. Backpacker features TONS of trails and I don't see all that many people in the backcountry. Period. I suspect the Skyline Trail is more busy that it used to be because it's awareness has grown in conjunction with it's easy access to millions of people. Plus, it's got name recognition and is a trophy hike for people. That's california for you.

[Dale Wambaugh]

Ben wrote:

"Backpacker openly makes fun of UL hikers? I don't recall that at all, but do recall seeing both SMD and HS tarptents represented in the last two years' issues."

Wow, Ben. Two whole UL products in two years.

I don't have the actual quotes, but I recall reading negative comments in articles. about UL hikers begging food and such several times.

It is a mass market publication and panders to advertisers in exactly the same way that audio or photo magazines do. I dead it now and then, but glean little from it. Their attempts to build wilderness skills like navigation, first aid, and emergency/survival are weak at best. It's just not my go-to source for information.

[David Ure]

Actually Dale, Backpacker has tested:

-various ULA and Gossamer Gear packs (including the Whisper).
-every Golite pack.
-Tarptent Contrail, Double Rainbow, and Squall.
-SMD Wild Oasis, Lunar Solo, Lunar Duo.
-UL Golite and Montbell clothing.

The list goes on. But realistically – these tried and true designs are developed with a lot of input from you, the user and when they hit the market, they change very little over the years. They are that good. But new products from other mainstream manufacturers come out every year. The Gear Guide is not an annual comparison of what is available but instead a compilation of what is new to the market or alternatively, new to the magazine.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

(Beating head) Gah…..not the old elitist "they wrote about my sekrit trail and ruined it ferever".

Like every year on our local hiking forums this comes up. People get their panties in such a bunch they will send PM's to other hikers that the poster should scramble the name of the lake/peak/etc that they went to. Or even take the trip report down.

It is ridiculous! Yes, while an article can cause people to visit a place it doesn't mean that the crowds last forever. Of course there will be a surge but not for long.

I would hedge the real reason a person sees more people….is there are more people living in the general area now than a decade ago.

Backpacker has written about Rainier a number of times….yet all one needs to do is avoid the Summerland/Panhandle Gap area and walk at least 3 or 4 miles and no crowds. Simple as that. It is like another area, all the trailheads off of I-90 near Snoqualmie Pass in Washington. They are crowded due to Seattle…but get in a few miles and no one. Most folks are true casual hikers. They just want some scenery and a little walking!

But back to the whole "Sekrit Hike" thing. So it is OK for one person to know about it and not anyone else? We are talking PUBLIC LANDS here that everyone has a right to use and enjoy. That is why so many areas have permit systems, to allow people to use an area and not overwhelm it.

An issue of BP mag is quickly tossed and forgotten but guide books are not. If people have an issue with trails, it should be with guide books…you know, the ones you can buy anywhere from gasp…Amazon.

Seriously folks, BP isn't the work of the devil. It is a magazine for middle of the road folks who might be considering getting into hiking and backpacking. And for beginners. It is arm chair reading. No different than any other magazine aimed at a hobby. Of course it is going to have advertisers! That is what PAYS for the magazine! People who go severely UL are not exactly their target audience.

They have though covered UL a number of times and not always has it been negative. Go back to December 2007 and read that issue – it was devoted to UL. In fact they featured a number of companies that were small. None of them paid to be featured! (I should know, I was one of them!)

Do you want BP to disappear? It isn't like there is any other magazine out there to take its place!

[Juston Taul]

I think most of us have moved on from the BACKPACKER magazine recommendations. That's pretty obvious. It's not to say it no longer serves a purpose.

I personally enjoy reading the articles. I can usually take something away from each magazine and add it to my collection of knowledge. No one here knows it all. At the very least, it keep you up to date with the products being released to the general public… this allows us to keep up to speed, and offer advice to the non UL crowd.

It's almost like a mandatory reading… we might not like it all, but it's intake just the same. I like to read anything I can get my hands on.

[Nick Gatel]

Laurence, that's it. Timing is critical. Too early and there is snow and ice, too late and your brain gets fried in the desert.

[Nick Gatel]

"I respectfully disagree with that. Backpacker features TONS of trails and I don't see all that many people in the backcountry."

Jack, I haven't read the magazine in decades, so I can't comment on current content. 30+ years ago, it was the mainstay medium with a large ciculation.

Regarding the Skyline, I don't hike it on weekends and during the week I might run into a couple of people at the trailhead, but I usually have the trail to myself. And it has become a trail by usage.

I feel the same way about trail guides too :)

[Russell Klopfer]

I'm a fan of the grids they put in there that show the weight, size, features, etc for each item. Nowhere else have I seen such a concise and comprehensive comparison chart. If anyone knows of a better one, please point me in that direction. Otherwise, someone please start the compendium lol It would be infinitely more useful if it were online and sort/search-able instead of in print. blast these infernal anachronisms!

[Travis Leanna]

I agree, except that often they don't specify how they came to some of their weights. For instance, some Tarptents are listed with a number that seems heavy. Without telling you, Backpacker includes the weight of the additional pole(s) for shelters like the Moment and Scarp. So Henry's shelters, at a quick glance through the chart, look heavier than they should–at least without qualification of specs.

In Backpacker:
Moment: 2 pounds 3 ounces
Scarp 1: 3 pounds 8 ounces

In the beginning of their "Chart Notes" for their tents, Backpacker also writes "This number (supplied by the manufacturer) is the minimum weight. It includes rainfly, tent body, and poles (but not stuff sacks or stakes).

The minimum weight for the Moment is NOT over 2 pounds. I wonder how accurate the rest of the specs are…

[Michael Cockrell]

Thank you Backpacker mag! I rely on many resources when picking gear. The 50lb packs could be all the gear they are testing. So would be heavier than if they only took "what is absolutely necessary" for a specific trip.

After a review, I then can check the various forums/websites to gather other opinions.

As for ads, if no ads then no t.v. coverage of: Olympics, Versus racing, adventure racing, etc. A mag is not free! Even this forum is sponsored through a business, hoping maybe you'd buy something sometime from their store?

I am not a subscriber of Backpacking mag, wife bought it for me as I am still converting from a life of bike tour/racing to hiking, and need some guidance in gear.

My local REI has also been a great help in selections, and the staff really care about picking what I need, not want. Most are serious hikers and draw on their experience, as I do from this forum.

[YAMABUSHI !]

with both Nick and Juston 1st posts respectively.

With the diversity in educations, experience, and backcountry interests we can't expect anything to fully encompass our personal experiences…

[Matt Lutz]

My review: http://crazyrunnerguy.blogspot.com/2010/03/backpackers-gear-guide-as-guilty.html

[Nick Gatel]

That's it Matt, they know their audience. Can't fault them on that. The thing is, most of use here are on the fringe and represent such a small piece of the industry's market share, that the pie chart probably wouldn't even register us.

Additionally our language often does not align with their's, i.e. our definitions and generally accepted concepts here on BPL are different.

But it does not concern me. When I run into "traditional" backpackers I am not an UL advocate or ambassador. If someone stops me to asks questions, I am happy to answer. I don't try to convert others or show off my gear. I just hike my hike. And most don't stop to talk to me anyway, they just probably assume I am a day hiker, and the arrangement suits me fine.

[Matt Lutz]

I'm a big fan of being confused for a dayhiker, or not to change the subject, a fastpacker!

On the definitions: I like language to be precise, because s/he/it who controls the language of the discussion, particularly its terms and definitions, controls the discussion. And I do not like the mag's definitions for packs.

[David Ure]

Travis re: TT specs. Those specs, and Henry can comment on this if I am wrong, are provided by Henry several months before the guide comes out because manufacturers have to provide Backpacker with significant time to compile all of the information. The weights may have been estimated when Henry was developing prototypes. I do remember a similar commentary from Henry regarding the Sublite, which had a 16oz weight in the 2008 Guide (I believe).

"The 50lb packs could be all the gear they are testing. So would be heavier than if they only took "what is absolutely necessary" for a specific trip."

Good point – never thought of this.

[Travis Leanna]

Hmmmmm. I may be wrong myself, but it still seems a little odd. Both those shelters have been out for quite some time now.

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