"Backpacking Light has become the de facto organ of [the ultralight backpacking] subculture." - The Sierra Club
active members
hours of online education
articles in our library
years helping hikers
Get our Handbook - make intelligent decisions about ultralight backpacking gear, safety, comfort, and pack weight.
Get instant access to our FREE handbook!
"...You guys put out the best, highest quality content that exists in the world of Outdoor. And I'm not just saying that. I manage a famous outdoor shop here in the Lake District and you guys are well respected here."
In episode 127 of the BPL Podcast, Ryan Jordan explores shelter fabrics: strength-to-weight, waterproofing, coatings, pitch stability, storm resilience, strength-to-weight ratios and waterproofing to coating quality, pitch stability, and storm resilience.
Ultra-light backpack and shelter fabrics: Explore materials, performance, and construction. Nylon, polyester, UHMWPE, coatings & more.
Jeff de Graffenried recounts a TGO challenge misadventure where he was beset by Malaria on trail.
Recovery isn’t passive. It’s a skill - and how you sit at camp might matter more than you think.
The Nemo Dragonfly & Hornet OSMO 3P tents for family backpacking are ultralight, durable shelters tested here with toddlers.
For years, I considered a camp chair a luxury - a non-essential item sacrificed in service of base weight. But that view has changed. Today, I see seated rest not as indulgence, but as a strategic recovery method grounded in biomechanics and physiology. How we sit after hiking - especially over extended periods in camp - can influence how we move the next day. Poor posture prolongs muscular strain and limits circulation. Good posture facilitates neuromuscular reset, joint decompression, and lactate clearance. In this article, learn about chair options, use cases, and products that represent the broad swath of market options availalble.
Walking is often prescribed as a catch-all fix for mental and emotional distress. But when generic advice like “go for a walk” doesn’t work, it’s not your fault - it’s the prescription that failed. This essay explores a more intentional framework: topographic intervention. By aligning terrain with specific emotional states - like using uphill climbs to metabolize anxiety or forested trails to cradle grief - walking becomes more than movement. It becomes medicine. Discover how matching physiology, emotion, and landscape can unlock walking’s real power for healing.
This gear guide summarizes the category of satellite messaging-centric devices, i.e., devices that focus on satellite messaging as its primary, rather than secondary, function. This is in contrast to navigation-centric devices (which usually offer integrated mapping on the device), such as the Garmin inReach Explorer or Garmin GPSMap.
Join Our Community
Unrestricted access to all forums, plus the ability to post and start new threads.
Unrestricted access to all 2,300+ articles, gear reviews, skills, stories, and more.
Post new content to the community including gear swaps, reviews, trip reports and more!
Get unlimited access to all our online education (*Unlimited membership required).
Pack less. Be more. Become a member today!
© Beartooth Media Group Inc.
Loading...
