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Backpacking Articles - Latest

Episode 127 | Field Notes – Shelter Fabrics

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.

Market Report: State-of-the-Art Fabrics for Hiking Backpacks and Backcountry Shelters

Ultra-light backpack and shelter fabrics: Explore materials, performance, and construction. Nylon, polyester, UHMWPE, coatings & more.

Malaria in the Mountains – A 200-mile Scottish Coast-to-Coast Misadventure

Jeff de Graffenried recounts a TGO challenge misadventure where he was beset by Malaria on trail.

Episode 126 | Field Notes – Ultralight Chairs: Performance or Luxury?

Recovery isn’t passive. It’s a skill - and how you sit at camp might matter more than you think.

Nemo Hornet OSMO 3P vs Nemo Dragonfly OSMO 3P as a Family Shelter

The Nemo Dragonfly & Hornet OSMO 3P tents for family backpacking are ultralight, durable shelters tested here with toddlers.

A Place to Sit: A Perspective on Ultralight Camp Chairs

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.

Topographic intervention: reconciling terrain and neurobiology with your mental and emotional health needs

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.

Gear Guide: Satellite Messaging Devices (“Messengers”)

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.

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