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Episode 51 | Cottage Industry Interview: Livio Melo of allmansright
A conversation with Livio Melo, founder of Allmansright, an up-and-coming gear maker based in the Bronx, New York.
Cutting it Short in the Lost River Range
Mark Wetherington confronts the novelty of bailing on a trip after things don't go as planned in Idaho's Lost River Range.
What is a Backpacking Trip Failure?
Some things actually suck. We can still learn from them.
Synthetic Insulation Degradation Part 2: Thermal Performance vs. Compression
How bad does high-loft synthetic insulation (Climashield Apex and Primaloft Gold) degrade when subjected to repeated compression cycles? What's the impact on backpacking gear and apparel?
How to Use an Ursack
Ursacks are lighter alternatives to bear canisters for food storage but require the right knots and tying locations to protect your food.
Publisher’s Gear Guide
Backpacking Light owner, founder, and publisher Ryan Jordan's commentary on the hiking, camping, and backpacking gear he's been using this year.
Episode 50 | Listener Q & A
It's our 50th episode! To celebrate, we reached out to listeners and asked them to submit their big backpacking questions - our answers of which provide the meat for this episode.
Staff Picks 2021
Each year, our staff selects their favorite hiking, backpacking, and other backcountry gear that they’ve used this year - our infamous Staff Picks!
How to Plan Food for a Backpacking Trip (Member Q&A)
Considerations for backcountry food planning, caloric density, packaging, and more for hiking and backpacking.
How Effective are Backflushing and Storage Practices for Backcountry Squeeze Filters Using Hollow-Fiber Membrane Technology?
We provide data that evaluates backflushing and storage in maintaining flow rates of the Platypus Quickdraw, Sawyer Squeeze, and Katadyn Befree hollow-fiber membrane squeeze filters.
Harvest Right Home Freeze Dryer Review
The Harvest Right Home Freeze Dryer is a fantastic - and fantastically expensive - way to prepare backpacking meals.
“Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia to Zion Journey Through Every National Park” by Conor Knighton (Book Review)
Mark Wetherington reviews a book about national parks and uses it to examine his own relationship with iconic public lands.
Episode 49 | Untraditional Layers
Ryan and Andrew discuss lightweight layering options for backpacking clothing that fall outside the norm of function.
Leave No Trace Winter Backpacking Best Practices
An overview of how Leave No Trace techniques can be applied to winter backpacking.
Tarptent ProTrail Li Review
The Tarptent ProTrail Li (17.7 ounces / 502 g, from $529) is a single-wall, double trekking-pole, single-vestibule, front-entry Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF) 1-person shelter.
By the Numbers: the Search for a High-MVTR Waterproof Breathable Shell Jacket
A high MVTR waterproof-breathable shell jacket may be the holy grail that can replace both a wind shirt and a rain jacket. Do they exist, and where do we find them?
The Blue Lights of the San Rafael Swell
Sometimes we backpack to get a taste of the unknowable: blue lights and pictographs in the San Rafael Swell.
Episode 48 | Waterproof Breathable Fabrics
Andrew and Ryan chat with Backpacking Light contributor Stephen Seeber about layering and waterproof-breathable fabrics.
Ultralight Rain Mitts for Backpacking: Reviews & Gear Guide
In this gear guide, we review 16 models of waterproof mitten shells ("rain mitts") weighing less than 4 ounces (113 g) within the primary context of 3-season backpacking.
Why You Should Spend a Few Ounces of Pack Weight on Rainwear Ventilation Features
In this article, we make the case for spending some extra weight on rain jackets and rain pants that offer more ventilation features (and durability) than typical ultralight rainwear styles.
I’m Breaking Up with the West
Andrew Marshall uses a trip around the Collegiate Peaks Loop in Colorado to ponder his future in the American West.
