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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.
Reflections from (a) Windy Pass
This trail journal reflects on a fall trip into a Montana Wilderness Study Area, weaving together landscape, wildlife, camaraderie, and questions of wilderness protection. Revisiting these notes years later highlights the value of documenting quiet moments in wild places—not for acclaim, but for memory, reflection, and the long-term joy they bring.
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.
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.
Episode 47 | Mark Wetherington Reads “The Backpacking Tithe Project”
Mark spends ten percent of every year backpacking – he just doesn’t do it all at once.
Remote Inverted Canister Winter Stove V6
Longtime Backpacking Light contributor Roger Caffin debuts the V6 model of his inverted canister stove.
I Introduce Backpack Engineering for DIY/MYOG Based on my Professional Expertise!
This article introduces Backpack Researcher, a DIY/MYOG-focused YouTube channel dedicated to backpack engineering. Drawing from academic research, a doctoral thesis, and industry R&D experience, the channel shares evidence-based design principles and practical making tips. It invites MYOGers to ask questions, exchange ideas, and help identify real-world design challenges.
Choosing an Ultralight Shelter for Backpacking (Member Q&A)
How to make the decision of what type of ultralight shelter to use on various types of backpacking trips in different seasons.
How Biking to Trailheads Can Enrich Backpacking
Mark Wetherington explores how trading auto for bicycle for home-to-trailhead transportation impacts the hiking and backpacking experience.
BioLite Headlamp 750 Review
The BioLite Headlamp 750 (MSRP $99.95, 5.3 ounces / 150 g) is a performance-oriented USB-rechargeable headlamp with several unique features but crippling reliability issues.
"Simplify, then add lightness." - Colin Chapman
New Ultralight GearSee the latest releases in ultralight cottage-brand gear from small makers.
