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Black Diamond Blitz Spikes Review
The Black Diamond Blitz Traction Spikes (MSRP $39.95, 1.5 to 1.8 oz / 42 to 50 g) are ultralight, stainless-steel, forefoot-only traction devices for shoes and boots intended for incidental use on hard-packed snow terrain.
Take This Poem on Your Next Trip
The words you carry with you are just as important as your gear.
Gryphon Gear Aries 20 Quilt Review
The Gryphon Gear Aries 20 Quilt (25.7 oz / 729 g, MSRP from $327) is a three-season quilt with a differential cut, draft collar, an edge tensioning system, and 17.5 oz (496 g) of down fill.
By the Numbers: Rethinking Fleece
Stephen Seeber subjects ten fleece samples to rigorous thermal testing.
Gear List: Tenkara Fly Fishing in the Northern Rockies
Mark Wetherington's tenkara gear list serves as a great entry point to backcountry fly fishing for newcomers.
Episode 38 | Tenkara Fishing
In this Skills Short episode, Ryan and Andrew talk about the essential skills and gear needed to take up the sport of tenkara-style fly fishing.
Learning Curve: What I Learned From Taking a Beginner into the Backcountry
I thought I knew how to take first-time backpackers out, but I'd never actually taken a bare beginner into the backcountry.
Enlightened Equipment Torrid Apex Pullover Review
The Enlightened Equipment Torrid Apex Pullover (7.7 oz / 219 g, MSRP $175.00) is a synthetic-fill, high loft insulating garment.
Standards Watch: Dan Durston Chats About Standards and Testing
Rex Sanders interviews gear designer Dan Durston.
The Overlook: Giving Back to Bear’s Ears
Ben Kilbourne reflects on his first journey in the Bear's Ears National Monument, and wonders how to give back to such special places.
Episode 37 | Endurance Training for Backpackers
Ryan and Andrew chat with Dirk Friel, co-founder of TrainingPeaks, about how to get the most out of your endurance training.
Blood Moon on the Border
An off-trail borderlands odyssey during a lunar eclipse in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
You Know You’ve Been Backpacking a Long Time When…
Rex Sanders takes a walk down memory lane (er, trail).
Nemo Chipper Review
The Nemo Chipper (MSRP: $19.95, 5.6 oz / 160 g) is a closed-cell foam sit pad made from scraps created in the production of the Nemo Switchback and other closed-cell foam sleeping pads.
By the Numbers: Thermal Performance Measurements of Synthetic Insulations
Stephen Seeber presents measurements of several market-leading insulations along with four performance metrics to help judge their performance.
Episode 036 | Andrew Marshall Reads “Salamander Song”
Backpacking Light Managing Editor Andrew Marshall’s essay Salamander Song is a love letter to the Great Smoky Mountains.
My Year of Lentils: A Survey of Packaged Vegetarian and Vegan Backpacking Meals (Gear Guide)
Small and mid-sized companies are making increasingly delicious vegan and vegetarian backpacking food. This gear guide covers meals from six of those companies.
Lipstick on a Pig? Wind & Cold Temperature Testing of the Jetboil Stash (StoveBench)
Backpacking Light publisher Ryan Jordan subjects the Jetboil Stash to the StoveBench testing protocol to answer the pressing question: is this innovation, or lipstick on a pig?
Learning Curve: Learning to Turn Around
For some people, turning back is the hardest skill to learn.
Standards Watch: Standards Are Important (But Not Enough)
Rex Sanders illustrates how difficult it can be to make accurate product comparisons based on manufacturer-provided data.
How To Ask Someone to Pull Your Car Out of the Snow
Sometimes the best skill is humbly asking for help. Here's a story about my experience getting unstuck when driving snowy backcountry roads.
"Simplify, then add lightness." - Colin Chapman
Wool Thermo Zip PoloMerino wool-blend mesh base layer with a 3/4 zip neck for venting and reinforced shoulders for pack-carrying comfort. Weighs 6.3oz | 180g
