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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.
Off-Season on the Oregon Coast Trail
Tides, blowdowns, and sunsets abound as Maggie Slepian and two friends tackle the quirky and challenging Oregon Coast Trail.
The Anthropology of a Trail
When we trek, we are taking the paintbrush or pencil that is the foot to the page that is the earth.
Episode 035 | Les Stroud on Raising Adventurous Children
Ryan and Andrew chat with Survivorman Les Stroud about his new book, “Wild Outside.”
LiteAF, Printing on DCF, and Screaming Cat Packs
Maggie takes a look at the new DCF printing technology being used by LiteAF.
"Simplify, then add lightness." - Colin Chapman
Pro-Grade Water RepellencyPolypropylene face fabrics: see the future of raingear.
