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Metamorphosis #1: Confessions of a Heavyweight Backpacker
At the trailhead, I saddle up: I don't carry my pack. It rides me. My steel-toed boots thunder along the trail, resonating tremors deep into the ground of high country tundra. My shirt clings heavily with perspiration, the soles of my feet cry out for air, and my shoulders ache for reprieve. My name is Nathan Boddy, and I have a backpacking problem.
Essential Canister Stove Maintenance
There you are, way out in the wilderness in bad weather, getting ready for dinner, and your canister stove fails. Now what? Rescue in the field is possible for many problems: learn rescue how-to and the technical details of why it has happened.
Podcast: Packrafting Safety Tips from the Experts Part 2
Seven packrafters with a total of over thirty-five years of experience under their bums share the safety gear they won't be without, skills that have kept them coming back for more, common - and dangerous - mistakes, and real life rescue stories.
Backpacking in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Photo Essay
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, situated in the southwestern Highlands, is Scotland's first national park, encompassing a beautiful area of mountains, forests, rivers, and lochs surrounding Loch Lomond itself, the largest lake in Britain.
Grand Canyon Rim-2-Rim-2-Rim
While perhaps a touch extreme, running Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim (RRR) is not uncommon within trail running circles. But within hiking circles, this trek does not seem to garner much attention, when there are few trips, mile-for-mile, hour-for-hour, that compare. In one day, you pass through 1.6 billion years of geology (four times) and span the grandest Big Ditch in the world (twice).
Terra Nova Laser Competition Review
Prior to the Terra Nova Laser Photon Elite, the Laser Competition was listed by Guinness World Records as "the lightest two-skin (double-wall) tent." While no longer the record-holder, at just over 2 pounds, the Laser Competition is still among the lightest double-wall tents on the market.
Podcast: Packrafting Safety Tips from the Experts Part 1
Seven packrafters with a total of over thirty-five years of experience under their bums share the safety gear they won't be without, skills that have kept them coming back for more, common - and dangerous - mistakes, and real life rescue stories.
GoLite Hooded Inferno Jacket Review
Great value on a super-warm, lightweight, 800 fill down parka.
Pitching a Tent in the Snow
Want to try tenting in the snow, but haven't done it before and not sure how? Haven't time in the evening to build a snow cave or an igloo just for one night? We walk you through the basics of what gear you need, how to choose a good site, how to create a platform, and how to pitch your tent (or a tarptent if you are brave).
Big Sky International Montana 2P Tent Review
At 2 pounds, 10 ounces, the Montana is the lightest two-person double-wall tent available, but extreme lightness comes with a few tradeoffs.
Testimony: How I Fell for Lightweight Backpacking
Fate stepped in and pushed me down some steps in November 2006, breaking my fibula at the ankle, requiring surgical repair. I asked my surgeon if I could backpack the following summer, and he said "If you can get your pack down to thirty pounds, you can backpack." My lightweight journey was launched in earnest.
Vapor Barrier Liners
Backpacking Light's Andrew Skurka on Vapor Barrier Liners: What they are, how they work, and when to use them.
Salomon Tundra Mid WP Insulated Boot Review
Ultra-warm, ruggedly-built, waterproof, lightweight boots insulated with Aerogel.
Spring Footwear: Lightweight Overboot & High Gaiter Systems for Keeping Feet Warm & Dry
Foremost among the challenges that spring hikers face is the presence of melting snow and the prospect of continuously wet feet. Ryan Jordan presents his two favorite footwear systems for cold or warm spring conditions.
Lightweight Testimony: The Fun Goes Up When The Weight Goes Down
The first event leading to lightening my load happened in 2002. I was in a loving relationship with a woman who only wanted the best for me. In other words, like a lot of relationships where one person is overly stubborn and the other knows a better way, my first major move toward a lighter pack involved nagging.
Sigma DP1 Review
The Sigma DP1 is a unique compact camera with a large sensor capable of taking superb quality photos but it is slow to use with some poor design features.
Video: Have Fun and Avoid Drowning – A How-To for Packrafters
Highlights from the April 2008 Rescue 3 International Whitewater Rescue Technician course for packrafters held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Lightweight Testimony: Mother Nature Insisted I Go Light
Carol Crooker's essay on enlightenment shows that Mother Nature can be a pushy broad, but she gets the job done.
Not a Day on any Calendar
Backpacking Light's Wilderness Trekking School Photo Essay.
Stoves, Tents and Carbon Monoxide – Deadly or not? Supplement 3: Brunton Vapor AF
Measurements of carbon monoxide levels produced by the Brunton Vapor AF Stove.
Lightweight Testimony: My Journey into Lightweight Backpacking
The true story of how Jamie survived in the woods with his paper coat.
