Article Library
Article Library4.5+ million words and 2,500+ articles about backpacking gear, hiking and camping skills, gear testing, outdoor technology research, backpacking routes and trips, people, philosophy and ideas, outdoor news and commentary, and more. Premium and Unlimited Members get full access to the entire library.
- GEAR • Gear Reviews
- GEAR • Gear Guides
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- GEAR • Make Your Own Gear
- GEAR • Gear Testing & Research
- SKILLS • Tips, Tricks, and Hacks
- SKILLS • Wilderness Skills
- SKILLS • Training
- SKILLS • Trip Planning
- SKILLS • Food Preparation
- PLACES • Trips
- PLACES • Routes
- CULTURE • Essays
- CULTURE • Stories
- CULTURE • Issues
- CULTURE • People
- CULTURE • News
- CULTURE • Media Reviews
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Latest
Member Q&A (Members-Only Livestream)
Join us on our monthly members-only "Q&A" live stream with Backpacking Light owner/founder Ryan Jordan for short presentations + member Q&A.
Episode 101 | Take Less, Do More, With Glen Van Peski
In episode 101 of the Backpacking Light podcast we're going to talk to Glen Van Peski about the life lessons we can learn from ultralight backpacking.
Bear Canisters: Design, Use Cases, and Reviews
We hope this guide will help you understand bear canisters a little bit better. You'll learn about various testing agencies, bear canister design, materials, usability, and user experiences. Lastly, we’ll make some recommendations for bear canisters that reflect unique combinations of value, weight, and capacity.
Episode 100 | Celebrating our Listeners and Gear for Hiking in the Sun
In episode 100 of the Backpacking Light Podcast we're going to celebrate sunshine and the one hundredth episode of the backpacking light podcast featuring stories from our listeners and more.
How to Choose Backpacking Gear (Shelter Case Studies)
In this video, we walk through a framework for making decisions about how to select gear based on benefits, features, and design attributes, with a focus on shelter systems.
Episode 99 | How to Hide Your Food from Bears
In episode 99 of the Backpacking Light podcast we're going to learn about how bears smell, and what you can do to hide your food from the nose of a bear.
Gear Reviews
Superior Wilderness Designs Rugged Long Haul Review
The Superior Wilderness Designs Rugged Long Haul is a 35 to 50 L internal frame backpack weighing 2 pounds made from Ultra and EPX fabrics.
Outdoor Research Flurry Sensor Glove Review (Updated)
The Outdoor Research Flurry Sensor Glove (2.5 oz / 71 g, $40) is the warmest glove I've found that I can use effectively with a smartphone.
MSR Pro Bivy Review
The MSR Pro Bivy weighs less than 10 ounces (285 g). It's a very compact, feature-less bivy sack that embodies the essence of bivy sack camping.
Skills
Stove Systems for Winter Backpacking
Ryan discusses how you build and utilize your stove system for winter cooking and snow melting to maintain hydration.
Animal Encounters in the Backcountry
Ryan shares some principles about how to manage wildlife encounters, based on his own encounters with wild animals in the backcountry.
Bear and Food Storage Policy in the National Parks
America’s National Parks each have different food storage requirements for backpackers. This article discusses the requirements, various options, and focuses on what bear canisters are exemplary options, and why.
Gear Testing & Research
By The Numbers Fabric Air Permeability and MVTR are Closely Related, Just Not How You Might Expect
This work explores the relationship between air permeability and MVTR in fabrics that do not include a waterproof membrane.
By The Numbers- How Much Wind Penetrates Your Air Permeable Outer Layer at Hiking and Running Speeds (Updated)
Stephen Seeber helps us answer the question, "do air-permeable garments allow a noticeable amount of ventilation while hiking or running?"
By the Numbers: The Myth of Air Permeability in Windshirts
If one of your objectives in selecting a windshirt is eliminating moisture vapor, your selection should rely more heavily on Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate (MVTR) than Air Permeability Measurements (APM / CFM).
Culture
Book Review: Trail of the Lost
Mark Wetherington reviews the Trail of the Lost by Andrea Lankford and reacts to the implications it unveils for backpackers.
On Finding and Claiming Femininity in the Backcountry
"...they never felt more powerful, or more fit, or happier about themselves and their bodies, than when they were thru-hiking." - Nikki Stavile on femininity in the backcountry.
Backcountry Permits: Navigating Logistics and Disappointment in the Modern Technological Age
Different land management agencies have different difficulties obtaining a permit to plan and enjoy a backpacking trip.
