Backpacking Light
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Uncovering the Truth: Underground Doping in the Long Distance Hiking Community
When Jason Goldman* (not his real name) completed a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail in less than 100 days, not too many people paid attention: it had been hiked faster by others. But this was Jason's third thru-hike of the PCT. His previous two were completed in 183 and 174 days, respectively...
Not a Day on any Calendar
Backpacking Light's Wilderness Trekking School Photo Essay.
Staff Videocast: Cowboy Coffee
How do BPL Staffers stay warm, hydrated, and caffeinated in the backcountry?
Reflection on the Wild Coast: A Photo Essay
Adventurers Erin McKittrick and Bretwood Higman summarize their 4000-mile trek in photos and prose.
2008 Backpacking Light Staff Picks
Backpacking Light staff pick their favorite gear of 2008.
Lightweight in Wonderland
Circumnavigating Mount Rainier's premier walk with lightweight gear has J. Sinclair Oal grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
Wanderlust: Backcountry Meandering with My Family in the Wallowa Mountains
Join Regina WB for her annual family trek to Blue Lake in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, Wallowa Mountains.
State of the Market Report: Single Wall Tents (2008)
Veteran gear editors Chris Townsend and Will Rietveld unlock the mystique of the single wall tent - identifying their advantages and disadvantages, evaluating designs and technologies, listing specifications on the lightest ones available, picking their favorites for a range of applications, and speculating on future trends.
Photon ReX Review
The Photon ReX looks like another one of those little button-cell LED lights, but it has a couple of very nice surprises - and it even works well. Testing it presented some difficulties, but these were generally easy to overcome.
MSR Hyperflow Microfilter Review
A new development in the area of microfilters which is both light and field maintainable, but does it work well enough? There are problems when the water is not crystal clear.
Appealing Apparel (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008)
Mike Martin and Will Rietveld have the highlights on new apparel from ORSM08.
Big Agnes Clearview Air Pad Review
Finally - a really lightweight, thick, comfy inflatable sleeping pad. Used properly, it's a cushy alternative to a thin torso length pad.
Big Agnes Cyclone SL Chair Kit Review
Camp chair aficionados rejoice - the ten ounce barrier has been convincingly broken by Big Agnes with their six ounce Cyclone SL chair kit.
Hot Stoves (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008)
Stove technology continues to advance this year, with trends of additional remote canister stoves with preheat tubes that are suitable for cold-weather operation, new alcohol and canister "cooking systems" that combine stove, windscreen, and pots into highly efficient and compact packages, plus a further move towards lighter stoves in general.
Garmin Oregon Series and Delorme Earthmate PN-40 GPS (Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008)
New offerings found at ORSM 2008
To Pack or Not to Pack? What constitutes an ‘essential’ item in a lightweight hiker’s overnight pack?
Essentials commentary from BackpackingLight reader, Mark Henley.
To Pack or Not to Pack? What constitutes an ‘essential’ item in a lightweight hiker’s overnight pack?
Essentials commentary from BackpackingLight reader, Jim Bailey.
Decision-Making and the Lightweight Pack
Carrying a lightweight pack has consequences, but they might not be what you think.
Packrafting the Bear Trap Canyon
Bill Stadwiser shares his notes on packrafting Bear Trap Canyon with Ryan Jordan.
Packraft Trekking in Montana’s Bear Trap Canyon (Videocast)
Ryan Jordan and Bill Stadwiser explore the Bear Trap Canyon Wilderness (the nation's first BLM-managed Wilderness Area) by foot and packraft.
