Drew Smith
Latest
Home Range: A Place that Keeps the Wild in Your Life
Drew Smith reflects on hiking in the places close to home as he explores a nearby mountain drainage during all seasons.
Yama Flat Tarp Review
Yama Flat Tarp Review: our first looks at this 7' x 9' silpoly ultralight shelter for ultralight backpacking.
A Walk from Crested Butte
Drew Smith writes about using public transit to make the travel to, from, and between trailheads more sustainable.
Down to the Valley: Embracing the Desert Trail from the Mojave Desert to Badwater Basin
Drew Smith journeys from the Mojave Desert to Badwater Basin finding beauty in a seemingly desolate place.
Home Freeze-Drying vs. Other Trail Food Preparation Strategies
Drew Smith talks about the place of home freeze-drying in the wider context of trail food strategies, and attempts freeze dried french toast!
Is Buying a Home Freeze-Dryer Worth the Money?
Home Freeze-dryers are handy but expensive. Are they worth the cost? We show you how to find out.
How to Store Freeze-dried Food
Best practices for storing your freeze-dried food (plus one killer chiles rellenos recipe).
MYTHing the PCT in a Time of Change
Searching for grace and gratitude through the smoke.
Nitecore NB10000 Review
The Nitecore NB10000 is a simple portable battery charger built around a carbon-fiber platform for maximum weight savings.
Why is it hard to freeze-dry liquids?
In part four of his ongoing series, Drew Smith tackles freeze-drying a smoothie.
The Backpacking Poncho: An Ultralight Alternative to Rain Jackets
Drew Smith makes the case for backpacking ponchos. They provide more ventilation vs. rain jackets and can also function as ultralight tarps.
Why Freeze-Dried Food Retains Taste and Nutrition
In part three of his ongoing series on freeze-drying, Drew Smith explores the science behind how freeze-drying preserves important nutrients - and why it matters.
How Does Freeze-Drying work? (The Physics of Making Freeze-Dried Backpacking Food)
Why and how does freeze-drying work? The physics and science of freeze-drying your own backpacking food, plus a killer freeze-dried hash browns recipe.
Trouble Behind
Enriching friendship through fishing and adventure in Colorado’s Middle Park.
Freeze-Drying Your Own Backpacking Meals: How to Eat Your Favorite Town Food on the Trail
In this freeze-drying installment, we discuss the history of freeze-drying and experiment with using a freeze dryer to prepare our favorite take-out town meal for enjoyment in the backcountry.
Harvest Right Home Freeze Dryer Review
The Harvest Right Home Freeze Dryer is a fantastic - and fantastically expensive - way to prepare backpacking meals.
Searching for the Light
After the year of darkness that was 2020, I needed to walk in the light of the Mojave desert.
Blood Moon on the Border
An off-trail borderlands odyssey during a lunar eclipse in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
Land of Fur and Fire: the Yellowstone Caldera Loop
With Covid-19 necessitating an unsupported hike, we undertook an ambitious loop through the geysers and lakes of the Yellowstone Caldera.
How to Dehydrate Food for Backpacking
The best backcountry meals are the ones you prepare yourself. In this article, I will tell you why and how to dehydrate food for backpacking.
