A mathematical model to calculate how much food to pack for your trip based on terrain and mileage with minimum weight carried in the pack.
About Ryan Jordan
Maceration, Immersion Foot and Backpacking
A short, detailed discussion on immersion foot and maceration, how to deal with it in the backcountry and when not to.
Lightweight Backpacking Gear for Mountain Travel (Case Study)
In this video, I walk through my gear during a 9-day summer trek in the high mountains of the western US. This was a trip with friends and family – 3 other adults and four children ages 7-11. We moved camps every day but one, and spent 70% of our miles off-trail, with camps up to about 11,600 feet. Scroll down for gear notes and trip photos!
Lighten your pack, and your body
I’d like to address what I do in each of these areas at some point in the future, but for now, I want to expand on why I believe a lean body weight – in addition to carrying less weight in your pack – is really important for a backpacking lifestyle.
Crossing Rivers and Water Shoes
Crossing rivers “ultralight style” – that’s when you simply walk through the water wearing your hiking shoes and keep walking on the trail once you get to the other side.
What is ultralight backpacking? (how we talk about ultralight)
To me, ultralight backpacking is the idea that one should solve a problem using as little as possible, but that which is used to solve the problem should be as effective as possible. Defined as such, the actual weight of individual pieces of gear, or one’s pack, matters less, and takes a back seat to the performance-to-weight ratio of a piece of gear.
How to choose backpacking footwear so you can keep hiking until you die
Most advice about minimalist footwear can be rejected outright. Often, the advice is given by hikers who haven’t put in the time required to understand the complexity and depth of foot biomechanics and the long-term effects of overuse that is endured by walking for decades. Here are some guiding principles if you want to keep hiking into your sunset years, so you can delay the inevitable onset of overuse conditions like hallux rigidus.
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Junction Backpack Review
This Hyperlite Mountain Gear Junction Backpack Review features a pack with a lightweight Dyneema Composite Fabrics body, Hardline woven fabric side and hip belt pockets for durability, and a mesh back pocket for storing wet gear.
Podcast 011 | Canister Stove Reviews
This episode of the Backpacking Light Podcast features highlights from our recent round of canister stove reviews.
Field Notes: Wet, Snowy, Cold – Spring Backpacking with my Son in Wyoming with Lightweight Gear
Unseasonably cold May temperatures and a winter storm warning were too much to pass up, so we set out for an overnighter in SE Wyoming.