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Vargo Bot 700 Review (First Looks)

The Vargo Titanium Bot 700 is a 0.7-liter cooking pot made of titanium with a watertight, screw-top lid with a silicone gasket.

Lightweight Wood Saws for Backpacking

Lightweight wood saws for backpacking can be used for preparing firewood and more. Here's what affects saw performance and how that's revealed in four models from Bahco, Suluk46, Coghlan's, and Sven Saw.

2020-2021 Website Development Timeline

In this post, we share about Backpacking Light’s plans for its next phase of website development. Over the past several months, we have been vetting enterprise website development agencies. We have made our final decision and are excited to announce that we are building a new site and plan to launch it in 2021.

Goosefeet Custom Down Sweater First Looks

This first look at the Goosefeet Gear Custom Down Sweater summarizes features, specifications, and photo details of an ultralight down garment that weighs less than 6 oz (170 g).

On Racial Justice and Protecting Intimacy Between Humanity and Nature

If some of humanity is threatened, then our humanity's collective intimacy with nature is also broken.

REI Flash Air 1 Tent Review

The REI Flash Air 1 Tent (20 oz / 567 g, $249) is a hybrid single/double-wall solo tent with a single entrance and vestibule and can be supported by a single trekking pole.

Tarptent Notch Li Review (Updated: V2 2020 Version)

This Tarptent Notch Li Review presents the benefits of Dyneema Composite Fabrics (DCF) for ultralight backpacking shelters, assesses its design/feature set, and compares the Notch Li to its competitors.

First Looks: REI Flash Air 1 Tent

The REI Flash Air 1 is a 1-person, hybrid-wall (single/double) tent that can be pitched with a single trekking pole and weighs 20 oz.

Lightweight Backpacking Gear for Cold Winter Temperatures (Two-Layer Systems, Vapor Barriers, and Really Puffy Stuff)

Lightweight backpacking gear for winter temperatures: two-layer insulation systems, vapor barrier systems, and really puffy stuff.

2019 REI Sale (11/15 – 11/25) – Recommendations, anti-recommendations, and other ideas

The biggest REI sale of the year is going on right now - November 15 through 25, 2019. It's called the GUGO sale - "Gear Up, Get Out". Here are some resources to help you save money on decent gear.

Publisher’s Blog: Unlimited Members No Longer See Banner Ads

This post is available for Unlimited Members only. As of today (October 30, 2019), we've turned off all network banner advertising for Unlimited Members, providing a faster, less cluttered, and less intrusive browsing experience - this post provides the details.

2019 Highlights + What’s Coming (Video Podcast for Unlimited Members)

This blog post is available only to Unlimited Members.

How Much Food Should I Pack? (How to save weight on backpacking food based on the energy-mile theory)

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.

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.

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