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Latest
How To Ask Someone to Pull Your Car Out of the Snow
Sometimes the best skill is humbly asking for help. Here's a story about my experience getting unstuck when driving snowy backcountry roads.
The Anthropology of a Trail
When we trek, we are taking the paintbrush or pencil that is the foot to the page that is the earth.
LiteAF, Printing on DCF, and Screaming Cat Packs
Maggie takes a look at the new DCF printing technology being used by LiteAF.
Unpacked: “Billionaire Wilderness” Book Review
When money and conservation collide.
Interview with Gear Creator Michael Glavin
Rex Sanders interviews Michael Glavin, the founder and general manager of Zenbivy.
Followed in Plain Sight
Shilletha Curtis recounts a harrowing encouter and invites the reader to see the world through her eyes.
Learning Curve: Backpacking is the Great Equalizer
Maggie Slepian considers what it means to be a perfectly average backpacker in a city (and industry) full of high-achievers.
The Overlook: Frozen Tracks – Monument Restoration and the Fate of the Upper Paria
Ben Kilbourne follows tracks in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument as its fate once again hangs in the balance.
Standards Watch: Mike Cecot-Scherer on Tent Design
Rex Sanders interviews long-time gear designer Mike Cecot-Scherer about tent design. This is part two of a three-part series.
The Overlook: Backpacking in a Time of Uncertainty
Is backpacking suddenly...hard? Ben Kilbourne understands, and discusses how to deal with it during uncertain times.
Life in the Dog House: A Survey of the One-Person Tent, With History
Some observations on cheap one-person shelters, including on their design, proliferation, and history, and comparison between some shelters.
Learning Curve: Learning to Suffer
BPL columnist Maggie Slepian unpacks suffering in endurance sports.
Gratitude and Recovery After Outdoor Trauma
BPL author Rex Sanders meditates on gratitude and 2020 as he recovers from a traumatic brain injury during the time of COIVD and wildfires.
Unpacked: When Gear Owns You
A recent multi-sport adventure got BPL columnist Mark Wetherington thinking about gear and our relationship to it.
Standards Watch: Tent Designer Mike Cecot-Scherer Talks Standards
Rex Sanders interviews long-time gear designer Mike Cecot-Scherer about a range of common gear standards.
The Overlook: Understanding Livestock Grazing in Wilderness Areas
BPL columnist Ben Kilbourne uses a close encounter to examine the practice of livestock grazing on public land.
A Gear Confession
Chances are, you've got something in your pack that could be lighter, but it works for you. Maggie Slepian shares her heaviest items.
Learning Curve: A Shoulder Season Reminder
BPL columnist Maggie Slepian reminds new and old hands alike to prepare for shoulder-season backpacking accordingly.
Unpacked: “Free Outside” by Jeff Garmire Book Review
BPL columnist Mark Wetherington reviews the book “Free Outside” by fellow BPL member and author - and Colorado Trail FKT holder - Jeff Garmire.
Learning Curve: Breaking Loose
I fell into a rut, like many of us when an activity is familiar and comfortable. It took connecting with a more experienced backpacker to show me I had the knowledge and skills to push myself into new territory.
