The goal of this test is to determine the effective age of your backpacking water filter based on comparing its current flowrate to its flowrate when new.
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Interview with a Physio Therapist: A Biophysical Perspective on Backpacking Footwear
My interview with a physio-therapist, as well as my personal history with foot injuries, is making me think more carefully about backpacking footwear.
Podcast 015 | Trip Short: The Tahoe Rim Trail
Ryan interviews Andrew Marshall about his recent thru-hike of the Tahoe Rim Trail. They talk about snow, gear, training, and more.
Walking in Circles: A Tahoe Rim Trail Thru-Hike
A narrative about Andrew Marshall’s thru-hike of the Tahoe Rim Trail during a big snow year.
Lightweight First Aid and Trauma Kits: Perspectives from a Mountain Rescue Medic
This article features an interview with a Canadian Mountain Rescue Medic, focusing on how to assemble lightweight first aid and trauma kits for backcountry travel.
Book Review: On Trails by Robert Moor
How do trails form? Why do trails form? Come to think of it, what is a trail? These are but a few of the (deceptively simple) questions author Robert Moor attempts to answer in his book On Trails (Simon and Schuster, 2016). Moor – a lifelong backpacker and Appalachian Trail thru-hiker in addition to being a writer – approaches his subject with lyrical language and journalistic due-process. The result is a book as quietly spiritual as it is wildly informative.
Podcast 014 | SKILLS SHORT – Training for Backpacking
It’s no secret: the more physically prepared you are for a backpacking trip, the more you are going to enjoy yourself. But what are the most effective ways to reach optimal backpacking condition? That’s the topic of today’s BPL SKILLS SHORT: training.
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.