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Packraft Rating (PR) System
Roman Dial demystifies whitewater for the packrafter wanting to understand the natural progression of learning to packraft in the context of increasingly difficult whitewater.
An Ultralighter Paddles on the Dark Side: Packrafting a Remote Canyon “Heavy” Style
Packrafters need to limit their gear so it fits on the bow of their six-foot-long craft. This means dehydrated food for dinner, sleeping under a tarp and wearing wet clothes dry. What is river running like when big rafts haul the food and gear...Can an ultralight packrafter be enticed to the dark side?
Decision-Making and the Lightweight Pack
Carrying a lightweight pack has consequences, but they might not be what you think.
Hypothermia
Avoiding and treating hypothermia in the backcountry with ultralight equipment.
Trekking Techniques for Early-Season Conditions
Andrew Skurka's insights and techniques for early season trekking can dramatically increase the length of your normal hiking season.
Reducing Winter Pack Weight: Wood Fire Cooking in the Snow
For the hardcore ultralighter, cooking over wood fires in the winter offers a way to substantially reduce pack weight on longer trips, adds a bit of warmth around camp, and forces you to learn fire skills that just might save your life someday.
Backcountry Cookfires: Overview and Techniques for Cooking Over an Open Flame
Bill Stadwiser explores the practical and emotional rewards of cooking over wood in the backcountry.
Ultralight Gear and Techniques on the Edge of Winter with Backpacking Light’s Wilderness Trekking III Program
The gear chosen by the Wilderness Trekking III course participants and leaders
Take the Load Off: Using Pulks to Travel Over Snow
Pulk techniques for winter travel over snow
Igloo Building for Fun and Shelter, Part 2 – Using an Igloo as a Backcountry Shelter
Tips for igloo living and interior climate graphs to show you why you want to camp in an igloo.
Igloo Building for Fun and Shelter, Part 1 – Technique
Igloo building is a fun wintertime activity to share with family, friends, or Scouts. Build a warming hut in your favorite skiing or snowshoeing area, construct an igloo for a backcountry base camp, or design your own hut system! The Grand Shelters Icebox Igloo Building Tool does a lot of the work for you, but you’ll still need to master some essential techniques.
Ultralight in the Icebox: Post-Trip Report
Andrew Skurka talks about his cold weather tenets and ultralight gear kit following a 385 mile, 19 day backpacking trip in northern Minnesota in the dead of winter.
Taming Those Large Flexible Foil Windshields
Learn the tricks and techniques required to make a stable windshield out of floppy metal foil.
Groovy-Biotic Cooking: Quick, Healthy Meals with an Ultralight Cook Kit
All the details you need to plan backcountry vegetarian meals that are nutritious and tasty.
A Lightweight Guide to Backpacking in Sustained, Cold Rain
Techniques, gear and clothing to keep your pack light and a smile on your face during continuous days of rain.
Sipping the Waters: Techniques for Selecting Untreated Backcountry Water for Drinking
Drinking untreated backcountry water can make you sick - but choosing your drinking spots intelligently can greatly reduce that risk. Here, a doctor shares the methods that have kept him healthily "sipping the waters" for the past 20 years.
The Poncho Tarp: Techniques and Gear Systems for Inclement Conditions
Poncho Tarps are not just for the eccentric. Learn how to use them in foul weather and save considerable weight and simplify your gear kit.
Camera Selection Basics for the Lightweight Backpacker
Features for a lightweight backpacker to look for in a digital or film camera.
Backpacking Light Trip Planning Spreadsheet Contest Winners
The winners of the Backpacking Light Trip Planning Spreadsheet Contest are a diverse group.
How Far, How Fast, How Heavy?
Calculating the range for unsupported, long-distance hiking
Formulas and theory for predicting possible distances and times with ultralight gear for long distance backpacking.
