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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.

Toilet Paper Free Expeditions

Go wild - leave the TP at home.

Selecting a Canister Stove for Cold Weather Backpacking
Part II: Commercially Available Canister Stove Systems

Many canister stove models become excellent cold weather performers with a simple twist.

Selecting a Canister Stove for Cold Weather Backpacking
Part I: Stove and Fuel Fundamentals

Fuel fundamentals and basic flame chemistry explained so that canister stove cold weather performance can be optimized.

Lightweight Backcountry Professional Photography

Complete lightweight camera and accessories setup for the professional backcountry photographer.

Backcountry Fly Fishing: Lightweight Gear and Style

Outdoor writer Larry Tullis brings a lightweight ethic to backcountry fishing.

Foot Care for Diabetic Hikers

Perspectives on footwear and foot care from a type II diabetic backpacker.

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