Wilderness Skills
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Latest
Spring Footwear: Lightweight Overboot & High Gaiter Systems for Keeping Feet Warm & Dry
Foremost among the challenges that spring hikers face is the presence of melting snow and the prospect of continuously wet feet. Ryan Jordan presents his two favorite footwear systems for cold or warm spring conditions.
Lightweight Testimony: Mother Nature Insisted I Go Light
Carol Crooker's essay on enlightenment shows that Mother Nature can be a pushy broad, but she gets the job done.
Not a Day on any Calendar
Backpacking Light's Wilderness Trekking School Photo Essay.
Lightweight Testimony: My Journey into Lightweight Backpacking
The true story of how Jamie survived in the woods with his paper coat.
Lightweight Testimony: Lighter, Farther, Faster
Steve Hinkle relays that carrying all the comforts of home ultimately made for a miserable trail experience, and how shedding "comforts" was actually more pleasant in the long run.
Staff Videocast: Cowboy Coffee
How do BPL Staffers stay warm, hydrated, and caffeinated in the backcountry?
Lightweight Testimony: Jim Sweeney’s Enlightenment via Lead Weights, Helium Balloons, and Yachting
"I guess I first realized my pack weight had to change when I was in intensive care recovering from a bad fishing trip."
A Passion Found, Lost, and Rediscovered
Lightweight Testimony: Tony Wong Finds, Loses, and Rediscovers a Lightweight Passion.
Gear Suited for Wet, Cold Weather Hiking
Cold & wet: really only good when it describes your dog's nose. But you can still be comfy in these conditions with the right (lightweight) gear.
When Things Go Wrong
Roger Caffin shares his adventure in misadventure.
Done in a Day
Kevin Sawchuk shares his how-to on fast day hikes, and his why-to, too.
Sandals for Summer Backpacking
Chris Townsend shares his sandal wearing experience.
Ditch Your Stakes: A Guide To Alternative Shelter Anchors
Mike Clelland! has gone stakeless!
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.
