Backpacker Magazine Opinions

please, not this thread again.

yuppies … im sure that knowing how to survive with a bottle of whiskey has great value in the backcountry

so backpacker believes …

They lost me when they gave a editors choice award to a 5oz pair of chopsticks that cost HOW MUCH??? Dont quote me on the 5oz but I bet it was closer to 5oz then it was to a set from a chinese take out. But they were beautiful and BOMBER tough HeHe

"yuppies … im sure that knowing how to survive with a bottle of whiskey has great value in the backcountry"

Hey Eric, don't knock it. In addition to being the preferred libation of true mountain men, it can be used to start fires, prepare filet of marmot flambe, and disinfect wounds; in addition, it is reputed to possess near magical medicinal powers that relieve the symptoms of neuritis, neuralgia and lumbago, as well as cure the heartbreak of psoriasis. Talk about multiple use gear. I mean, a yuppie in the backcountry needs all the help they can get.

I have the april 2009 laying in the bathroom floor and after reading the comments above, I had to look: These are from the essentials list:
lexan cocktail glass-$6
chopsticks-$30
binoculars (bruton's)-$575
headphones- $50
egear lighter- $45
knife (benchmade)- $200 "slice (not squash) sushi"
socks (x-socks)- $40
The reason that I don't buy that magazine is the fact that every "editor's choice" product has an ad within a few pages of the article. Somehow I think they are licking the hand that feeds them.
I don't read playboy for the same reason. I can't afford anything in it!

Yes yes, we're all so much more advanced than those Damn yuppies.

I mean, if you want a great laugh, this is from a Backpacker Magazine pamphlet: How to get ultralight:

1. Question everything "…ditch your standard gear list and your gotta-have-my-coffee-press 'tude."

2. Weigh it all

3. Rethink shelter "Most serious ULers carry tarps that weight less than a pound…"

4. Change your bedding "Old thinking: Choose a sleeping bag for the lowest temps you might encounter. New thinking: Aim for the middle, and wear more clothes if a cold snap hits."

5. Layer down "Choose layers based on the forecast, and don't double up (no wind jacket and rain shell)"

6. Your diet

7. The map "If you must carry a map, trim the superfluous parts."

8. Downsize your pack "…you no longer need an elaborate (read: heavy) suspension. Ultralight packs … weight six ounces to two pounds and comfortably carry up to 25 pounds."

9. Take less medicine

10. Empty your bottles "…drink opportunistically. …forego a filter in favor of a lightweight water treatment like Aqua Mira."

I mean, can you believe all that stupid, yuppy advice! The idiots have links to such ridiculous sites as AntiGravity Gear, actually suggest investing in a scale of all things, and they even advocate freezer bag cooking with a link to some site run by someone named Sarah Kirkconnell! Can you believe the ridiculousness!

Oh, wait a minute……

(Sorry Dave, couldn't help myself!)

what blasphemy!
screw backpacker for suggesting i leave my coffee press at home.. pfft!
next they'll tell me to forget backpacking and start riding trains.
but i degress..

Whisky can be used to "prepare filet of marmot flambe" (!)

I would like to see a recipe for that. Start with one adult-size marmot.

Is that Marmota flaviventris, or Marmota caligata?

–B.G.–

When hiking the northern section of the Cohos Trail in NH, stop at the Apple something B&B in Jefferson NH at the foot of the Kilkenney Ridge Trail. They have the first 20 or so issues of BP amongst the bedrooms. Now there was a magazine.

i can't remember what year it was but they gave the only 2 gold awards to 2 items that have been around for years. the MSR mug mate( ALOT of us have them…) and the TNF base camp duffle. I guess when they throw you 10 of each a year for 10 seasons for free you owe them something…

"and they even advocate freezer bag cooking with a link to some site run by someone named Sarah Kirkconnell! Can you believe the ridiculousness!"

I cannot in any way ever hate them – that article in the December 2007 issue – which was an issue all about going light – took us from fringe to the masses. Our sales quadrupled the week that issue came out. I barely kept up with sewing FBC cozies! And that the article is online still brings people in. BTW, that article also featured Trail Designs (Rand).

Yeah, I roll my eyes a lot when I read the magazine but overall they do as good as they can. We are not their target audience. And without them I wouldn't be able to have my snarky monthly feature of recipe re-do's where I take their 2 to 3 pot meals and get it down to one pot or FBC style. They gives me some of my best ideas…lol!!

Samuel, if you haven't seen this check out the link:
http://books.google.com/books/serial/ISSN:0277867X?rview=1&source=gbs_navlinks_s

You can read most of the back issues online for free via Google. From the first issue to Nov. 2009!

more standard is this kind of a review … for a 650 fill down jacket and a 55 L 4lb, 12 oz pack

a few prayers at xmas does not a a priest make ;)

now BPL article on marmot flambee would be useful .. find em a lot on mountains … extra protein …

"now BPL article on marmot flambee would be useful .. find em a lot on mountains … extra protein …"

I don't know. I think it might be a lot of work to dress them. Of course it wouldn't take much of a knife to do it.

It's hard to find good freeze dried marmot meat.

–B.G.–

"a few prayers at xmas does not a a priest make ;)"

Good thing, those 'priests' are so often such boorish, insufferable know-it-alls….

yeah …. boring stuff like weighting things, counting calories, actually doing a decent review and not a one paragraph blurb, fuel usage, looking at clothes for other factors than selling your next marketing ad, negative reviews …

LAAAAMMMMMEEEEEE … gimme some whiskey and marmot flambee in the backcountry anyday … who cares id i need to pack 50lb in a 5 lb pack for a gourmet marmot sampling in the backcountry

at least ill be sampling dem critters with my 2009 essentail $30 chopsticks

i do wonder how much money people would have saved if people came to BPL or some other credible place first instead of listening to the latest marketing shill of most of these outdoor mags …

i woulda saved enough for that marmot gourmet trip ;)

GET THIS GEAR: ESSENTIALS FROM A TO Z

Chopsticks
Okay, we can't prove noodles taste better with Snow Peak's Carry-On Chopsticks. But who needs proof for an ounce of fun? These collapsible tools have gotten greener since we last reviewed them; the white ash is recycled from broken baseball bats. $30;

"We are not their target audience."

+1

I salute the magazine for keeping backpacking in the collective consciousness. Not everyone out there is going to trek into the mountains with a UL Pack, cuban tarp and micro headlight. Most people, I suppose, just go out for a weekend a couple of times a year, never getting very far from the trailhead. And bless each and every one of them.

These weekend warriors are out there hiking or backpacking while the great masses aren't. If Backpacker magazine gets them off their couch and to one of the "10 best super secret camping spots", fantastic! A person who is involved in the outdoors cares for the outdoors, and will become an advocate for preservation.

I have a lot of respect for people who go out there and do it. Their gear matters little to me – if you want to carry a canned ham and a Coleman sleeping bag, well, more power to you. (Please leave no trace).

Sure, we can all find reasons to criticize Backpacker Magazine, much of it warranted. But the fact is it is one of the few Backpacking/Hiking publications out there. If it gets people excited for the trail, then by all means, keep up the great work.

Dirk

+1 Dirk

I was one of those "yuppie" backpackers when I first started. It was the only source I could find for info at first. Even had the subscription. As a guy growing up in Jersey City, NJ whose family never did any outdoor stuff this was all new to me. In my mid 20's I decided to screw it and take the plunge and loved backpacking as I knew I would.

Problem was Backpacker was all I had for info for equipment and spent a lot of money on gear then new gear and then newer gear. My fault; I know. It was like Toys-R-Us big toy book. Pack weighed a lot.

Over time I found other sources and was introduced to UL Packing. Still spending money but buying the right gear and enjoying my time out there more and more. No more subscription.

Someone posted that UL Backpackers are not their target audience and I beleive overall they are right but it is a good segway into it.

I know someone will point out that I started this thread. Yes I did. I am asking through new/different eyes. Just noticing that almost all reviews are good and some of the same info/articles seem to be recycled. Use to have a subscription to Maxim when it first came out then cancelled it after my first year when I saw the exact same article on how to get my girlfriend to have a threesome. Then realized every issue had the same articles on that topic. (By the way- they didn't work)

Since I am reletively new to UL packing, I wanted more experienced eyes and opinions on this.

Thanks

+2 Dirk

Today in business news a private equity firm by the name of Active Interest Media sold their Outdoor Group division to Beartooth Mountain Press out of Bozeman MT for an undisclosed sum which included the magazine "Backpacker". In his first interview Ryan Jordan of Backpackinglight spoke to the media.

"CAN WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?"

:)

It's a mixed bag. I give them a lot of credit for picking up on the ultralight thing and running decent articles about it. A lot of the great ultralight gear is highly specialized and only available via mail order, so I wouldn't blame them if they ignored it, but they haven't.

Sometimes I wonder what they are thinking. Their pole article was simply wrong. They suggested that twist locks were stronger than flip locks. That is just inaccurate. I have both and like both — the main advantage of the flip locks is that they never fail.

But those things happen with every magazine. My big complaint is that seem to be focused more for the dentist office or the magazine rack than the subscriber. In other words, they aren't that interested in the hard core hiker. If you read old copies, you'll notice that they have changed formats several times. They used to have a gear review section, where they focused on a particular item (e. g. mid size backpacks) but that has gone away. They used to have several two or three page articles, along with one feature article. Now, they have dozens, if not hundreds of little articles, all squeezed together. This makes for easy "waiting room reading" but gets old really quick. Lately, they've been focused on "best of" articles and "local favorites". This is silly. The only good thing is that they often get them wrong. Besides, I know my local area, but I want to know about other spots. How about an article about hiking in the BC Coast Mountains? Or an article about fall color hikes? You could put together some really pretty stuff, that would provide help if you ever take such a trip someday. They used to do a lot more of that, but now they seem focused on the folks who can't seem to read a two page article or the ones who grab the magazine on the way out of REI.

They still have a lot of good writers, editors and photographers (Harlin, Howe and Hostetter come to mind) they just need to give them a chance to write longer articles.

+3 Dirk