Backpacker Magazine's Gear Guide issue…meh…

How mainstream and square is Backpacker Magazine? Every once in awhile I see a copy somewhere and I’ll thumb through it for a minute. Then I say to myself: what a waste of paper.The gear is all REI type stuff.

Like Trump says about the National Review, “it’s a failing magazine.”

I get my subscription free with my PCTA membership. I usually flip through a copy in five minutes. It’s too bad. Their large audience deserves better. Kristen Hostetter (sp) posted here a few times years ago. Didn’t go well.

Not worth the money anymore. I like to read trailgroove.

waste of money …. its turned into a hipsters mag.

There was an ad for Big Agnes Q Core SLX pad, available this spring. Went to the website but nothing there yet. I emailed them to ask for specs. But generally yes, it’s mostly “REI” type gear.

Kelly

another big yes vote for TRAILGROOVE

I can’t even tell you the last time I read through a backpacker magazine.  I used to think the trip suggestions were pretty nice…but then I actually tried to use a few……

Another +1 for Trailgroove.  That’s how a backpacking magazine SHOULD be.

Wow…can’t believe I have not heard of Trailgroove before!  Feeling slightly stoopid.

first heard about (and started reading trailgroove)from Wallace(Hike,Bike,Dale) in March 2012 HikeBikeDale

I don’t subscribe to Backpacker magazine but pick up an issue when I see a new one at REI.  Yes, I shop at REI.  I think that a lot of people on this board forget that they were once new backpackers.  No one starts out buying their gear from Tarptent, ULA, SMD, or any of the other cottage manufacturers.  Most of us started with companies like Osprey, ENO, North Face or store-brand gear.  And most of us flipped through the pages of Backpacker Magazine where we read reviews and stories about this cool hobby/sport/money-sink.  There’s no need to become so jaded.  Remember what it was like when you first started and let newcomers have that same sense of discovery.

I don’t think the statement that nobody starts out buying gear from the cottage companies is valid.

Great tip on trailgroove.

Thanks, +1 on TrailGroove  ….didn’t know it existed.  Great read.

backpackers “recommendations” are just marketing fluff … i wouldnt be surprised if they just edited a paragraph or two written by those brands marketers

absolutely and utterly useless

magazines, blogs, sponsored athletes, brand ambassador … its all simply another way to part you from your moolah

thats all there is to it

;)

I’m biased, but I’ve read TrailGroove before I became a contributor. What I like about what Aaron has done it is about the outdoors. Note the lifestyle around it, or the gear used to access it, but the simple joy of being outside.

Not the TG won’t discuss long trails or gear, but ultimately both are in service of getting outside.

I feel TG really does adhere to Ray Jardine’s saying “We celebrate not the trail, but the wild places it travels through”.

I like the statement that we all started somewhere. I think back to my first set up and I’ve come along way, from about 40lbs to 14.  But what has made me jaded is the 100’s I’ve spent because I thought that’s how it was done because backpacker said so.  Now I will say I was dumb and did not have to believe or buy it but I fell for it. I was almost turned off from backpacking because it was so uncomfortable to carry all that stuff.  I still do get some stuff at REI and EMS so not to bad mouth them either they serve a purpose. In the end I need to remind myself that to each his own. If it makes someone happy to buy all that gear more power to them it’s just not for me anymore.

It’s just too bad so many people have to waste thousands of dollars on heavy mainstream gear before they see the light, before they’re saved.

The mass market promotes heavy stuff because it’s durable and it requires cheaper materials and labor to make. As someone pointed out to me on another thread, REI doesn’t promote ultralight gear (even though they carry some) because they would face a lot more returns. Profit margins are huge on the Asian made gear REI and other retailers sell.

I agree that the Gear Guide is snooze and that Backpacker has declined over the years. The last long article non fiction piece I remember was years ago and was about fire fighters in the National Forests.  

But the magazine has covered Henry Shires Tarp Tents several times.

With the amount of information available online, anyone who chooses to dish out a whole bunch of money in heavy and bulky gear did not do their research. My very first set of gear came at a comfortable 11 lbs, and well under $800 (and that’s considering that I carried my ukulele in the AT and Centennial Trail). So, yes… the idea that Backpacker mag is good for new hikers is bonkers.

However, it does make better flip-through entertainment while waiting at the dentist’s lobby than Southern Living.

But the magazine has covered Henry Shires Tarp Tents:

Yes, besides Tarptent, Backpacker covered other light gear makers (MLD, ULA, Z-packs, Six Moons, the defunct Golite, etc…) in the recent past. This gear issue is skimpy in regard to light gear … though there are trailrunners and a heavyweight American pack maker (Mystery Ranch new models are going to select retailers). Wouldn’t buy it because of the shoes though – they’ll pop up online soon enough. They could use some more in depth articles, though.

whether gear is “heavy” or “light” is irrelevant for “ethical” purposes

the problem is not “heavy” gear, as long as its fairly reviewed (and yes some folks do like that gear)

the problem is the unholy marriage between marketing departments and the outdoors media … which is RARELY CRITICAL of such gear

you see this all the time with mainstream outdoorsy brands, not just in mags, but on blog “reviews” where folks shill for the company in exchange for free gear

most of the outdoors media is simply another marketing channel for those companies … light or heavy

;)

Ah I quite like it. I’m not necessary going to buy any of it but it’s interesting to see new stuff coming out.

Ray Jardine’s saying “We celebrate not the trail, but the wild places it travels through”.

Is that trademarked?

the problem is not “heavy” gear, as long as its fairly reviewed (and yes some folks do like that gear)

the problem is the unholy marriage between marketing departments and the outdoors media … which is RARELY CRITICAL of such gear

I absolutely agree with you here, but I think there might be a correlation. Putting aside all those who are willing to sacrifice camping comfort for hiking weight, weight reduction has its benefits (on the body, the experience, and so forth).

Many big-name companies are in a race to compete through marketing, and not necessarily by pushing out products that will improve the hiking experience (including reducing weight without reducing functionality). Outfits like Backpacker mag feed that vicious cycle by turning the blind eye to some of the great products (sometimes not more expensive) created by cottage companies.

On the flip side – what would happen if Backpacker mag began showcasing products created by cottage companies? For one thing, they would have some angry readers who do not want to deal with 6-8 week waits on custom hear. Those that do would likely cause the wait time to increase further. But perhaps the problem could happen on the side of the producers. They will either lose customer satisfaction from increased wait times, or be forced to expand. It takes a heck of an entrepreneur to scale a small shop into a sizable business without losing quality, being able to take the hits of cyclical downturns, or crumbling under the administrative and logistical responsibilities.