Miss the old BPL? What article content would you like to see?

While I love a shiny, new, light piece of gear as much as the next BPLer, I benefit more from articles on technique, bordering on UL-philosphy.  I haven’t gone the no-TP route but I appreciated the discussions of pros and cons.  I have drunk-the-koolaid on quilts – something I learned about on BPL that upped my game.  I soak my food and turn my canister stove on and off far more than I did a decade ago.  I’m more conscious of a sleeping pad’s R-value than before I’d seen those discussions.

So it’s hard to say what I’d most benefit from – mostly, I don’t know what I don’t know.  But,

I’d like to be more knowledgable about pitching tarps.

I’ve been meaning to research “banking a fire” to last through the night because while I rarely use a fire, it could be important someday.

I agree these are great. I take a night off and I have a dozen emails of excellent ideas!

From what I gather reader priorities I can help with are (not necessarily in this order):

1. State of Market Reports: especially on Shelter, Hydration
2. Basics of LW/UL Backpacking for the newbies
3. Trip Reports done right

I have seen seen many other great ideas and suggestions. Some of which I’ve taken to heart and some of which aren’t mine to change but certainly will be passed along. I think the biggest struggle in publication of any type is the simple lag time. In January I pitch 12 + articles (minimum 4 each quarter), some of my upcoming articles address the suggestions you guys have made but they are slotted for months down the road. Change is coming, it just takes time, I truly can only write so fast.

We are also interested in content from readers, if one of you have a great article idea and can be described as a wordsmith, by all means pitch it in the ‘Write for Us’ link on the bottom right hand corner of your screen. Not only do staff here want your feedback and want to write what you want to read, we love to hear your stories and about your trips. The best part is, we all know UL/LW is learned by experience and sometimes a bad experience teaches you faster than a good one. Heaven knows (and you all will find out in some upcoming articles) I made tons of mistakes starting out.

If I missed anything please keep the ideas coming! We really do want to hear from you!

Em

I agree with others that said they like to read “epic” trip reports (off trail trips, near stupid-light trips, long trips).   Any trip report that is out of the ordinary will interest me (if I can do it, it’s probably not going to interest me).

One of the common threads I see here is that readers would like to see Ryan contribute to various articles… good luck with that one!

One of the reasons I initially joined this site as a paying member was because of what Ryan contributed, not only in articles but his presence on this site drew in some very interesting people.

I stopped paying for a membership as a protest… If Ryan doesn’t want to support the site why would I support it?   The cost of a subscription is nothing to me, in fact not being able to read articles because of my protest is a hardship for me… but I will continue to be a free-loader until I see a renewed interest in this site by the management.  (ps. Emylene, I applaud your enthusiasm and now if you can only get Ryan to see what you see!)

Another Suggestion that might help…..recycle prior articles to supplement new articles.

BPL has a vast library of prior articles that are still relevant today, but are simply hard to find or are buried deep in the website…..maybe never to be seen again.

State of the Market Reports are a good example…..new products may appear from time to time, but it is not uncommon to see the same lightweight jacket or sleeping bag/quilt still on the market with little to no changes. So an “older” articles can still be very relevant to readers today.

With that in mind, older articles can be re-posted or updated on a season basis.

Late Spring can be a good time to bring out these articles just before the “backpacking” season begins.

Articles on winter gear can be brought out in the Fall time.

I have noticed with Backpacker magazine that they tend to have a familiar pattern of what articles they print every year and at what times…..logically presenting articles, information, tips, and techniques based on what the reader/backpacker might be planning for a trip at that time or the near future.

Copy/steal/learn from other publications to make BPL better.

Unrelated to the topics above, but something that thing would be a different type of article, would be one about the “evolution” of a traditional backpacker into a UL/Lightweight backpacker.

I think that this would be:

1. Traditional backpacker learning about BPL/Lightweight backpacking and making small, inexpensive changes that shows them that there is “something” to what BPL is telling the reader. Example: Swapping a Nalgene water bottle for a Platypus to save weight for not a lot of money. Illustrating how swapping to something that fulfills the same function can save weight without suffering deprivation. Example: Swapping from a white gas stove to a canister stove…simpler and easier. Canister does not need spare parts or cleaning kit, weights less and may even cost less than a white gas stove.
2. Traditional backpacker going from a free standing tent to something like a Tarptent…a logical progression into lightweight shelters….then maybe to a bivy and tarp at the “extreme” end.
3. Traditional backpacker swapping out the synthetic sleeping bag to a lighter down bag….then maybe to a quilt
4. Traditional backpacker going from a heavy framed backpack that is designed to carry 90 lbs to a frameless one….illustrating the synergy of how saving weight in other areas allows for additional weight savings by being able to transition to a frameless backpacker, understanding the weight limitation of being 25 lbs or less (30 lbs or less in some cases)

Anyway, this might be an interesting article in that is shows/illustrates to the newbie what they might expect with their progression into lightweight backpacking and provide fond memories for the old timers of their own journey into UL backpacking.

In the past, BPL did have articles written by members to illustrate their own journeys.

https://backpackinglight.com/found_lost_rediscovered/

This one happens to be mine….not that I think that I am anything special.

Tony

“I would like a joint interview with Ray Jardine and Dan McHale. A podcast would be cool. A video even better, if you can get them together in the same room.”

Yes!

Some of these I mentioned in the other thread

• Meteorology related articles
• Back country cooking.  Ryan’s fry baking article was very good.
• Hammocks, suspension systems, insulation, ridge lines, etc
• $300 kit challenges
• First Aid and health.  How to pack a deep laceration.  How to use trekking poles as a traction splint.  MYOG first aid kit.
• Mapping software state of the market
• Yoga on the trail
• Day in the life of a vegan on the trail and what they eat including calorie and macronutrient count.
• Day in the life of a no cook hiker and what they eat including calorie and macronutrient count.
• Katharina’s trail camera report
• Exercises in the front country for back country fitness
• Recipes
• How to backpacking photography (e.g. star trails, milky way shots, wildlife, time lapse, minimalist approach, state of the market UL tripods)
• Wildlife centric trips (e.g. to witness the Sandhill Crane or other migrations)
• MYOG  backpacking knife
• Stargazing.  Celestial navigation.
• Trips that follow first nation historical routes (e.g. Nez Perce, Madame Dorian)
• Hiker interviews.  Sure Ray would be interesting but I’d love to read interviews on people like Jane B. where they discuss their background and what inspired them to become a backpacker.
• MYOG related articles.  How to sew.  How to bond cuben fiber.  How to work with titanium foil.
• Winter tips.  How to build a fire on the snow.  How to build a snow shelter.  State of the market UL snow saws.
• Peruse the old articles and see which ones could use an update.

“What makes a well done trip report in your opinion?”

ALL of the same things that make a good story.  It needs to tell an interesting story.  Most of us, myself included, are not writers and are not good at telling a story with the written word. It really just needs to be a good story told well.  Anything that does not help tell the story should be left out, including pictures.  When pictures are included they need to help tell the story, not just be a cool picture.

Ian,
How nice of you to want to hear about how I became a backpacker. I, too, would enjoy hearing about how others of the BPL regulars got hooked on backpacking. I’m trying now to maintain the interest of our young grandchildren. Next easy trip for them: Coast Camp at Pt. Reyes on the Solstice, an annual tradition. Then I have trips planned in the Sierra with friends, my husband and family.

Let’s talk at the next GGG where we both attend. I’ll want to hear your story, too!

Seems this thread was worth a bump. How have these suggestions fared?

Several of the readers suggestions have been bumped into drafts with various on staff authors. One of the big requests was on state of market articles. We’ve published a few of those. We also have added some UL introductory articles. We also have exciting content coming up through publishing. Stay tuned on thursdays for more content to come.

:upthumbs:

Epic trip reports like Jorgen’s from Alaska and Ryan’s from this summer are always good reads.  I also enjoyed Ryan’s article on clothing systems for wet inclement weather – more articles like that are always good – kind or gear and technique for certain conditions.

I apologize in hindsight for any bumpiness this thread has incurred through my carelessness.

That is all. Carry on.

?

The scales have fallen from my eyes, and that looks suspiciously bumpy to me, Ken.

In the spirit of smoothness, I will answer the topical question: I’d like to see an article on lightweight photographic options. I know there’s a raft of technicals available elsewhere, but I’d like to see BPL’s take on the subject.

I really liked “Summer 2016 Outdoor Retailer Trade Show: Overview and Index” that Gossamer Gear published on their site.

http://gossamergear.com/wp/17059-2

An overview of new/upcoming lightweight equipment from the Outdoor Retailer Trade Show or other relevant shows would help me plan some of my gear purchasing for the next year, and see where I might be able to shed a little more weight via new tech.

HiLight,

I really love my Sony RX100 camera for backpacking trips. (I am using Version 1.0)

http://www.sony.com/electronics/compact-cameras/t/cyber-shot-digital-cameras

It is a larger sized pocket camera that takes amazing photos with its larger 1″ sensor and also takes HD videos and panoramic photos.

For those who are used to a full size DSLR, the RX100 offers a lot of manual controls that they would appreciate.

The negatives are the high price with the newest model (version 4.0) going for $900 and the fixed lens.

For those looking for a compact camera with interchangeable lenses, take a look at the E-Mount series of cameras from Sony in the 6000 series.

http://www.sony.com/electronics/interchangeable-lens-camera-products/t/interchangeable-lens-cameras?bestfor=advanced-amateur

Tony – From what I’ve seen, the RX100 is a fine camera. I shoot an Olympus OM-D E-M1 that uses the Micro Four Thirds mount. When I first shopped smaller interchangeable lens cameras, MFT was one of the few games in town, but the mirrorless revolution has brought a lot of competition to the market.

On a similar topic, I received my first action cam today, a YI 4K. It’s an amazingly capable little machine that rivals the latest GoPro at roughly half the price. It won’t replace my Olympus, but I can see it being a possible option for a lightweight backpacker.

BPL articles on action cams, ILCs, superzooms, etc. might be well received by people that want to know what’s available today, but don’t want to wade through all of the technical details and reviews.

I would like to see more articles and write ups about people and their adventures. The gear…I only care about marginally, maybe a side note to how someone benefitted from using a piece of equipment while out on a trip . I know we have great trip reports.. so maybe articles about people that don’t spend time online and we would not hear about otherwise. Did someone go abroad and learn something from local people that we don’t hear about much here? Stuff like that.

edited to add that DIY and modified gear is also interesting  as are articles on getting together a lightweight set on say 200 dollars or less. I also enjoyed the posts  that listed all the plastic lids from commercial products and what pots they fit. Would be nice to have that posted again.

I want to see which plastic lids from products fit the bottom of an 8 ounce butane canister : )

I agree with Kat, and I’ll return to a common issue that gets in the way of progress at BPL.

People shouldn’t have to fight with the forum software to post, let alone to share a detailed trip report. I could do with less content for a few months if that meant a dramatic improvement (new fonts don’t count) in the foundation of BPL. I doubt I’m alone on that position.

Bumpadiddle. But please no more content like the REpurpose bottle review. No fault to the author, just the content.

MYOG articles have always been a favorite of mine.  Also reviews of items by cottage manufacturers.