What’s your favorite thing at BPL?

I’d say Ryan’s ultimate test of the HMG Dirigo 2 in ferocious storm force winds and snow has been the best thing so far. It’s the essence of what an ultralight backpacking site should be. I foolishly argued about the merits of the new (at least then) Dirigo on a few threads, however, many people who are far more knowledgeable than me pointed out its flaws and they were right. It’s good to be humbled sometimes.

I did NOT like the amount of snow al over the inside of the tent. That would be a disaster if you were out for several days! We usually are.
Also, the tent collapsing does not seem pleasant. Snow camping is hard enough without that.

Cheers

I’m not following the instructions here at all but my favorite thing about BPL is the forums. This is such a good place to get reasonable advice from a group of well-intentioned and experienced people.

I agree about the forums. Its a great way to read and research about gear and places to hike and camp.  I also enjoy footage!! Its nice to see a video of the gear actually being used on the trail, in the wilderness.. albeit failure or success.

My wife teaches kindergarten and she would not love this blatant disregard of instructions, lol.

How about some specific forum threads that we could point folks to. Anything stick out? A super-good conversation?

I like the suggestions in forums for creative ways to save ounces, not just buying different new gear.  Product reviews are helpful, mostly to help me avoid buying problem stuff. But also on the positive side; I’d never have ended up with a Tarptent Moment if there hadn’t been one on gear swap, and I love it and now also love my Notch Li. I also like the geeky posts by people who test things – stoves, tents in wind, etc. – because I’d never spend the time to do it. i usually fast forward to the conclusions however.  You didn’t ask about dislike – the endless, never-to-be-agreed-upon HYOH arguments. Haven’t seen much of that lately though. We all gotta just let stuff go.

Articles with objective performance data, like Steve Seeber’s articles about materials and clothing, Will Reitveld’s articles about similar topics from a previous BPL “generation,” Ryan Jordan’s various data-supported works, etc. The video that Monte points to also falls in this category, in my opinion, as it has wind speeds and such to give us good, solid reference points from which to properly evaluate gear and predict what it can and cannot do.

The forums are a close second, for me, as they also frequently feature the efforts of community members to collect data of various types that help guide us all.

I recently read Roger Caffin’s posts on stoves and carbon monoxide. It’s the first time I feel like I have a good handle on a topic which is usually mired in FUD. That’s my favourite thing.

https://backpackinglight.com/arctic-brooks-range-gates/

https://backpackinglight.com/buy-less-do-more-good-enough-gear/

This had me rethink my way of approaching new gear.

To preface I like the formal gear reviews as it gives me some data before buying ..

https://backpackinglight.com/category/gear/gear-reviews/page/3/

Having backpacked for decades, instruction doesn’t really interest me except maybe age-related stuff.  Think there can be improvement and maybe a little more investigation and interviews (like why are more pack companies going with solid fabric pockets over mesh?) but they are generally good.  So think maybe some articles that look a little deeper without getting too “Chaffy”.  Also a tag system for articles, reviews (like a “true UL” tag, SUL tag, trail runner tag, etc.. to allow subscribers to sort).

Getting back to gear, there’s also certain user based feedback that gets the neurons firing.  The recent post on using a MLD Grace DCF tarp for multiple thru hikes was enjoyable and really had me thinking about truly UL gear.

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/mld-grace-solo-in-74-cuben-fiber-dcf-8000miles-7-years-reviewdiscussion/

Think ultralight’s been gaining weight like a vegetarian on a corn chip and veggie pizza diet, personally.  Caveat: think we need to distinguish between trail travel vs off-trail travels though, especially when water carries are involved at about 2 lbs (gads!) per liter.

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/mld-grace-solo-in-74-cuben-fiber-dcf-8000miles-7-years-reviewdiscussion/

1. Ok, so yes that link there for that article is a good one for me!  Thanks Hknewman for bringing that up!! This may sound corny and meek,  but he definitely inspired me to have more confidence in my skills with my tarp, ditch the linelocs and use strictly knots for Ridgeline and all tie outs and guys.  It wasn’t so much about weight savings as it is minimal weight difference as it kind of rejuvenated my fascination with tarp camping.  It was fun again!!!  Something so simple and easy to learn knots.. go figure! I Was not buying new gear either.. just modification to what i already had..and I am still excited when I know I will be pitching my tarp!!

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/a-strategy-for-older-people-for-thru-hiking/

I confess to being the OP but it went in a lot of different and engaging directions thanks to all the other folks who weighed in.

Breakin’ the rules, but one of my favorite things is the MYOG projects and community, and the almost insane level of technical detail and expertise showcased by them. True craftsmen/artists, by whom I am deeply impressed and thankful for the knowledge they share!

Edit: Specifically the rabbit-hole of DCF gear construction methods. The BPL community was so far ahead of the game!

Im Rick. I’m relatively new to BPL. Not ultralight but definitely lighter ( thank you!) I like the eclectic format and have learned quite a bit from reviews, articles and the Forum. I also really enjoy seeing not only people who want to espouse knowledge and experiences but the same people who want to learn and absorb something new or helpful. And not all forums are as respectful and friendly as this one

My favorite things at BPL so far, by category:

Gear-related

• Andrew’s Zerk 40 review
• Andrew’s veg/vegan backpacking food review (favorite find from that was Heather’s choice packeroons- the best!)
• Ben’s Good Gear Lets You Be Present

I notice this is biased by posts that I ended up buying The Thing; however, I think much more valuable were the posts that helped me not buy The Thing, but I don’t remember them as easily.

My Relationship to the Outdoors and Backpacking:

• Ben’s Observing Transition Season
• Ben’s Backpackers Should be Amateur Naturalists
• Mark’s The Backpacking Tithe Project
• Mark’s Rewards of Repetition
• Mark’s How To Ask Someone to Pull Your Car Out of the Snow

Skills:

• Inreach Masterclass
• How to Use Gaia GPS
• Multiple Ryan Jordan Field Notes videos
• My own trip report from AZT LASH (skill of writing about my trip, which fed into….)
• My own article about Black Ridge Canyon Wilderness Area

Other:

• My first solo backpacking trip, I posted my gear list and got kind and helpful feedback from the community

I have a real answer finally. How about Trip Reports by Adam White, Tom K and Philip?

Adam’s TR are riveting and funny.

Tom’s reports seem wise and remind me why I like backpacking.

Philip’s videos are jaw-dropping gorgeous and there’s something inherently cool about any trip that involves a packraft, float plane, and a glacier.

Speaking of real UL and going to the point of buying a “Zerk 40”, I found this Trailhead article with various links pretty helpful..

https://backpackinglight.com/lightweight-ultralight-backpacks-backpacking/

.. as lusting about finding the right sub 20 oz pack for the future.   That said there’s ever more options (new Ultra fabric, removable components, etc..)

Thanks all for the feedback; I really appreciate it. This is going to help us point new users towards the things that ya’ll find the most helpful. Hike on and feel free to keep adding to this list if ya want!

My favorite things about BPL, aside from the numerous excellent  information articles and forums, were the great pieces of gear that they sold when there was a gear shop. My favorites have been the Stix trekking poles and the Pertex Equilibrium shirts. These were stellar products, unique in the world of backpacking. I’m glad that I stockpiled several of each when I had the chance.

This is from 2013 but Kristen Gates’ Thru-Hiking Alaska’s Arctic: A 1,000 Mile Solo Traverse stands out as one of the best adventures and trip reports that I’ve enjoyed on BPL.

https://backpackinglight.com/arctic-brooks-range-gates/