Trail Days Online! 2025

Backpacking Light

BACKPACKING LIGHT is a membership-based community that helps hikers and other backcountry users thrive outdoors. Our values are advocacy, expertise, and generosity. We provide trusted expertise so you can enjoy the backcountry with confidence.

ANASTASIA ALLISON is a former park ranger turned full time entrepreneur and the founder of Kula Cloth. She has been a backpacking instructor with Washington Outdoor Women since 2009, is a wilderness first responder and has been backpacking and climbing in the Pacific Northwest—and around the world—for over two decades. Her personal outdoor passion is exploring off trail high routes in remote locations—but she's just as happy sitting outside and looking up at the sky.

DAN DURSTON - From his start over 15 years ago in the Backpacking Light forums, Dan began making his own gear, thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and Great Divide Trail, set FKTs, and pioneered high routes - all before starting his own gear company Durston. Today he is best known for making popular and innovative lightweight gear including the X-Mid and X-Dome tents and Kakwa backpacks.

STEVE EVANS is an engineer and avid backcountry adventurer. He founded Suluk 46, Engineered Backcountry Gear in 2008, a company specializing in ultralight, expertly engineered backcountry gear designed for fast and light travel. Beyond his engineering pursuits, Steve has embarked on numerous expeditions, often utilizing a multi-sport methodology, in remote and extreme locations.

PETE HILL has been losing and finding his way through the high and wilds of the world for a while now. In adventures and in design Pete has always had a willingness to encounter the unknown openly and look for solutions. His design career spans decades working for major brands in the outdoor and photographic industries as well as running an independent design studio in Western British Columbia. His agency services a wide range of industries including, outdoor, urban leisure, photographic, medical and tactical. Pete has worked for some of the biggest mountain brands. From The North Face to Arc’teryx Equipment, he has created some of the most iconic mountain products such as expedition bags and avalanche air bags. A maker at heart he believes in the power of prototypes to develop and refine designs.

RYAN JORDAN is the owner/founder of Backpacking Light and is based in Estes Park, Colorado. Ryan has blended research, engineering, and gear testing to create a unique recipe for outdoor skills and gear education. Backcountry passions include winter ands snow backpacking, alpinism, tenkara, and paddling.

DR. JEFF MARION recently retired from a 39 yr career with the NPS and USGS and Adjunct Prof. at Virginia Tech University. His research specialty is Recreation Ecology, which investigates the environmental impacts of visitor use in protected natural areas, primarily national parks and wilderness. His research has focused on visitor impacts to campsites, formal and informal trails, and climbing impacts. He was a founding member of the Leave No Trace Board of Directors and chaired the committee that guided development of the Leave No Trace principles, practices, and educational courses for the first decade. He authored their official book “Leave No Trace in the Outdoors.”

BRYON POWELL is the founder and former editor-in-chief of trail and ultrarunning website iRunFar.com, as well as the author of Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons. As a runner, he recently won the Ultra Gobi 250 mile in China in October 2024.

REX SANDERS started exploring the outdoors and doing the science nerd thing as a kid. That led to a career at the U.S. Geological Survey, two decades as a part-time whitewater raft guide, and many backpacking trips. Now a freelance science writer covering climate change, he's still a gear geek at heart.

HENRY SHIRES' journey began at age 11, carrying too much weight and crying all the way up the trail. When he reached the destination, however, he fell in love with alpine lakes and snowfields. Fast forward to a physics degree, a 1999 PCT thruhike, an MA in the teaching of physics, Henry's desire for lighter gear, and the first tarptent was born. Tarptent.com launched in 2002 and, now, 23 years later, Henry has 8 patents, 30 tent models, and so much more to do.

ISAAC SIMONS - A writer by trade, Isaac is a longtime lover of outdoor exploration and has devoted himself increasingly to introducing as many people as possible to the challenges and rewards of the backcountry. His writing has appeared in Storgy Magazine, Centipede Press and Viewfinder Magazine, among others, with pieces forthcoming in Summit Journal and LOST. Most recently, Isaac launched Outroads, a video podcast about uncommon obsessions, unconventional life choices, and the lessons gleaned from them.

DREW SMITH grew up roaming the deserts and mountains of southern Arizona and started backpacking when he was 11. After a career as a molecular biologist and raising a family, he returned to long-distance hiking as those adult obligations faded away. Drew has hiked many short and long trails in the deserts of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and California.

NIKKI STAVILE is a writer, long distance runner and self-taught backpacker with nearly 3,000 miles of backcountry experience. Her treks include thru hikes of the Appalachian Trail and Tahoe Rim Trail, 180 miles of the Colorado Trail, and she is currently sectioning the Arizona Trail. Nikki received her MFA in Creative Writing from Hollins University, and her work focuses on the deep connection between people and places. She is at work on an essay collection about her AT thru hike. She resides in the Sonoran Desert with her toothless cat. Despite the dry climate, she never drinks enough water.

EMYLENE VANDERVELDEN is a Canadian adventurer, author, and mom from Alberta, dedicated to the outdoors. Since 2016, she has been writing for Backpacking Light, sharing her experiences and gear recommendations. Emylene enjoys backpacking and whitewater paddle sports, reflecting her commitment to nature and overcoming challenges.

LLOYD VOGEL is the co-founder and CEO of Garage Grown Gear, a marketplace dedicated to ultralight, small and cottage outdoor brands. Passionate about the outdoors and entrepreneurship, Lloyd built GGG into the trusted hub for all things ultralight backpacking. When he’s not busy hanging out with his 6 month year old daughter, Lloyd is focused on helping small outdoor brands thrive through storytelling, community building, and smart marketing strategies.

JOHN ZOMBRO is a physical therapist, coach, trainer, and health educator. Developer of the The Lifetime Athlete App. Passionate about the outdoors, athletic lifestyles, and helping others to combine performance with longevity.