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THE BACKPACKING LIGHT TERRAIN AND ROUTE INTELLIGENCE PLANNING SYSTEM

Patent Pending

TRIPS converts route geometry into time, energy, and effort — so you can plan with clarity.

Screenshot of the Backpacking Light TRIPS web application showing a topographic map with a highlighted alpine route in pink through mountainous terrain. The interface includes panels for plan inputs, energy intake, pack and food weight on the left, and a detailed Day 2 travel summary on the right with distance, elevation gain and loss, hiking time, calorie balance, risk metrics, and TRIPSignals indicators. Includes map controls, GPX tools, and navigation tabs visible across the top.

TRIPS is a cloud-based software platform for terrain-based route analysis, predictive simulation, and performance modeling for wilderness travel, expeditions, long-distance hiking, and fastest-known-time (FKT) planning for hikers, guides, athletes, coaches, and physiology researchers.

Release Info: TRIPS is scheduled for public consumer and enterprise release on June 30, 2026. The production beta version will be available (free) to Backpacking Light Unlimited Members on April 15, 2026. All subsequent production versions will be included for free as part of Backpacking Light Unlimited Membership.

More info is available in the TRIPS Forums.

Diagram illustrating the architecture of TRIPS (Backpacking Light Terrain & Route Intelligence Planning System). GPX route data feeds a route analysis process that produces a terrain model including grade structure, elevation profile, and route segmentation. User activity data feeds a user activity and performance analysis that produces a behavioral performance profile including pacing behavior, performance response, and effort intent ladders. These inputs combine with a user trip strategy (itinerary, sleep, pack weight, food, and effort intent) and feed into the TRIPS simulation engine, which models locomotion biomechanics, metabolic energy, cardiovascular demand, energy cost of transport, and altitude effects. The system produces simulation outputs including time, energy, fatigue, risk, and energy balance.
Conceptual architecture of TRIPS (Backpacking Light Terrain & Route Intelligence Planning System). Route geometry from GPX data is processed through a route analysis stage that characterizes terrain features such as grade structure, elevation profile, and route segmentation. Separately, historical user activity data is analyzed to derive a behavioral performance profile describing pacing behavior, performance response patterns, and effort intent ladders observed during past movement. These two inputs define the environmental and human-performance context for a planned trip. The user then specifies a trip strategy including itinerary segmentation (e.g., campsites), sleep schedule, pack weight, food/energy intake strategy, and intended effort levels. Together, the terrain model, user performance profile, and trip strategy feed the TRIPS simulation engine, which integrates multiple modeling domains – including locomotion biomechanics, metabolic energy demand, cardiovascular demand, energy cost of transport, and altitude effects – to simulate movement across the route. The simulation produces predictive outputs such as estimated travel time, energy expenditure, fatigue accumulation, risk indicators, and overall energy balance, enabling users to evaluate and refine trip plans before entering the field. Patent pending.

TRIPS System Architecture – Feature Details

GPX – Route Analysis

TRIPS begins by ingesting a GPX route file representing the planned travel path. The route analysis process interprets the raw geographic coordinates and elevation data to extract the structural characteristics of the route that influence travel performance.

Terrain Model

The terrain model represents the physical structure of the route and provides the environmental context used by the simulation engine.

  • Grade Structure – Evaluates the slope of each segment of the route, calculating comprehensive grade diagnostics that influence locomotion mechanics and energy cost.
  • Elevation Profile – Characterizes cumulative elevation gain, loss, and altitude exposure along the route.
  • Route Segmentation – Divides the route into computational segments, allowing the simulation engine to evaluate movement and physiological demand incrementally across the terrain.

User Activity Data – User Activity & Performance Analysis

Historical activity records from the user provide empirical observations of how the user moves across terrain. These records are analyzed to infer behavioral patterns and performance characteristics that inform the simulation.

User Performance (Behavioral) Profile

This profile describes how the user typically performs under different terrain and effort conditions.

  • Pacing Behavior – Observed relationships between terrain conditions and travel speed.
  • Performance Response – Observed patterns in how performance changes with terrain difficulty and sustained effort.
  • Effort Intent Ladders – A structured representation of the user’s typical effort levels, such as relaxed travel, steady hiking, and sustained effort, allowing the simulation to model different pacing strategies.

User Trip Strategy

The user defines the operational strategy for the trip. These parameters represent decisions about how the trip will be executed.

  • Itinerary – Planned segmentation of the trip, typically defined by campsite locations or daily travel boundaries.
  • Sleep – Planned sleep schedule that determines recovery periods within the trip timeline.
  • Pack Weight – Total carried load, including equipment, food, and water, which directly affects locomotion mechanics and metabolic demand.
  • Food – Planned caloric intake and carried food load, which influences pack weight and energy balance calculations, and downstream changes in pack weight as food is consumed throughout the trip.
  • Effort Intent – The target effort level the user plans to maintain during travel segments (e.g., sub-recreational, recreational, performance, and FKT).

TRIPS Simulation Engine

The TRIPS simulation engine integrates terrain conditions, the user’s behavioral performance profile, and the planned trip strategy to model human movement and physiological demand across the route.

The engine combines several modeling domains:

  • Locomotion Biomechanics – Models how human walking mechanics interact with terrain slope and load carriage.
  • Metabolic Energy – Estimates the metabolic energy required to move across terrain under the specified conditions.
  • Cardiovascular Demand – Estimates the cardiovascular workload associated with sustained travel effort.
  • Energy Cost of Transport – Models the energy required to move a given mass across terrain, accounting for grade and load.
  • Altitude Effects – Accounts for reduced physiological capacity and increased strain associated with elevation.

The simulation operates across the segmented route to evaluate performance continuously as terrain, conditions, and performance change in response to accumulated effort.

Simulation Outputs

The outputs represent predicted trip outcomes based on the specified terrain, user characteristics, and trip strategy.

  • Time – Estimated travel time for route segments and for the overall trip.
  • Energy – Estimated energy expenditure balances computed at each point during the trip.
  • Fatigue – Modeled accumulation of fatigue associated with sustained travel and exertion.
  • Risk – Indicators of elevated strain or travel conditions that may increase the likelihood of performance breakdown.
  • Energy Balance – The relationship between energy expenditure and caloric intake across the trip.

These outputs allow users to evaluate how different trip strategies, pack weights, effort levels, and route plans may influence travel performance and physiological demand before undertaking the trip.