As one of the most important decisions you can make when it comes to backpacking gear, your choice of a backpacking tent can have quite the impact in regards to your comfort in camp and protection from the elements. Additionally, choosing the best backpacking tent can also have an impact when it comes to weight carried on the trail (as one of, if not the heaviest items in your pack), and a tent decision can have quite the impact on your wallet, as well.
With many factors to consider,
On any hiking or backpacking trip, the ability to procure drinking water during the hike is one of the most important logistical considerations for both pre-trip planning as well as while we’re on the trail. Finding the water is of course the first step, and having the necessary gear to properly process the water so it’s suitable to drink is the second part of the equation.
Here we’ll look at the main types of water filters and backcountry water treatment methods that are best suited for ba
Finding a great backpacking sleeping pad is the next logical step in getting your backpacking gear all set once you’ve decided on the big 3 (tent, sleeping bag, backpack). The sleeping pad rounds out what’s known as the big 4 in backpacking – and this list makes up some of the most important gear you’ll carry, with these items typically also including the most expensive items you need to purchase and also representing the items where you can save the most weight.
In this guide, we’ll
Before you begin to narrow down your choice of a sleeping bag or jacket for backpacking usage, there’s one key decision you must arrive at first: the choice of down vs. synthetic insulation. The source of much debate, both options have mostly pros and a few cons. In this post we’ll detail why you might choose one over the other and detail the performance of down and synthetic insulation across various backpacking situations.
Down and synthetic backpacking jackets
Down Insulation
Performing a few simple yet vital tasks, our choice of a backpacking pot is one item that the rest of our cooking gear will frequently revolve around, especially if you like to pack your entire cooking kit inside your pot. A backpacking pot serves as a vessel in which we can prepare our backcountry meals and heat or even sanitize water if needed – and despite being such a simple item it is not one easily replaced.
In fact, if one were only allowed to take a few items of gear into the backco
Although your local or online retailer likely carries an array of backpacking and camping utensils sure to satisfy even the most advanced culinary ideas, most of us that don't work as a chef for a living can attain backcountry mealtime prowess with the simplest of choices and without cluttering or weighing down our pack. Here are my thoughts on the main players in this department and what I've found has worked best over the years.
A selection of backpacking utensils
The Backpacki
A good light for backpacking and hiking is a required and essential safety item and a category for which there are no shortage of options available – and considering the convenience and hands-free operation provided, headlamps are the most popular option for your backcountry lighting needs. What follows is an overview of features to consider when selecting a headlamp for the outdoors and thoughts on lighting needs for the trail.
A headlamp for backpacking and hiking should be lightwei
If you’re not thinking about your tent stakes on your next backpacking trip, it’s probably a good sign that you’ve chosen the right ones. If your stakes aren’t a good match for the ground and conditions at hand however, you could be in for a difficult shelter setup process and perhaps even for a long night. With a myriad of lightweight tent stakes on the market to choose from, there’s likely a specific tent stake for every condition you’ll encounter, as well as others that will perform well acro
Unless I’m mistaken, after trying out a modern backpacking chair for the first time and taking it on that first trip, I’ve taken a chair on every backpacking trip since. That’s a solid 10+ years of backpacking. While the limited use of a chair and the extra, non-necessary weight carried may go against ultralight principles, the comfort in camp is worth it. And with many of my trips featuring a blend of miles plus extra activities like photography or fishing or just watching the scenery, there is
While the popularity of using trail-running shoes or otherwise trail-appropriate low shoes for hiking and backpacking has only risen in recent years and continues on that track – my hiking included – there are times when only a proper boot will do.
Take a look at our footwear guide (by season) for help deciding between a low shoe or a high hiking boot. And while the trail-runners vs. boots debate (as with all trail gear) will surely only continue, if you’ve decided on a boot, in this
Shoes may be the most important piece of gear for hiking or backpacking. They are with us every step of the way, and we are relying on them to be steady and supportive. If we are thinking about shoes while hiking, it is usually because there is a problem. Maybe they don’t fit properly – too tight or too loose? Are they not grippy enough for rock slabs? Are my feet sore from feeling every rock on the trail?
Instead, we want to count on them to provide the right level of support and com
A clothing system for backpacking needs to be as lightweight as possible while still performing a variety of critical tasks in an ever-changing and varied wilderness environment. A clothing system must be comfortable, will act as our first line of defense to keep us warm, and should protect us from the sun, precipitation, biting insects, and bumps and scrapes on the trail to name a few concerns. While each of these tasks are easily obtainable with dedicated and specialized items of clothing, whe
Combining cameras with the outdoors and taking one along to document your hiking and backpacking trips introduces a few challenges that must be overcome to take your photos quickly and easily, while still being able to maintain and keep your camera safe from the elements. On the trail, a few key points are worth the most consideration and what follows is the setup that has worked best for me on trips where the hiking is a higher priority than, or at least on equal ground priority-wise, with the
Water treatment in the backcountry reminds me of backpacking and hiking footwear just a bit – if you’re not thinking of it when you’re out on the trail, you know you got it right. On the flipside, a water filter or purifier that clogs halfway through a trip will have you baby-sitting a device possibly for hours the rest of the way; a situation to certainly be avoided. In this article we will take a quick look at the best water treatment options currently available.
Note that there are
As soon as we set foot on the trail, a way to carry one of the most essential ingredients for a successful hike – water – becomes essential. With a myriad of options available from bottles of nearly every variety to dedicated, and often complex, hydration systems on the market today, when choosing a way to carry your water while backpacking the shopping experience can become complicated quickly. What follows is an overview of options that are available for this task along with my preferences, an
A good night of sleep is always important – but with the physical activity that goes along with backpacking, it becomes even more important on the trail. Getting a good rest after a long hiking day will only help things the next day – whether it’s the physical challenge of a high mileage day, or even a day that tests other things like your sharpness with navigational ability. Not to mention just our general mental outlook – being tired makes everything harder.
With our at home pillow system
There’s something almost magical about the backpacking stove – after a long day of hiking to near exhaustion and perhaps through a chilly rain, there’s nothing like getting a hot meal going and eating a steaming meal to warm the soul so to speak. But poetic license aside, when we hit the trail we need a stove that’s lightweight and reliable. Due to varying performance at different ambient temperatures, the best choice will vary by season.
While alcohol stoves were all the rage among u
When hitting the store for a backpacking water bottle we may be inclined to at first reach for our favorite color bottle or the bottle featuring the most appealing printed design on the side. While there’s nothing wrong with that when it comes to having a water bottle around the house or at work, when it comes to choosing a hiking or backpacking water bottle other performance factors should be considered. With weight being paramount in the backcountry, the prototypical standard, Tritan Nalgene b
An important core backpacking gear item, your backpacking sleeping bag needs to be light enough to carry easily, pack small enough so as to not take over your entire pack, and most importantly keep you warm and comfortable at night. In this guide we’ll focus on the best backpacking sleeping bags currently on the market by temperature rating.
As this is a backpacking focused article weight of the sleeping bag and warmth to weight ratio will be of a paramount focus here, with down bags
A backpacking sleeping pad very importantly provides warmth by insulating us from the cold ground at night, and ideally a sleeping pad will also provide sufficient comfort to allow for a good night of rest. As an item that’s one of the heaviest and bulkiest core gear items you will carry on any backpacking trip, the sleeping pad requires some thought and consideration when it comes to selection and application.
With a multitude of options available there's a sleeping pad to specifically sui
No matter your approach to backpacking – ultralight, comfort light, traditional, or whatever our own unique approaches may be in the gear department, backpacking in and of itself goes hand in hand with a gear list (whether on paper or simply in our heads), making a way to carry all that stuff one of the most important gear related items we need to consider. What follows is a guide to selecting an appropriate backpack for hiking and backpacking, including an overview of features, technologies, ma
Of all the things we carry while backpacking, a tent or our backpacking shelter of choice is among the most important for a safe and enjoyable wilderness excursion. A shelter provides refuge from rain and snow, cuts down on wind exposure, and often will protect us from biting insects as well. While other shelter options are popular from hammocks to tarps to bivy sacks, the traditional backpacking tent, or perhaps some not so traditional modern tents on the market, remain the most popular shelter
A key component of any practical backpacking kitchen setup is a cup or mug suitable for morning coffee or your hot drink of choice, and of course we need something light and packable while still working well for the purpose at hand. While the best backpacking mug choice may vary a bit from hiker to hiker, like any other piece of gear there’s a few key points worth consideration.
A selection of titanium backpacking mugs
Backpacking Mug Materials & Features
A multitude of
When it comes to backpacking stoves, there are several routes one can take and several different main categories of stoves exist – each with an array of pros and cons. Without a doubt however, no matter which way you go about it the backpacking stove is an important part of any overnight or multi-night gear ensemble. A backpacking stove provides hot meals and drinks, goes a long way towards keeping you warm on chilly mornings and evenings, and for backpacking and hiking a stove needs to be conve
Both a prerequisite for the enjoyment of any day hike and critical for the success of any extended backpacking trip, our choice of a hiking shoe or boot is one of the most important gear related choices to make and dial in prior to any outdoor excursion. Not only does the best hiking boot or shoe depend on fit and our own individual preference, but the best options will also vary widely by season – although many options can also be workable across more than one season, or even with a few caveats
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