Jump to content


TrailGroove Blog

A Blog by the TrailGroove Team

  • entries
    546
  • comments
    686
  • views
    479,161

Contributors to this blog

  • Aaron Zagrodnick 244
  • Mark Wetherington 76
  • PaulMags 27
  • Susan Dragoo 27
  • Steve Ancik 18
  • tmountainnut 12
  • David Cobb 11
  • Eric 10
  • HappyHour 9
  • jansenjournals 8
  • DustyD 7
  • Cinny Green 6
  • HikerBox 6
  • Karen Garmire 6
  • SparbaniePhoto 5
  • George Graybill 5
  • michaelswanbeck 5
  • AndreaL 5
  • Daniel Anderson Jr 5
  • Kevin DeVries 4
  • mgraw 4
  • Wired 4
  • JimG 3
  • Steven Genise 3
  • JimR 3
  • eliburakian 3
  • Adrienne Marshall 2
  • sarahtied 2
  • Jessica Smith 2
  • Doug Emory 2
  • seano 2
  • Jen 2
  • MattS 2
  • BSuess 1
  • Curry Caputo 1
  • Tucker Ballister 1
  • Allison Johnson 1
  • SarahLynne 1
  • Peter 1
  • Isak Kvam 1
  • Grace Bowie 1
  • Greg Jansky 1
  • Claire Murdough 1
  • DKim and PatriciaV 1
  • Barbara 1
  • Madeline Salocks 1
  • J. Parascandola 1
  • Ben Libbey 1
  • Tephanie H. 1
  • Adel 1
  • Rob Newton 1

Gear | Trips | Food | Technique | Reading

Entries in this blog

Technique

How to Keep Your Backpacking Sleeping Pad in Place

No matter the lengths we may go to in order to find a great campsite, when it comes to the flat and level part of the selection process I can think of only a few occasions when a chosen spot for the night was truly perfect in this regard. Most of the time in the backcountry, instead of finding a spot that is perfectly flat and level, you’ll likely end up finding one that’s flat and level enough. When you combine these types of sites with a slippery tent floor and especially when combined with sl
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Technique

0
Gear

Tarptent Hogback 4-Person Tent: Long Term Review

With a new addition to the family nearly 15 years ago, I at first held fast to my minimalist approach to backpacking, and on our first trips together we tried to make smaller shelters work. We could find a way to all fit in a 2+ person tent right? For two adults, a child, and a dog who somehow takes up twice as much space when asleep than awake those shelters worked, but without a doubt made for some of the most uncomfortable backcountry sleeping arrangements in recent memory. I learned my lesso
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Food

Mountain House Buffalo-Style Chicken Mac & Cheese Review

While this new meal from Mountain House wasn’t quite released in time to make our full backpacking mac & cheese roundup in Issue 51, it seemed almost a necessity to test out this new meal given the recent release of our previous article. This take on the dish from Mountain House definitely shakes things up however, as a mac & cheese with freeze-dried chicken and Buffalo wing sauce now added. While most everyone likes mac & cheese and I’ll personally go for some Buffalo chicken most d
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Food

0
Gear

Tarptent Scarp 2 4-Season Tent Review

When it comes to backpacking gear and especially the big three or four (shelter, sleeping bag, pack, and pad) there are two schools of thought to meeting the needs of different types of trips across the different seasons. On one hand, one can choose to select from an array of seasonally specific choices – for example having 3 sleeping bags with different temperature ratings that ideally fit each trip at just the right weight. On the other hand, one could just choose gear that fits every trip wit
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Food

Mountain House Kung Pao Chicken Review

When it comes to pre-made backpacking meals, manufacturers understandably often seem to be trying to come up with meals that are compatible with as many palates as possible. Right away, this typically leaves meals that should be spicy toned down and even perhaps, bland. Luckily, by packing a small bottle of hot sauce or hot sauce packets and / or bringing some spices, this can typically be easily remedied. That said, as someone who has never called a meal too spicy, having a meal check off this
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Food

0
Trips

The High Point of Texas: Hiking Guadalupe Peak

A spur of the moment side trip landed us in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park with easy access to the tallest point in Texas. Guadalupe Peak looms over the surrounding desert flatlands at a respectable 8,751 feet, accessible only after paying the price of a grueling 8.4 mile round-trip, 3000-foot elevation gain trail. This is truly a spectacular not-to-be-missed hike that comes with bragging rights for ascending the highest peak in Texas. Located in Guadalupe Mountains National Pa
Karen Garmire

Karen Garmire in Trips

1
Gear

Backpacking Jargon: 2L vs. 2.5L and 3 Layer Rain Gear

Waterproof / breathable clothing and footwear is often classified depending on the type of layering construction that’s utilized in combination with the actual waterproof and breathable membrane or coating. The layering process is used to protect the more fragile waterproofing layer from abrasions, snags, and from dirt and body oils which will compromise effectiveness. Along with weight and price, when choosing your backpacking rain gear its construction (in regards to layers) should
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Reading

My First Summer in the Sierra Book Review

“No Sierra landscape that I have seen holds anything truly dead or dull, or any trace of what in manufactories is called rubbish or waste; everything is perfectly clean and pure and full of divine lessons… When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe”. These words - some of Muir’s most famous – are just a few of the many gems of My First Summer in the Sierra. Muir’s 1911 book traces his summer as a sheepherder in the Sierra, discovering a
Adrienne Marshall

Adrienne Marshall in Reading

0
Gear

Trail Tip: The Backpacking Dining Tarp

The image of a heavy blue tarp stretched above a picnic table at a car campground is often the first image that comes to mind when a "dining tarp" is brought up in conversation among backpackers. While many lightweight tarps are on the market, they are primarily showcased as shelters and their other uses are understated, if depicted at all. Often left out of the pack, and understandably so in many situations because of the added weight and limited function, there are certain circumstances where
Mark Wetherington

Mark Wetherington in Gear

0
Food

Backpacking Mac and Cheese: Options for the Trail

A staple for many off the trail, mac & cheese at first seems so simple but can come with a few challenges when adapting this dish for backpacking. Since it’s relatively easy to get at the store and packs well, I’ve always held off on the pre-made, just add hot water commercial backpacking options that are out there. But in reality, this usually means that the mac & cheese is just left off my backcountry meal menu entirely. And for several reasons – cooking traditional mac & cheese in
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Food

0
Gear

MSR Access 1 Ultralight Four-Season Tent Review

The MSR Access 1 tent is conceived as a one person, ultralight, four-season tent suited for winter backpacking, ski touring, and snowshoeing and especially in locations that may be at or around the treeline. It’s also suited for any location that will involve cold, wind, or otherwise winter conditions combined with your overnight activity of choice. In this review I’ll review the MSR Access 1 – the solo version of the tent. There is also a 2-person option and a 3-person variant, also in the brig
Rob Newton

Rob Newton in Gear

0
Gear

MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe Stove Review

An upright backpacking canister stove released by MSR in 2019, the Pocket Rocket Deluxe takes the normal version of their popular upright canister stove (the standard Pocket Rocket stove) and adds an external piezo push start ignition system along with an internal pressure regulator, promising more stable performance across both low canister and in colder weather applications. After utilizing the Soto WindMaster for years that utilizes a pressure regulation system – for more you can see our full
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Gear

Kahtoola MICROspikes Traction System Review

If you ask five people when backpacking and hiking season is, you will probably get five different answers. For those that want to extend their own personal season into the fringes of the shoulder seasons and even into the heart of winter, there are a couple things that will be necessary. Warmer gear can only get you so far, and as it gets icy, you’ll need to add something to your footwear to help with traction. Even during the peak of summer, traction devices can make or break a trip
tmountainnut

tmountainnut in Gear

0
Gear

Sea to Summit Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Pad Review

Back in 2015, Sea to Summit introduced a new lineup of sleeping pads (or mats as they refer to the line) made up of 6 different models utilizing their Air Sprung Cell design, an egg-crate like dot weld pattern designed to prevent the transfer of movement throughout the pad and increase a user’s sleeping comfort. The mats ranged in r-value from a low of .7 to a high of 5, and ranged in weights from less than a pound to 36 ounces. The details of the lineup on paper caught my eye: Durabl
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Reading

Ultralight Winter Travel Book Review

Even among the most avid and enthusiastic three-season backpackers, winter backpacking is an intimidating prospect. The long and cold nights, the high consequences of mistakes, and the challenges of travel in snowy terrain – not to mention the specialized equipment often needed – dissuade many people from heading out on overnight trips during the colder months. While winter conditions certainly make backpacking more difficult in several regards, winter also has unique rewards born of its frigid
Mark Wetherington

Mark Wetherington in Reading

0
Gear

Coast FL1R Micro Rechargeable Headlamp Review

I’ve always been a fan of headlamps powered by either 3 AAA batteries or a single AA battery (my current favorite). While these types of headlamps may at first seem a bit archaic – the performance is simply there. When it comes to the ultralight headlamp category, lithium has matched, but not overtaken a single AA battery when watt hours are compared side by side. To avoid throwing away batteries, I use all Panasonic Eneloop batteries – rated for over 2000 cycles. On the plus side, ex
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Gear

NEMO Moonlite Elite Backpacking Chair Review

For nearly the past 10 years, I’ve packed a backpacking chair of some type along on most of my backpacking trips. It’s one of those items that is never immediately packed – ending up somewhere off to the side while packing in what I describe as some type of “maybe” pile. Although rocks and logs in the field are free of charge and don’t add weight to your pack (provided you don’t carry them), the chair always ends up coming along. New to the lightweight backpacking chair market, the NE
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Gear

Review: BearVault BV450 Bear-Resistant Food Canister

Aside from bear canisters, there are few – if any – pieces of gear that backpackers can be required to have. Don’t want to bring a tent? That’s your choice. Feel like skipping the stove and eating no-cook dinners? Go for it. Trust the forecast and decide to leave the rain gear at home? No big deal. The ability to choose what we bring and the multitude of options for nearly every type of gear that exists are part of the fun of planning a backpacking trip. However, for certain national parks and o
Mark Wetherington

Mark Wetherington in Gear

0
Gear

Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter: Long Term Review

For the past 10 years, the Platypus GravityWorks water filtration system has been my primary method for treating water in the backcountry. When it comes to backpacking water treatment, we need a solution that is effective, reliable, and reasonably fast, without taking up too much space or weighing us down on the trail. Essentially, we need all-around performance. In this review we'll evaluate the GravityWorks water filtration system and how well it performs in the backcountry. The Gra
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Food

Mountain House Veggie Chorizo Breakfast Scramble Review

A newer meal from Mountain House, the Veggie Chorizo Breakfast Scramble Meal is a meal based on eggs, a plant-based chorizo-flavored crumble, hash-style potatoes, and bell peppers. Each pouch has 580 calories and is ready in 9 minutes after adding 1 1/3 cups of boiling water. This vegetarian and gluten-free meal has a well-rounded nutritional profile, and has a shelf life of 30 years. The Veggie Chorizo Breakfast Scramble meal from Mountain House offers 580 calories in a vegetarian an
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Food

0
Gear

Helinox Ground Chair Review

The past year or two I’ve become a fan of at least on occasion, heading out on a trip every now and then that involves a day or two of backpacking into the wilderness with a particular destination in mind, then staying a couple nights exploring in that area. As a backpacker who’s also a fly fisherman, a secret lake in the wilderness is often involved on these trips. In contrast to the more typical backpacking trip of packing in the miles and moving daily, these types of excursions allow you to r
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Gear

MSR WindPro II Stove Review

For 3-season use stove choices are simple: many of us rely on an upright canister stove – with my current favorite choice being the Soto WindMaster. For year-round utilization however and when temperatures fall in winter, and / or melting snow is one’s source of water, modifications to your stove system or a different system entirely are called for. As temperatures drop, performance of upright canister stoves begins to suffer and especially as temperatures approach or surpass the boiling point o
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Gear

Western Mountaineering UltraLite 20 Degree Sleeping Bag Review

For many lightweight and ultralight backpackers looking for a single sleeping bag to suit their needs throughout the year in many parts of the country, a 20 degree bag is often chosen for its blend of warmth while still remaining light enough to easily carry. Here in the Rockies, it might be a bit too warm in the summer, though you’ll still see lows in the 20’s at times at high elevation even in August. For spring and fall the rating is nearly spot-on perfect, and for colder temperatures you can
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Gear

REI Co-op Flash 18 Backpack Long Term Review

With a market full of competitors, choosing the right daypack for your needs can be a difficult task. In this review, I’ll evaluate the features and performance of the smallest pack in the popular REI Flash series – the Flash 18 (18 = 18 liters / 1100 cubic inches). In a sea of competing daypacks this is one pack that has managed to stand out for the past decade plus, partly due to its competitive price point. However, with an attractive price I of course always have my concerns – sometimes in t
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Gear

Soto WindMaster Backpacking Stove: Long Term Review

The Soto WindMaster upright canister stove was released in 2013, and has become a popular stove in the upright backpacking canister stove market. Improving upon Soto’s now antiquated Micro Regulator OD-1R stove, the WindMaster was designed to be even lighter and was designed with wind resistance and efficiency in mind. Soto’s micro regulator valve system is utilized in the WindMaster, which Soto claims improves efficiency and operation during cold weather, where many canister stoves begin to fal
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0



×
×
  • Create New...