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TrailGroove Blog

A Blog by the TrailGroove Team

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  • Aaron Zagrodnick 248
  • Mark Wetherington 76
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  • Steve Ancik 18
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Gear | Trips | Food | Technique | Reading

Entries in this blog

Trips

Thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Lessons Learned

While any thru-hike will involve an uncountable number of steps, the biggest step of them all is the proverbial first step – making the decision to go hike the trail yourself. After you’ve watched the videos and read the articles, the inspiration is at its highest, and you finally decide to hike a long distance trail, the second major step into the world of long distance hiking is preparing to walk – up to 25 miles every day for up to 6 months straight. Is Hiking the PCT a Physical or Menta
jansenjournals

jansenjournals in Trips

1
Gear

Choosing the Best Backpacking Sleeping Pad

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
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

6
Gear

How to Choose the Best Backpacking and Hiking Backpack

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
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Gear

How to Choose the Best Backpacking Tent

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
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Gear

The Backpacking Mug: Choices and Considerations

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
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Gear

Backpacking and Hiking Water Treatment Guide

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
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

2
Gear

How to Choose the Best Backpacking Stove

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
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

6
Gear

Choosing the Best Backpacking & Hiking Shoes or Boots

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
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Gear

Hiking and Backpacking Gaiters: Selection and Utilization

For some reason gaiters were one of the “accessory” pieces of backpacking gear that I delayed purchasing far longer than I should have. Trekking poles likely would have fallen into the same category, but fortunately for my knees I received a pair as a gift early in my backpacking days. It was only after I moved to Montana and began adapting my backpacking to a different landscape – the Northern Rockies is quite different from the Southern Appalachians – that I bought my first pair of gaiters. Th
Mark Wetherington

Mark Wetherington in Gear

0
Trips

Two Wheelers: Hiking Wheeler Geologic Area & Wheeler Peak

Since my sister Melissa retired, we have taken several hiking, backpacking, and photography trips together. This time, we headed to Colorado and New Mexico for another adventure. Melissa has wanted to hike to Wheeler Peak for years. I’ve wanted to see the Wheeler Geologic Area for years. So, we combined the two desires into one awesome trip – The Tale of Two Wheelers. Hiking & Exploring Wheeler Geologic Area We started off early on the morning of July 5th and headed west across Okl
Steve Ancik

Steve Ancik in Trips

0
Gear

2026 REI Reward / Dividend Release & Member Guide

The arrival of spring brings a lot of things for the outdoor enthusiast to get excited about, including longer days, warm temperatures, and melting snow for those of us in the north. However one additional perk that spring brings is the annual REI Member Reward (previously known as the REI Dividend) release. For REI members, this is the time of the year when REI Co-op members receive their rewards from REI purchases you made during the 2025 season. Gear-up with the help of REI Member
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Gear

Best Backpacking Backpacks: From Overnight to Thru-hike

One of the big 3 of backpacking gear choices (backpack, tent or shelter, and sleeping bag), the backpacking backpack you choose will have a profound impact on your comfort during the hiking day. Your pack will also be one of the more expensive items you’ll purchase, and to get the best pack within your budget a little research will be needed as there are a myriad of packs out there on the market. In this guide, we’ll look at the best backpacking packs currently on the market based upo
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Gear

Trail Tip: Hiking (and Backpacking) Shoe Fit

One of the most important considerations for successful (or at least comfortable) hiking and backpacking is your connection to the ground. While discussion regarding the best hiking shoes can and does go on and on, regardless of which shoe or boot you choose you need to make sure you get the right fit. If you follow size charts and measure your feet at home, it is likely you’ll end up with too small of a shoe size which can lead to blisters or other discomfort on the trail. Not to men
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Gear

Backpacking & Hiking Gear Jargon: PU (Polyurethane)

Applied as a coating to many backpacking and hiking fabrics, PU (polyurethane) is a coating that adds a waterproofing layer to fabric, but also reduces tear strength. As the coating is applied to the face of the fabric it’s prone to wear over time, and most PU coatings will offer only moderate waterproofing when new, moving towards water resistance over years of use. This grid-stop fabric has a very light PU coating on the inside (used for a backpack in this case) to add some level of
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Gear

Best Backpacking Trekking Poles: An Overview & Guide

Trekking poles may be the most appreciated not required backpacking gear item you can come up with. Don’t take them and your legs do all the work, but you save weight and gear complexity. Take them and your upper body gets involved in the hike, and stability is added on rougher terrain with additional points of contact. Unlike your shelter or sleeping bag, trekking poles are without a doubt, not required for the trail. However, if you do take them, your knees will likely only thank you later.
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Food

Hungry Hiker Backcountry Pasta Salad Backpacking Recipe

Although this recipe is heavy on the weight, it is absolutely huge on the flavor and was one of my favorite meals from my backpacking trips this summer. It serves two hungry hikers – the amount of pasta used is double what is typically suggested, so you might reduce this if you typically have a small appetite. However, since there is no thick and meaty sauce involved, the pasta makes up for this. This backpacking pasta salad meal offers plenty of freshness that is typically lacking in
Mark Wetherington

Mark Wetherington in Food

0
Technique

Backpacking in the Rain: Dealing with the Deluge

While we can hope that a good forecast holds or we luck out and enjoy blue sunny skies on our next backpacking trip, inevitably a trip will fall during a stretch of rainy weather – and we all know that good forecasts don’t always work out quite as planned. Rainy weather adds a new set of challenges a hiker must prepare for, and when chilly weather is added to the equation you have some of the most challenging weather conditions a backpacker will face. But whether it’s afternoon mountain showers
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Technique

0
Food

Mountain House Cheesy Beef Enchilada Bowl Review

Released in spring of 2025, the Mountain House Cheesy Beef Enchilada Bowl is a backpacking meal that offers another form of Mexican food for dinner while backpacking, in addition to the excellent Adobo Rice & Chicken meal that Mountain House released a few years prior (our review). The new Mountain House Cheesy Beef Enchilada meal boasts 660 calories (on the high side for Mountain House pouches) and is suitable for a gluten free diet. The meal is based around beef, corn tortillas
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Food

0
Trips

The Escape: Hiking Fish and Owl Creek Canyons, Utah

The desert is full of little gems, and again I was off to explore another little nook in the wide expanse of the Colorado Plateau in Utah. As I headed south on U.S. 191, passing through the sleepy towns of Monticello and Blanding, my headlights cut through the darkness of the night-shaded road. I was on another unplanned road trip, fueled by my need for some space and nature therapy after having a typical week in the city. After car camping for the night I awoke the next morning to my
tmountainnut

tmountainnut in Trips

0
Giveaways

Alaska Gear Company Bunny Boot VBX LITE Giveaway

Note: This giveaway ended 11/12/25. With winter on the horizon, we’ve partnered with our friends at Alaska Gear Company to give away a pair of their new Bunny Boot VBX LITE winter boots in the color / size of the winner’s choice – a $259 value! These waterproof, cold weather-ready boots are comfort-rated to -5F with an integrated vapor barrier system that keeps moisture out and the wool felt insulation dry. This is all in a lightweight boot that won’t weigh down your winter trave
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Giveaways

48
Technique

How to Keep Your Backpacking Gear Dry

While backpacking during an all-day rain presents its own challenges when it comes to staying dry – or as dry as possible – protecting your gear and the items in your pack that must stay dry comes with its own set of considerations. Having a dry jacket, clothes, and a dry sleep system at the end of a long rainy day is not only backpacking luxury, it’s also critical to our safety on the trail. And whether rain is in the forecast or not, in most backpacking locations we still need a strategy to ke
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Technique

5
Technique

Winter Hiking Clothing & Backpacking Gear Considerations

Whether you’ve decided to take your first winter trip, or you’re just trying to extend your summer camping in the shoulder months, staying warm during the winter months requires some additional thought when compared to 3-season conditions. Winter and shoulder season adventures are great because areas that are normally very busy in the summer will be empty, and you can experience a new season of adventure. The following is the way I keep warm on my winter adventures in the mountain west, as well
tmountainnut

tmountainnut in Technique

0
Trips

Summit Serenity: Climbing Mount Saint Helens

Sitting atop the summit of Mount Saint Helens, with views of over a hundred miles in every direction, a passage from a novel came to mind as I sipped a cup of coffee and gazed at distant peaks. Seemingly appropriate when applied to an exceptionally clear autumn day observed from atop a mountain, an experience that makes one feel full of life. It felt like the “most beautiful day in a thousand years. The October air was sweet and every faint breath a pleasure.” As Annie Proulx wrote in the book,
Mark Wetherington

Mark Wetherington in Trips

0
Trips

Arizona Wonderland: Hiking Chiricahua National Monument

Along with towering mountains and alpine lakes, awe-inspiring rock formations are one of the quintessential landscape features of the American West. From Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, to Delicate Arch in Utah, to Half Dome in California, iconic formations draw hikers and sightseers to far-flung public lands to witness the majesty sculpted by nature. In the Southwest, rock formations are by and large the main attraction. National parks, monuments, and other public lands contain enough arches, canyons
Mark Wetherington

Mark Wetherington in Trips

0
Trips

Bikepacking the White Rim Road, Canyonlands National Park

For this trip, my brother and I met up in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. My brother is more of a biker than a hiker, and as such our goal was to bike the White Rim Road that runs throughout the district and loop back to our starting point, a mountain bike ride totaling 103 miles. We’d brainstormed a few ways to tackle the trip, from trying it in one very long day to taking things very easy over many days. Eventually, we settled on 2 nights…we'd be carryin
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Trips

7



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