Is it my imagination, or is Backpacker becoming rather light on content and heavy on ads? There aren't very many hiking articles - it seems more and more to be lists of trails, a little gear, some short coverage of some tips, but I don't seem to see the depth that I used to see in the magazine.

I stopped reading Outside several years back when it seemed to turn more into a men's only outdoor magazine, and all the writers I enjoyed - David Quammen, Tim Cahill, and Jon Krakauer among them - disappeared.

That's why I'm so glad I found Backpacking Light!

Sad isn't it? Was a good read in the 80's, early 90's. Dorn and crew have not done a good job. I get a subscription free with my PCTA membership. It's hardly worth that sometimes. I have gone through a copy in 5 minutes and found nothing of value or interest.

A paragraph is also not a review.

They have a lot of work to do there.

"light on content"?

Perhaps it is their way of addressing the "light" backpacking trend? If one tore out all the ads the magazine might be light enough to carry while backpacking.

Most of the reviews are little better than ads!

I don't think the Backpacker staff ever met a piece of equipment they didn't like!

I get less PO. I still find some of the trail descriptions helpful and use them to make a list of trails I might want to try some day. Last year I did a Wind River Crest trek with some friends that was pretty much right out of Backpacker and it was great. I agree that the gear info is not that helpful to me.

Basically if you look at all the magazines they have become super thin and less content because of the bad economy. When the economy is bad less advertising is being placed by companies because they have no room in their lean budget to run advertising.
This is not a Backpacker magazine problem only look how thin TIME,NEWSWEEK, other magazines have become. Magazine thickness are very good bad or good economic times are coming down the pike indicators.

I had a couple editor friends one worked at Transworld Skateboard magazine the other Power Edge skateboard magazine.
The way it works with magazine publishers is the more color advertising they sell that means they can put in more color photos on the opposite page,the black and white advertising allow black and white written parts of articles to go along with the photos. This may not hold true in larger magazines because all they do is color, but it holds true in smaller niche magazine. Less advertising they have to print less content in the magazine also.

Now if the magazine does not sell enough advertising they have to drop some or a lot of the content, lay off people. Then magazine goes in to survival mode trying to survive the bad economic times till money starts pumping in from advertising again and they can grow their product again.
Terry

Edited by socal-nomad on 05/17/2012 11:24:30 MDT.

I saw a big change when Jon Dorn took over and not for the better, who's son is he anyway? I liked it alot better when John Veiman was head editer. Nice to see a cast iron dutch oven get a editers choice award this year

I was getting some service work done on my Civic and in the lounge I flipped through 'Outside' magazine. I felt it had quite a few ads.
Duane

Backpacker magazine seems to be less of a backpacking magazine and more of how to "survive" the endless, savage and cruel outdoors!

With the main articles usually being a survival story, or a harrowing flee from robbers, or a test of manhood, etc. I'm losing a little faith in it's direction. I will say that as long as they post maps and trip reports, I will keep my subscription! This is what I most look forward to anymore, just ideas on where I would someday like to go to...