Techniques

Reader submissions of spreadsheet files used for trip planning and gear lists. Read More...

You have 24 hours to quickly engage in a Wild Place with minimal disruption to your job or your family. Where will YOU go? Read More...

Episode 2: we focused on fast food preparation and the elimination of a whole lotta gear by hiking into a U.S. Forest Service lookout cabin. Read More...

Episode 3: The first big snowfall of the season (in September!) had us traversing the Hyalite-Cottonwood divide for snow hiking and camping. Read More...

It seems obvious that backpack weight and daily mileage will be inversely proportional. But how many days, how many miles per day, and how much food weight are required in order to maximize the total distance traveled without resupply? And what happens when the theory is tested in the Arctic over 600 miles of America's most remote, roadless, uninhabited wilderness? Read More...

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Silnylon and spinnaker fabric have long been mainstays in making ultralight gear, but they require careful construction to avoid failures at seams or damage from abrasion. Laminating the fabric offers a solution to those problems. Read More...

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I like gear. I collect gear with an almost rabid enthusiasm, and I almost always have a place to put it. Read More...

How lightweight backpacking gear has kept the author on the trail at 70. Read More...

Packrafters need to limit their gear so it fits on the bow of their six-foot-long craft. This means dehydrated food for dinner, sleeping under a tarp and wearing wet clothes dry. What is river running like when big rafts haul the food and gear...Can an ultralight packrafter be enticed to the dark side? Read More...

Lightweight Testimony: Tony Wong Finds, Loses, and Rediscovers a Lightweight Passion. Read More...

Bill Stadwiser explores the practical and emotional rewards of cooking over wood in the backcountry. Read More...

Outdoor writer Larry Tullis brings a lightweight ethic to backcountry fishing. Read More...

The literal translation of the Japanese word 'Tenkara' is 'from Heaven.' Fitting for a lightweight fly rod characterized by elegance, grace, and simplicity. Read More...

A short primer on the topic of backcountry hygiene to help you minimize the risk of contracting stomach-borne illnesses while in the backcountry. Read More...

Backcountry Travel on Snowshoes for Lightweight Backpackers Read More...

Francis is an umbrella advocate, eschewing typical rainwear. Find out why he's backpacked over 12,500 miles with an umbrella... and decide if you should follow his lead. Read More...

Hiking through the French Pyrenees is challenging for any young couple hoping to enjoy some relaxation and romance in between climbing passes and breaking camp. The afternoon heat - often ending in a violent thunderstorm - brings more than one overloaded backpacker to boiling point. Now enter a six-kilo, breast-fed, three-month-old baby. Great family trip or a bad idea? Read More...

The winners of the Backpacking Light Trip Planning Spreadsheet Contest are a diverse group. Read More...

Thru-hiking is not simply a longer version of a backpacking trip. Considering thru-hiking a long trail? Make sure you know what you're getting into and set yourself up for success. Read More...

A brief review of bear bag hanging techniques with a focus on minimizing weight and maximizing simplicity. Read More...

Thorns, scrub and sandstone can rip ultralight clothing to shreds. What materials and construction techniques hold up to serious bushwhacking? Read More...

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Features for a lightweight backpacker to look for in a digital or film camera. Read More...

SUL for the masses? Perspectives on comfortable gear - with a suggested gear checklist - for a non-technical canyoneering backpacking trip requiring less than five pounds of gear on your back. Read More...

Clothing and Sleep Systems for Mountain Hiking, 1st Edition (August 2002) Read More...

What sets successful thru-hikers apart from the rest of the pack? Superfitnessawesomesauce? A trust fund? The best gear? The answer may surprise you. Read More...

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Carrying a lightweight pack has consequences, but they might not be what you think. Read More...

Mike Clelland! has gone stakeless! Read More...

Experiments from our readers and staff on trimming weight from winter stoves. Read More...

Kevin Sawchuk shares his how-to on fast day hikes, and his why-to, too. Read More...

Poking poles around for added stability is fairly intuitive, but the full promise of two more legs - greater endurance, building upper body strength, and reducing injury from stress or falls - requires some technique. Try Skip's straightforward and effective approach! Read More...

Everything boils down to a few simple rules that can encompass a surprising range of scenarios! Read More...

The kid-sized kit: Gear should not become an end in itself. The point is to get out and enjoy the woods with kids. Ultralight gear is exciting because it enables kids to do things they could not otherwise do! Read More...

There you are, way out in the wilderness in bad weather, getting ready for dinner, and your canister stove fails. Now what? Rescue in the field is possible for many problems: learn rescue how-to and the technical details of why it has happened. Read More...

We asked, you answered: Lightweight Testimony Contest Winner! Read More...

We asked, you answered: Lightweight Testimony Contest Runner Up! Read More...

Face-Off: First Aid and Emergency Gear Read More...

Insights from the Alaska Mountain Wilderness Ski Classic. Read More...

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Calculating how much food to take on a trip? My goal is to be perfectly satisfied during my time in the backcountry, but to walk out of the mountains with absolutely ZERO food. It is so gratifying to eat that last raisin on the last mile of the last day. If I can do that, the math worked out perfectly. Read More...

Perspectives on footwear and foot care from a type II diabetic backpacker. Read More...

Ryan Jordan shares his foot care advice for sandal-packing. Read More...

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Cold & wet: really only good when it describes your dog's nose. But you can still be comfy in these conditions with the right (lightweight) gear. Read More...

Six steps to streamline your planning from dreaming up a trip to walking out the door. Read More...

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While perhaps a touch extreme, running Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim (RRR) is not uncommon within trail running circles. But within hiking circles, this trek does not seem to garner much attention, when there are few trips, mile-for-mile, hour-for-hour, that compare. In one day, you pass through 1.6 billion years of geology (four times) and span the grandest Big Ditch in the world (twice). Read More...