After five glorious days of all the sweet new stuff retailers can offer, we're home and recovering from the high. Our last blog blizzard of some standouts. Read More...
Lots of good stuff in our day 3 roundup: a 2.4-ounce day pack, a new integrated canister fuel cooking system, new 3-pound internal frame backpacks, and 11-ounce mid-height hikers, to mention a few. Read More...
GoLite wants to give people a backcountry bedroom (with the emphasis on "room") in their new Eden tent line. These hoop-style tents boast fast set-up, big vestibules, and lots of space for living. Read More...
While boaters know that there is nothing worse than being up a creek without a paddle, backpackers might find it just as upsetting to be up a Creek without a Fly. Thankfully, the Fly comes with the Creek in Big Agnes' lightest two-person tent ever: the Fly Creek 2. Read More...
McMurdo offers tried and true 406Mhz band Personal Locator Beacon performance in a 5.3-ounce package. How will it compare against the current crop of personal signaling devices? Read More...
ACR's newest and lightest PLB includes a high performance GPS receiver, 5 Watt 406 MHz distress signal transmission, 121.5 MHz homing capability, and a high intensity LED strobe. Read More...
Nemo Equipment Inc. is busy at this year's OR show, introducing two new lines of tents, including the Espri series of lightweight double-wall that offer fast set-up, good protection from the elements, and a plethora of entry options. Read More...
Personal locator devices (PLDs) are a hot, rapidly evolving area for the outdoor market. An overview of where we think it's headed (and why). Read More...
A bright and lightweight LED headlamp from battery giant Energizer that offers several attractive features at $30 and 3.1 oz with a lithium battery (as weighed by BPL). Read More...
Henry Shires performs his magic once again – the new Tarptent Moment has one hoop pole, two stakes, sets up in less than a minute, and has loads of room for one person. Read More...
CamelBak introduces a complete and easy to use UV water purification system, marking the adoption of this proven technology by a big company. Read More...
While GPS units are getting bigger and heavier, at least they are also becoming more functional. The Garmin Oregon 550t integrates 100k topo maps, a hi-res display, and a 3.2MP digital camera. Read More...
When Jason Goldman* (not his real name) completed a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail in less than 100 days, not too many people paid attention: it had been hiked faster by others. But this was Jason's third thru-hike of the PCT. His previous two were completed in 183 and 174 days, respectively... Read More...
There is a cost of doing business in the outdoor industry, especially as a collective whole. Can social media alleviate some of that cost, or is it simply a mechanism for increasing the clutter of information coming from OR? Read More...
Designer Sheri Tingey talks about the history of safety design in Alpacka packrafts and the latest tweaks she's made to the boats to improve whitewater performance and safety. Read More...
A few weeks after completing their 4000-mile journey by foot, ski and packraft from Seattle to the Aleutian Islands, Erin and Hig share a tale of a destructive bear encounter, their favorite gear, future plans, and why being good at transitions was a vital ingredient to the trip's success. Read More...
Backpacking Light Associate Editor Will Rietveld highlights our current favorite backpacks in three categories, evaluates some upgrades and new arrivals, and discusses the trends. Read More...
Our latest lightweight shelter roundup turns up the lightest, most user-friendly tents to be found, ever. Major manufacturers are introducing sub-four-pound double wall two-person tents. And two two-person double wall tents break through the three pound barrier. Read More...
New sleeping bag designs from Integral Designs, Montbell, Exped, Jacks ‘R’ Better, Mountain Hardwear, and REI show innovative functionality and lighter weight. Read More...
A primer on choosing footwear for fast and light backpacking, with input from the Backpacking Light staff on the footwear they use; a roundup of promising new lightweight footwear found at the summer 2008 Outdoor Retailer Show; and a description of Ion Mask, a nanotechnology waterproofing process that doesn't affect breathability and could eliminate the need for a waterproof membrane in footwear. Read More...
Exciting things are happening in sleeping pads this year at Cascade Designs (parent company of Therm-a-Rest) and Pacific Outdoor Equipment. Cascade Designs has an extensive new lineup of products that will surely interest lightweight hikers, including a revolutionary new pad technology that promises substantial performance improvements over existing designs. Meanwhile, Pacific Outdoor Equipment is moving towards more eco-friendly materials and is launching a very innovative product design program of which you can be a part. Read More...
Associate Editor Will Rietveld provides an in-depth roundup of lightweight rainwear options and highlights current staff favorites, new products in the pipeline, market trends, and a new technology that could dramatically change the waterproof-breathable apparel market. Read More...
Stove technology continues to advance this year, with trends of additional remote canister stoves with preheat tubes that are suitable for cold-weather operation, new alcohol and canister "cooking systems" that combine stove, windscreen, and pots into highly efficient and compact packages, plus a further move towards lighter stoves in general. Read More...
New Micro Four-Thirds digital camera standard stirs hope for pro-grade, interchangeable-lens cameras that are lightweight, compact and can be tailored to your exact needs. Read More...
NOLS Rocky Mountain discusses the process and progress of the 40-Pound Initiative, a branch effort to reduce student pack weights to 40 pounds or less for all Wind River courses. Read More...
Affluenza, as it is defined by the authors, is “a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more.” Read More...
Attractive and durable packaging is one thing; green packaging is quite another. The best companies have both. Learn about green packaging and see the best and worst of what the Outdoor Industry has to offer. Read More...
The Backpacking Light Outdoor Retailer Team outfits an entire lightweight pack for a long winter weekend using only gear found at the show. Join us throughout the trip for updates as we add gear to our hyper-linked Outdoor Retailer Virtual Pack. Read More...
Virtual Pack: Nalgene 1.5 Liter Flexible Cantene. Keep water from freezing, easily accessible, and store over 1.5 liters - ideal for winter use and Bob. Read More...
Virtual Pack: Snow Peak raises the bar for remote canister stoves designed to work with inverted canisters: they have increased power and reduced weight. Read More...
Both tents have multiple configurations available. The summer version of the Montana is a two-person double-wall tent that weighs as little as 2 pounds 1.7 ounces and the winter version is just 3 pounds 9.5 ounces! Read More...
The Convertible creates a new “Light Four-Season Tent” category, and the Mirage will challenge the lightest three-season single wall tents currently available. Read More...
A 13-oz/370-gram (per boot, US9/UK8) ultralight backpacking boot with the right mix of hybridized shoe-boot features for ultralight backpacking. Read More...
Single wall tents made of the more-breathable-than-Gore-Tex eVENT fabric caused a lot of excitement upon their introduction a few years ago. At last, a nearly condensation free single wall tent was possible. Then suddenly, eVENT tents were no longer available. Now a new wave of fabrics touted as “highly breathable” are appearing in single wall tents. What happened? Are these new fabrics as good as eVENT? Read More...
The beauty of the SmarTube is that it enables you to use an ordinary (free) PET water bottle (or other plastic bottle) as a hydration reservoir. Read More...
Shoeboard re-designs their snowshoe and introduces the Pocket Ski, creating snowshoe-ski systems weighing not more than 2.5 pounds per foot. Read More...
Inov-8 expands their RocLite line of ultralight trail shoes with a waterproof-breathable mid-height shoe that some might call...an ultralight boot. Read More...
Video, audio, and photography illustrating snow stability (pit) assessment, avalanche transceiver use, and a winter day hiker's best friend: the bothy shelter. Read More...
These items stray a bit from backpacking, but frankly we were impressed with their quality construction, lightweight, compactability, and usability. They would also make very nice gifts. Read More...
Kahtoola, the traction people, were at summer OR to show their latest refinements to their Flight Snow travel system, so we dropped by to check them out. Read More...
New lightweight, and very different footwear, from GoLite and Timberland's Invention Factory and R&D teams promise good drainage, breathability, light weight, and excellent stability on irregular terrain. Read More...
The integrated canister stove category just blew wide open with the imminent arrival of MSR's new Reactor. It's claimed to be the fastest-boiling, most fuel-efficient, windproof cooking system available. And there's another integrated canister stove coming from a different stove maker. BPL will cover this tomorrow night. Move over Jetboil! Read More...
Closing comments and new gear from the slowest show in years leaves us already planning (hoping) for a more exciting Summer Market, still seven months away. Read More...
A ski-pole supported day-use shelter to provide refuge from the storm during winter tours. A more polished version of the British "Bothy" bag. Read More...
An assortment of quality, lightweight backpacks from Vaude of Germany are now available in the US with Liberty Mountain as the distributor. Read More...
Redefining the outdoor industry by including any done-by-dinner activity performed outdoors (or perhaps, indoors with outdoor wallpaper) may fuel OIA's power as scope as a trade organization and lobbying group, but what about the soul of its users fighting for the value of wilderness connection? Read More...
New top of the line snowshoe with a carbon fiber foot plate and a binding that clamps to the welt of your boot, eliminating the heel strap. Read More...
New avalanche shovels from Black Diamond: don't expect any weight savings, but BD's new shovels offer some engineering advantages over older models. Read More...
Do you use carbo gels or drink mixes while backpacking? Protein-supplemented sports formulas from Accelerade may improve performance and muscle recover over long distances. Read More...
My guess is that if you feel the need to add a GPS unit for "safety" or "efficiency", then you've got more serious gaps in your skill set that need to be addressed. Read More...
Commentary on the growing trend of lightweight gear in the outdoor industry, and the identification of a rapidly growing need for meaningful education and awareness about lightweight techniques. Read More...
A sculpted and well-fitting cross between a soft shell and a wind shirt that is comfortable, stylish, and from a performance standpoint, incredibly versatile. Read More...
Sample of Osprey's new Stratos line of packs, which are designed on the same air mesh backpanel, but with varying types of outings in mind. Read More...
Emerging trends in footwear focus on freeing the feet for natural biomechanics. The result: lower weight, more flexibility, and a new kind of freedom. Read More...
Discontent with cramped space in your tent? Try the Malcontent - one of the roomiest three-season tent systems on the market, with modularity, excellent storm protection, and adaptability for all four seasons. Read More...
It’s art sculpted in down. It’s an incredibly warm jacket that weighs only a few ounces more than a summer down jacket but could find its way into a winter gear list with little afterthought. Read More...
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