Experienced backpackers know that weight matters. Trimming down your backpacking gear checklist to the ultralight necessities takes some ingenuity. You can get crazy counting grams and shave the plastic off of your toothbrush, or you can make smart upgrades to your…
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The parallels between backpacking and relationships are innumerable, if not completely contrived for the sake of this introduction. For instance, take Paul Simon and me. We’ve never been in a relationship, but he thinks there are 50 ways to leave…
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I was bright-eyed and under informed. Somehow, “planning” on the internet didn’t quite ready me for some of the struggles I faced. As it turns out, long days putting one foot in front of the other is a great opportunity for reflection.
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Therm-a-Rest wasn’t founded on the ambition to define the cutting edge of outdoor sleep equipment—our founders simply wanted to be more comfortable on their excursions. Yet, on the cutting edge is exactly where they found themselves when they invented the…
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Going on a long backpacking trip or your first thru-hike requires tips and knowledge for the trail ahead. Experienced thru hikers, Our Trailing Thought, gives us their list of seven things they wish they knew for their first thru hike.
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Back in 2013, before I moved to the foothills of Washington’s Cascade Mountains, I realized I had to figure out how to plan a backpacking trip. What spurred the realization? Friends of mine had backpacked through The Enchantments and each…
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Over the last decade, I have hiked more than 20,000 miles on some of the most iconic trails in the U.S. But I have never seen a sunrise in the San Juan Mountains, never watched the ponies in Virginia’s Grayson…
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Get the tips you need for long hikes as avid thru hikers share their self-care secrets for keeping your sanity on the trail.
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With thru hiker season upon us for the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, everyone is wondering about cutting pack weight. Most seasoned thru-hikers have their packing lists dialed and first-time long-distance hikers learn as they…
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We understand that sleep is the unsung hero of great days in the outdoors. So when you choose your next camping mattress, there are a few crucial considerations to make.
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What are you subjecting yourself to when you decide to go on a thru-hike? The positives are fleeting and the negatives are slow to disappear. Despite some people’s rosy, glorious, and admirable view of thru-hiking, it is not all rainbows…
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It’s 3AM and properly raging outside. We’re on the North side of Pitchoff Mountain, in New York’s Adirondack Park. It’s a relatively short snowshoe from the car, but it feels like Alaska right now. It’s -4F inside the tent and…
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