backpacking

Sleep System

Gear

Eric Hanson’s Jordan Trail Sleep System

Spending a month thru-hiking in the high desert means your gear will see a myriad of conditions, ranging from freezing desert nights to furious rains and inescapable heat. Eric knows the importance of a quality sleep system.

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light is right

Gear

Light is Right

There is a fine line between bringing too much and not bringing enough when going into the backcountry. Learn how to pack light without sacrificing comfort.

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hiking with mountain views in background

Tips

Why I Don’t Stress About Safety In The Woods

Adventure and risk can be two sides of the same coin. The outdoors is not always a “safe place”. It is, however, a good place. It’s wild. Untamed. Free. For these reasons, we lace up our boots, tighten our pack and take the trail. Still, in a distant part of our brain, is the fear.

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Stories

Choosing an Adventure Partner

By Bethany Hughes The weight of the pack on my back, the sun-warmed rock, small tufts of grass growing from the cracks where my fingertips gripped, my sweating palms, the glacial blue waters of Lago Viedma lapping 15 feet below….

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hiking snowy mountain with backpacking gear

Tips

To the Warmth Degree

In the backcountry, every single element adds up. Every gram. Every calorie. Every inch. Every decision. All of these elements are multiplied during the winter. In this edition of Therm-a-Rest Beta, contributor Bethany Hughes gives us a few decision points…

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Tips

Gear Lessons From Everest

Every adventure has lessons to teach. Like that one backpacking trip that taught you to always check out the scenic overlook, even if it means a mile detour. Maybe that one rafting trip that taught you to always pack a…

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Advocacy

Camping For A Change

Think back to your first trip outside. The experience is nothing short of radical. The fresh air. The views. Learning to pitch a tent or build a fire. Digging your first cathole. Now reflect on how that trip changed you…

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Tips

An Adventurer’s Guide to Patagonia

You’ve been dreaming about this trip for months. After an expensive plane ticket and hours of travel, you shoulder your pack and head out. Pulling into the lot, your heart drops. Hordes of people mill about and there isn’t a…

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Stories

Viva La Microadventure

Have you ever wished you could squeeze in a few turns before work? Climb a couple pitches in the afternoon? Wake up and look out your window at rocky peaks and thick pines? For a few, this is a part…

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Tips

Dirtbag Discounts For A Lighter Pack

You’ve been strolling around the gear shop for hours, wandering aisles filled with packs, sleeping bags, stoves and sleeping pads. The shop’s employees and have given up on you. It’s not that you are trying to be difficult. It’s just…

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