1+ week, 3+ day ago   (146+ words) Backpacker Magazine Plastic Is Poisoning the Earth—So This Designer Made a Backpacking Kit Without It Synthetic materials have a lot of advantages in the backcountry. They’re easy to waterproof, dry quickly, and are light and durable. But they also…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago   (274+ words) After five years and over 100 stories, I’m moving on from my post as Backpacker’s ultralight columnist. There’s a lot I could say about the people I’ve met, the stories I’ve told, and the trips I’ve been on. But instead, I’m…...

2+ week, 4+ day ago   (176+ words) Backpacker Magazine Deal of the Week: The Best Budget Carbon Trekking Pole Just Got Even Cheaper Swapping your aluminum trekking poles for carbon fiber models can cut weight from your setup, but it has two main drawbacks: price and durability....

3+ week, 5+ day ago   (629+ words) Backpacker Magazine These 5 Outdoor Gear Innovations Seemed Ingenious. They Didn't Last. Gear evolves fast in the outdoor industry. One minute, a hot new piece of tech that promises to make trail time more enjoyable hits the market, and the next…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago   (786+ words) Backpacker Magazine 5 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me When I Started Backpacking With no judgement intended, it’s pretty easy to pick out a beginner backpacker compared to more experienced thru-hikers or backcountry travelers. Someone new to the backcountry might…...

1+ mon, 11+ hour ago   (263+ words) The stars overhead looked close enough to touch. I lay quietly and comfortably in my sleeping bag, totally transfixed by the night sky. This was the first time I’d used my Sky View Solo Tent, and it was an experience....

1+ mon, 6+ day ago   (706+ words) Backpacker Magazine 5 Ultralight Gear Choices You Really Don’t Have to Make My pack weighed around 35 pounds when I started my first thru-hike. By the time I finished that hike, I had cut that weight in half. This could have been…...

1+ mon, 1+ week ago   (501+ words) The season’s hottest new backpacking tent just landed, but you can’t get one. When Durston’s X-Dome Pro 1+ launched earlier this week on July 29, it sold out in seconds. In the hours after the release, hikers flocked to online forums, a…...

1+ mon, 1+ week ago   (697+ words) Backpacker Magazine The Gear That Backpacker’s Editors Loved in July 2026 There’s a moment, right around the end of July, where it dawns on most hikers that summer isn’t going to last forever. You’ve heard of seasonal depression? Call this seasonal…...

1+ mon, 2+ week ago   (922+ words) Backpacker Magazine I Took a $30 Supermarket Sleeping Bag Backpacking. Here’s Why I Keep Using it. A supermarket would seem like an unlikely place to buy backpacking gear. But there it was, sitting on the corner of a shelf somewhere between…...