Finding the perfect gift for the backcountry camper on your list can be a daunting task. We’ve made the process simple with a comprehensive look at this year’s best gifts for backpackers and backcountry campers. These gifts offer the best…
In August of 2017, I was headed to Iceland for a two-week trip camping and backpacking trip. I didn’t have a pack large enough for the trip and ended up borrowing a bright red Osprey Ariel 65 L from a…
I’ve always loved following the creek as far as it would take me as a child, but my true connection with nature didn’t surface until I moved to Colorado. The aggressive crags, unexplored valleys, and thousands of miles of hiking…
If I were to title this review, I would call it “Camping Tent Meets Smooth Jazz.” Or “Leave the Candles At Home, Camping Just Got a Lot Sexier.” I’ll stop there. My point is that the LED feature that Big…
A warm, dry, and light sleeping bag might be the most essential piece of gear when you are winter camping. I recently put the Therm-a-Rest Oberon 0°F winter sleeping bag to the test, as I camped in the White Mountains…
The Thermarest Space Cowboy 45 is a good summer backpacking sleeping bag. It’s small size and light weight make it easy to carry. It’s a synthetic-fill, ultralight sleeping bag designed for summer use. The list price for the bag ranges…
“Thermarest? Don’t they just make sleeping pads? How would they know anything about a good sleeping bag?” Those were my thoughts when I first heard that Thermarest had released a newly-designed “Fast and Light” line of human warmth burritos (sleeping…
I’m a big guy that loves light gear and often times those two things don’t go together. At 6’1”, 225 lbs (and being a side sleeper who actively rolls from side to side at night), I can easily become the…
William O. Douglas recalled fondly of his friend Roy Schaffer in his book “Of Men and Mountains,” “He slept in a bed with white, clean sheets and commented, ‘Never slept inside but what I caught a cold. Wish I had brought…
During the summer months, I’m in the mountains as often as the weather (and my job) allow me to be. Over the years I’ve tried to make my hiking pack as light as possible but there’s one thing I just…