Backpacker Magazine

Earlier this month, we published an opinion by Idahoan and former trailworker Nathan Pipenberg about a debate raging over the Gem State’s public lands. In May, the United States Forest Service announced that it would approve the use of chainsaws to clear trails in Idaho’s Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, the largest wilderness area in the Lower 48.

At 30 percent off, REI's Flash Air 1 is a solid pick for hikers looking to lighten their kits. REI-Coop-Flash-Air-1 (Photo: REI) If you’re just dipping your toe into backpacking’s lightweight side, swapping your traditional backpacking tent out for a stripped-down shelter is one of the most consequential changes you can make, but one of the most expensive ones as well.

If you’re into ultralight gear, you know that this niche of the outdoor world has been ruled by small, homegrown brands for decades. In my view, that’s one of the best things about the ultralight space. These brands take risks. They experiment with questionable designs and in the process come up with some great ones. They interact with customers, offer one-off features and sizing options, and deliver outstanding customer service.

The first time I ever went backpacking abroad, I was so unprepared for the climbs that I couldn’t complete my planned itinerary. The route in question should have been a dream loop through the Italian Dolomites. But instead of frolicking through alpine passes, I found myself two days in, on the verge of tears, staring down yet another 6,000-foot climb. The sun was about to set, and my quads were Jell-O. I couldn’t do it.

If you want to flex your creative muscles, backpacking is the perfect exercise. Navigation, packing, planning, and logistics all require out-of-the-box thinking. And when it comes to gear, ingenuity is only bound by your imagination.

Summer hiking is one of the great joys of the season, but sweltering temperatures can make it miserable, even dangerous. Excessive heat is the deadliest natural disaster worldwide, with the World Health Organization estimating that it kills nearly a half-million people worldwide every year. Because we spend so much time outside, hikers are in particular danger. Plan on hitting the trail during the summer’s hottest days?

As the largest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Superior holds roughly ten percent of the Earth’s water supply. It is so large that it makes its own weather, much like Denali and Mount Everest. It touches two countries, spaning three states and a Canadian province. Before any of those borders ever existed, its shoreline was home to many First Nations. Want to get to know the whole thing?

Do chainsaws belong in the wilderness? If we’re talking about federally designated Wilderness Areas in the United States, the answer is generally “no.” Since the passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964, Wilderness Areas, where almost all forms of development are prohibited, have represented the gold standard for protecting public lands.

For the second time in less than a decade, the White House is trying to shrink Bears Ears National Monument. Following its first reduction in 2017 and subsequent reversal, the Trump administration announced on July 12 that it would cut Bears Ears in size by 91 percent. Where does that leave the spectacular, embattled Utah monument? Editor-in-Chief Adam Roy breaks down five things hikers should know.

What began as an idyllic hiking trip on Mount Kearsarge ended with a mountain rescue—and a marriage proposal. The view from the top of Kearsarge (Photo: Holcy / iStock via Getty) Last weekend, Tim Dupere and 29-year-old Alexis Hardy were hiking New Hampshire’s Barlow Trail on Mount Kearsarge when Hardy injured her lower leg badly enough that she was unable to walk. Rescuers came to the duo’s aid, placing her on a stretcher and beginning to hike out. Then Dupere popped the question.