Gear Test: Stoic Outdoor Wear

Backcountry.com launches in-house outdoor apparel brand

After years of hawking other people's gear online, Backcountry.com is stepping full-bore into the outdoor gear game: Today, they announced the launch of Stoic, their in-house brand of technical apparel built for harsh mountain conditions.

Backcountry first tested the waters with a limited run of hats, baselayers, and other items named after themselves. But with Stoic, they're going after the technical, fast-and-light alpine crowd with a clean selection of hard and soft shells, pants, and gloves. So far, the collection is limited to just five items, but they sound intriguing:

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Wednesday, November 04, 2009 in: Gear
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Future Fires For Yosemite

Diminished snowpack and hotter summers mean more fires for Yosemite in years to come.

Climate change factors are causing big impacts in lots of national parks, but in years to come Yosemite National Park might literally feel the heat more than most. A recent study in the International Journal of Wildland Fire suggests that by 2049, the park could see a substantial increase in the frequency and severity of lightning-related fires.
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Wednesday, November 04, 2009 in: News and Events
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Caption This Photo! Week 3

Is that the biggest beer fridge you've ever seen?

Last week, in week 2 of our new blog feature, "Caption This Photo," we posed our bloody Editor in Chief as fodder–and you guys were surprisingly gentle, but clever. Sure a handful of you went the ketchup route–did the photo look that staged?–but we also got an interesting glimpse into our audience's collective psyche. Here are a few of our favorite captions from last week and this week's photo.
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Tuesday, November 03, 2009 in:
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Ask A Bear: Do Bears Really Like Toothpaste?

Got a burning ursine question? Ask our resident bruin expert in our new weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'

Q: Of course I hang my food when I camp—not just to keep you out of my dinner, but also because lots of other critters would jump at the chance of eating my famous Open Fire Burritos. What I want to know is if you're actually interested in my toothpaste and beeswax candles. I know plenty of campers who worry about such things.  Am I a fool for using my toothpaste as a pillow?  Are you going to bite my head off in order to be minty fresh for your hot date? —David "Preacher" Sullivan, via email

A: David, you should never underestimate the lengths I will go to in order to impress a date... Read Full Story...

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Tuesday, November 03, 2009 in: News and Events, Nature and Wildlife
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Nature vs. Commerce in National Parks

Inside our national parks, the drive to protect wilderness areas clashes with the need to preserve pre-existing business interests.

Protecting our national parks and wilderness areas seems of utmost importance in the coming years, but it’s more complicated than that: Plenty of businesses that use national parks land pre-dates the parks themselves. In several pending cases, new National Parks Director Jon Jarvis and crew will need to determine the boundaries of precedence in national parks usage.
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Monday, November 02, 2009 in:
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Fact Or Fiction: Killer Coyotes, Downed Power Lines, and Stoned Skiers

This week's weird outdoor news—plus one faker.

Last week was Halloween, after all, so it's no surprise that the outdoor world was full of strange happenings. Bizarre incidents spilled into this week, and the ghosts of  BACKPACKER.com helped me compile the weirdest below.

But what's a treat without a little trick? See if you can divine which item is a damn dirty lie (Once more, no using Ghoul-gle! That's cheating!) Read Full Story...

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Monday, November 02, 2009 in: News and Events, Weird and Funny
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Lunchbox's Disaster Round-Up

The beloved star of our in-book feature "The Predicament," Lunchbox the Cadaver Sniffing Dog, rounds up this week's outdoor mishaps, disasters, and near-misses

Lunchbox here: Cooling weather might keep a few of us indoors, but plenty of people still get into outdoor scraps even as fall comes on. All of which means I'm still out there, hopefully getting told to "stay" rather than play "fetch the femur." Let's check out our wilderness blotter and see if we can't learn a few things from other people's mistakes. Read Full Story...

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Friday, October 30, 2009 in: Survival, News and Events
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Trail Chef: Readers' Favorite Breakfasts

Kick off the morning with cheesy bagels and gourmet oatmeal.

The season's first epic snowstorm has been pummeling us here in Boulder for two days now—and, not coincidentally, my usual cold cereal jones has been replaced with a craving for something hearty and warm. It's the same on the trail: When it's summer, you can snarf a handful of peanuts and call it breakfast. Winter? Not so much.

Luckily, you guys have a new solution—make that two solutions—for chilly mornings. Roll outta your sleeping bag, pull on your booties, and try these two satisfying breakfasts submitted by BACKPACKER readers. Read Full Story...

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Thursday, October 29, 2009 in: Trail Chef
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Video: Hikers Captured in Iran

Video surfaces of three hikers just before they were detained in Iran

A few months ago, we reported on three American hikers who accidentally crossed the border from Iraq into Iran, where they've been detained ever since as security threats. Now, one fellow hiker who chose to stay back has provided video of them in the days just before they got nabbed by Iranian authorities.

Shon Meckfessel was on his way to meet Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd, and Josh Fattal at the scenic Ahmed Awa waterfall when he got the call that they were captured. Since returning to the U.S., he's released these videos to freethehikers.org, a site dedicated to getting them out. Iranian authorities are notoriously suspicious of Americans as spies, but these videos clearly show the hikers have more in common with your average Bonaroo concertgoer than Jason Bourne: Read Full Story...

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Thursday, October 29, 2009 in: News and Events
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NPS' Jon Jarvis: Right Man For The Job

In the face of crushing obstacles, new National Park Service director finds solace in wilderness

Whatever you think about Obama's policies, it's hard to argue with his pick for National Park Service director. The first park biologist to take the lead for our national parks sought out inspiration in two classic places before tackling the park system's mounting woes: John Muir's home and an unassisted hike up Yosemite's Half Dome with his family.

"I stood under the trees Muir planted and hoped some of his wisdom would find me in the shade," Mr. Jarvis says.

The new park service director, his wife, and two adult children made an arduous trek up the back side of Half Dome ridge. No rangers were allowed to accompany their new boss and smooth his way to the top, per edict of daughter Leah. Each one lugged his or her own pack.

The kids wanted some "private 'dad time,' " Jarvis recalls in a phone interview, "and they didn't want me talking shop" with park personnel. The Jarvis family regards camping trips almost as sacred events. "I guess we're really no different from millions of other families."

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Thursday, October 29, 2009 in: News and Events
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