Western Mountaineering Sequoia MF
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Western Mountaineering Kodiak MF
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Western Mountaineering Bristlecone MF
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Western Mountaineering Tamarack
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Western Mountaineering Lynx GWS
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Western Mountaineering Puma GWS
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Western Mountaineering Bison GWS
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Static Hiking Stretches
Hold these poses post-workout to elongate muscles and flush lactic acid.
Dynamic Hiking Stretches
Use these controlled movements to warm up pre-hike and -workout.
Limit Pusher: Three More Epics
Test yourself on these wild routes.
Chile: Private Patagonia – Five More Multisport Trips
Explore spectacular places by air, land, and sea.
Chile: Private Patagonia – Puerto Toro
Take your pick of adventures from this major ferry stop about three hours from Natales: Beach camp next to a private glacier or paddle to a gem lake.
Chile: Private Patagonia – Cordillera Baguales
Escape to trekking and horseback riding nirvana on Patagonia's high plains.
Chile: Private Patagonia – Fjord De Las Montanas
Explore peak-lined Chilean waters by boat or by foot—in solitude.
Chile: Private Patagonia
Explore Chile's mind-bending terrain without joining the throngs on the popular trekker circuit. On this paddle/hike/horse adventure, you'll have glacier-chiseled fjords, sky-piercing mountains, and best-ever camping all to yourself.
Meet the 2013 BACKPACKER Reader Reporter Team
Meet the four lucky readers -- two guys and two gals -- who will scouring the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market for the greatest (and weirdest) new gear!
Backpacker Book Recognized by 2012 National Outdoor Book Award
Backpacker Magazine's Complete Guide to Outdoor Gear Maintenance and Repair written by Kristin Hostetter and published by FalconGuides Takes Home Gold Medallion
Easton Mountain Products Compact Carbon5
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Easton Mountain Products Ultralight Carbon 3
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Easton Mountain Products Hike Carbon 3
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Easton Mountain Products Backcountry AL3 Anti-Shock
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Easton Mountain Products Trail AL2
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Easton Mountain Products Trail AL3
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Easton Mountain Products Compact AL5
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Easton Mountain Products Hike AL3
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Meet the Gear Testers: Dennis Lewon
Backpacker Editor Dennis Lewon prefers solid design over shaving weight.
Easy-as-Pie Backcountry Chocolate
Need some inspiration for killing a serious backcountry chocolate craving? Look no farther, you've clicked into a chocoholic's dream.
Events Worth Training For
Want to set a big goal to give your training more focus and direction? Sign up for one of these mettle-testing trail events.
Bust 5 Common Fitness Excuses
Mountain guide and author of Fit by Nature John D. Colver offers up these hints for staying motivated and fit no matter what your excuse.
Grand Canyon National Park: Tanner-Escalante-Grandview Circuit
If you've hiked the park's established paths, it's time to raise your game. Explore the South Rim's wilder side with this 41.1-mile, off-trail trek. The challenges: routefinding, exposure, class 3 scrambling. The rewards: riverside beach camps, big views, solitude.
Grand Canyon National Park: Boucher-Hermit Loop
Scramble through remote ravines, soak up private riverside vistas, and tour from rim to river on this stout, 25.1-mile circuit.
Grand Canyon National Park: South Kaibab-Tonto-Bright Angel Trail
Start early for sunrise in the canyon and crowd-free hiking on this 13.4-miler that descends to the gorge's mezzanine level.
Grand Canyon Adventure Guide (2012 National Parks Series: Part 6 of 6)
Find world-class scenery and challenges (no passport required) with our scouts' top day, weekend, and weeklong routes in the Big Ditch. Whether you're a canyon-country pro or a first-timer, we guarantee you'll find terrain that tests your boundaries.
Adventure Travel Skills
See more wildlife, climb more peaks, and hike more miles with these tips that'll help every adventure traveling backpacker raise their game.
Wildlive Lover Skills
See more wildlife--and capture it better on film.
Family Traveler
Read these tips to make your kids more comfortable on the trail.
Peakbagger Skills
Tips for overcoming jetlag, gathering beta, and getting your summit gear to foreign peaks in one piece.
Limit Pusher Skills
Always looking for a way to go farther and faster? Get ready with these tips to take your hiking to the next level.
Multisport Maniac Skills
Learn these skills for trips that involve more than just hiking.
Winter Skills: Yurt Living 101
Gear Editor Kristin Hostetter gives the scoop on winter yurt living
Winter Skills: Tips for Packing Camp Food
Gear Editor Kristin Hostetter on packing the right foods for winter camping
Winter Skills: Fixing Your Liquid Fuel Stove
Gear Editor Kristin Hostetter shows how to fix a leaking fuel stove
Winter Skills: Tricks for Melting Snow
Gear Editor Kristin Hostetter shows how to melt snow when camping.
Editors' Choice Snow Award 2012: Sierra Designs Tov and L.L. Bean Ultralite 850
Gear Editor Kristin Hostetter explains the new innovations in down insulation technology. See what our team thought of these two water-resistant down jackets.
Winter Skills: Make Deadman Tent Stake Anchors
Executive Editor Dennis Lewon shows how to anchor your tent in the snow.
Winter Skills: Learn to Safely Cook in a Tent Vestibule
Gear Editor Kristin Hostetter demonstrates how to safely cook inside a tent's vestibule
Winter Skills: Camp Comfort Tips
Editors Tracy and Kristin share tips to make winter camping just as cozy as any other season
Editors' Choice Snow Award 2012: Vasque Snow Junkie UD Boots
Staff Photographer Ben Fullerton reviews the lightweight Snow Junkie boots from Vasque
Editors' Choice Snow Award 2012: Sierra Designs Ymir 55 Pack
Gear Editor Kristin Hostetter reviews the ski-specific, multi-day Ymir 55 pack from Sierra Designs
Editors' Choice Snow Awards 2012: Sierra Designs TOV Jacket
Andrew Bydlon reviews Sierra Designs' TOV Jacket which utilizes the innovative DryDown technology
Editors' Choice Snow Award 2012: Scarpa Alien Boot
Contributing Editor Tracy Ross shows off the remarkably light Scarpa Alien
Gear Review: Patagonia Troposphere Jacket
Gear Editor Kristin Hostetter with Patagonia's breathable and packable Troposphere hard shell jacket
Gear Review: The North Face Enzo Shell Pants
Executive Editor Dennis Lewon reviews The North Face's Enzo Shell Pants
Editors' Choice Snow Award 2012: La Sportiva Storm Fighter GTX Pants
Staff Photographer Ben Fullerton shows off La Sportiva's bullet-proof Storm Fighter pants
Editors' Choice Snow Award 2012: Komperdell Carbon Expedition Vario 4 Poles
Gear Editor Kristin Hostetter shows the versatile and collapsible Vario 4 poles from Komperdell
Editors' Choice Snow Award 2012: First Ascent Katabatic Tent
Executive Editor Dennis Lewon with First Ascent's Katabatic Tent
Editors' Choice Snow Award 2012: First Ascent BC Microtherm Hoody
Gear Editor Kristin Hostetter demonstrates First Ascent's thermal down jacket in action
Editors' Choice Snow Awards 2012: Cabela's E.C.W.C.S. Thermal Zone Baselayer
Staff Photographer Ben Fullerton raves about Cabela's Thermal Zone Baselayers.
Editors' Choice Snow Award 2012: Bear Creek Country Kitchens Dry Soup Mixes
Our yurt-dwelling test team shares the goodness of Bear Creek Country Soup Mixes
Editors' Choice Snow Award 2012: Black Diamond Carbon Megawatt Skis
Editor-in-Chief Dennis Lewon reviews Black Diamond's killer Carbon Megawatt Skis
Gear Review: Arc'teryx Quintic 28 Backpack
Ski tester Crystal Sagan shows the Arc'teryx Quintic 28 backpack
Canada: Treasure Island
You don't have to travel across the world to get off the map. British Columbia's Haida Gwaii boasts uncharted coastline, seaside hot springs, and more sea lions, whales, and bears than you can count.
Norway: Home of the Giants
Norway's Jotunheimen National Park bristles with glacier-clad peaks amid northern Europe's highest mountains, but a five-star hut system makes it a place you can bring your kids. And mom.
Mountain Map: Los Angeles – San Gabriel Mountains
Find solitude high above Los Angeles.
Local Hikes in the Central U.S.
Camp lake-side in Arkansas, summit 800-foot Nebraska bluffs, see Wisconsin's best foliage (alone), and dayhike near Dallas. Plus: 8 more autumn hikes.
Local Hikes in the East
Kentucky's Land Between The Lakes, see a South Carolina swamp (without the bugs), hike through four states in one huge day, and more.
Local Hikes in the West
Make a late-season hike to an aspen-dense Colorado mesa, spot bears in the Beartooths, explore gypsum dunes, and discover more fall must-hikes.
Carry the best maps for your adventures.
New Elite program from map partner Trimble Outdoors serves up best-in-class trip planning tools, exclusive map data, and mobile app extras.
Meet the Gear Testers: Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan
Elisabeth has been testing gear since she was a BACKPACKER intern.
Meet the Gear Testers: Jon Dorn
BACKPACKER's former Editor-in-Chief says that his best tester quality is his clumsiness.
Grand Canyon National Park: Custom adventure maps on waterproof paper
Our editors map their favorite trips on custom-centered topos. Order today!
Navigating in the desert
Tips from our experts and readers about traveling in deserts and canyon country
Meet the Gear Testers: Nancy Prichard Bouchard
Nancy believes you get what you pay for.
Meet the Gear Testers: Allison Woods
When it comes to gear, tester Allison believes in open-mindedness and innovation - just don't forget about designing gear for the ladies.
Test Kitchen: Cooking Trail Eggs
We cracked dozens of eggs to find the perfect camping prep. Here's how to pack them efficiently, use them in trail-worthy recipes, and clean up quickly.
Craig DeMartino Video
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Master Class: Read the Wilderness
Use nature's signs to orient yourself, pick your path through varied terrain, and predict the weather.
Smokies Adventure Guide (2012 National Parks Series: Part 5 of 6)
Leave it to our seasoned map contributors to find solitude in America's most-visited park. This exclusive trip planner serves up routes guaranteed to get you off the tourist trail and into deep wilderness.
Maps and GPS Webinar
Map Editor Andrew Matranga gives a sneak peak into our popular navigation course.
Backcountry Chocolate Recipes
Need to kill your chocolate craving? Use these recipes to get your chocolate fix in the backcountry.