Gear Review: Sea To Summit Traverse Xt1 Sleeping Bag
The Traverse Xt1's secret weapon? Sea To Summit's 3D NanoShell which keeps down dry without inhibiting breathability.
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Gear Review: L.L. Bean Katahdin 20 Sleeping Bag
Knock-around durability, easy-care synthetic insulation, and a no-brainer price.
The Biggest Winner: Why Backpacking Burns Fat
Your body is an engine. It runs on a mix of carbohydrates, fats, and a very small amount of protein. And it's a finely tuned engine, using the best fuel for every need.
Ask A Bear: Will My iPod Keep You Away?
Our resident bruin expert answers all your questions in our weekly feature, 'Ask A Bear.'
Gear Review: Kelty Light Year Down 20 Sleeping Bag
The space-heater warmth and long-term durability of a down bag without the lofty price.
Gear Review: Stoic Somnus 30 Sleeping Bag
An ultralight summer sleeping bag that sleeps warm.
After Burn: Staying in Shape Off-Trail
How to keep off what you've hiked off.
Gear Rview: Big Agnes Big Creek Sleeping Bag
No more zipping bags together, a two-person bag designed for couples.
Quiz: Test Your Frostbite IQ
Test your skills—and possibly save some fingers—with this first-aid quiz.
Hike. Pray. Protest.
Does God love camping? A new church movement foot-soldiered by wilderness-loving young people could transform the way conservative Christians perceive and protect the environment. We hit the trail with the new green evangelicals.
Lighten Up: Lose Weight Hiking
Make one simple resolution–to hike more in 2011–and we guarantee you'll lose that spare tire around the middle. Here's the proof, the plan, and the inspiration.
March 2011
Check out Katie Herrel's author page.
Gear Review: Solar Powered Backpacking Gear
Five of our favorite solar items to make your next trip brighter, safer, and less stinky
Gear Review: Mountainsmith Poncha 35 Bag
Carry about a pound extra,and save more than $100.
Right Place, Perfect Time
See Yosemite's river of ice, witness there-and-gone meteor showers in Hawaii, and mark your calendar for eight more fleeting natural wonders.
Right Place, Perfect Time: An Oasis in California's Desert Peaks
Peakbag in the White Mountains—without lugging in water.
Right Place, Perfect Time: Olympic’s Spring Waterfalls
Hike through a wild water park in Enchanted Valley.
Right Place, Perfect Time: Aurora Borealis
Notch the best northern lights show in the Lower 48.
Right Place, Perfect Time: Frazil Ice
Witness a river of slush flow through Yosemite Valley.
Right Place, Perfect Time: Geminid Meteor Shower
See shooting stars from a five-star backcountry observatory.
Dirtbag to Gourmet: Fish Recipes
Dig into a backcountry fish feast with these easy-prep, sure-to-wow dishes.
Editors' Choice 2011: Rab Aurora/Boreas Pull-On Softshell Jacket
A softshell made for backpackers.
Right Place, Perfect Time: Best River Paddle
Hit Idaho's Owyhee River just right, and you get one of the West's best paddles to yourself.
Dirtbag Recipe: Tuna with Olives and Capers
Try this quick and easy fish recipe.
Gourmet Recipe: Grilled King Salmon with Porcini Mushrooms
Take your fire-side fish skills to the next level with this savory salmon recipe.
Right Place, Perfect Time: Monarch Butterfly Migration
See these colorful flutters fuel up for the long flight to Mexico.
Right Place, Perfect Time: Showiest Fall Colors
Hit the leaf jackpot on these classic footpaths.
Right Place, Perfect Time: Golden Eagle Gathering
Soar with the world's largest migration.
Gear Review: Therm-a-Rest Alpine Down Blanket
A quilt-style bag that integrates perfectly with a sleeping pad.
Mysteriously Swollen Knee
Three days into a five-day hike, your knee blows up to the size of a softball, despite there being no fall and no trauma. Why, and what can you do to help the knee?
Local Hikes: Northeast
Paddle to Maryland's Assateague Island; pack an ice axe for the Presidentials.
Right Place, Perfect Time: Brightest Wildflower Bloom
Wait for El Nino and cruise through mesmerizing fields of seldom-seen desert blossoms.
Gear School: Avalanche Beacons
Travel safely through snowscapes with this lifesaving locator.
8 Ways to Treat Water
Stay hydrated–and healthy–with a filter or purifier that's right for you.
Gear Review: Exped Dreamwalker 250 Sleeping Bag
The 850-fill Dreamwalker converts to a full-length poncho–like a puffy jacket, only warmer.
Gear Review: Terra Nova Laser 300 Elite Sleeping Bag
The Laser weighs a scant 12 ounces and packs down to the size of a grapefruit, yet it's warm right down to its temp rating.
Gear Review: NEMO Pentalite Tent
A roomy pyramid shelter.
Gear Review: Hilleberg Saitaris Tent
A mountaineering tent that costs as much as a mortgage payment, but delivers homelike comforts.
Editors' Choice 2011: Granite Gear Blaze AC 60
A lightweight pack with best-in-class suspension for heavy loads.
Nemo Astro Insulated Sleeping Pad: Editors' Choice Gold 2010
A 2.5-inch, full-length mattress that's insulated with open-cell foam.
Gear Review: Marmot Boreas 3P Tent
A freestanding, three-person tent that has super ventilation.
Gear Review: Mountain Hardwear Corners 3 Tent
A roomy, affordable, and freestanding dome.
Gear Review: Cabela's XPG Ultralight 3 Tent
This three-star accommodation costs less than $60 per person.
Gear Review: MSR Fury Tent
Easy to pitch + easy to carry + easy to stay warm = Easy to love.
Gear Review: Easton Kilo Tent
This three-season tent saves weight with new pole technology.
Gear Review: Marmot Turret 2P Tent
A tent that can handle the rougher edges of spring and fall.
Gear Review: Hyperlite Mountain Gear Echo II Tent
If you count weight savings in grams, not ounces, you won't find a lighter option with this much protection.
Gear Review: MSR DragonTail Tent
True all-season performance–without a weight penalty.
Uncle Stevie's Patented Duct Tape Heel Blister Repair
This time- and trail-tested solution to heel blisters has saved our Rocky Mountain Editor's bacon on many an epic. May it do the same for you.
Video: Hike the Entire Appalachian Trail—in Five Minutes
Stop-motion film "Green Tunnel" takes you through the length of the Appalachian Trail
Trail Chef: Easy-Bake Cinnamon Rolls
Start your morning with the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread wafting through camp.
Local Hikes: Southeast
Ascend Rocky Top in Tennessee; spot herons and Pelicans in a Florida bayou.
Local Hikes: Midwest
Discover east Texas's longleaf pine forest; see the Boundary Waters on foot.
Stopping Heavy Bleeding
Is QuikClot a friend or foe?
Eastern Cougars Declared Extinct
After 38 years as "endangered", the U.S. Fish and Wildlife department finally pulled the plug on the Eastern cougar.
Gear Review: Camp Cookware
We scrambled eggs, flipped pancakes, and scrubbed burnt-on crud to find the best pots and pans for every backcountry chef.
Prof. Hike: Prevent Civil War on the Trail
Don't let different hiking speeds tear your group apart.
Rip & Go: Turkey Creek Trail
Hike through three ecological zones in east Texas's carnivore country.
Believe It: Albino Redwoods
Henry Cowell State Park holds an intriguing botanical oddity: albino redwood trees
America's Best-Kept Secrets: Wind River Range, WY
Check out Michael Lanza's author page.
America's Best-Kept Secrets: Gila Wilderness, NM
Check out Michael Lanza's author page.
Tannic Water
I want to do some backpacking in Florida, but I know that the water in the Everglades and most streams is high in tannins. Is it safe to drink after filtration or purification pills?
America's Best-Kept Secrets: John Muir Wilderness, CA
Check out Michael Lanza's author page.
America's Best-Kept Secrets: Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, MT
Check out Michael Lanza's author page.
America's Best-Kept Secrets: Dark Canyon Wilderness, UT
Check out Michael Lanza's author page.
National Trail Days Announced
American Hiking Society announces annual day of celebration for trails and trail volunteers
America's Best-Kept Secrets: Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness, WA
Check out Michael Lanza's author page.
America's Best-Kept Secrets: White Cloud Mountains, ID
Check out Michael Lanza's author page.
America's Best-Kept Secrets: Eagle Cap Wilderness, OR
Check out Michael Lanza's author page.
America's Best-Kept Secrets: Linville Gorge Wilderness, NC
Check out Michael Lanza's author page.
America's Best-Kept Secrets: Eagles Nest Wilderness, CO
Check out Michael Lanza's author page.
America's Best-Kept Secrets
The only thing better than enjoying the life-list scenery in the country's premier national parks? Getting that same scenery, minus the crowds. Find it in these 10 backcountry hotspots, along with no-hassle permits, choice campsites aplenty, and solitude to match the world-class terrain.
Local Hikes: West
See California dunes, Nevada red-rock canyons, Alaska's deep forest, quiet Oregon Coast, and Washington's Cascade lakes.
Rip & Go: Pine Tree Loop
Paddle to shoreline solitude, then perch on dunes above the Atlantic Ocean in Maryland's Assateague Island National Seashore.
Rip & Go: Goldmyer Hot Springs – Snoqualmie NF, WA
Track beneath waterfalls and icicle-hung trees to a soothing soak.
Editors' Choice 2011: Salewa Alp Trainer Mid GTX
Midweight hikers that can scramble and haul 45-pound loads.
Kelty Salida 2 Tent: Editors' Choice Gold 2010
An ultralight shelter that's affordable.
Survival Pack
A lightweight, waterproof survival kit you can customize for your needs
Editors' Choice 2011: MontBell Alpine Light Down Parka
An 800-fill-down puffy that packs small and is under $200.
Friday Video: Falling Off A Cliff
Skier Stefan Ager takes a mighty whipper off a steep slope--and captures it all on video