Women's Fall Gear 2008
Our female testers pick their favorite gear for fall hikes.
All Content
The Denali Test: Gear for America's Highest, Coldest Peak
Our tester spent 18 days climbing, camping, and evaluating gear on America's highest, coldest peak. If his picks made it there, they can make it anywhere.
Little Big Houses: Three-Season, Double-Occupancy Shelters
At right around two pounds per person, these three-season, double-occupancy shelters do everything but weigh you down.
The Works: Snowshoe the Sierra
Pick your own path to an empty 14er.
Life List: Raft And Hike The Grand Canyon
Explore hidden gorges and spy rarely seen wonders on this three-week raft trip designed specifically for hikers.
Paddle Nebraska's Niobrara River
A two-day paddle through high plains prairie amid buffalo, whooping cranes, and elk.
Trip Finder: Indian Summer Hikes
Fall camping season seems to go on forever with these fair-weather weekend trips.
Where is the Spookiest Place to Hike?
Check out The Backpacker Editors's author page.
Top 3 Night Hikes
These dark-sky treks serve up perfect viewing spots for autumn's intergalactic bling in North Carolina, New Mexico, and California
Quick Fix: Big Bend National Park
Scout for gold–and desert views–amid this Texas park's spray of late-fall foliage.
How to Do Everything: Cook Better
Eat like a pro with our recipes for every course.
Yosemite Panorama Largest Ever
New York-based photographer releases 17-gigapixel image made from over 2,000 photos
How to Do Everything – Gear
Patch a tent hole, layer for extreme conditions, clean your stove, make an old bag warmer, and more.
Why walk when you can…walk
Treadmobile lets fitness weirdos move while standing still
How to Do Everything
Want to be a better hiker? Look no further. We share the backcountry secrets that separate average campers from true wilderness experts.
'Survivorman' Sneak Peek: Season 3
Watch Les Stroud attempt to survive the Colorado Rockies in this exclusive preview clip from tomorrow's new episode
Should I Acclimatize My Dog?
If I take my dog on a high-altitude excursion with me, should I acclimatize Fido as well as myself before we go?
How Many Trees Per Person?
Have you used up your tree allotment in your lifetime?
Greetings from Wales
Notes on killer scenery, harsh weather and gear testing
Digital Camera Glossary
Before you shop–and buy–your dream camera, familiarize yourself with these commonly used terms
Freeplay FreeCharge 12V
Check out Kristin Hostetter's author page.
Eton Microlink FR150 Weather Radio
Solar panels and hand crank keep Eton Microlink FR150 weather radio going and going.
A Road Across Refuge
Proposed road across Alaskan wildlife refuge could help save lives—or open the area to drilling
Survivorman Calls It Quits
Les stroud plans to end successful Discovery Channel show after forthcoming third season
Rabid Fox vs. Jogger
Ariz. runner hoofs it for a mile with fox attached to her arm
November 2008 Reader Photos
This month our readers found sun in Sedona, Arizona and snow and ice on Rainier–plus everything in between.
Congress' Killer Climber
Colorado Senator-elect Mark Udall bags Himalayan peaks when he's not legislatin'
Fossett's Remains Confirmed
DNA testing identifies bones near crash site as belonging to billionaire adventurer
Get Out And Vote, Backpackers!
Think of poll lines as a very slow, important hike
40 Is the New 30
Study on brain-speed points to age 39 as the peak for our motor skills
Feds Budge on Yellowstone Snowmobiles
Todd Palin sheds a single, solitary tear
Jonas Brothers Love National Parks
Teenybopper gods join Laura Bush at National Parks Foundation event in Dallas
What's in Your Pack?
How much gear I should pack? I don't want to bring too little, and I don't want to be overexerting myself with too much. What's in the ideal pack?
UV Water Treatment Advice
What are the pros and cons of using UV light pens for water treatment?
Cheetahs On A Plane
Big cats get loose on a Delta flight en route to new home
The Gear Wars Trilogy, Episode 3: The Umpires Strike Back
Design pitfalls that testers hate and you should avoid
Exercise is a Crime
Only in L.A. could you get arrested for doing a sit-up in public
Boo! October Survival Issue Now Online
Because nothing's scarier than nature out to get you
Ghosts of Yosemite
Just in time for Halloween, scary national park stories rise from the grave
Battery-Powered Heating Jackets
The next-big-thing for the winter ultralight crowd
Amphibian Angst
Climate change, pesticide pollution decimate world amphibian population
The Gear Wars Trilogy, Episode 2: Return of the Jaded
My short list of current go-to schwag
Thursday Mayhem Round-Up
Tragedy, comedy, and foreboding
The Solar Future
Solar cell material breakthrough offers nearly 100-percent efficiency
Yosemite's New View
Park officials remove trees, add amenities to improve famous Tunnel View
Big, Bad BPA Bottles
Scientists criticize FDA ruling approving potentially toxic chemical used in bottles
October 2008
Check out Katie Herrel's author page.
Pet Python Strangles Owner
13-foot reticulated python killed owner after she tried to give it medicine
Weight Loss Reality Check
Someone needs to get over it
Google Earth for iPhone
Apple app puts the world in your hand
Feds Hounding Rocky Mountain Wolves
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service submits plans to delist wolves again
Diagnosis of Disaster
Experts dissect the missteps in five recent hiking tragedies
The 10 Most Dangerous Hikes in America: Mist Trail, Half Dome, CA
Swallowed by Sierra scenery
The 10 Most Dangerous Hikes in America: Buckskin Gulch, UT
Gambling in the slots
How The Kalalau Trail Became One of The Most Dangerous Hikes in America
Kalalau Trail on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, follows the path of a fast-eroding seaside cliff.
The 10 Most Dangerous Hikes in America: Huckleberry Mountain, MT
Fatten griz for winter
Ten Epic Hikes
Paddling, hiking, testing self-arrest skills–we cover it all in these 10 epic trips throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
The 10 Most Dangerous Hikes in America: Muir Snowfield, Mt. Rainier, WA
Where winter strikes year-round
The 10 Most Dangerous Hikes in America: Mt Washington, NH
It'll blow you away
The 10 Most Dangerous Hikes in America: Barr Trail, CO
A hair-raising hike
Tell a Great Ghost Story: How to Scare People and Win Friends
Wouldn't it be cool if you could turn your friends into mewling, terrified--I mean, wouldn't it be cool to be able to tell a great ghost story on your next camping trip? Here's how.
Terror in the Trees
Ghost stories always seem scarier beside a flickering campfire. So, dim your headlamp and scoot up closer: our writer-at-large explores the ghoulish beginnings of these age-old tales and shares a few of his all-time favorite blood-curdlers. We dare you to read on.
The Danger Scale
How we rate risk, using a highly scientific formula
The 10 Most Dangerous Hikes in America: The Maze, UT
Lost in the labyrinth
I Will Survive
Flesh-eating bears. Dive-bombing eagles. Can a regular guy escape certain death armed with only the clothes on his back and the skills he learned on TV from Les Stroud, Bear Grylls, and John Rambo?
River Running in a Giant Pumpkin
Man raises $16,000 for children's charity by rowing 150 miles down the Wisconsin River in a massive squash
Gore-Tex Water-Proofing Tips
What are the best products for re-waterproofing Gore-Tex rain jackets?
170 Miles of Campaign Trail
Utah politician/BP photog traces proposed Lake Powell pipeline by hike and bike
Who's the Ultimate Survivor?
We settle the debate with winner-takes-all smackdown: Meet history's true hard man.
Headfirst Down the McKinley
A sudden swim in a glacier-fed river nearly finishes a ranger.
Man Versus Rock
A staged photo op in the Tetons results in a near-crushing.
Fighting Death on Mt. Foraker
Stunned by the loss of his friends, a stranded climber struggles down one of Alaska's toughest peaks.
Lost in the Olympics
A gym teacher's speed hike becomes a five-day bushwhack in Olympic National Park.
Caught in a Colorado Snowstorm
An autumn climb turns life-threatening when a hiker endures a night in a whiteout at 12,000 feet in the Rockies.
When Disaster Strikes! 5 True Survival Stories
Read these real-life tales from five survivors who made it out alive, and learn what they did wrong–and right.
ALPS Mountaineering Mojave
The durable Lowe Alpine Airzone Centro 45+10 backpack is full of handy pockets and bungees for the organized trekker.
ALPS Mountaineering Cascade 5200
The durable Lowe Alpine Airzone Centro 45+10 backpack is full of handy pockets and bungees for the organized trekker.