Digital Cameras: Frequently Asked Questions
Before you buy a camera, you have to get some details straight. Here's a list of the most frequently asked questions and their answers.
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Outdoor Photography: Anatomy of a Digital Camera
At first glance, digital cameras can be intimidating. Use this guide to take the guesswork out of the features on your camera.
Three Ways To Save: Budget 3-Season Bags
Three field-tested bags and how they'll save money, space, and your feet
Backpack Review: Lafuma Pro 4810 Light
Cram all of your stuff and your hiking partner's five extra bags of gorp into this light daypack.
Footwear Review: Gear for Rainier
Stop dreaming, start planning with our top tips and picks for boots and gaiters
Post-Hike Massage: Here's The Rub
4 techniques to soothe trail-weary muscles
Night Hiking: A Walk In The Dark
A beginner's guide to after-hours hiking
Hike, Paddle, and Bike in Denver
Feel mile-high by hiking foothills, paddling downtown, and pedaling Mt. Falcon Park.
The Unbearable Lightness Of Being Scott Williamson
To hike from Mexico to Canada and back, a man needs strength and speed and luck. He needs something else, too. If only he knew what it was.
Trail Cooking: The Low-Impact Kitchen
9 tips for Leave No Trace dining
The Specialist: Breathe Easy
7 tricks for averting on-the-trail allergies
Top 3: Native Art Hikes
Explore burial effigies, seven-foot petroglyphs, and images etched in lava as you discover the ultimate mix of manmade and natural beauty.
Epicenter: The Scene In North Creek, New York
Hike, climb and fish the wild Adirondacks
Homeland Insecurity: Vermont's Long Trail
The Long Trail offers steep climbs and solitude-and a whiff of border intrigue.
Survival Gear: Ultimate Survival Kit
Want to make it out alive? Consider packing these 17 items carried by a veteran Yosemite search-and-rescue ranger.
Hiking Telluride's Blue Lakes Trail
It's not just one of America's best campsites. The Blue Lakes Trail below Mt. Sneffels is gorgeous the whole way.
Gear Reviews: Editors' Choice 2005
New Zealand is pretty to look at, but harsh on gear--making it just what we needed for our Kiwi challenge.
Next Level: Off-Trail Navigation
Use a map, compass, and GPS unit to plot an ambitious route with this beginner's guide to bushwhacking
Backpack Review: Gregory G Pack
This ultralight weekender stabilizes any load
Technology Review: Contact 3.0 Hiking Package
Satellite broadcasting gets light, cheap, and trailworthy
Editors' Choice Gold Awards 2005
Two tried-and-true favorites--the Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero and the Smith Sliders sunglasses--join our gear hall of fame
Apparel Review: Teko Socks
These Editors' Choice Green Award-winning socks are soft on the planet-and your feet
Accessory Review: New Balance Ultra Arch Support Inserts
Pamper your feet with the most supportive footbeds we've tested
Sunglasses Review: Smith Sliders
Winners of the 2005 Editors' Choice Gold Award, these innovative shades continue to lead eyewear evolution.
GPS Review: Garmin Foretrex 101
Get started--or get simple--with the best GPS deal
Boot Review: Garmont Trail Sport Junior Boots
Young hikers deserve performance shoes
Raft Review: Alpacka Rafts
These boats are so light they redefine where you can paddle
Backpack Review: The North Face Catalyst 60 & 75
Not going light? Experience a revolution in big-load backpack comfort
Boot Review: Raichle Mt. Trail XT GTX
Slip into the most comfortable all-leather backpacking boot you've worn in years
Backpack Review: EMS Summit TL Rucksack
This versatile midsize pack is the sweetest deal of the year
Tent Review: MSR Hubba Hubba
Meet the new benchmark in lightweight, three-season shelter
Trail Runner Review: Salomon GCS Pro
Be cool in fastpacking's finest footwear
Hat Review: Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero
Stay dry in the wettest weather with this lid, winner of a 2005 Editors' Choice Gold Award
Help Wanted: Outdoor Volunteer Opportunities
How to make a difference outdoors--without swinging a Pulaski
Start Smart: Hiking Solo
Save your wild, off-trail adventures for a group of backpacking vets
How to Treat Snow Blindness
Sunburned eyes can throw you to the sidelines for a painful 48 hours. Learn how to prevent and treat this winter threat.
Tune Up: Your First Adventure Race
Get ready for your first race with a fitness plan from a world champ
More New Zealand Adventures: Climb, Paddle, Jump!
Canyoning, mountaineering, kayaking, and camping, Kiwi-style
Epicenter: The Scene In Monson, Maine
Jump off into the North Woods' best wilderness
The Winning Bid: Buying Gear on eBay
An online shopping pro shares timesaving advice.
Magellan, Muir, And Me: Backpacking the Pecos Wilderness
Invent your own hike, and go where no one (well, almost no one) has gone before.
The Works: Paddling Florida's Wilderness Waterway
Learn everything you'll ever need to know about swamps while canoeing the Everglades.
Backpack, Bike, and Climb in the Dakotas
You'll never confused Plains with plain after exploring these hard-changing hiking, biking, and climbing routes.
Oy, Wilderness: First-Time New York Campers
Three days. Two nights. Five New Yorkers who had never slept outdoors. And a leader who has some issues with map and compass. What could go wrong?
Hike, Bike, and Paddle in Minneapolis
Big currents flowing down the Mississippi, recently-blazed trails, and howling coyotes make up only a few of the many attractions that draw crowds to this city's outskirts.
Trail Bar Review: Snickers Marathon Bars
Keep going-and going-with our favorite new trail snack
Cookware Review: Evernew Slick Non-Stick Titanium Cookware
Your ultralight kitchen is now complete
Four Top Trail Meals
Testers' favorite backpacking entrees
New Zealand Backpacking
It's better than you've heard, and closer than you think. Here's how to see it all in 10 perfect days.
Boot Review: La Sportiva Exum Ridge
What kind of scrambler would pass up a shoe with soles described as Spider-Man-like? C'mon!
Boot Review: AKU Croda GTX
If you wake up wanting to walk 1,000 miles, go out and purchase a pair of these first.
Boot Review: Garmont Flash XCR
Despite its name, Garmont's lighter boot provides excellent support, but a bit too much for fastpackers and trail runners.
Backcountry Technology Review: Electronics and GPS
Your complete guide to the latest in outdoor electronics, including a smart watch, a weatherproof MP3 player, and the best in GPS.
Boot Review: Dunham Waffle Stomper Premier Leather
Give this boot a little time to really feel broken-in, and it will reward you with years of comfortable hiking.
Boot Review: La Sportiva Trango Trek
The Trek brings serious trail mileage capabilities to the original (and winning) Trango S.
Boot Review: Asolo Stynger GTX
When it was time for Ladies' Choice, they picked the boot that 'just plain fit.'
Boot Review: Teva Zakka Mid GTX
Check out the best lightweight boot for your heavyweight foot.
Boot Review: Tecnica Cyclone Mid GTX-XCR
If there's a rough and tough masochist in the ultralight category, it's the Cyclone.
Trail Runner Review: Montrail D7
Just ask our Northwest editor how these boots hold up and he'll tell you a little bit about the 13-mile, 6,000-foot-elevation trail he covered. Easy as instant-pudding pie.
Boot Review: Nike ACG Air Tallac +
Don't underestimate the power of this model's plus sign -- the new and improved shoe almost offers too much to use the same name.
Boot Review: Dunham Waffle Stomper Terrastryder-Mid
The Terrastryder-Mid triumphs in the "Best Fit" category for the hard-to-fit group -- just beware of its sogginess factor.
Boot Review: AKU Stone XCR
This scrambler provides everything you need to go anywhere you want: support, grip, comfort, and waterproofing.
Boot Review: Adidas Yukora Mid ATS
Mesh-covered vents take these strong midcuts into the future of fastpacking shoes.
Trail Runner Review: Salomon GCS Pro
This shoe fits the fastpacker interested in traveling long distances on hot days.
MP3 Player Review: Highgear TrailAudio 512
Finally, an MP3 player designed for those who choose to jam at altitude.
Into Quiet Air: iPods at Altitude
Unraveling a high-altitude mystery: why some iPods get sick in the alpine zone.
The Floating Frontier: Cruising and Paddling Alaska
The slow boat to Alaska requires duct tape, an elastic itinerary, and a hunger for in-your-face adventure.
Tent Review: Hilleberg Jannu
Testers give the Jannu two thumbs up, despite wanting more space
Jacket Review: Ground Repel eVent
Stay sweat-free in all conditions with this lightweight shell
Snowshoeing 201
3 tips for conquering snowy hills and steep climbs
Winter Gear Lightens Up: Tent and Clothing Review
Carry less, enjoy the cold months more with the latest four-season tents, gloves, hats, and gaiters.
Light Vs. Luxe: Pocket Knives Review
Two experts debate whether a (very) sophisticated Swiss Army is worth the weight.
Knife Tips: Get An Edge
A knife expert's guide to blade selection and safety.
Leave No Trace: The Low-Impact Hiker
7 strategies for keeping the backcountry pristine
Start Smart: Trip Planning
Forget that get-up-and-go spontaneity--great planning only enhances your experience.
Endurance Tips: Hike Forever
Train for the long haul with endurance tips from Climbing: Training for Peak Performance author Clyde Soles.
Top 3: Hot Springs Hikes
Relax after a long day of hiking at scenic hot soaks in Idaho, Arizona, and Colorado
The Works: Mt. Washington In Winter
Hurricane-force winds and a snowfall average of 246 inches per year? Cake, compared to the challenge the mountain poses in summer.
The Grizzly Detective: Tracking Bears in the Bitterroots
America's preeminent bear tracker backpacks Idaho's most remote wilderness looking for signs of the lost grizzlies of the Bitterroots--and winds up staring at the great bruin's future.
Backpack, Paddle, and Hike in the Deep South
Discover the beauty of our most southern states by paddling down Carolina rivers, camping out beside Alabama waterfalls, and climbing a 3,792-foot summit in Georgia.