BACKPACKER Editors & Contributors

These smart gadgets help you make the most of your hike without keeping you too connected.

Lacking inspiration in your life? Look no further. These accounts will enrich your feed with enchanting landscapes, creative artwork, activism and authentic stories that are sure to leave you feeling encouraged and energized.

A forgotten WAG bag leads to a smelly situation on Mt. Whitney.

From fiery leaves to warm springs, these trails show off the season from all its angles.

With its mixed hardwood forests, the east coast has some of the country's best fall leaves. See them before they're gone on these six hikes.

The editors of BACKPACKER spent a week trekking from refuge to refuge in the mountains of Catalonia. It wasn't just a trip down the trail: It was a trip into ancient history.

Stay safe in bear country with deals from REI and Moosejaw.

Get ready for fall adventures with a deal on this versatile insulating layer

An accidental litterer receives their penance in this edition of Leave No Trace Confessional.

More than a decade after seeing his first peak, adventurer Tyrhee Moore gives back.

You don't always need to go far to go big. Case in point: these stunning hikes, all within a day trip of a major metropolitan area.

Chow down on these edible plants, all found across the U.S. Briana Wiles, author of Mountain States Foraging and owner of Rooted Apothecary, and Kat Mackinnon, RH (AHG), Botany Program Director at the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism, give you the goods.

Backpacking with your dogs? Make sure you both stay happy and healthy with this advice from a professional trainer.

We've partnered with three great organizations to help you see the world, from Utah to Nepal.

Are we wired to get out of dangerous situations alive? We talked to the experts.

The winners of our Project Vertical contest spent months training for their climb—and it just paid off.

Hike, splash, paddle and stargaze your way to warm-weather bliss on these trips.

Brand will carry women's sizes to 3X in tops and 22 in bottoms, with men's offerings coming next fall.

The retailer hasn't offered Vista Outdoor's products since last March.

Tomatoes: tasty food, lousy fireworks.

Get out this summer with these BACKPACKER-approved gear steals.

Gear up for summer with up to 50% off on tents, packs, shoes, and more.

Check out BACKPACKER Editors & Contributors's author page.

Leave the freeze-dried meals at home and treat yourself to a gourmet trail meal with our most popular recipes.

See how people around the world were getting outside on April 27 this year.

Nothing quite says "warm weather" like wild snake orgies. Here's everything you never wanted to know about trailside tangles of slithering serpents.

Hit the trail with this versatile daypack.

Spring looks a little different in the Colorado high country.

What if you were bitten by a venomous snake far from help? For Scott Vuncannon, an encounter with a rattler in the North Carolina backcountry was the beginning of a struggle for survival.

Your chances of being attacked by a bear are around one in two million. Todd Orr was mauled by one twice in a single day. Listen to his story in the latest episode of our podcast.

Eva Luna Harper-Zahn kicked off her alpinism career with the Lower 48’s highest peak.

The wilderness is full of dangers. This podcast tells the stories of the people who survived them.

We're not going to lie to you: This is bad.

What happens when a D1 athlete turns her attention to the trail? A lot of fast miles.

How much do you really know about the creatures that you're sharing the wilderness with?

Want to get one of the most popular peaks in the world to yourself? As Sarah Lee learned, it's all a matter of timing.

Every piece of gear starts off new and shiny. But then come the miles. And the rocks. And the sun and the rain and the marmots. The stuff that lasts becomes part of our trip memories, intertwined with the journey. We keep using these things because we love them—and we love bucking our throwaway culture. Guides, editors, and testers share some all-time favorites here, and we hope your shiny new gear will someday look the same.

For five months, we crisscrossed continents, climates, and comfort zones to put the newest outdoor products to the ultimate hiker’s test. A final, weeklong gauntlet in the Pyrenees Mountains, in Spain’s Catalonia region, was the finishing touch: By its end, we had elected these 12 winners of this year’s Editors’ Choice Awards.

From your muscles to your meal planning, all it takes is a little fitness to make your hikes longer, better, and more fun than ever.

Get in a perfect day tour with this 11-piece editor-tested setup

In letter to employees, company says he failed to disclose "personal and consensual relationship" with another outdoor industry figure.

Cutting off of a muddy trail may seem harmless, but it has real consequences.

Get boots, jackets, and more on the cheap—but hurry.

Overflowing toilets and accumulating garbage are turning Yosemite and other popular destinations into smelly landfills.

From Catalonia to California, our staff picks their top trails of the year.

From Canada to Peru to New Zealand, our writers have been to some wild places. Put these on your wish list for next year.

Put off doing your shopping? Lucky you: Right now, some of our favorite products of the year are on sale at REI.

A hiker's conservation sin leaves him lost.

Artist Dan Bell's dreamy maps show British and American national parks as landscapes from J.R.R. Tolkien's books. We asked him to draw a few of our favorites.

Get this closet staple for 56% off, but hurry.

Join us in procrastination nation. With these great gifts, no one needs to know.

Don't break the bank. Our editors test buying factory-direct, searching out secondhand deals, and more.

Let the crowds have the South Island. We found a paddling, trekking, climbing paradise on New Zealand’s North Island, where the adventure density means you can do three life-list trips in a week.