Kristy Holland

Read these tips from expert soloists to gauge your readiness and learn how to enjoy an unfettered adventure.

Leapfrogging, following benchmarks, and more.

Open up a new door to adventure–by leaving the well-trod route behind.

Master hypothermia treatment to get your partner out of a tight spot.

More than 1,000 hikers go missing every year in our national parks alone. Most are found within hours, but basic skills can help you get home without making a serious—or even fatal—mistake. Follow this advice for staying on course.

Master these easy repairs to save on shop costs and replacement gear.

Stay warm and fight the rain with three simple projects using this waterproof/breathable material.

Use extreme-distance hiker Andrew Skurka's plan to construct an ultralight, ultracheap cooking system.

Whether you're buying maps or park passes, there are easy ways to save a few bucks.

Save and make money with these tips from experts at the country's best secondhand gear shops.

Don't (always) shell out for specialty gear.

What to choose when buying water bottles, batteries, water treatments, and midlayers.

Four handy tips for getting the most for your money.

By shopping strategically, planning smart, and maintaining your gear, and making easy repairs you can save big. These 75 tip are here to help.

We tallied your votes: These are the country's top 10* gear stores. (And tips for getting the most bang for your buck when you visit.)

Cocoa packs high energy and healthy antioxidants, and our testing revealed the best-tasting, most-meltproof varieties for the trail.

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Camp-friendly salami, summer sausage, and jerky recipes

Cougar attacks are vanishingly rare, but that doesn't mean they never happen.

We sampled 50 jerkies, salamis, and summer sausages to find the tastiest and longest-lasting. Here’s how to choose, use, and make trail-worthy meats.

Try these camp-friendly breakfast recipes using summer sausage and salami. They're delicious ways to add protein to your trail menu--and finish an opened serving of sausage before it begins to spoil.

A dayhiker fights for her life—as her body shuts down.

Pro Tips: Boost Performance, Planning, Safety, and More

Snack smarter and pack a variety of energy bars to get the right boost at the right moment for optimal on-trail performance.

Hunger-sating (and quick to prepare) meals to cap off a long day on the trail.

Grab these quick-fix and fast-fueling trail meals on the go.

Start your day with these tester-favorite and camp-ready breakfasts.

Sweet treats to close a campside meal--and help you recoup after an energy-zapping hiking day.

Fuel more trail miles with our favorite new packable meals.

Pack and prepare a week's worth of mouth-watering meals.

Prep for success, plan ahead, and stay healthy to pull off a month-plus trek.

Extend your backpacking season: Here's how to stay warm and protect your gear.

Learn how to fix and prep your gear so that it lasts for miles

Use these tricks to get your kids begging for another trip outside.

Take your backpacking to the next level. Our experts craft custom plans for readers who asked for help with navigation, winter camping, thru-hiking, and more.

Tips for lessening the risk of lightning in the backcountry.

Identify this high-altitude killer.

How to use bear spray.

How to safely traverse a small, seasonal snowfield.

Strategies for staying alive in flash floods and quicksand.

Seven lucky-to-be-alive subscribers share their real-life backcountry disasters. Here’s how they survived, and what you can learn from their mistakes.

Bad decisions and running scared got this reader struck by lightning--but he survived.

A scape of pulmonary edema sends this reader down the mountain, fast.

Two readers shiver for their lives through a cold, Alaskan summer night.

A charging grizzly comes too close for this reader's comfort.

A summer snow slope gives this reader the scare of his life.

Rising water sends this reader running--and hiding--in Utah.

Four ski pros share advice for looking good--and staying safe--in the backcountry.

Your favorite Alaska hikes—from dayhikes to weekenders to multiday trips.

Explore Denali's top dayhikes, photo ops, and epic wildlife treks.

Cross the west edge of the Chugach for glaciers, bears, and wildflowers.

The undisputed local experts—you—choose the top parks, trails, campsites, and weekend getaways in Alaska.

Find your hike on the country's highest footpath.

Follow this winter workout and conquer the steeps come spring.

UV rays are still harmful even when the temperature drops. We'll show you how to protect yourself against the sun, even when it's cold.

Witness glittering underground gems, skate across frozen ponds, and wander amid towering walls of ice. Just don't try to lick anything.

We asked a few of our favorite pros how to fix some common backcountry annoyances

Check out Kristy Holland's author page.