Skills

Change declination to navigate more accurately over long distances.

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.

Murphy’s Law, meet your match. Our experts offer trip-saving fixes for 44 mishaps, from bug bites to bad partners to broken bones.

Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is plenty hard with two strong legs. Imagine crawling to the top, like the first congenital quadruple amputee to reach the summit.

We test to find the toughest, most versatile, best survival knife.

We perked more than 100 caffeinated cups to find the best trail-brewtechnique. Here’s how to choose your method, gear, and grounds.

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

Our man-in-the-field, Drop Dead Ted, tests lifesaving gear and equipment with ingenuity and elbow grease. You can trust his results to provide the truth that every backpacker needs to know in a survival situation.

Multitasking dads will love this easy-sipping cup.

A rugged battery pack that will let him stay charged up and connected.

Turn an iPod into a campground sound system.

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

Yes, the views and fresh air and exercise make every backpacking trip worthwhile. But now, new research shows, staying home is just plain dumb. Learn why backpacking boosts brainpower in this exclusive report from the frontiers of environmental neuroscience.

Gourmet Southwestern salad, perfect for that light afternoon meal.

Super quick and full of flavor. Perfect for a fast and easy meal.

Black beans and a heaping dose of flavor make for tasty, fiber- and protein-rich meals

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

This loop attachment slides easily when it’s unweighted, but holds tight when you pull it. It’s a standard climbers’ knot that’s perfect for ascending out of a jam (or up a tree).

Shopping for boots becomes a whole lot easier if you know whether you're an overpronator, have a high arch, or a "normal" foot. Try this wet test to determine your foot type.

Simple, yet reliable, this compass is great for spot checks and map consults.

Get customized maps that give you turn-by-turn directions and campsite information all in one, easy to use and waterproof map.

A compact kit that provides you with the survival essentials you need while you're on the go.

Save money (and weight) with this tent-saving DIY trick.

Pick the best tent anchors for any condition.

From a morning cup of joe to easy-sipping fireside nightcaps, here are our staff’s most-requested trail beverages.

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.

Our resident expert, gear editor Kristin Hostetter, assembles the tools to save any trip.

A camp throne built for long-term schlepping and chilling.

Haul your little one in this lightweight and customizable backpack kid carrier.

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

Yes, it's the journey that counts. But every trip is better with fast, delicious food like this.

We received so many great photo for our January 2012 Readers' Choice photo contest that we just had to share the runners-up.

Here are the top 10 finalists for the Reader Photo of the Month.

Prevent six common adventure-travel risks.

Stay charged and in touch abroad.

Pick and choose what to pack for long or multi-activity trips. Plus, three ways to avoid overspending when outfitting your next trip.

Carry more, protect your pack, and ease transit.

Get backcountry-worthy accident insurance and plan for good-weather windows and low-traffic trails.

Stay on track in exotic terrain with tips from adventurer Pete Takeda.

Shoes that stick, rope worth investing in, and a Grigri 2 overhaul.

On Wednesday night, reggae-hip-hop-fusion artist Michael Franti was recording a new track for his follow-up to the hit album "The Sound of Sunshine." On Thursday night, he rocks The Depot at Outdoor Retailer in a concert presented by Wolverine. BACKPACKER's Jonathan Dorn and Anthony Cerretani spoke to Franti right before the show about how the outdoors influences his music, lifestyle, and clothing line.

Don't get sidelined by these common and painful foes. Fight back with these tips and tricks for preventing and treating any kind of hot spot problem.

When disaster strikes in the backcountry, don't pin your hopes on prayer. Your ability to spark a flame could be the difference between survival and six-feet-under.

Your body is a temple? Then your feet are the altar. Treat them right, and enjoy every hike from the first mile to the last.

Learn how to cope with relentless rain, and you can experience some of the Earth's holiest places–Alaska! Patagonia!–in comfort.

Want your very own Eden? Here's how to go where–and when–others don't.

Who says spiritual travelers must shun earthly comforts? You just worked all day to reach a magnificent high-country cirque. Now create a campsite to match.

Have you ever heard anyone wish he spent less time outdoors?

Once you've been to the mountaintop, few other experiences will compare. For soul-cleansing, skill-building, life-affirming thrills, put a big one on your bucket list.

Boost performance and be a better backpacker with these fitness- and strength-building moves from our experts.

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.

Explore wildly sculpted rock.

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

See a week's worth of terrain on an epic dawn-to-dusk hike.

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.

Be a real explorer by going where others don't.

Serve a 5-star meal that matches the scenery.

Stay warm while hiking in the fall with these temperature-regulating tips.

Name: Ross Mason, 44 Predicament: Off-course and severely dehydrated Location: Gila Wilderness, New Mexico; November 2010

With a fatty boost of peanut butter, these savory soups fuel cold-weather trips.

Strengthen three key areas - shoulders, ankles, and core - this winter so you can tackle tougher trails next spring.

Peanut butter is the secret ingredient to this smoky chili

A can of pumpkin makes for an interesting trail soup

Tips for lessening the risk of lightning in the backcountry.

How to use bear spray.

How to safely traverse a small, seasonal snowfield.

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.

A perfect splurge gift for the foodie on your list