Skills

Meal-by-meal tips to please the whole family

Scenario: The camp cupboard is bare, but the fridge is full of leftovers. Solution: These tasty dumplings.

Scenario: You want to eat gourmet, but only have 10 minutes to shop. Solution: This pasta dish featuring salami and diced 2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes.

Scenario: No grocery in sight, only a gas-station convenience store Solution? This tasty Ramen meal

Everything you need to eat well in the backcountry.

Feeling inspired by your hike? Here's how to protect more land.

From dumplings to pasta, check out these three recipes for on-the-go goodness.

A little thought and planning in the office can put you on the trail earlier than everyone else. Get started with this primer from productivity experts.

Craving a slice? Get your fix in the backcountry with these easy stovetop recipes.

Treat dental problems–from minor to major–with these tips.

Wow your friends with this campfire cooking trick.

Improve the basic pie with cornmeal crust and fresh basil sauce.

The stats and assumptions behind our grading system for the August 2009 story.

Search-and-Rescue guru Robert Koester creates a quick profile of the average victim and his behavior.

Going ultralight may be the ultimate get-out-quick scheme: It took me all of 60 minutes to shop and pack for a 5-day hike and all of 10 minutes to pitch or pack up my simple camp.

The secret to long-term health and fitness? Reap backpacking's many benefits–a strong heart, lean muscle, superior endurance–through every stage of your life. Here's how.

When runoff turns a nice stream nasty, use these tips to cross safely.

Elk meat makes for a leaner, more tender–and always organic!–trail snack.

Say goodbye to rock-hard, overpriced, gas-station jerky with this cheap and easy recipe.

These tasty nutritional all-stars offer a bounty of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, and good-for-you fats. Here are a backpacker's four best bets.

Boost your summit chances and beat lightning storms with a smooth early-morning start.

Take a fatherless herd boy from poverty-wracked Swaziland, endow him with an indomitable will and a few wealthy friends, give him the lungs of Ed Viesturs, and you have...

Top off your meal with this simple and delicious dessert.

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

This legit 20° kids' bag will keep your little ones toasty in the backcountry.

With under five minutes of prep time needed, these apples will please anyone.

Make planning easy by using the same basic ingredients for two tasty meals

Master every detail of far-flung adventure–from visas to vaccinations–with these time-tested tips from guides and veteran globetrotters.

The Gray Whale swims thousands of miles to mate- and you were complaining about picking up the dinner bill.

The smart, social, and friendly mountain gorillas take the heavyweight title.

Check out The Backpacker Editors's author page.

Another dead Denali wolf. A battle for the soul of wild Alaska. Our reporter visits America's most iconic wilderness for the inside story of a park under siege.

Plan and cook for a group with these time-tested tips.

This easy reader trip will keep you feeling fresh and clean on the trail

Solve winter routefinding challenges with these expert tips.

Follow this winter workout and conquer the steeps come spring.

Have one of these three common health problems? Stay safe on the trail by taking sensible precautions.

Don't settle for a hunk of ice-hard jerky when the mercury plummets. A hard day of winter hiking or snowshoeing should be followed with a piping-hot stew.

Frostbite is bad news. Learn how to safely treat frozen feet.

More than just a hammock for your burrito ingredients, tortillas are very versatile.

Get over the hangover and go big this year. Then make it a tradition

Study shows that a head cold doesn't reduce performance or recovery

20 minutes to get the blood and body parts moving will keep you in the game

Slim your way through the holidays with this simple diet

Study shows that depriving the brain of carbs leads to memory loss

Where to go when you want to shop right

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

A test can now tell you if you have what it takes. It'll also tell you if your kid has it too.

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

Depending on how hard you play, a high-quality, whole foods diet may slow you down

A plan to save the fitness I've got and maybe grow a little stronger

When senior editor Tracy Ross investigated Denali's wolf controversy, she expected to see a dead wolf--but not a skinned one. Go behind the scenes with video filmed in the field and an interview with Ross on the experience.

Author Tracy Ross discusses her feature story "Dogs of War" devoted to the debate raging in Alaska over the famed Toklat wolf pack.

A new job requires a new fitness plan

Eat like a pro with our recipes for every course.

Want to be a better hiker? Look no further. We share the backcountry secrets that separate average campers from true wilderness experts.

Study on brain-speed points to age 39 as the peak for our motor skills

Only in L.A. could you get arrested for doing a sit-up in public

Someone needs to get over it

Drowning in beauty

Gambling in the slots

Where winter strikes year-round

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.

How we rate risk, using a highly scientific formula

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?

We settle the debate with winner-takes-all smackdown: Meet history's true hard man.

When you can and cannot workout with an illness

Which is the bigger backcountry threat, grizzlies or flash floods? Find out what should scare you–and how to survive it–with BACKPACKER's Terror Index.

Adventure racing isn't for those without high pain thresholds, but here's three ways to cut down on the inevitable hurt.

Any serious mountaineer will appreciate this updated Bible of climbing-specific training

Our print-on-demand tool

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

Or, why putting down the work/family/chores for a run may be the smartest thing you do all day.

Check out Katie Herrel's author page.

The water, however, tastes the same

Use this step-by-step guide to beat 7 common backcountry fears. Plus, ideal hikes for overcoming–or avoiding–the source of your scare.

Don't let groundless phobias ruin–or even prevent–your backcountry adventures. Here's a foolproof plan for overcoming your terrors.

Conquer any fear with this DIY guide to applying a proven treatment plan called cognitive- behavioral therapy. Think of it as training for the mind.

Check out Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan's author page.

Get stronger and hike longer with a workout that matches your physique.