By Brian McGregor

If you are just starting out in backpacking then there are a few things you really must do before hitting the trail. Becoming knowledgeable about backpacking is very important to being able to enjoy it. Having the essential knowledge you need will help you to be able to plan trips, stay safe and [...]

by Steve Gillman
Why ultralight backpacks? Devotees of ultralight backpacking know you reduce your packweight most by concentrating on the “big three;” backpack, shelter, and sleeping bag. Forget those 6-pound backpacks, 9-pound tents and 5-pound sleeping bags. Reduce that 20 pounds to less than 5, keep the other gear to 5 or 6 pounds, [...]

by Steve Gillman
Knowing a few edible wild plants can make your next backpacking trip, or any trip into the wilderness, a lot more enjoyable.
You can pack lighter if you eat wild berries every morning for breakfast, for example, and leave your oatmeal behind. So push the bears out of the way and gorge [...]

by Steve Gillman
You aren’t lightweight backpacking if you are carrying twenty-five pounds for a summer weekend. I invent these standards, but I try to be reasonable. I backpack with less than fifteen pounds total weight for a weekend trip. With a few new pieces of gear, and a little knowledge, you can probably [...]

vy Steve Gillman
Winter backpacking can mean your footprints are the only ones out there. That adds to the beauty of the experience, but also to the danger. Alone and in a cold enviroment, it’s important to know what to do in an emergency. Learning a few basic cold weather survival skills can save [...]

by Steve Gillman
Stay warm or die. That’s what it comes down to at the extremes. More people die in the wilderness of exposure than from any other cause. Staying warm, of course, also means more comfort, and for backpackers, it can mean going even lighter, without more risk.
Staying warm in the wilderness is [...]

by Steve Gillman
I was in the Weminuche Wilderness Area when the snow came. It was my second day out of Silverton, where the locals told me it rains or snows every day in August. I made a note to myself to do some research next time. Then I made a note to myself [...]

by Steve Gillman
These lightweight backpacking tips and techniques are options or ideas, not recommendations. I tend towards the extreme side of ultralight backpacking, and if you don’t know yourself or your skills, some of these techniques will get you into trouble.
A good example of this is the “natural mattress” that allows you to [...]

by Steve Gillman
If you you find yourself saying “Hey, that’s a good idea,” to more than one of the following, you might be an ultralight backpacker. They are collected from various lightweight backpacking forums. For those of you that don’t share our passion for ultralight backpacking, let me explain that these are funny, [...]

by Steve Gillman
Want to run up that ridge, just to see what’s there? Want to easily carry your pack up those fourteener’s, so you can go down by any route you choose? Want to feel good at the end of a twenty-mile day? It’s time to liighten your load.
Ultralight Backpacking - The First [...]