By: Muna wa Wanjiru
Even a crystal-clear wonder spring cannot provide perfect safety and purity as it can contain lots of microorganisms to make one sick: protozoa, bacteria, viruses – you name it! Fortunately, there are very good backpacking water purifier systems that can make even the water from a marsh safe to drink. A backpacking [...]

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, and you [...]

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 yourself on [...]

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 carry less [...]

By: 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 about proper [...]

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 to find [...]

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 leave your [...]

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, but also [...]

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 3 Steps

Buy [...]

By Steve Gillman
Here’s an ultralight backpacking list, an example of what I typically take on a weekend hike. We’re all different in our needs and skills, though, so please don’t take it as a recomendation. My list, with weights (not including what I wear to start):

GoLite Breeze Backpack: 12 ounces
Western Mountaineering Bag: 17 ounces
Nylon Tarp: [...]

By Steve GillmanHave you ever had a backpacking trip that was a disaster – even though you brought everything you needed? Maybe you had matches, but couldn’t get that fire going. You need more than good gear to assure a safe and enjoyable wilderness experience. You need to know how to do a few things, [...]

By Steve Gillman
I’ve had backpacking trips that included rain, snow, lightning, rockslides, altitude sickness, and twenty-mile days – all in a summer weekend. Wilderness trips can be dangerous, but you can make then less so, by having the following ten essentials in your backpack.

Knowledge. What good is a compass if you don’t know how to [...]

by Steve Gillman
Why learn about medicinal plants? Certainly, backpackers shouldn’t leave the first aid kit home, but it can be useful and interesting to know a few plant medicines too. Whether you are someday in a survival situation, or you just lost your first aid kit and have a terrible headache, wouldn’t it be nice [...]

by Steve Gillman
Why should you learn wilderness survival skills just for backpacking? They may save your life someday, and for ultralight enthusiasts like myself, skills replace gear, and therefore weight. The best reason, however, may be that it’s just a good feeling to know you can deal with whatever comes up. It makes you feel [...]

By Steve Gillman
Okay, do you really want to make all your own backpacking clothes? More power to you, and good luck. After the first hundred tedious hours of sewing I started buying gear again. However, there are SOME backpacking clothes you can make cheaply and quickly. A few examples follow.
Making Your Own Ski Mask
Find any [...]

By Steve Gillman
Ultralight backpackers want to give up weight, not comfort. Sleeping pads are pretty much a necessity for backpacking comfort, but who wants to carry those monstrous old inflatables down the trail? Try some of these lightweight options instead.
You can make four-ounce sleeping pads – then sometimes carry two of them. Start with the [...]

By Steve Gillman
Maybe your favorite backpacking food is a freeze-dried turkey dinner. There really is no “best” backpacking food. There are reasons to bring certain foods, though. Here are ten foods, and the reasons you might want to consider them.

Nuts. This is one of the most calorie-packed foods you can take. That means less weight [...]

Solo backpacking means peace and quiet. No one to talk to means no words are put between you and the beauty around you. The miles just flow. It’s entirely up to you to say when you eat or take a break. Want to jump in that alpine lake? It’s your decision alone. It’s a unique [...]

I was backpacking in the Sleeping Bear Dunes. It was March, so when I made it through the woods and over the dunes, I’d have miles of beach to myself. It was an over-nighter, a chance to test new ultralight backpacking equipment. I hiked the wooded hills quickly, enjoying the cold air.
Halfway through the forest, [...]

Backpacking Basics!
Backpacking is perhaps the greatest get-away possible to man! Backpackers leave behind most ties to civilization and take nothing with them but what can be carried on their back! Backpacking the miles of wilderness around you can be an exhilarating experience. Whether the trail leads up through high mountain forests, or along a shore, [...]