I’ve spent several years and thousands of miles on the trail earning my stripes as a backpacker, and I’m here to share my 2026 ultralight backpacking gear list with you. Because the gear you bring along can decide the fate of your backpacking trip. Believe me, I’ve overpacked and returned home a broken man enough … Read more
When you’re backpacking or thru-hiking, a few days of sweat, insect bites, dirt, and sunscreen all add up to one thing: hiker stink. Believe it or not, that stench is actually a badge of honor among the trail crowd — but there are many different ways to manage it. Though staying clean in the wilderness … Read more
Maybe adventure and exploration movies are your thing. Perhaps you live near a long trail and have spent years daydreaming about hiking it. Or you’ve quit your day job and want to savor your new freedom. Whatever your reason, you’re fired up and ready to plan a thru-hike. There’s just one problem — you have … Read more
Whenever I talk about backpacking or thru-hiking, I tend to get a lot of skeptical questions from curious friends and family. But as a 5-foot-tall woman, I frequently hear well-meaning people ask: Aren’t you scared out there? Personally, I find walking in big cities to be much scarier than walking in the woods. Don’t let … Read more
Hiking snacks are as essential as sunscreen, trekking poles, or rain gear. After all, it won’t always rain nor is the sun guaranteed to shine, but I’ll always need calorie-dense hiking fuel. That logic is what inspired me to create this list of the best hiking and backpacking snacks. As hiking fuel, snacks should be … Read more
Hiking the Appalachian Trail can be the experience of a lifetime, a muddy slog, or something in between. So whether you’re looking to section hike, day hike, or are aiming to thru-hike all 2,200 miles, it’s crucial to be prepared. I completed a northbound thru-hike in 2021 and am a proud member of the “experience … Read more
Past attempts at organizing my backpacking food and creating meal plans were always a bit reckless for me. My old approach usually involved jamming a hodgepodge assemblage of hiking food into my over-stuffed bag and hoping for the best. Ensuing days on the trail were spent hiking around dull and nutritionless food, falling short on … Read more
On July 7th of 2014, I embarked on Iceland’s most famous multi-day trek, the Laugavegur Trail – four days of waterfalls, glaciers, and harsh, unearthly landscape. In short, I was unprepared and my hike was an unmitigated disaster. My situation went from bad to worse in a hurry, and I was left scrambling to maintain … Read more