From their external-frame origins, modern hiking backpacks have branched out into forms multitudinous. Today, you can tote anything from gossamer frameless sacks to heavily-padded beasts with pivoting hipbelts and airy trampoline backpanels. But just as pack designs today vary, so do their load capacities: While some backpacks may tap out at anything above an ultralight load, others can carry your gear, your pets, and, probably, your partners without so much as leaving your shoulders sore. When you鈥檙e picking a pack, that鈥檚 essential information.

Every year, our testers put dozens of packs through their paces, carrying them with different loads and across a wide variety of terrain to figure out how they perform. But no two hikes are the same, and making apples-to-apples comparisons between how packs carry is difficult with just field testing. To get more information about how different popular backpacks transfer load between the hips and shoulders, we asked to devise a lab test to measure them directly. In this video, he walks you through how we got the data in this year鈥檚 pack test.

Transcript

Hey there, I鈥檓 Adam Trenkamp, the lab test editor here at the 国产吃瓜黑料 Lab in CU Denver. Today we鈥檙e going to talk to you about backpacking packs and specifically the load capacity of packs.

So in the lab, we like to look at everything with our gear, and one of the things we鈥檙e going to look at with packs is load capacity and effective load. So, when you wear a pack and you have a whole bunch of weight to keep you out in the backcountry for one night or 15 nights or, you know, six months if you鈥檙e doing a thru-hike, the hip belt is meant to carry a part of that weight. A lot of times what you鈥檒l hear is the 80/20 rule. So 80 percent of the weight in your pack should be on your hips, 20 percent on your shoulders. That鈥檚 going to shift as you walk throughout the day and you hike, or even as you load your pack a little bit differently. But the theory stands: you should have more weight being held on your hips than on your shoulders.

So when we test for effective load, what we look for is when does too much of the weight slip past the hip belt and start to go on the shoulders, and that鈥檚 the effective load for each pack. Some packs are designed to carry more weight than others, and we want to find out which ones those are and how much weight each pack can carry appropriately.

Alright, let鈥檚 see how effectively Steve carries some weight here. We鈥檙e going to call him Steve. That鈥檚 his name for today.

That wasn鈥檛 very effective.

So to test the effective load of the packs, we use these flexible force sensors that plug into the computer via some USB cables here. So they read the force as it pushes down through the pack. To make sure we get the force around the whole pad when the backpack pushes down, we 3D printed some little knobs you can see stuck on top of the pad. That lets us read all four corners of the force sensor and make sure we鈥檙e getting a good representation of the weight through the shoulder pad.

So once we get our force sensor set up on our mannequin, we grab a pack and we get set up. You can see with some lines we鈥檝e marked out where the top of the hip bones are for our mannequin. We use that to get our hip belt aligned with every pack.

Hip belt set. Alright, now we tighten our shoulder straps.

Once our backpack is fit, we go ahead and hook our force sensors up. Once we鈥檙e plugged in, we make sure our forces seem accurate, which is basically we shouldn鈥檛 be reading much force at all with just the pack because we have an empty pack. And then we zero out our load and start from there.

So we use some sleeping pads to stuff at the bottom of the pack. Typically this is where you鈥檙e going to pack your sleeping bag or your low-weight, bulky items to help push any heavyweight to the middle of your pack. Sleeping pads give us a little extra weight at the bottom of the pack, but still allow us to stack truly heavyweight on top. So, since we鈥檙e trying to test the actual effective load of the pack, if we just stuck some really low-weight, bulky items at the bottom of the pack, we鈥檙e going to have a harder time fitting a ton of weight in here. So by using these sleeping pads, each of these are about a pound and a half, we鈥檙e able to add three pounds to the bottom of the pack to start. And now we have some support for our heavyweight.

To do the test for all these packs, we start with a 13-pound weight. We record how much is being shown on the shoulders, and then we slowly add five pounds at a time after this.

So we keep adding weight to the packs until the force sensors on our shoulders tell us that more of the weight is actually being carried on the shoulders than the hips. So once that 50 percent mark shifts鈥攅ven though we want to hold the 80/20 rule with only 20 percent on the weight of the shoulders as long as we can鈥攚e keep adding weight to the test until that 50 percent mark shifts and a majority of the weight is now on the shoulders. And then that鈥檚 our effective load point. So we can look at it as, what鈥檚 the best weight, but then what鈥檚 the true effective load of where does the hip belt fail and now a majority of the weight is on your shoulders.

So me and Steve here, we鈥檙e going to keep testing, but first I think he needs a little bit of a break and I鈥檓 going to help him get out of here. So we鈥檙e going to unhook Steve from science.

And we鈥檒l see you鈥攐h god, Steve, that鈥檚 so much weight. We鈥檒l see you later.

The post How Much Weight Can Popular Backpacks Handle? This Is How the 国产吃瓜黑料 Lab Tests. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

When the U.S. government announced it would establish a 100,000-acre National Defense Area in the southern reaches of New Mexico earlier this year, hikers had questions about how it would affect access to the south terminus of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), which fell inside of it.

In late September, we got our answer when the (CDTC) announced that new restrictions would require hikers to apply for a permit and pass a background check to visit the terminus and the southernmost 1.1 miles of the trail. Hikers who weren鈥檛 U.S. citizens would not be able to secure one.

The situation continues to evolve鈥攕ince we shot this video, for example, the CDTC has announced that some non-citizen hikers may be able to visit the terminus with a government sponsor and an escort. Here鈥檚 what we know about the situation at the end of one of America鈥檚 most famous trails.

Transcript

Over the past two weeks, the situation at the southern terminus of the Continental Divide Trail has changed in some important ways. If you鈥檙e planning on heading there either as part of a thru-hike or a section hike, there are a few things you need to know.

Earlier this year, the US government established what it called a National Defense Area along a section of the US-Mexico border in New Mexico. This included about 100,000 acres of land, the control of which it transferred to the US Army for three years. Importantly, the southern terminus of the CDT is within that area.

At the time, there was some speculation that this new designation might affect how hikers accessed the southern terminus of the CDT. However, we didn鈥檛 get confirmation of that until recently. On September 30th, the Continental Divide Trail Coalition announced that new restrictions would require hikers headed to the terminus to apply for and receive a new permit from the US Army.

Applying for this permit is relatively easy, from what we understand. The process takes about 10 minutes. Hikers need a passport-style photo and a Real ID, such as a state driver鈥檚 license or a passport. Generally speaking, hikers have heard back in just a few days about the permit, though technically it could take up to three weeks. And from what we understand, the current government shutdown isn鈥檛 supposed to affect processing.

However, there are a few important caveats. First of all, the permits are only available to US citizens. That means that hikers traveling from outside the US or people here on visas are effectively barred from the southern terminus for the time being. 听It鈥檚 also not clear how people with felonies or other issues that might pop up on a background check are going to be affected by this. We don鈥檛 know if they鈥檒l be able to get the permits or not. And it鈥檚 worth mentioning that while we don鈥檛 know for sure how carefully authorities will be checking for permits, anyone caught in the area without necessary permissions could face anything from fines to jail time. [Editor鈥檚 Note: Since we recorded this video, the CDTC has updated its guidance to specify that non-U.S. citizens may be able to access the NDA with a government sponsor and escort, though the process to secure that permission is still unclear. The U.S. Army鈥檚 application page also now lists , including a felony conviction within the past 10 years or presence on a government terrorism watchlist.]

For hikers who are not eligible for a permit or who don鈥檛 want to apply for one, there are other options for doing a border-to-border CDT thru-hike. The CDTC has not released an official detour around the area. However, there are ways to access the border legally through adjacent state trust lands. All it takes is a fairly easily obtainable permit from New Mexico.

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Update September 18: The National Park Service said that the hiker was treated for his injuries and released from a nearby hospital. Officials investigating the incident said they found grizzly tracks as well as an animal carcass in the area. The NPS has closed Turbid Lake Trail, where the attack took place, until further notice.

A 29-year-old solo hiker is in the hospital after a bear attacked him in Yellowstone National Park.

The that the hiker was walking alone along the Turbid Lake Trail, northeast of Yellowstone Lake’s Mary Bay, on September 16 when he ran into the bear. The hiker attempted to use his bear spray to ward off the animal, but he still suffered “significant but non-life-threatening injuries to his chest and left arm.”

NPS medics met the hiker at the scene of the attack and walked out with him roughly 2.5 miles to the Pelican Valley Trailhead. From there, an ambulance transported him to the park’s Lake Medical Clinic, where a helicopter picked him up and flew him to a hospital.

While the hiker told park authorities that he believed the animal involved was a black bear, the NPS said that based on the location of the attack and the hiker’s description, they believed it might have been a grizzly instead. Bear managers will try to identify the species through DNA analysis. As the incident was a “defensive reaction by the bear during a surprise encounter,” the NPS does not plan to trap or kill the animal.

Turbid Lake Trail remains closed in the wake of the attack.

This week’s encounter is the first time in more than four years that a bear has injured a human inside Yellowstone National Park’s boundaries. In May 2021, on the park’s Beaver Ponds Trail, causing serious but non-fatal wounds to his legs; the hiker was able to walk out on his own. While several people have died in grizzly encounters in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem in recent years, the last fatal bear attack in the park proper occurred in 2015 when a bear 63-year-old Lake Medical Clinic worker Lance Crosby in the park’s backcountry.

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Search teams using a helicopter hoisted two hikers off the summit of a Colorado fourteener after a lightning strike badly injured one of them on Thursday June 12. Rescuers believe the medevac mission may be the highest-altitude helicopter evacuation in state history.

In a Facebook post, Evergreen, Colorado鈥檚 wrote that it had received a message just before 5 P.M. on June 12 alerting them that two hikers had wandered off-route while attempting to ascend the Kelso Ridge route up 14,267-foot Torreys Peak.

Over the course of an hour, personnel from the team stayed on the phone with the hikers, talking them through regaining the trail and climbing to the summit, where they would be able to find their descent route. , Alpine Rescue Team public information officer Jake Smith said that the two men were on a road trip from New York, and that it 鈥淸didn鈥檛] sound like they had a ton of prior experience.鈥�

Eventually, the hikers successfully reached the top. While they were on the phone with rescuers, however, lightning struck the hikers, leaving one of them 鈥渦nresponsive.鈥� Alpine, working alongside Clear Creek EMS and Clear Creek Fire, immediately sent five ground teams totaling about 30 people up the mountain. Meanwhile, a Colorado National Guard Blackhawk helicopter ferried two technicians from Vail Mountain Rescue Group to the top of the peak, where they evacuated the stricken hiker by hoist at about 11 P.M. A small group from Alpine continued to the summit of Torreys to assist the second hiker, and the helicopter returned to evacuate them, the patient, and a remaining technician.

鈥淭his call illustrates how quickly situations change in Colorado鈥檚 high country, and the importance of having your ten essentials and being prepared for a lengthy evacuation,鈥� Alpine wrote. Officials have not shared the rescued hikers鈥� names.

The team told the AP that it believed Thursday鈥檚 helicopter rescue was the highest in Colorado history, beating a previous record of 13,700 feet.

Torreys and Grays are two of the most heavily trafficked fourteeners in Colorado. According to the Colorado Fourteeners Institute’s , between 20,000 to 25,000 hikers ascended the peaks during the 2023 season. Only two fourteeners logged more hiker ascents: Mount Bierstadt and Quandary Peak.

The peaks are located near the Bakerville exit on Interstate 70 and are located just 54 miles west of downtown Denver.

Grays Peak is also ascended by hikers following the Continental Divide Trail.

Lightning is a common occurrence on Colorado鈥檚 fourteeners, especially during the summer monsoon season. On its website, the notes that most of its volunteer projects begin with an alpine start to minimize the risk of thunderstorms.

In Colorado, as in most U.S. states, search and rescue is free of charge and staffed mostly by highly-skilled volunteers who pay for most or all of their own training, equipment, and transportation. Hikers from both Colorado and out of state can support Alpine and other Colorado rescue teams by purchasing a , which runs $5 for one year or $20 for five. Those funds go toward reimbursing county sheriffs and volunteer teams themselves for the cost of rescues.

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A vast grassland in central Montana might seem like an odd place to go snorkeling. Comprising nearly 463,000 acres of private and leased public land centered on the , the reserve is decidedly un-tropical, a rolling shortgrass prairie that stretches out to the horizon, punctuated by smatterings of trees and rocky buttes. Unless you鈥檙e planning on jumping into the Missouri River, or you have the bad luck to be out when the snowmelt and spring rains turn the ground into gumbo-like mud, you鈥檙e unlikely to get wet. But to go 鈥渓and snorkeling鈥� on this largely trailless backcountry, you don鈥檛 need fins, a mask, or even water鈥攋ust a willingness to rethink what a hike looks like.

The term 鈥渓and snorkeling鈥� may be unfamiliar. But the idea, as described by Clyde Aspevig and Carol Guzman, the Montana-based artists and longtime American Prairie volunteers who came up with it, is simple: Just wander through nature with no destination, paying close attention to the plants, animals, and natural features around you, like a snorkeler floating through the shallows of a coral reef. While every hiker has land snorkeled at some point in their life, it鈥檚 something many of us become less and less willing to dedicate our time to as we become more focused on making miles and reaching summits, says Anna Schale, American Prairie鈥檚 public access manager.

鈥淜ids are really good at land snorkeling,鈥� Schale says. 鈥淎ny kid that sees a dandelion that has the white puff, they go straight to it, pick it up, and blow on it. I think somehow as adults, we really lose touch with looking at where our feet are moving.鈥�

If you want to recapture that mindfulness and joy in the details of nature, Schale believes that the American Prairie is an ideal place to start your land snorkeling journey. Founded in 2001, the American Prairie Foundation aims to create a wildlife conservation preserve that they hope will eventually cover more than 3 million contiguous acres of never-plowed mixed grass prairie. Counting the adjacent Russell National Wildlife Refuge and , they鈥檙e nearly halfway there, with about 1.3 million acres of both private land and public land managed under grazing leases, where the foundation has reintroduced free-ranging herds of bison. Both the privately-owned and leased sections of the prairie are open to the public, including hikers, cyclists, horseback riders, and hunters. Wildlife abounds, including ungulates like deer and pronghorn, American porcupines, and prairie birds like sharp-tailed grouse and western meadowlarks.

Schale鈥檚 tips for beginner land snorkelers: Plan your day by time, rather than distance. Shift your mindset away from objectives. Instead, let your interest and the natural features of the land guide your walk.

鈥淭here are so many flowers that bloom close to the ground, grasses that are unique and different,鈥� she says. 鈥淓ven to the untrained eye, there鈥檚 just a lot to see in the variations of dirt鈥攚here it鈥檚 really crackly or maybe it鈥檚 different-colored. We have horned toads, woodhouse toads, and several kinds of bugs and beetles.鈥� Dry creekbeds, she notes, can make for natural walking paths.

American Prairie is one of the most remote landscapes in the lower 48, with some sections located hours from pavement. Schale notes that it鈥檚 important to come prepared, even if you鈥檙e just planning on an aimless walk. Besides packing essential gear and bringing maps and appropriate layers鈥攖emperatures can vary from -40 掳F to more than 100 掳F throughout the year鈥攊t鈥檚 important to note that road conditions can be difficult, especially when rain and snow turns the dirt into 鈥減rairie gumbo鈥� that can trap tires. Drive a high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicle, and check the weather forecast before you leave. With a few exceptions, most of the camping on the prairie is dry, so campers need to carry their water in with them.

Where to Go Land Snorkeling

Visitors to American Prairie can dispersed-camp almost anywhere they want, but Schale recommends that first-timers start at Antelope Creek Campground, a developed campsite just off US 191 featuring cabins ($73), camping ($20 for a tent spot; ), and a bathhouse, as well as potable water. Nearby attractions include a prairie dog town, wetlands, and a 2-mile interpretative trail鈥攐ne of the few dedicated hiking paths on the preserve. For those ready to venture further, she recommends Buffalo Camp on the reserve鈥檚 Sun Prairie Unit. Like Antelope Camp, it has access to water and electric hookups meant for campers or small RVs; unlike that campground, it鈥檚 more than 50 miles from the nearest paved road, making it ideal for spotting the reserve鈥檚 bison herd and stargazing under its dark skies.

For a different perspective on the prairie, head to the reserve鈥檚 PN Unit at the junction of the Missouri and Judith Rivers, which features the steeper topography of the Missouri Breaks and a more forested vibe. Hikers there can spot wading birds like great blue herons and American avocets, find shells on the riverbanks, and wander the thick cottonwood galleries on their shores.

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I am not going to stand here in front of God and Backpacker鈥榮 readers and pretend I always, or even usually, eat healthy on my trips. I eat loose from my hipbelt pockets while I hike and wolf down instant ramen like I鈥檓 a broke college student and rent is due. I once stuffed an entire box of Honey Buns into a helicopter鈥檚 cargo box during an Editors鈥� Choice trip to Banff National Park (bad idea, those things do not travel well).

But as I鈥檝e gotten older and words like 鈥渉ypertension鈥� and 鈥渁rteriosclerosis鈥� have gradually entered my peers鈥� vocabularies, I鈥檝e gotten more and more interested in finding a compromise between convenience and health when it comes to meal planning for my hikes and backcountry tours. If you鈥檙e on the same path, then this roundup of our best hiking nutrition stories is for you. The following stories are a primer in how to eat on a hike, from the basics of nutrition to busting some of the most persistent dietary myths. Read on to learn more.

From processed ingredients to organic to specialty diets, it鈥檚 easy to get blinded by science when it comes to nutrition. The reality: Figuring out how to eat better on a backpacking trip doesn鈥檛 need to be complicated. We break down the basics of nutrition鈥攅at for recovery, keep an eye on your electrolytes, and, whatever you do, don鈥檛 skip breakfast鈥攊n this easy explainer for beginners.

Sometimes the effects of a poor diet take a while to hit. Sometimes, however, they kick in faster, leading to problems from skinny legs to trail diarrhea. If you鈥檙e planning on going on a long hike鈥攖hink two weeks or more鈥攜ou need to keep a much closer eye on what you鈥檙e consuming than you might on a weekend trip. We consulted two backpacking dietitians to understand how the food hikers eat helps or hinders them.

There are few sciences as rife with misinformation as nutrition. Spend an hour googling, and you鈥檒l find contradictory information, questionable supplements, and even downright dangerous diet plans on offer. Don鈥檛 get fooled: Learn to tell the BS from the valuable information with this round-up from Corey Buhay.

Let鈥檚 be real: Few to none of us are hiking with a pack full of fresh fruits and vegetables, or even a lot of dehydrated ones. Getting our meal bag down to a manageable size while still carrying enough calories to fuel days of hard hiking means making some compromises, from carrying processed food to prioritizing raw carbs over vitamins and minerals. How do your favorite hiking treats stack up? We asked a dietitian to evaluate everything from instant ramen to Pop-Tarts on the value to hungry hikers.

If you鈥檙e hoping to build up your hiking fitness, then protein is non-negotiable. It helps rebuild the day-to-day wear and tear you incur and locks in the muscular gains you earn over days and weeks on the trail. Protein bars and shakes are easy, but these are easier, cheaper, and tastier ways to get your daily dose.

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No matter where we hike, how long we go for, how (or whether) we train, or how much or little weight we carry, there鈥檚 one thing all hikers need: strong legs. On the trail, legs help you keep up the pace, , and maintain your balance on everything from uneven treadpath to tricky creek crossings. Ensuring yours are ready for your next adventure could be the difference between having a fulfilling trip and spending more time thinking about your aches and pains than the scenery.

Need a primer on the science of stems? We鈥檝e collected some of our best writing on it, plus a couple of personal trainer-backed exercises to help you get yours ready to tear up the trail come spring.

The problem with 鈥渉iking your way into shape鈥�: Those first couple of trips aren鈥檛 much fun. If you鈥檙e looking to maximize your trail time, then doing some pre-hike training is one of the best investments of your time that you can make. We鈥檝e collected six of our favorite leg workouts鈥攊ncluding an off-the-couch conditioning plan, plus workouts for steeps, endurance, and overnight trips鈥攊n one convenient place so you can find the routine that works for you whether you鈥檙e starting from zero or trying to take your fitness to the next level.

Of course, getting strong is only half the battle: Leg injuries are an ever-present hazard for hikers, ranging from minor inconveniences like sore feet or quads to season-ending injuries like ACL tears. Learn the anatomy behind your leg pain and get mobility exercises to help you prevent and deal with it in this expert-written primer.

If you mostly spend the colder months on other pursuits, hitting the trail in spring can be a shock to your hammies. These workhorse muscles keep your knees aligned and stable, especially on downhills and uneven terrain, and play a key role in helping to support your pack weight. This three-exercise, three-times-a-week routine is designed to work your hamstrings into shape over six to eight weeks, allowing you to feel more confident tackling your first big trips of the season.

You鈥檝e probably heard the term 鈥渢rail legs鈥� before; for those of you who aren鈥檛 up on your long trail lingo, it鈥檚 the state thru-hikers reach where their muscles handle the daily stress of of the trail well enough that they鈥檙e able to keep going day after day. Turns out there鈥檚 some pretty serious science behind why it happens. In this piece, fitness columnist, personal trainer, and physical therapist assistant Lee Welton went long on how your body adapts when you hike dozens of miles day after day, and whether it鈥檚 possible to keep your trail legs after the hike is over. (Spoiler alert: It鈥檚 not.)

3 Leg Exercises Every Hiker Should Know

Kickstart your fitness routine with these exercises from 鈥榮 Six Weeks to Trail Fit class, taught by coach and guide Jason Antin

Leg Blasters

Combining several different exercises into one, this circuit is a great base to build your leg conditioning routine around.

Goblet Squats

These modified squats are easy to do with any heavy object from a kettlebell to a dumbbell to a weighted pack.

Walking Lunges

Trail your glutes, hamstrings, and more with this exercise鈥攏o weight necessary.

The post Strong Legs Are a Hiker鈥檚 Secret Weapon. Here鈥檚 How to Get Them. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Canada鈥檚 border authority expanded on its decision to bar Pacific Crest Trail hikers from crossing into the country earlier this week, noting that its new policy mirrors the United States鈥� refusal to permit southbound hikers to begin their hikes by crossing the border into American territory.

In , the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) confirmed it would no longer issue permits for PCT hikers to cross into E.C. Manning Provincial Park at the trail鈥檚 northern terminus, and said that the change would 鈥渇acilitate monitoring of compliance of trail users鈥� as well as increase security at the border. In addition, the agency noted that the move 鈥渁ligns with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) who does not allow travellers to enter the U.S. from Canada on the trail.鈥�

Northbound thru-hikers will now need to end their trips by backtracking to the nearest road crossing at Harts Pass, roughly 30 miles away; those who still wish to hike the extension of the trail into Canada will then need to travel to the nearest border crossings at Osoyoos or Abbotsford, both of which are roughly 60 straight-line miles from the trail.

In a blog post, the called the announcement 鈥渄isappointing,鈥� but acknowledged the CBSA鈥檚 points, including that the new policy mirrors one that the U.S. has long held.

鈥淗ikers and equestrians should turn around after reaching the Northern Terminus,鈥� the group wrote. 鈥淲e ask that everyone travels with the utmost respect for nature by practicing gold standard Leave No Trace practices. This area will experience increased use now that more people are traveling this section of the PCT twice.鈥�

The change comes at a tense time for U.S.-Canada relations, as on imports from it and Mexico on February 1 if the two countries don鈥檛 take steps to deter unauthorized crossings. This week, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police unveiled a new fleet of leased Black Hawk helicopters that it is using to step up enforcement along the border.

The post Canada Responds to American Pacific Crest Trail Border Ban: U.S. Did It First appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

At Backpacker, we鈥檙e champions of hiking year-round鈥攚hy trade your trail time for couch time just because it鈥檚 a little chilly outside? But we鈥檙e also clear-eyed about winter hiking鈥檚 challenges. When the mercury drops, what would be a pleasant weekend trip can become an ordeal. Instead of recharging you, it leaves you more drained at the end than you were at the start.

Instead of just surviving your winter adventures, you can learn to . Knowing what gear will help you stay comfortable and happy in the cold is a good place to start. We polled Backpacker鈥檚 editors and the rest of our parent company 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 staff to get our coworkers鈥� personal favorite gear picks for hitting the trail in the winter, and came away with a hit list that might just help you turn the fourth season into your favorite hiking season.

If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside.听Learn more.

Argali Absaroka 4P Tent

Dennis Lewon鈥檚 idea of essential winter gear: a big tent. 鈥淲inter loads are already heavy so it can be tempting to bring a smaller and lighter tent,鈥� said Lewon, 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 director of content (and Backpacker鈥檚 former editor in chief). 鈥淏ut having more space and ventilation makes winter camping so much more comfortable, especially with the long nights.鈥� is a four-person pyramid tent with an unusual feature: a fold-up titanium stove that puts out enough heat that our reviewers could hang out in their baselayers during freezing nights. This isn鈥檛 like the canvas hot tents you may have tried in the past: The Absaroka听 packs down to the size of a paper towel roll, the stove to the size of a laptop case, and the whole package weighs just more than 5 pounds.

ReadEra App

With early sunsets, winter nights are already long, and when winter storms move in, it鈥檚 easy to find yourself waiting out the weather for hours or even days. Packing a book is a great way to kill time, and I鈥檓 partial to this free e-reader, which I鈥檝e paired with public domain ebooks (Dracula, anyone?) from . ReadEra doesn鈥檛 have any ads, subscription fees, or annoying pop-ups, handles a wide variety of file formats well, and it makes it easy to organize your files. I especially appreciated the customization: Being able to change font size and background has kept me from straining my eyes into oblivion while paging through stories on my phone.

Hothands Hand Warmers

We鈥檝e lost count of how many colleagues professed their love for these disposable warmers, which they stuff into gloves, boots, and sleep systems. 鈥淚 hold onto those puppies real tight each night or stuff them in my sleeping bag,鈥� wrote Emma Veidt, Backpacker鈥檚 associate editor. Trying to cut down on your waste in 2025? Zippo鈥檚 HeatBank 9s, which combines a USB-rechargeable hand warmer with a power bank, is a reusable option.

Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Down Pants

Packing down pants to take the chill off the coldest nights is a favorite strategy of Jake Stern, 国产吃瓜黑料 Magazine鈥檚 digital editor. Mountain Hardwear鈥檚 Ghost Whisperer pants keep weight down with 800-fill down and gossamer ripstop construction; a men鈥檚 medium weighs in at 9.6 ounces, but still features two side pockets and ankle zips to make getting them on and off easy despite the trim cut. Bonus: Pair them with a matching Ghost Whisperer Hoody to create the world鈥檚 most technical sweatsuit.

Baffin Cush Booty

Cold toes are a little issue that can have a big impact on your comfort, and packing insulated booties is a lightweight, easy way to banish them in camp. There are a lot of good choices on the market, but Ryan Snow, 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 data warehouse engineer, suggests this pair, which features a B-Dry waterproof liner and blended polyester and wool insulation for warmth. A drawstring around the cuff seals out drafts, while the nylon bottom is resistant to punctures and features silicone accents for slip-resistance.

Warbonnet Blackbird XLC Hammock and Wooki Underquilt

On fourth-season adventures, Mike Ardagh, a support operations tools specialist for 国产吃瓜黑料, prefers to avoid sleeping on the cold ground entirely with a hammock system. His model of choice: the Warbonnet Blackbird XLC, which at just under 1 pound 6 ounces is comparable to some ultralight tents out there. Ardagh pairs it with the company鈥檚 Wooki underquilt, which he calls a 鈥済ame-changer.鈥� The quilt features 850-fill dry-treated duck down, and fits users up to 6 feet, 6 inches; a 0-degree, XL model weighs in at a reasonable pound and a half.

A Warm Water Bath for Your Canister Stove

This cheap hack comes from Anthony Walsh, Climbing鈥檚 digital editor, who鈥檚 used it down to -30掳F. Just put a plastic container big enough to fit your fuel canister in on a sleeping mat or pack, add warm water, and stand your canister inside to help increase the canister鈥檚 pressure. 鈥淚t seems like a magic trick: literally just a splash of water will turn a sputtering stove into a total beast,鈥� Walsh said.

Underwood The Bubbles Sparkling Wine

If you鈥檙e a fan of a tipple around the fire, these cans of sparkling wine are a compact, great-tasting option. 鈥淪ure, it鈥檚 added weight, but life鈥檚 too short not to celebrate the moments that make us feel alive,鈥� said Sierra Shafer, editor in chief of Ski and editorial director of 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 国产吃瓜黑料 group. 鈥淗ow fun is it to pop a little bottle of champagne at the summit or once you鈥檙e settled in camp for the night?鈥� (A non-alcoholic canned option: Gruvi鈥檚 Sangria is a fruit-flavored, alcohol-removed wine that鈥檚 just tannic enough to taste like the real thing.)

Skida Sunday Alpine Neckwarmer

A neck gaiter is a multifunctional piece of equipment for staying comfy on both summer and winter adventures. Quality is important when you pick which neck warmer to bring, said Shafer, but so is quantity: 鈥淚 swear by my Skida Sunday Alpine Neckwarmer, but more importantly, packing a second gaiter in your pocket or pack can be a lifesaver when your first one gets damp from condensation or snow,鈥� she said of this polyester model, which comes in an array of vibrant prints. 鈥淎 fresh, dry gaiter makes a world of difference in keeping the elements out and staying warm,鈥� Shafer said.

Bear Creek Soups

What鈥檚 better than hot soup on a cold night? With classic flavors like minestrone and cheddar broccoli, this popular brand 鈥渕akes a big pot of warmth, is super easy鈥攋ust add water鈥攁nd is pretty dang good for a packaged mix,鈥� Lewon said. (Downside: None of these mixes are vegetarian, so if you鈥檙e plant-based, you鈥檒l need to look for another option.)

Patagonia Fitz Roy Down Hoody

It鈥檚 not the lightest down jacket on the market, but the Fitz Roy is as warm of a layer as you鈥檒l feasibly be able to pack in. 鈥淚t鈥檚 way too warm to hike in, and I鈥檝e been told it makes me look like I鈥檓 wearing a trash bag, but it makes hanging around in sub-freezing conditions actually bearable,鈥� says Jen Smith, a software engineer for 国产吃瓜黑料. The Fitz Roy features 800-fill down encased in a DWR-treated recycled nylon shell. At 14.8 ounces and packing to about the size of a 1-liter Nalgene, it鈥檚 reasonable to carry, and includes twin chest pockets, side pockets, and an internal stuff pocket for quickly storing essentials. Plus, a drawstring waist helps keep out the elements.

The post Make Winter Camping Suck Less With These 11 Gear Picks from Our Editors appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Next to not bringing enough warm enough layers and forgetting to check the weather, hitting the trail without appropriate traction is among . It鈥檚 one that鈥檚 easy to miss until it鈥檚 too late, too: Trails that climb from lower elevations听 may be bare at the beginning but covered in heavy snow and boilerplate ice higher up. Even if your hike doesn鈥檛 end in disaster, having to carefully edge your way down a slippery trail instead of stepping with confidence can cost you time, leading you to get to camp or your car later than you had planned. Here鈥檚 why you need traction, and .

How Hiking Traction Works

Grab a pair of your street shoes and a pair of your hiking shoes and . Compared to your casual footwear, your trail runners or boots have a toothier, more rugged-looking sole. Hiking traction鈥攕uch as ice cleats, crampons, and snowshoes鈥攖akes that to an extreme: By concentrating your body weight into a small area, their points penetrate into and grip hard snow and ice in a way that your footwear alone can鈥檛, and provide multidirectional grip rather than skating off the surface. Which specific kind of traction you need depends on the conditions you plan on hiking in.

Ice Cleats

Better known as Microspikes (technically a trademark for Kahtoola鈥檚 version of them), these diminutive points are smaller and generally more flexible than crampons. They feature a set of small steel or tungsten carbide points, mounted on either a chain or rubber structure that fits snugly around your footwear. Ice cleats are great for general use in winter; they鈥檙e usually enough for everything but steep, mountaineering-adjacent routes in the mountains.

are a good middle-of-the-road solution that can handle a wide variety of conditions, with twelve 鈪�-inch spikes per foot and a secure elastomer upper. The , which features a Boa system for dialing in fit, is another option.

Crampons

For the most extreme routes that involve long, steep alpine ascents or the potential for high-consequence falls, you may want something a little toothier than ice cleats. That鈥檚 where crampons come in. These clawlike steel spikes come in a variety of flavors; for hiking and light mountaineering, you鈥檒l want a pair of strap-on 10-point crampons鈥攏ot one of the heavier-duty (and just plain heavier) models intended for ice climbing. Unless you know you鈥檒l be hiking strictly on snow, resist the urge to get aluminum crampons, which are lighter but will dull or even break quickly on rocky terrain.

feature chromoly steel spikes, an independent rear, and toe bindings that work with just about any boot or shoe and feature a fold-flat heel support so they take up as little pack space as possible. At just under a pound and a half per pair, they鈥檙e relatively light for the category, too.

Snowshoes

If you鈥檒l be negotiating deep snow as well as hardpack, a pair of snowshoes that鈥檚 built for mountain use can be a good option; just keep in mind that they鈥檒l be clumsy and not especially useful on variable or rocky terrain. Look for a pair with teeth along the frame as well as at the toes, sturdy construction, and a heel lifter, which will help your calves from wearing out on long climbs.

were a favorite of our snowshoe testers this year. More than 70 steel teeth along the frame and seven at the toe provided reliable grip even on icy sections, and ratchet straps on the upper foot kept our tester鈥檚 footwear from slipping and sliding during testing in Montana.

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