Hiking Gear Reviews, Expert Tips, & Trail Guides

Patagonia is one of the most pristine and wild regions on our planet. Just the word itself evokes images of windswept landscapes with jagged granite spires twisting to the sky, immense glaciers and some of the largest ice fields on Earth.

Whether you are bagging peaks or packing a picnic, our trail-tested recommendations for the best daypacks will help you keep all your essentials close at hand.

We’ve filtered out the nonsense to bring you our purest recommendations of the best water filters around.

If we had to choose one location to illustrate the immense beauty of the Canadian Rockies, the Lake O’Hara backcountry would be the place. Eighty kilometers of well-maintained trails wind through this breathtaking alpine wilderness filled with turquoise lakes, stunning meadows, and expansive views.

Over the past eight months the SteriPEN Ultra has become my go-to backpacking water purifier. The Ultra is easy to use, works fast, kills all the bad stuff (protozoa, bacteria, and viruses), and best of all, it doesn’t require any pumping, squeezing, backflushing, or chemicals.

Cotopaxi’s mission is creating innovative outdoor gear and making meaningful strides toward reducing global poverty.

If you’re a backpacker who likes to pack light, but you still want to enjoy the comforts of a hammock in the wilderness, then the Hummingbird Single Hammock and Tree Straps are for you.

Most camp chairs are far too heavy and bulky for backpacking. At only 7oz, Therm-a-rest Compack Chair Kit is light enough to pack deep into the backcountry and comfortable enough to make all your buddies jealous while sitting around the campfire.

Trail-tested recommendations on the best hiking, backpacking, and camping gear for maximizing comfort, minimizing weight, and increasing smiles.

We’ve been kicking back in the backcountry to bring you our trail-tested top picks for hammock camping in comfort. Put your feet up and chill out with…

The Patagonia M10 Jacket is a fantastic rain shell for any lightweight adventurer. It has quickly become my all-time favorite backpacking jacket, and I expect you’ll feel the same. 

This is where we highlight a wide range of exceptional choices, and talk about our personal favorites.

Below is an email from a reader I received this week. Den from Berkshire, UK brings up a problem I hear about all the time, so I thought I’d share my response. Also, if you want more info on the hiking boots vs. running shoes debate, check out my article 5 Reasons To Ditch Your Hiking Boots. A big thanks to Den for the great question! 

Sawyer has built a complete game changer with the Sawyer Mini. The ability to drink clean water directly from the source without having to carry a bulky filter or harsh chemicals is ideal for backcountry travelers. The Mini is an effective, small, lightweight, and versatile water filter that retails for under $25. If that doesn’t do it for you, no filter will.  I highly recommend you pick a Sawyer Mini today. You won’t be disappointed!

Philip Werner put up a great rant this week about bear bagging and the importance of properly protecting your food in the wilderness. There’s been a lively discussion on his post about the best food storage techniques and how to fix the general problem that animals are getting into human food too much in the wilderness. When animals get human food, it damages their natural foraging instincts and hurts the environment. It also causes pests around established campsites and can be deadly for the animals themselves.

Water purification tends to be a topic that is highly debated among lightweight backpackers. Some choose the ultralight route of chemical purification, some wave the magic UV wand, some carry bulky filters, and some choose to take the risk of drinking straight from unfiltered sources. After a nasty run-in with giardia a few years ago, I have become the type of backpacker that always purifies water and pays close attention to my treatment method.