Travel
Archive
OFF-ROAD WARRIOR How comfortable is the Doubletrack as a backpack? With a 25-pound load jammed in the single, 1,950-cubic-inch main compartment, it felt so comfortable I wanted to ditch my flight and keep on walking. Why? The airy back panel and fully adjustable (and hide-away) suspension system—complete with load-lifters and…
Cyclotourist The lightweight, waterproof Classic Messenger XL is an ode to efficient, simple transport, yawning open with a 3,313-cube maw that’ll consume enough gear for week-plus jaunts. One tester made it his primary carry-on, which morphed into a daily shoulder bag while exploring foreign destinations by bike. Under-the-flap pockets equal…
Why It’s CoolSure, it’s well made and rolls the heaviest of loads with aplomb, but my favorite feature is its water-proof compartment: a zippered bag that fills the bottom third (viewed vertically) of the trunk, big enough for a pair of hiking boots and Chacos, with room left for a…
COMPACT AND DURABLE At six pounds and change, this agile carry-on is the choice for fast-and-light travel. Its 2,800 cubic inches carried enough for a week in Mexico, where my giddyup included planes, boats, taxis, and a conked-out scooter that left me hitchhiking. The rigid, lightweight aluminum frame handled trunk-stuffing…
Off-Roader After 18,000 air miles and transits to mucky Thai elephant camps, this agile 3,965-cube convertible sustained only negligible knicks. The drop door’s main compartment easily assimilates ten days of garb and gear, while side exterior pockets can hold camera lenses and H2O. We stashed maps, documents, and a netbook…
Why It’s CoolFirst, those spins: a padded pocket with a headphone port for tunes, on the front of the 4,200-cubic-inch bag; on the back, metal grommets through which you can thread a cable lock, and, on the bottom, a pull-out, seamless rain cover. » Most convertibles are weak in backpack…
EVERYTHING AT HAND The 2,610-cube Maximum Legal Carry-On is overly tough, with 1,680-denier ballistics nylon and a DWR finish. It multitasks as a shoulder bag, soft-sided suitcase, or convertible backpack, handling mad airport dashes and civilized check-ins with equal ease. In the water-resistant main compartment, an internal compression panel/divider cinches…
Take it on the road with this ingenious 8,064-cubic-inch rolling duffel, which mounts on rooftop racks. The Rack Lash cruised like any good wheelie, and when late arrivals meant trudging along darkened streets, its reflective fabric helped safeguard against unpredictable traffic. Peel open the Big Mouth top and its…
BOMBER VAGABOND What looks like a techy backpack splits into a 1,340-cube daypack and a 4,400-cube main hauler, carried as shoulder or side bag. In Iquitos, Peru, it all behaved like a comfortable 40-pound backpack, with load-adjuster straps and stiff back panel, as I traveled by boat and navigated muddy…
Why It’s CoolIn both modes, the Outlander is exceptionally clean and stable, thanks to Osprey’s trademark burrito-wrap pack bag: Foam-stiffened sides envelop (and protect) any load, so there’s no slop. » It’s trek-ready, with a zip-away, fully adjustable harness (padded hipbelt and shoulder straps). Go ahead, haul 50 pounds. Bonus:…
MULTISPORT MAW This rolling expedition duffel could eat two pony kegs. I dumped loads of gear into the 6,100-cube behemoth for kayaking and glacier tromping in Alaska and still had plenty of room. Osprey’s inventive exoskeleton design features a flexible Delrin rod that acts as a shield while forming the…
Why It’s CoolI thought of the Gear Logic as a rolling footlocker with a waterproof bottom “drawer” just big enough for my test cargo: a pair of full-size hiking boots and Tevas. Oh-so-niftily, I could pull out that bottom compartment and—voilà—a tote bag. I could also jettison the tote bag,…
ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE MINIMALIST This 3,150-cube carry-on’s built like a wolverine: compact, rugged, and toothy—colossal five-inch wheels bite into most any surface and prevent payload rollovers. During a rain-racked week in Chiapas, Mexico, the water-resistant boot bin sequestered dank footwear while the muck-shirking polyurethane exterior was easy to wipe off. Inside, uncomplicated…
Always in a hurry? As with many carry-ons, stashing this ten-inch-deep roller in overhead bins is fast and simple. Unlike with many, extracting it is just as quick: A strategically placed bottom handle puts an end to frustrating yank-athons. The Vienna is a petite 2,150 cubes, yet its compression-strap…
SLICK AND UTILITARIAN Fully rotating handle for ergonomic towing; adjustable, ventilated, zip-away backpack suspension for off-road jaunts; detachable day bag with shoulder strap for town tours? Check. This carry-on-legal, 3,200-cube convertible provided all and more during five days in Belize. Sliding the surprisingly svelte main bag—compressed via four straps—into overhead…
Rainforest explorers and Weather Channel illiterates, take note: The aptly named WeatherShed defies the elements. It’s roofed with a rubbery topside fabric, sealed with a water-resistant zipper, and finished with a bathtublike plastic bottom. The duffel yawns open like a doctor’s black bag, exposing a 4,100-cube interior that isn’t…
A thermomolded plastic shell surrounds three sheets of eggcrate foam to keep your bike safe. Interior tie-downs guard against nicks and scratches. bikeprousa.com…
Photo by Will Taylor Recent studies show that discontinuing Daylight Savings Time (DST) could both save energy and encourage people in the Northern Hemisphere to exercise more, Reuters reports. “It must be rare to find a means of vastly improving the health and…
There's more to Scotland than rain and whisky. A couple of weeks ago, I hit up the Adventure Travel World Summit in Aviemore on a mission to find the best international trips of 2011. I found them, and also brought back the top…
Mamils: A term used in London for triathletes pushing middle-age, which stands for middle-aged men in Lycra. A little context for those looking to use the word in conversation: Research conducted by the retail analyst Mintel suggests there has been a surge in the number of middle-aged men choosing to…
Italy boasts an enduring culture of Alpinism, to-die-for cycling, and hard-core ultrarunning. It's why I planned a trip there this fall. (Yes, there's also…The food! The vino!) I spent a week trekking in Abruzzo, a multi-sport mecca for climbing, trekking, paragliding and mountain biking. It's…
Photo Courtesy of Flickr At the end of the Trans Canada Highway, surrounded on three sides by water, lies Tofino, a town of 1,500 people. It's a beautiful place—old-growth cedar, migrating whales, a rich native history—packed full of adventure options. I hit…
I'm planning a trip for my husband's 40th birthday this fall, and I'm trying to find the place with the perfect mix of beach relaxation and adventure. You know, kayaking, hiking, sailing, snorkelling, and windsurfing to go with a super nice room, superb food, and a spa treatment or two. What are your suggestions? –Jill North Attleboro, MA
I'm looking for places in the east where I can do some sport climbing and camping. Can you hook me up? –Brendan Media, PA
I know of some companies that arrange travel in the States for trail runners, like Adventure Running Co [www.adventurerunningco.com]. They take your belongings to the next destination while you're running. I would love to take a trail run in New Zealand or Chile. Is there some similar program for those who would like to do the same abroad? –Joshua Melbourne, FL
I'm planning a weeklong vacation in early November, and am looking for a relatively nearby destination where I can find some good outdoor activities mixed with good culture. If you could give me a top 5 list that would be great. –Josh Washington DC
Photo courtesy of Flickr. A baby snow leopard was caught on camera high in the Himalayas of Bhutan, the BBC reports. The cub triggered a camera trap set up by a BBC Natural History film crew, walking…
Hiya Outsiders, Last week, I moved from Outside HQ to Newcastle, England. (Yes, like the beer.) So i…
I'm really outdoorsy and my new boyfriend isn't—though he's willing to learn. We're about to take our first vacation together. What's a good place within a day's drive of Washington, DC where I can introduce him to hiking but also have access to other fun activities in case he needs a more restful day or two? –Madeline Alexandria, VA
You've all seen the apps that will stylize your photos and give them that nineties-era cross-processed look, the dark vignetted corners, or the American Apparel Lomo look. But here is a way to combine iPhone apps to shoot in the style of some of Outside's favorite photographers. Yes, we realize…
I would like to do an overnight kayak trip, but don't want to camp. Any suggestions in the Mid-Atlantic states? -Sandy Mechanicsburg, PA
A new Australian resort built by Unilever, makers of Axe products, will open in November–for men only, the New York Post reports. Lynx Lodge, located just outside of Sydney, promises to fulfill…
It's my third day shooting a film for the non-profit Save Our Wild Salmon about a select group of fish that swim 800 miles, the longest salmon migration in the world, from the Pacific Ocean to Idaho's 10,000-foot Sawtooth Mountains. I'm joined…
Last summer, in our June issue, we wrote about our favorite summer music festivals. Jazz Aspen Snowmass, of course, was one of them. Well, Labor Day Weekend is nearly here and a bunch of us are…
I'm headed down to Argentina and Chile late this summer, and want to go snowboarding. Where do you recommend? —Ned, Winston-Salem NC
Photo Courtesy of Flickr Need to visit your brother in New York? Catch some fall surf in California? Climb a fourteener in Colorado? See a concert in Austin? All in a month? JetBlue has you covered with the return of its…
Since 2004, the Fresh Air Fund, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, and Cayman Airways have partnered to provide a group of inner-city children the trip of a lifetime…
Any top-ten list is open to debate, but the folks over at Budget Travel have done a good job with their list of the world's ten most beautiful lakes, with picks like Crater Lake, Peyto Lake in Alberta, and Lake Matheson in New…
My family is going to the Big Island of Hawaii. Do you have any advice on day hikes or some amazing must-see spots on the Island? We want to get off the beaten path. –Scott, Nogales Arizona
A former aide to former Republican Senator Ted Stevens, speaking under the condition of anonymity, claims that the congressman was aboard a small plane that crashed killed in a small plane crash on Monday night in Alaska, the New York Times reports.
In which you mount a horse and follow a charismatic Iranian-American visionary into a Mongolian no-man's-land known as the Dark Heavens. Watch out for the bandits, don't give the shaman too much vodka, and hold on for dear life.
For the second consecutive month, Yellowstone National Park has seen record-breaking attendance, the Jackson Hole (Wyoming) Daily reports. Nearly one million people visited the Park in July, more than any other month since Yellowstone…
What are the best beginner-level mountaineering expeditions across the world that a regular, fit trekker can attempt?–Kuntal, Mumbai India
What's the best long haul bag for an island vacation? The Editors Santa Fe, New Mexico
I am going to Morocco in late summer for a week, and want you to tell me what to see and what to skip.–ChrisChicago, IL
He dodges sharks, fends off charging elephants, and parries David Letterman with relaxed aplomb. Meet scientist and pitchman M. Sanjayan, coming soon to a channel near you.
I am going to Morocco in late summer for a week, and want you to tell me what to see and what to skip. — Chris Chicago, IL
In an era of massive oil spills and increasing energy demands, why does river conservation still matter? Because free-flowing water is fun. Because it's good for the national chutzpah. And because, as these four comeback stories illustrate, saving rivers is more profitable than exploiting them.
Last year, I took a half-day road trip through Yellowstone with my brother Garrett. We saw four bears, two herds of buffalo, antelope, elk, four moose, and thousands of tourists. Garrett, an ecologist in the Rockies at the time, could name…
Yellowstone (Courtesy of NPS) The heat is on. Time for a vacation–or time to plan one, at least. Presenting the top ten travel tips, from the National Parks Project's Patricia Schultz, best-selling author of…
Photo courtesy of alobonzo on Flickr. On Wednesday, the House Agriculture Committee voted 25-20 to do away with the long-standing restrictions on American citizens visiting Cuba. The vote was largely partisan, the New York Times…
Cruise trips to the Antarctic may end next August, according to The Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald. The article states that the International Maritime Organization is banning the use and carriage of heavy oil fuels, the kinds commonly used by big ships in the…
Now that I'm part way through day three of my first Telluride Bluegrass, I've officially drunk the festival kool-aid. We're already making plans to come back next year. I've already been on two incredible mountain bike rides—the pic above if from yesterday's ride up the Bridal Veil trail, before snow…
Friends of mine just walked the Lycian Trail in Turkey, and it sounds like it was incredible. I want to do a similar sort of trip, following a trail through foreign lands, unguided. Are there similar ones out there?—AlexSeattle WA
As I mentioned in my earlier post, a bunch of us are getting fired up for Telluride Bluegrass this weekend. If you're on the fence about going this year, it's not too late. I just got a press release last…
Things are ramping up at the Outside in Aspen Weekend. Skier Chris Davenport led a hike to Maroon Bells, cyclist Tyler Hamilton headed out with a crew on a road ride, and kayaker Jesse Coombs led a kayaking contingent out…
Last summer, in our June issue, we wrote about our favorite 17 summer music festivals in America. Of course, Telluride Bluegrass was among them. Well, summer is finally here and a bunch of Outside staffers…
Sixteen-year-old Noa Ginella beat out favorites Charlie MacArthur and Dan Gavare in a stunning upset this past weekend at the Teva Mountain Games' First Ascent SUP Surf Sprint, Paddling Life reports. The virtually unknown North Shore native had never paddled whitewater…
My parents were reasonably earthy, but I’m convinced my passion for the outdoors came from Manito-wish, a Wisconsin summer camp that, like any real camp, includes a true wilderness trip. If you’re at all concerned that your child is becoming a thin-skinned lily-dipper, consider booting your beloved into the wildwith…
In the range wars of the 21st century, the cattle rustler runs Ponzi schemes and the lawman drives an SUV. STEVEN RINELLA joins the new posse.
Lottery fever has taken over the adventure world, which suddenly makes us miss waiting in line.
High water meant big air for the riders in downtown Vail, Colorado, at this weekend's Teva Mountain Games, according to paddlinglife.net. Where organizerspreviously had to dial in an adjustable inflatable barrier to funnel flow, this time there was almost too…
I'm 28, single, and want to hike, camp, climb, and paddle all over the world. And while I have a great group of friends, most are married or coupled off, so finding a travel partner is a problem. Could you suggest some good adventure travel outfitters or other alternatives that cater to young, single women?—SarahAtlanta, GA
You can help us create Outside's all new 2010 Life List by answering the questions below. What’s a life list? A series of goals that, if achieved,would make a full and wild life. If you tell us what's on your list, we'll do the research so you can have…
On July 11, GearJunkie.com will host a one-day-only Treasure Hunt event in a wilderness park near Roanoke, Virginia. More than $40,000 in outdoor gear–from backpacks to kayaks–will be given away to an estimated 300 participants. The event will essentially be an adventure,…
Paragliding trips in the Indian Himalayas are deadly, unpredictable...and one of the greatest thrills on earth.
Five hundred dollars can buy you a lot of things: an iPad, a mediocre bike, a lawn mower—or three days of glorious summertime freedom (transportation excluded). Here are our picks for the best do-it-yourself budget escapes in North America, plus outfitted adventures you can't afford to miss.
Talk to me about Spain in the late summer! I'm planning my trip now and want to have a hell of a time!—LisaBoulder, CO
I want to take an awesome adventure trip with an operation run by indigenous people, any ideas? I want to be able to give back to the place I visit!—CharlotteSarasota, Fl
What are the summer's best, off-the-beaten-path adventures in Europe?—MikeFramingham, MA
My wife and I are visiting New Zealand next winter and would like to hike, bike, kayak, and/or bungee jump. Any recommendations on how to get that done?—MarshallVancouver, BC