Everything
My buddy and I are planning a mega-hike down one of Colorado’s mid-length trails during summer 2009. What type of preparation and equipment will we need for a 250-mile hike? What about an overnighter that I'll be doing later this summer? Jason Pace, Florida
I’m doing research this summer in Pana, which means hot, humid, and often wet conditions (including wading around in water and mud). Can you recommend the best lightweight, fast drying, and somewhat bug-proof women's clothing? Lot of pockets would be helpful as well. Kristy Gonyer, Portland
I cycle long distances, run, backpack, use my bike trainer, etc. And I’d like some type of GPS that has it all so that I don’t have to use three or four different tools. I want something that can map a route whether I’m on my bike or hiking around Mt. Rainier. I want something that will show my cadence, heart rate, miles, elevation, average speed, and time, play my music, and set up tent (OK, not that last thing). Can you suggest a tool that does it all? Rich Spanaway, Washington
At least that's what veteran action photographer Tony Harrington told us. So when he assembled a team of world-class athletes and brought them to a secret spot in New Zealand where you can ski and surf in the same day, we agreed to send a writer. Too bad he never mentioned the midgies.
Days into a trip spent with his father and brother in Greenland, author Wells Tower was seized by a tantrum-pitching impulse and the overwhelming desire to punch himself again and again in the face
I took a nasty 300 foot slide on a hard-packed, black diond slope after slipping while snowboarding. On the way down I intersected with a tree and have lived to tell the tale. I would like some advice on an ice axe or smaller device that I could use to stop myself in the next hair-losing slide like that. Any ideas? Kirk Olivehurst, California
My wife and I are planning a weeklong trip to Glacier National Park this year, including a three-night backpacking trip. Any ideas for a good 20- to 30-mile trip that will take us into the wilderness and away from the crowds? Jason Elk River, MN
Our picks for the best new trips, gear you'll need in your carry-on, and essential tips, Web sites, gadgets, and more to help you navigate '08 in style.
We asked. You answered. Here, the results of our first-ever Readers’ Choice travel survey.
But you don't have to be. Navigate the increasingly unfriendly skies with our layover-free guide to all things air travel—starting with the most pressing question of all.
Pasquale Scaturro never wanted to be a glorified “tour-bus” driver. For him, leading expeditions, like rafting Ethiopia’s Omo River, is a glorious hobby. He picks a spot on the globe, invites his friends, dons his 19th-century-explorer hat, and relishes being the man in change.
I hiking the West Coast Trail this June, which is typically a rainy season for the trail. What would you recommend for a good set of backpacking pants that can fend off at least a couple days worth of rain? Reagen Calgary, Alberta
I've run one ultrarathon and looking to do a few more this year. What are the best and lightest trail shoes on the market? I tried the North Face Arnuva 50 Boa, but I'd like to hear about some lighter choices. Thanks! Alex Iowa City, Iowa
Dear Airlines, So things got tough a few years ago—jet-fuel prices skyrocketed, low-cost carriers put the squeeze on, profits nose-dived. You had to make big changes. We understood, we gave you space. And in spite of what your many, many critics say, you actually got a few things right. Tickets…
I’m looking for a modestly priced, general-purpose running snowshoe. I’ll take a few ups and downs, but will mostly stick to groomed trails or four to eight inches of semi-packed snow. Any ideas? David Erda, Utah
I'm planning a summer ascent of Mount Shasta and want to know what you recommend for a backpack and sleeping bag. Is a zero-degree bag warm enough? I lean toward being a cold sleeper and prefer synthetic. I was told by the guide service to have a 4,500-cubic-inch pack. But I’m a petite woman, so isn't that a bit large? Julie Aliso Viejo, California
I about to take on a few mountaineering trips involving Mount Rainier, Mount Shasta, and some of the Colorado 14ers. What is your recommendation for decent pants that are waterproof and breathable and will hold up to wearing a harness for an extended period of time? E.J. Dallas, Texas
I hope you can settle a disagreement between my wife and me. We’re going on a five-day trek to Machu Picchu along the Cino Salcantay carrying day packs only. My wife has a pair of 10-year-old Vasque boots that she insists are adequate but don't look very substantial to me. Any suggestion as to what boots she should be wearing on this hike? David Palm City, Florida
I am considering a serious cycling trip across Europe, and I’m set on getting a road bike for it. But I’m having an equipment quandary. I won’t need much, but how do I carry things like a sleeping bag? I don’t want to carry a pack on my back. What do you suggest?
My friend and I are very interested in going to watch the Tour of Flanders in Belgium. However, rather than ride along the course, we want to find a tour company to drive us around while we watch the race, hang out with the locals, eat frites, and drink beer. Do you have any suggestions? Thomas Hilal Los Angeles, CA
How to bring the world's freshwater woes into focus? Try 3-D. On one of the most ambitious Imax projects to date, 44 river warriors including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Wade Davis go sloshing down the Grand Canyon—and try not to drop the million-dollar cameras into the drink.
Their fathers were titans. Their family defined conservation in the West. Now, with two Senate seats up for grabs, cousins Mark and Tom Udall have the chance to bring green leadership to Washington when it's needed most. Can the boys man up the way their dads did a generation ago?
The new Vectrix, the only highway-legal electric bike on the market, isn’t perfect. But once I figured out how to work the counterintuitive, throttle-based regenerative brakes (forward to stop slowly, forward and lever to stop quickly or was it the other way? dang, sorry, lady!) and made peace…
Imagine getting off a plane straight out of a sci-fi movie, borrowing an electric car like a library book, and cruising a metropolis reverse-engineered to be as cozy as an Old World hamlet. All this and more is right around the corner.
I’m an alpine skier but would like to bomb through the fresh Iowa powder (when we get it) on cross-country skis. I prefer skis that are for off-trail but that can also take some turns down the gullies. Any recommendations? Steve Iowa City, Iowa
I get all kinds of different advice on how to care for my gear. Normal detergent, hi-tech fabric cleaners, and spray-on or wash-in waterproofing make my head spin. Can you clarify how to best take care of soft-shell and hard-shell fabrics? Gudni Reykjavik, Iceland
Have you tried the Aquira Frontier water filter yet? Also, what's the best way, that isn't too expensive or heavy, to treat water while backpacking? Claudia Asheville, North Carolina
Jack Johnson's no-pretensions approach to green living has turned the mellow rocker into one of the music world's leading environmentalists. But the best part of his eco-ethos? It won't make your eyes roll.
You bought a hybrid. That's swell. Now how about we all get down to business?
Drive what's on the road today. Here are the three best adventure-ready fuel sippers.
WITH TWO SUCCESSFUL clothing labels and a furniture line, along with stores in or planned for New York, Hollywood, Tokyo, Paris, and London, designer ROGAN GREGORY, 35, and his business partner, SCOTT MACKINLAY HAHN, 37, have created a style empire. And they’ve done it with a dedication to organic…
The only technical layer that should be worn around the office? Nature's original fleece.
I'm attending a Himalayan Mountaineering Course in Nepal next month, and ski goggles are recommended on the gear list. I’ve always relied on my Julbo sunglasses. What are the merits of goggles, and can you recommend a type? Paul Perth, Western Australia
Nobody died when the Explorer sank off Antarctica, but the incident revived a nagging question: Are too many sightseers bobbing around at the bottom of the world?
Jeffrey Sachs’s 2005 bestseller The End of Poverty laid out a blueprint for eliminating extreme impoverishment. It also brought Sachs, a Columbia University based economist, international celebrity, attracted rock starsbuenos días, Bono!to his cause, and made African development a hot topic. In Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet (The…
This June, the Discovery Home Channel will relaunch as Discovery’s PLANET GREEN, with a focus, 24/7, on earth-friendly living, from design and architecture to entertaining. Star-powered programming so far includes The Greensburg Project, a 13-part documentary series co-produced by Leonardo DiCaprio that chronicles the rebuilding of tornado-ravaged Greensburg, Kansas, and…
Only a fraction of green trends are grounded in sound science and economics. Here, we sort through the latest.
What’s the best three-season, ultra-light tent for Rocky Mountain backpacking? I've looked at the The North Face Vario 23, MSR Hubba Hubba, and Marmot Aura 2P. Gabe Montana
I’m walking the Seattle Breast Cancer 3-Day this fall and want to buy a small pack for the event. I’ll walk 20 miles a day and will need to carry a few essentials, including water. Got anything in pink? Joy Cottage Grove, Oregon
Cuba has the Caribbean's largest wetlands and earth's happiest lobsters, but is Fortress Fidel really an environmental paradise? PATRICK SYMMES heads south and finds that bold policies combined with bolder incompetence can result in surprising successes—and spectacular brown failures.
I walking the Cino in Northern Spain at the beginning of April and will be staying in hostels. Can you please to recommend the lightest sleeping bag that is sufficiently warm for this time of year? Kate Faversh, Kent
My husband and I are looking for a good kayak. For now, we’ll be lake kayaking/camping in Arizona. Then, we are moving to Kauai, Hawaii, in 3–5 years and want to go in the ocean. Is there a "dual-purpose" kayak we can buy? Kathy Chandler, Arizona
I'm going on a trek through the Indian Himalayas near Darjeeling in early March, and don't know what, or how much, to bring. We’ll spend several days hiking between villages in moderately cool weather. What should I bring, and are iodine tablets sufficient to make the water safe? Chris Cincinnati, Ohio
My wife and I will be hiking the Inca Trail in April, and I would appreciate your opinion about appropriate raingear. We’d want something waterproof-breathable, right? Ed Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
I looking for a real backpack, with a useful hip belt, that will also fit the dimensions for airline carry-on. Since European commuters are somewhat more restrictive about that, I would prefer something in the 21"x14"x7" neighborhood. Can you make a suggestion? Don Denver, Colorado
My son and I winter cp, and we want to buy a new tent that will last many years and survive his solo trip to Alaska. Would you recommend the Hilleberg brand? Van Sioux Falls, South Dakota
I an avid backpacker, but have yet to get into winter hiking. Are there any trails in or around Washington that you would recommend as a good place to get some experience with four-season backpacking? Scott V. Chehalis, Washington
You don't need to have billions or hold office to make a big difference. Just check out how this year's nine eco-all-stars—from a Chilean dam buster to a snowboarder who's seen the light—are changing the world.
My son is headed to New Zealand for the spring semester. Things sure have changed since I went to college! He will have some time to backpack, and he’s not sure if a canister or white-gas stove will be easier to travel with and refuel. We have been eying the Vargo Jet-ti. What do you think? Mike Front Royal, Virginia
I looking for a warm belay jacket for ice climbing and have considered the Patagonia DAS or the Wild Things Belay Jacket. Would the Polarguard 3D (in the DAS) be more durable over time and keep its loft more so than the Primaloft (in the Wild Things jacket)? Rich Athens, Georgia
Tired of the green-product spin? Here are 11 industry leaders doing their part.
Honest eco-travel no longer requires a passport. These four domestic getaways treat you—and the environment—right.
In terms of rain jackets, which waterproof-breathable fabric is more breathable: eVent, Gore-Tex Pro Shell, H2No (Patagonia), or Dry Light Tec (MontBell)? Chris Mission, Kansas
She rips like Julia Mancuso. You ski blue runs. So is the relationship doomed? Dr. Eric weighs in on “Skills Deficit Syndrome” and other perils of extreme love.
After a Pakistani military helicopter plucked stranded Slovenian super-alpinist Tomaz Humar from Nanga Parbat in 2005, detractors lambasted him for milking the rescue as a reality drama to draw millions of visitors to his Web site. But in November, Humar, 38, returned to the Himalayas and nabbed an astounding solo…
NEARLY 12 YEARS after the infamous Into Thin Air tragedy, books about Everest’s ever-increasing chaos are still being squeezed out like freeze-dried sausages. The latest is High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed (Hyperion, $25), by Michael Kodas, a Hartford Courant writer who made an unsuccessful…
Here's our problem with safaris: They're billed as authentic, up-close-and-personal wildlife experiences, but by Land Rover–bound definition, some are as canned as any Club Med junket. Closer to the real thing is Kiba Point, a brand-new luxury safari lodge in the heart of Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve. Selous is the…
Cartier, Patek Philippe… Swiss Army? We were surprised, too. But the limited-edition VICTORINOX SWISS ARMY LEGACY RÉSERVE DE MARCHE PLATINE is an instant family heirloom. Encased in platinum, the watch has a unique design; it’s open on both sides, showcasing its remarkable engineering—a Valgranges self-winding movement, with a mechanical power-reserve…
The best new point-and-shoots, SLRs, and camcorders for the digital man
Tech toys are great. It's the people who don't know when to put them away that suck.
Jack Johnson’s electrified new album, Sleep Through the Static (out February 5), sees the laid-back beach troubadour getting a little fired up—and tapping into surf rock’s high-energy legacy. It’s the latest reinvigorating jolt to the once flailing genre, which has seen a steady resurgence since the dire days of “Kokomo.&rdq
In 2007, green was the new black. A year later, are eco-celebs and enviro wrist-slappers killing the mood?
Vollmann trades the bourgeois life for vagabonding—and a freight car with a view
In the past ten years, Philippe Cousteau Jr. has seen the death of his grandfather, Jacques, the ascent of his uncle, Jean-Michel, to clan figurehead, and a series of nasty in-family lawsuits that fractured the Cousteau Society. Now, as the power struggles of the older Cousteaus fade, a third generation…
Splat! That’s the sound BASE jumper Jeb Corliss promises you won’t hear when he attempts to land a several-thousand-foot free fall without a parachute. The 31-year-old Californian and former host of the Discovery Channel’s Stunt Junkies has been developing an intricate touchdown procedure. He now claims he’s less than…
