Hiking and Backpacking
Archive
Our writer spent years trying to find the perfect daypack. This is it.
Outdoor Afro is dedicated to bringing inclusion and diversity to the outdoor world.
One of the craziest speed records in ultrarunning takes athletes from the top of the canyon, down to the bottom, and then all the way back up again—twice.
This film 'Fastest Known Time' gives context to a movement growing within the trail community: FKTs.
Rule number one? Resist the urge to overcomplicate things.
In this clip from 'Coming to My Senses', Aaron Baker begins his 20-mile journey across Death Valley.
Decades of political infighting have stymied construction of the North Country Trail, which, if finished, would run for 4,600 miles. Now it looks like Congress may finally be ready to get its act together.
While overcrowding plagues America's most popular trails, there are still places to find solitude
Plus five great hammocks tested by an AT thru-hiker
Jackets are getting trimmer and thinner. Are the weight savings worth the money?
Three years after the pioneering ultralight backpacking brand declared bankruptcy, it's relaunching under new ownership
Six women talk about their experiences with harassment while recreating or working in the outdoor industry
A classic goes head-to-head with a modern rival
Pro tip: bring plastic baggies and a Nalgene
And other things you should remember when you meet a plus-size hiker on the trail
Four tips to help you spend less time futzing with gear and more time on the trail
A guide to one of the most unique slices now excluded from Bears Ears National Monument
Here’s our comprehensive guide for how to choose the right backcountry shelter
The author started her career just trying to fit in with the (many, many) guys, but eventually came to realize she'd become as misogynistic as the worst of them
This palm-sized satellite device enables you to send and receive messages (and call for rescue) right from your cellphone
You don’t need your Nespresso machine to get your fix in the woods
With no official governing body, it’s up to athletes to prove their fastest-known-time claims. But as the stakes increase, substantiating these feats has become more complex than ever. For those who still intend to pursue an FKT, though, these guidelines will help.
The Seeker is a film that features hiker Atul Khandar taking a solo journey to Everest Base Camp.
These are my dirty, well-used, time-tested picks
Now you can be part of trail history by helping put signs up along America's often-overlooked (but perhaps most beautiful) thru-hike
Headlamps are underrated yet vital gear for living on the road
No Man’s Land from filmmaker Davide Calafà documents a six-day backpacking journey through Iceland.
For when you don’t have tens of thousands dollars just laying around
These pants prove that performance materials can look good too
When your home-on-wheels is in the shop for multiple days, take the opportunity to explore someplace new on foot
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation works with local property owners and agencies to buy land and turn it over to the public
In the West, where it's stupidly easy to get scorched, it's best to show less skin. These sun gloves help.
*Epic, as in a very long day—not we’re-gonna-die
If successful, he'd be the first to do so. Sure, he's had to bail twice, but that won't stop him from trying again and again.
At the Outdoor Retailer trade show last month, these seven standout hiking and trail running products caught my eye
Is Osprey's new "super ultralight" Levity/Lumina right for you? Unless you're a dedicated thru-hiker or gram weenie, probably not. But it's still pretty impressive.
On a recent trip to Hawaii, filmmaker Ryan Harris hiked the Kalalau Trail in search of a legendary local who makes pizza in the mountains.
It's not just that she's fast—it's that she didn't train at all
From filmmaker Pete Mcbride, Dust in the Blood chronicles McBride’s attempt to thru-hike the Grand Canyon with writer Kevin Fedarko.
From technical apparel company Pertex, Elemental Journeys: To Become Known follows a young woman who reflects on how her experiences in the mountains shape her interactions in the modern world.
Our PlayNow series highlights an epic POV clip so you can get in on the action even when you're stuck behind a desk.
We asked a recent Appalachian Trail north-bounder to detail the most essential items during his 2,190-mile journey
The association that manages the West's premier national trail just paid $1.6 million to prevent a property owner from putting up a fence 150 miles shy of the Canadian border
Our columnist, Bryan Rogala, breaks down the components of what makes up a great sleeping pad.
At 82 years old, Dale "Greybeard" Sanders recently became the oldest person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.
The Mid Caples Hut along the Greenstone-Caples Track services 5,000 trampers, New Zealand's name for a backpacker, annually.
Holly "Cargo" Harrison has finally reached the U.S. on a 15,000-mile hike through South and North America
Sixteen years and eight iterations in, this boot is a solid hiker that feels an awful lot like a trail runner
This $45 tool will change the way you hydrate on the trail
Your food will taste better, and you'll stay healthier
Christian Thomas, a.k.a. Buddy Backpacker, finished the Continental Divide Trail on September 18, becoming the youngest person to complete all three of the nation's longest hiking trails
They're durable, smartly built, and ridiculously comfy
We asked some of our favorite hiking guides to dish on the shoes and boots that they’ve fallen in love with over the years
Watch columnist Bryan Rogala outline the seven things you need keep your dog safe and happy on your next outdoor adventure.
These essentials—some tangible, some not—should run you less than $100 and will make the two of you way happier in the backcountry
Granite Gear has begun sponsoring thru-hikers on iconic trails across the world in an effort to promote trash collection and the pack-it-out mentality.
The new book by journalist Annette McGivney excavates three lives (including her own) interlinked by a 2006 homicide near Havasu Falls
It's no more dangerous than being a woman anywhere else in society. In fact, it may be safer.
The shaggy animals can carry our heavy packs, but can they also carry our emotional burdens?
How an eventful anniversary trek on "the meanest 33 miles in history" saved a marriage
Your most pressing backcountry food safety questions, answered
The simple silk cocoon is a key piece of gear when the temperature starts to drop