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Hiking and Backpacking

Hiking and Backpacking

Archive

A guide to one of the most unique slices now excluded from Bears Ears National Monument

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Keep your toiletries and accessories organized

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Here’s our comprehensive guide for how to choose the right backcountry shelter

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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

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This palm-sized satellite device enables you to send and receive messages (and call for rescue) right from your cellphone

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You don’t need your Nespresso machine to get your fix in the woods

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The Seeker is a film that features hiker Atul Khandar taking a solo journey to Everest Base Camp.

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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.

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These are my dirty, well-used, time-tested picks

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A nostalgia-filled trip into the Grand Canyon

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Now you can be part of trail history by helping put signs up along America's often-overlooked (but perhaps most beautiful) thru-hike

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Headlamps are underrated yet vital gear for living on the road

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No Man’s Land from filmmaker Davide Calafà documents a six-day backpacking journey through Iceland.

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For when you don’t have tens of thousands dollars just laying around

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These pants prove that performance materials can look good too

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Start with these essentials

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When your home-on-wheels is in the shop for multiple days, take the opportunity to explore someplace new on foot

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When it comes to daypacks, it's all about the details

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Sure, it's expensive, but hear me out

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The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation works with local property owners and agencies to buy land and turn it over to the public

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In the West, where it's stupidly easy to get scorched, it's best to show less skin. These sun gloves help.

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*Epic, as in a very long day—not we’re-gonna-die

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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.

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At the Outdoor Retailer trade show last month, these seven standout hiking and trail running products caught my eye

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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.

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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.

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It's not just that she's fast—it's that she didn't train at all

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From filmmaker Pete Mcbride, Dust in the Blood chronicles McBride’s attempt to thru-hike the Grand Canyon with writer Kevin Fedarko.

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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. 

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Our PlayNow series highlights an epic POV clip so you can get in on the action even when you're stuck behind a desk.

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What to get the outdoor lover in your life

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Yes, you can still camp in the winter

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We asked a recent Appalachian Trail north-bounder to detail the most essential items during his 2,190-mile journey

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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

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Our columnist, Bryan Rogala, breaks down the components of what makes up a great sleeping pad.

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At 82 years old, Dale "Greybeard" Sanders recently became the oldest person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail.

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The Mid Caples Hut along the Greenstone-Caples Track services 5,000 trampers, New Zealand's name for a backpacker, annually.

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Holly "Cargo" Harrison has finally reached the U.S. on a 15,000-mile hike through South and North America

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Sixteen years and eight iterations in, this boot is a solid hiker that feels an awful lot like a trail runner

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This $45 tool will change the way you hydrate on the trail

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Your food will taste better, and you'll stay healthier

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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

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They're durable, smartly built, and ridiculously comfy

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Walk on—no matter the weather.

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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

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Watch columnist Bryan Rogala outline the seven things you need keep your dog safe and happy on your next outdoor adventure.

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Why this 35-year-old fanny pack is still a perfect piece of gear

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These essentials—some tangible, some not—should run you less than $100 and will make the two of you way happier in the backcountry

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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.

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A venerated European brand comes to the U.S.

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The new book by journalist Annette McGivney excavates three lives (including her own) interlinked by a 2006 homicide near Havasu Falls

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It's no more dangerous than being a woman anywhere else in society. In fact, it may be safer.

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The shaggy animals can carry our heavy packs, but can they also carry our emotional burdens?

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Keep those feet warm when the temps start to dip

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How an eventful anniversary trek on "the meanest 33 miles in history" saved a marriage

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Your most pressing backcountry food safety questions, answered

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The simple silk cocoon is a key piece of gear when the temperature starts to drop

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Those folks up in the PNW know how to make nice-looking outdoor toys

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What you eat while on the trail can make or break your ability to make it to the finish

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In short, it's smartly designed and great looking

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Our former editor on the craziest and least taste-defensible piece he ever assigned

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Sure, it's fun and relaxing—but it can also be a key part of a fitness routine

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Essentials for a basic kit to get you far, far out there

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This basic piece of gear is a must-have for any adventure

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Having a better backpacking trip starts with a good list of essentials.

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Don't let a little weather keep you inside

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Andrew Bob Harris, also known affectionately as Ducky, is officially the first person with Down syndrome to summit the Grand Teton.

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What we’re most excited about, plus five runner-ups

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The only stuff you need to hit the trail

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After years of testing, I've determined that these must be the most versatile approach shoes around

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Like running shorts, but tough as nails, these bottoms are made for hard hiking

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Big portions of Highway 1 are closed—which means there's never been a better time to explore this coastal paradise on foot and bike

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Pack the cooler. From surfing in Rhode Island to fishing the newly reborn Elwha River in the Northwest, these are the season’s quintessential weekend escapes.

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The thing is tiny, reliable, and could very well save your ass

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Our savvy, Norwegian-folk-school-trained writer shows you how to craft your own skijoring belts and mid layers

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We stopped six trekkers passing through Oregon to find out what they love most so far

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Everything a first-timer needs to know before hitting the trails

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We embrace the stereotype to salute the characters who add a little personality to all the backpacking trips we’ve ever taken

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Rural Appalachia is the unhealthiest place in the country by almost any metric. Steve Bowling, a 45-year-old library director in Kentucky, has a simple remedy: nature walks.

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Outside's love guide answers your most pressing questions about dating, break-ups, and everything in between. Today, we discuss significant others who are scared of insects and intimacy.

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