Backpacking Gear Guides & Reviews
Here you'll find in-depth guides on shelters, sleeping bags and more. You'll also find reviews of individual products
Ultralight Backpacking Cooking Gear – Everything You Need to Know
A hot meal at the end of a long hiking day makes carrying the weight of cook gear well worth it. In this article, I’m covering all the components of ultralight backpacking cooking gear and giving you some of my top recommendations. Whether you’re attempting a..

How to Choose an Ultralight Backpacking Sleep System
Your ultralight backpacking sleep system is the most important factor in keeping you warm on a trip. In this post I’m going over all the important elements

Ultralight Backpacking Knife – How to Choose One and What I Carry
I like knives, I own a lot. I use many different types and sizes on a regular basis. For an ultralight backpacking knife, I have specific requirements that need to be met before I consider adding the weight to my pack. When I’m going on an ultralight backpacking

Blackrock Gear Down Hat Review
The Blackrock Gear Original is an ultralight goose down option when you need serious warmth for your noggin. Blackrock Gear provided me with the down hat for testing on my thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail in 2017. After using it every day on the hike

Best Socks for Thru-Hiking – Who Makes Them?
Choosing the best socks for thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail or any major hike is something that deserves careful consideration. I’ve talked about my go-to hiking shoes, but never what socks I use. So, in this post, I’m going to go over what I look for…

Bedrock Sandals Review – Classics vs Cairn Pro’s
In this review, I’m going to be comparing two models of Bedrock Sandals, The Classics, and The Cairn Pros. I’m a big proponent of the “barefoot movement” and try to spend as much time as possible without anything on my feet. This often isn’t practical so…

Orno UL Review – How Conditions on the CDT converted me back to a Mummy Style Sleeping Bag
The Orno UL from Big Agnes is a bomber 0 degree Fahrenheit sleeping bag, it may be the reason I switch back to a mummy-style sleeping bag. Below is a story about making the switch during my 2017 hike of the Continental Divide Trail.

Shamma Mountain Goats Review – Barefoot Sandal Greatness
Shamma Mountain Goats are a great option if you’re looking for a solid “Barefoot Sandal”. In this review, I go through all the features. As I’ve mentioned before in previous blog posts and Youtube Videos I’m a big proponent of the barefoot movement.

ZPacks Accessories Review
This is a review of some of the Zpacks accessories I used on my 2015 thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. Z Packs are a small cottage backpacking company based out of Melbourne, Florida. They make all their gear from Cuben Fibre (recently renamed..

Six Moon Designs Wild Oasis Tent Review
This is my review of the Six Moon Designs Wild Oasis, the tent that I used on my 2015 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. The Six Moon Designs Wild Oasis is a one-man, single-walled tarp that setups in a pyramid style. The Tent pitches using a single..