Frans shares his journey in backpacking and his thoughts after a recent experience in the mountains where having only the essentials helped him get out of a potential sticky situation.

Finding the right gear for the job can be a daunting task With a little research and some forethought, you can easily identify the gear you need to bring. I’ve put together a guide to help you do just that.

Staying clean in the backcountry is key. Here’s how.

Granite Gear was born in the Boundary Waters helping canoe goers portage their gear from one body of water to another. Fast forward 32 years, and they have a wide array of products to include ultralight packs found on all the long trails in the U.S.

Tayson Whittaker is the founder of Outdoor Vitals, a brand that he started with $500.  His aim was to create quality ultralight gear without the ultra expensive price tag...and he did it. 

Christof Teuscher is the new FKT holder of the WA section of the PCT.  We chat what it means to run 500 miles in just 10 days, how it works, and where this all began personally.  Lots of great wisdom on how to push those personal limits!

Transitioning from a traditional backpacking tent to an ultralight tipi can be somewhat of a daunting task.  I've known about these tipis for a while now and had contemplated purchasing one for myself but just didn't know if I'd like not having a floor.  I continued going back and forth on the matter in my head and finally realized that if I were to spend a week in the backcountry during hunting season, I wanted to be as comfortable as possible and that was only going to happen in an ultralight tipi.  With that, I purchased the Seek Outside Redcliff and began my journey into this new style of tent living.

One of the most important ingredients of a good backcountry kit is a water filtering system.  I'll admit that prior to my Sawyer Mini, I had no experience with water filters of any kind.  There are so many designs out there to choose from such as pumps, squeeze styles, and gravity fed systems, that it can be a little overwhelming at times.  Though I haven't owned them all, I can at least speak intelligently about how my Sawyer Mini works and show you why it is I love it so much.

I love finding ways to organize myself in the backcountry.  The Kuiu Dry Zip Bag has become a regular partner of mine in doing so and I'd highly suggest picking up some of your own.  Find out why by reading this post!

Reviewing a backpack is a daunting task because of how complicated it can be.  There are as many packs out there as there are body types and each one serves its own specific purpose.  Some are built for ultra light hiking while others for heavy load hauling.  Some are meant for a lifetime of abuse while others will last but a few years.  If you ask my close friends, they'd tell you that I have a minor obsession with backpacks of any kind and what my obsession has taught be over the years is that unlike the Lord of the Rings, there is not one backpack to rule them all.  With that in mind, though daunting as it may be, I’m so pleased with my Exo Mountain Gear 3500 that I can't help but tell of how great it is.

I accepted for a number of years that come hunting season, I was going to have to deal with being wet and cold because there was nothing out there that was durable enough to stand up to the Pacific Northwest rain showers.  All that changed when I found the Kuiu Yukon rain gear.  Never again will I be turned away from hunting because of a downpour.

Always with me, always reliable, and quick to boil.  My MSR Reactor will always be in my pack and for good reason.  It's built tough, can boil snow, and has on many occasions, been passed around the camp boiling water for meals and hot coffee.  Simply put, I love this thing.