It wasn’t that long ago that aspiring thru-hikers had to explain what, exactly, they were doing planning to hike something like the Appalachian Trail or Pacific Crest Trail. The kinds of distances ...

I did not grow up in an outdoorsy family. We spent the occasional summer road-tripping through Colorado, sure, but I was just as likely to spend an entire school break playing Super Nintendo in my ...

Backpacking is just like day hiking. Except instead of finishing the day by going home to a shower and a home-cooked meal, you camp alongside the trail, don’t shower, and eat someone’s best attempt at ...

I first encountered the ideas of ultralight backpacking in 1994, in an article in now-defunct (and much-missed) Backpacker magazine. It was titled “Less is More,” by Mark Jenkins. (I still have a PDF ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Wendy Altschuler is a seasoned travel and adventure writer and author. Pacific Crest Trail, John Muir Trail, Continental Divide ...

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced hiker, you know the importance of having the right gear. It very well could be the difference between a great time outdoors and one that's just a ...

A bear sighting on a backpacking trip can be a truly memorable experience, especially when said bear is far away and moving in the opposite direction. When you’re walking, eating and sleeping in a ...

After completing the 2,500-mile Pacific Crest Trail in 2019, I’d now consider myself an experienced backpacker. But I always make sure to tell people that this five-month-long adventure was actually ...

Hiking and camping with the best backpacking gear is one of the most awe-inspiring ways to adventure in the great outdoors. You can walk deep into the woods, mountains or desert with everything you ...