All the gear for the climb, hike, run or bike up and down that trial.
Get ready for your AT thru-hike with this gear checklist from expert thru-hiker Liz “Snorkel” Thomas. Snowstorms, weeks of rain, humid mid-Atlantic summers: Your gear goes through a lot on a thru-hike of the 2,181-mile Appalachian Trail. The rocky, rugged path has more elevation gain than any of the other long trails, and thru hikers’…
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Understanding suspension and construction is key to finding the right fit—and proper maintenance and repair will ensure your load-hauler lasts thousands of miles. Different objectives call for different packs.The Pack Expert Kevin Rosenberg started peddling gear on the sidewalks of Brooklyn in 2009 and eventually grew his business, Gear to Go Outfitters, into a rental,…
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Footwear tech is more complicated than it looks. Maximize your mileage by learning how to pick the right boots and make them last. Buy your boots carefully, and your feet will thank you.The Boot Expert Brennan Halterman grew up hiking in Southeast Alaska and has been fitting shoes since 2003. Now he’s closing in on…
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The Best Backpacking Gear of the Year There are three things you can count on as the seasons change: the leaves will turn, the wildflowers will bloom, and outdoor manufacturers will unfold new lines of equipment. But too often the “all new” gear is basically the same old stuff with a splash of color and…
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The Best Backpacking Gear of the Year Each spring when we present the Editors’ Choice Awards (this is our fourth time), we invariably get asked, “Say, how do you choose the winners anyway?” To answer that question, consider what one of this year’s entrants , a pack, went through. One editor, who was headed out…
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The Best Backpacking Gear of the Year Innovation ain’t worth bugger all if it pikes out in a pinch. That’s why we took the finalists for our 13th annual best-gear awards to New Zealand: We knew the South Island’s legendary storms and rugged topography would help us peel back the last layers of hype and…
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A lightweight backpack, custom-molded boots, and the best lip balm we’ve ever tried: meet our favorite gear of the season. Mt. Taranaki, North Island, New ZealandGood gear gets the job done. Great gear makes it easy. We should know—we’ve been at this for 25 years. That’s a quarter of a century worth of big blisters,…
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Tues, 3/13, 9:30 am-12:30 pm Group: Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District When: Tuesday, March 13, 9:30 am-12:30 pm Where: Scribe Winery, Sonoma, CA Cost: Free (registration required) Details: Join Sonoma Ecology Center staff to see the land rebound on Arrowhead Mountain, which burned in the October wildfires. We will look at the…
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Sat, 3/10, 7 am-8 pm Group: Atlanta Outdoor Club When: Saturday, March 10, 7 am-8 pm Where: Duncan Ridge Trail, near Suches, GA Cost: Free (registration required) Details: Starting at Wolf Pen Gap on the Duncan Ridge Trail, we will hike through Wildcat Gap, up to the top of Coosa Bald (4,270 ft), and continue along the Duncan…
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Sat, 3/10, 8 am-Sun, 3/11, 5 pm Group: NOLS & REI When: Saturday March 10, 8 am-Sunday, March 11, 5 pm Where: Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, Ojai, CA Cost: $235 members/$265 non-members (registration required) Details: Whether spending time in the backcountry is your passion or your profession, you should never have to ask, “What do I do now?”…
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