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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Metal detecting is a hobby that has been growing in popularity over the past few years. 40 million people are
Read More
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,…
Read More
“It’s Jurassic Park,” says one local of the California preserve’s animal problem. Don’t worry–these kids at Sand to Snow National Monument are running out out joy, not to escape feral cattle. Hikers at Sand to Snow National Monument have to worry about more than the usual blisters: A large herd of feral cattle is roaming the area,…
Read More
The beauty of cycling is its accessibility. A bike, whether it’s old or new, cheap or expensive, is freedom on two wheels. Kitting out your bike doesn’t have to be costly either. Upcycled plastic buckets make sturdy, reliable panniers for urban commuting or weekly visits to the local farmers market. Throw on some stickers and…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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?”…
Read More
Thurs, 3/15, 6:30-9:30 pm Group: Griffith Observatory Hiking Group When: Thursday, March 15, 6:30-9:30 pm Where: Griffith Park, Los Angeles, CA Cost: Free Details: This hike is going to differ from past events as we’re going to go to Griffith Observatory from our usual spot, parking lot #2 of the Merry-Go-Round in the Griffith Park. The…
Read More