Earlier this year we reviewed the Windrider, an ultralight backpack made by Hyperlite Mountain Gear. The good review was music to the company’s ears, but there was a sour note. In the review I mentioned that I insisted on carrying my dome tent, while true ultralighters go with only a tarp or bivy sack. “Not…
Category: Backpacking
Kelty Salida 2 Tent review
Backpacking season is in full swing, and for many of us that means the chance to upgrade our gear. If it’s a tent you seek then you are likely hoping find something lightweight, durable and easy on the wallet. Too tall of an order? Not a chance, thanks to the folks at Kelty. The Salida…
Hiking the Escalante River to Neon and Ringtail Canyons
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is a vast region within the Colorado Plateau that contains some of the best canyon country in the world. It’s quite a haul to get there from northern Utah, but well worth the trip. Hikers and backpackers flock to the region in springtime but there’s so much ground to cover…
Backpacking Yellow Creek in Bryce Canyon National Park
Backpacking in Bryce Canyon NP is a hybrid experience. It’s not quite a desert, and not quite a pine forest. And to be completely fair, Bryce Canyon really isn’t a canyon at all. It’s more like a handful of canyons with similar terrain. Hybrid, indeed. The fact that Bryce can’t be easily summed up only…
Backpacking to Wall Lake in the Uinta Mountains
Backpacking has no equal alpine venue in the state of Utah than the Uinta Mountains. From classics like Kings Peak and Naturalist Basin, to lesser-known destinations such as Hidden Lake, late summer sees thousands of people humping their heavy packs into the rock strewn peaks and pine forests. But for the beginner backpacker, the imposing faces of…
Hike Mount Agassiz
Summer is almost over, and we all want to send it out on a high note. One last big banger to put an exclamation point on the season. Maybe you’ve already done Kings Peak, or maybe you just want something with less crowds. Either way, hiking Mount Agassiz in the High Uintas Wilderness is a…
Backpacking, beer and peeing in the woods
There’s nothing like pulling your pants down to take a quick pee in the woods. It’s liberating, yet at the same time I’m constantly checking to make sure no woodland creature comes and takes a nip at my bum. Or my husband isn’t around the corner trying to catch me with my pants down. But…
Brooks-Range Ultralite Solo Tarp review
Ultralight gear for backpackers comes in all forms. There’s titanium cookware, weightless tents, and even people cutting the handles off toothbrushes. Tarps, on the other hand, aren’t a very sexy item to fret over, yet it’s a piece of gear that is essential to anyone carrying a featherweight pack into remote areas. The Ultralite Solo…
Brooks-Range Ultralite Alpini Bivy Sack review
When it comes to backpacking, some people are obsessive-compulsive about lightweight gear. Others (like me) don’t mind bending under the weight of a heavier pack for a more comfortable experience in the mountains. A lot of progress has been made in an effort to make outdoor gear both lightweight and comfortable. But when the choice between tents and…
Hidden Lake revealed in the Uinta Mountains
The dilemma: you want to backpack somewhere close to home in a beautiful mountain setting, and have the place to yourself. Sounds like just the kind of tall order that most hikers dream up every weekend. The answer: Hidden Lake in the western Uintas. This serene alpine lake delivers on all three of those demands…