Filtering and/or treating water in nature is essential for keeping your pack weight down and being able to do a trip that is more than a night or two long. Water is heavy and humans need a lot of it to survive. The best backpacking water filter will not only help save you weight in…
Best Backpacking Water Containers – How to Choose
Water is obviously an essential part of life. It is crucial to have a way of easily carrying it and having access to it while on the trail. In some desert environments, it is necessary to carry multiple gallons of water per person and this might be an argument for having a larger backpack if…
Best Backpacking Pillow – How to Choose
The best backpacking pillow is constructed with durable materials and designed to keep your head elevated and centered throughout the night. They are lightweight, pack down small and most are surprisingly expensive. Some utilize down for warmth and have different methods of preventing the pillow from sliding during the night. Classification and Rating We classify…
Best Backpacking Sleeping Bags – How to Choose
The best backpacking sleeping bags are rated by temperature, material, weight, and how well they pack down. Quality manufacturing is also of the utmost importance as cheap zippers and poor stitching can allow cold air to seep into a sleeping bag. If you aren’t planning on backpacking in cold environments, you can get by with…
Best Backpacking Tent – How to Choose
Tents obviously come in all shapes and sizes. If you are wanting to do any series backpacking your Walmart special isn’t the right tent. This isn’t to say there aren’t affordable ways to backpack with a tent but typically you will get what you pay for. There are trade-offs when you decide to go cheaper…
Best Backpacking Backpack – How to Choose
Backpacks are obviously an essential piece of gear when setting off on a multi-day trip into the wilderness and you want the best backpacking backpack you can afford. This is one area where skimping on gear because of the price isn’t recommended. Backpacks need to be made of quality materials to hold up to rigorous…
Best Backpacking Gear – What’s In Our Packs
In many ways, our love of backpacking is why we are nomads. Certainly, it is an extension of our passion for exploration. While YOLOM (our truck camper) takes us to many beautiful places, some of the most beautiful can only be accessed on foot. Backpacking isn’t just about the destination though. It is about returning…
Hiking Bugaboo Provincial Park Guide
Jennifer and I have hiked all over the world, but hiking Bugaboo Provincial Park felt very much out of our element. I have spent a little time rock climbing in Colorado but people from all over the world travel to this remote park for the sole purpose of taking on its jagged climbing routes. We…
Kain Hut Trail – Best Canadian Rockies Day Hikes
#1 – Canadian Rockies Day Hikes: Kain Hut Trail w/ Applebee Dome Location: Bugaboo Provincial Park Trailhead: Kain Hut Parking Lot Type: Out-n-Back Rating: Strenuous to Extreme Total Distance: 7.6 miles (to the small lake just beyond Applebee Dome and back) Conrad Kain Hut is 6 miles total Trailhead Elevation: 5,000′ Total Elevation Gain: 3,362′…
Emperor Falls Trail – Best Canadian Rockies Day Hikes
#2 – Canadian Rockies Day Hikes: Emperor Falls Trail Location: Mount Robson Provincial Park Trailhead: Berg Lake Trail Type: Out-n-Back Rating: Strenuous Total Distance: 19.8 miles Trailhead Elevation: 2,736′ Total Elevation Gain: 2,715′ Recommended Time: Full-day Recommended Season: Mid-June to Early-October The Emperor Falls Trail While Kinney Lake, the Valley of a Thousand Falls, &…
Lake O’Hara Alpine Circuit – Best Canadian Rockies Day Hikes
#3 – Canadian Rockies Day Hikes: Lake O’Hara Alpine Circuit Location: Yoho National Park Trailhead: Lake O’Hara Type: Loop Rating: Strenuous Total Distance: 7.5 miles Trailhead Elevation: 6,625′ Total Elevation Gain: 2,740′ Recommended Time: Full-day Recommended Season: Early-July to Mid-September Reservations for the Lake O’Hara bus are needed. (Otherwise add 7 miles (one-way) to hike…
Parker Ridge Trail – Best Canadian Rockies Day Hikes
#4 – Canadian Rockies Day Hikes: Parker Ridge Trail Location: Banff National Park (near the Jasper border on the Icefields Parkway) Trailhead: Parker Ridge Parking Lot Type: Out-n-Back (Y-Trail, Two destinations on the ridgeline) Rating: Moderately-Difficult Total Distance: 5 miles Trailhead Elevation: 6,552′ Total Elevation Gain: 890′ Recommended Time: 2 – 3 hours Recommended Season: Late-June…