Gear & Base Weight
Ultralight gear, the big three, and how to cut base weight without spending a fortune or freezing at night.
Best Trekking Poles for Thru-Hiking: Aluminum vs Carbon, Picked Right
A spec-sourced buyer's guide to trekking poles for thru-hiking: aluminum vs carbon, lever vs twist locks, Z-pole vs telescoping, and the pole-length question that matters if your tent pitches with them.
Sawyer Squeeze Thru-Hike Setup: Inline, Gravity, and the Freezing Rule
How to configure a Sawyer Squeeze for a thru-hike — inline, squeeze, and gravity modes, 28 mm bottle compatibility, a backflush schedule, and the freezing rule that quietly kills filters.
The Shakedown Hike: Test Your Gear Before the Big Trail
A shakedown hike lets your gear fail cheaply at home instead of expensively on trail. Here's how to plan one, run the three-pile gear audit, and show up at the terminus with a dialed, field-proven kit.
Ultralight Backpacking: How to Cut Your Base Weight
Cut your base weight without buying new gear. Weigh everything, attack the big three, trim the small stuff, and keep the safety margin that keeps you alive.