Ready to hit the trail on two wheels? In this guest post, Ashley Parsons from the En Selle duo offers some tips to start planning your first bikepacking adventure in this intro to bikepacking. We hope you’re ready to get inspired, don those bike shorts, and get pedaling!
Whether hiking, backpacking or traveling, water filtration and purification is important. But not all portable water filters do both. So we’re gonna compare three portable water purifiers and filters in …
Thinking about getting started with bikepacking? We don’t blame you—while bikepacking isn’t exactly a new phenomenon, it’s grown in popularity and trendiness in recent years as more and more people notice the benefits of using a bike to explore the great outdoors. This self-supported style of mountain biking has sparked the imagination of many adventurers seeking to experience the world in a simpler, more sustainable way.
We love to eat. That includes on the trail. In fact, that’s how you know it’s a good hike: when you’re working so hard you can’t wait to get to camp to set up and make dinner. And while we tend to take charge and prepare our own backpacking meals when we’re out in the wilderness (find a whole cookbook full of our plant-based backpacking recipes here), sometimes you just want to grab-and-go. By which we mean grab a pre-packaged meal off the shelf and hit the trail without all the measuring and prepping and bagging. So if that’s you, here are 7 pre-packaged vegan backpacking meals so you can fuel up without all the forethought.
We love being outside. We love it when others love being outside. We don’t love it when others don’t respect outside. So with more and more people heading outdoors these days, we thought it was high time that we discussed a few rules for the outdoors so all of us can enjoy the outdoors together. Some of these are suggestions that merely make the whole outdoor experience more pleasant for everyone involved, and some are hard and fast rules that can destroy delicate ecosystems (or your life) if not followed. So read up, then get outside and wander on!
We reserve special snacks for trail days. Snacks like vegan jerky and stroop waffles. But if you’re looking to eat less meat and dairy on the trail, searching for ideas for vegan hiking snacks, or just looking to mix up your munchie game, here’s a list of some of the packable, un-crushable, calorie-dense things that fuel us on our adventures.
It’s still summer. In fact, we’re sliding into August, which is typically the hottest month of the year in most places in the Northern Hemisphere. Which means if you’re playing/hiking/cycling/backpacking outside, you’re probably sweating. A lot. And a lot of sweat means your body is losing a lot of H20 (and other stuff). Which means your risk of dehydration is higher. So you need to drink more water. But here’s the thing: if you’re out working hard and sweating for over an hour at a time, your body needs more than water to keep itself functioning properly. It needs salt and minerals like potassium. It needs electrolytes. But not all electrolytes are created equal. So if you’re looking for better electrolyte drink mixes without all the artificial color, flavor, additives or sweeteners, we’ve got you covered. Here are 5 sports hydration mixes that aren’t Gatorade so you can hydrate and keep wandering on.
As vegans, we get asked a lot: what do we eat when we’re backpacking? I personally enjoy a witty response like “food,” but I appreciate that that’s not a terribly helpful answer, especially for those who might be genuinely curious about eating plant-based in the outdoors. That’s why we created a whole e-book full of plant-based backpacking recipes! But let’s be honest: 15 recipes are really only a starting point for a lifetime of backcountry meals and if you’re just looking for an idea or two to get your creative juices flowing, well, this post has you covered. So here’s a breakdown of a simple 3-day backpacking menu, including what we actually ate on our last backpacking trip. So chow down, cause there’s no hiker hunger here. (And if you’re not vegan, yes, you can make these meals, too. You don’t need meat to survive in the wilderness, promise.)
We’ve all been new at something at some point in our lives. And chances are, we weren’t great at that something right out of the gate. There’s a learning curve with most activities that can only be gained through experience. And that includes backpacking. But if you’re new to shouldering a pack and hiking off into the woods to spend a few nights under a canopy of trees, we’ve got your back. Here are 5 mistakes beginner backpackers make (so you can get them right and stop looking like such a noob).
I’m pretty sure no one wants to go backpacking in the rain. If those people exist, I haven’t met them yet. But I’m dubious of their existence because, generally speaking, not many people enjoy being soaking wet for days on end. Which is what happens when you go backpacking in the rain. Especially in cooler climates. But sometimes it’s unavoidable. Maybe you booked a campsite months ago and can’t get a refund. Maybe these are the only vacation days you get all year and you have to make the most of them. Maybe you’re traveling and this is your only chance to get out there and explore. Whatever the reason, if you’re going to go backpacking in the rain, there are ways to make it more enjoyable (and less miserable). And we’re gonna show you how!