Sustainability in the outdoors doesn’t end with recycled products or Leave No Trace principles; equality is just as big a part. And no one knows that better than Pamela Slaughter, Founder of People of Color Outdoors and a nominee for the first-ever Facebook Community Awards. So we sat down to chat with her to learn a bit about what she’s doing to encourage people of color to get outside and play and why that matters. For all of us. Read our Q&A with her now.

Avid outdoorists are often guilty of getting so immersed in the culture of outdoor recreation that we throw around technical and highly specialized terms as if the whole world uses them in casual conversation. Usually, they don’t. Sorry about that. So we thought we’d throw together a quick backpacking dictionary full of commonly used hiking terms so if you’re new to the whole trail slang thang, you can nod knowingly when someone talks about getting beta for their thru-hike where they might have to do some bushwhacking and hope they don’t have to call SAR if they lose sight of the cairns. See what we mean? So read up and a carry on a hiking convo like a pro!

No one wants to hike or backpack in the rain. At least, no one I know. But occasionally, that’s just what happens. Sometimes it can’t be avoided. And when that happens, especially if you’re deep in the backcountry, it’s important that you stay dry and warm so you don’t succumb to hypothermia or some such nonsense. Fortunately, the Rab Downpour Eco Jacket is just the thing: a quality, robust rain jacket that’s sustainable but won’t break the bank.

You know we’re all about supporting and promoting sustainable brands here at Terradrift. You know, the ones fighting to create whole lines of sustainable products, but also focusing on better manufacturing and overall global responsibility. So we recently chatted with Beyond Clothing about sustainability, the outdoors, and all things technical apparel so we can all learn more about how they’re doing right by the planet.

Microplastics. Perhaps you’ve heard of them. They suck. They’re teeny tiny pieces of plastic materials that break apart and end up in waterways like streams, lakes and oceans, they pollute ecosystems and harm aquatic life, and they can’t be filtered out at wastewater treatment plants. Basically, they’re the worst. And as it turns out, a large percentage of microplastics actually originate from synthetic clothing and materials. And you know what clothing and materials are almost always made of synthetics? Outdoor clothing and materials. Yup. We’re part of the problem.

Fortunately, we can also be part of the solution. How? Well, since most of those microplastics come off of our synthetic clothing and gear right in our washing machines at home in the form of tiny broken fibers, we can take action to reduce and contain those broken fibers at the source. Here’s how.

A quality cooler, whether you’re on a road trip or weekend camping trip, is a beautiful thing. After all, there’s nothing worse than opening your cooler after gathering a team to lug it to the campsite, just to find out your ice has melted and your beer/hard cider/Topo Chico is warm and your hummus has already started growing green fuzz. We wouldn’t wish that on anyone. So allow us to introduce you to the RovR cooler: the coolest, uh…cooler…for all manner of travel and outdoor adventure. Wanna know more? Read (or watch) to learn all about what makes the RovR RollR Cooler so rad.

Sleep is super important when you’re backpacking. And frankly, we’ve found that we sleep better when we have an inflatable pad under our tired bodies. And when we sleep better, we’re less prone to becoming super cranky backpackers. And nobody likes hanging out with super cranky backpackers. So get comfy, sleep better, and enjoy spending the night outdoors with one of these three inflatable sleeping pads for backpacking.

Shopping for your first tent? Or maybe your first in a while? Chances are, you’re a bit overwhelmed by all the options out there. We get it. There are scores of brands making quality tents, and each one has a full lineup of different options, meaning there are literally hundreds, if not thousands of tents out there to choose from. So how do you pick? Well, what you pick is ultimately a cross-section of a whole bunch of different features and functions that are suited to your style of camping and outdoor adventures, but one of the most important to consider: size. We’ll help you figure out the best camping tent for you. Not too big or too small, but juuuuust right.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, split between Tennesee and North Carolina, is the country’s most visited national park. Like, by a lot. A lot, a lot. This park, which is free to visit, btw, saw over 12 million visitors last year. Twelve! Million! The next most-visited park only saw a little over three! So yeah, it’s safe to say that the Smokies are overrun with tourists and visitors, especially if you’re on the south side of the park around the Blue Ridge Parkway. Fortunately, there’s a trick to avoiding the massive amounts of people (and traffic) rambling through the area: head to the quiet side of the Smokies, the northern edge where there are still picturesque hiking trails and adventures galore, just a lot fewer people. Wanna know what things to do on the peaceful side of the Smokies? Here’s what we recommend.

You know we’re all about supporting sustainable brands here at Terradrift. We’re also all about making gear last and keeping it out of the landfill, which is a major win for sustainability. Well then, there couldn’t be a more perfect brand to highlight in this here Sustainability Spotlight series than Nikwax. We’ve used their stuff to clean and maintain our gear for years, so we thought it was high time we sat down with Heidi Dale Allen, the brand’s VP of marketing, so we could hear more about how Nikwax is keeping it clean and advocating for keeping the gear you already have in use for longer. Read on, son!