Backpacking

One of the best parts of backpacking is arguably the end of the day when you’re done hiking, the ultralight tent or camping hammock is set up, and you’ve got nothing left to do but kick back, make dinner, and shove an unnatural amount of food down your gullet to replace all those calories you burned walking for miles with a heavy pack on your back. So when that time comes, you want the best camping cookware on hand, ready to rehydrate those backpacking meals. What makes a camp cookware set the best? Well, that depends on you and your style of backpacking, who you’re with, and what you plan to eat. So we tested a handful of ultralight cookware options to see which were tops and which are best suited for all different types of backpackers.

Are you a data nerd when it comes to tracking outdoor activities? Always have to know your mileage, elevation gain, heart rate? Searching for a GPS watch that can tell you all that and more that ALSO has a super impressive battery life? Me too, friends, me too. So allow me to introduce you to the Suunto Vertical, our favorite new GPS watch.

We’re all about backpacking here at Terradrift. Specifically ultralight backpacking. So we took a bunch of UL gear out on the Allegheny Trail in West Virginia in late spring conditions to see how light we could get our packs and how the gear performed. Here’s what we carried.

If there’s one thing I have in common with thru-hikers (there’s way more than one…) it’s the dress code for summer hiking: teeny tiny shorts on the bottom and full-coverage up top. Yup, when it’s sunny outside, even when it’s hot, you better believe I’m protecting my delicate epidermis with a sustainable sun hoody. I mean, who wants to stop every hour to slather more sunscreen up and down their arms, neck, and chest, am I right? And who wants to carry that much sunscreen on a backpacking trip? Not me; I’m an ultralighter. So yeah, you’re waaaay more likely to catch me in full sleeves and a hood when it’s hot outside than a tank top (at least when I’m hiking, biking, or trail running for more than an hour). But not all sun hoodies are created equal. Some are created more equal than others. Fortunately, we found four solid, sustainable sun hoodies for all kinds of outdoor activities so you can wander without getting sunburned.

Maybe you’re one of those backpackers who’s intrigued by the concept of ultralight but you’re not quite ready to make the plunge. Maybe you want something with a bit more support that’s able to carry slightly heavier loads more comfortably than, say, a frameless ultralight pack. After all, if you have more traditional gear, it probably weighs quite a bit more than a slimmed down UL kit. Well we’ve got good news. We tested what might just be the perfect pack for backpackers who want to reduce weight without fully committing to going ultralight, who want comfort and functionality without sacrificing anything, and who might be considering transitioning to ultralight over time: The Deuter Aircontact Ultra 40+5, which excels at fit, function, and comfort and does it all at a lower base weight. Here’s what we thought of it.

It’s fun, it’s funky, it’s ultralight! It’s the LiteAF ECOPACK 40L Curve ultralight backpack! But we test a lot of ultralight gear here at Terradrift, so what makes THIS pack so special? It’s super durable and functional.

What’s a hiker to do when shopping for trekking poles and one is twenty bucks and the other is $200? What? What they heck is the difference to require such a massive price difference? And are expensive trekking poles even worth it? We break it all down to help you decide if you should save your hard-earned cash for other gear or splurge on fancy new sticks.

Want to know why winter camping and backpacking are the best? Here are five reasons to give it a go this season!

We a good ultralight backpacking tent here at Terradrift. Any ultralight backpacking gear, really. So we couldn’t have been more stoked to get our hands on the Durston X-Mid 2. We put it to the test recently to see if it was impressive enough to replace our beloved UL Big Agnes Tiger Wall. Spoilers: It sure the heck is. Read or watch to find out how and why.

Three days, 32 miles (well, 25 if you do it right), 5 towns, 3 hotels, and a whole lotta mountains. Also ups and downs. LOTS of ups and downs. THIS is hiking in Austria: The Arlberg Trail.
We completed the shiny new trail this September (it opened in 2022) and it. Was. Magical. We’re talking wildlife, majestic landscapes as far as the eye can see, alpine lakes, mountain huts, colorful villages each night, and three days of non-stop, jaw-dropping, holy-cow-these-photos-are-gonna-be-unbelievable vistas.
We’re talking a once-in-a-lifetime experience, here (for most people anyway…we’d totally go back and do it again). Think you’re up for it? Here’s everything you need to know about hiking in Austria on the Arlberg Trail, from the route, to mileage, to booking, to where to eat, and more.