Backpacker

Published nine times a year, Backpacker is a magazine of wilderness travel, offering practical, "you can do it, here's how" advice to help you enjoy every trip. Filled with the best places, gear, and information for all kinds of hiking and camping trips, each issue delivers foldout maps and stunning color photography.

Backpacker Magazine

Editors Note

The Good Fight • The North American gray wolf bounced back from near-extinction. But recent wolf hunts have taught us that they can be destroyed again just as quickly.

Feeling Welcomed • Two thru-hikers find unexpected trail magic in Arkansas and Oklahoma’s Ouachita Mountains.

Mountain Oasis • A photographer finds his shot in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert.

Falling for Ice • Waterfalls aren't summer-only destinations—these cascades are even cooler when frozen in the winter.

A Window to the World • Whether carved by wind, water, or frost, stone arches have fascinated humans for millennia.

National Park Reservation Systems Are a Breath of Fresh Air • Overcrowding is destroying our parks. Timed entry systems can save them.

In Praise of Going Deep • What I learned after summiting the same peak in every season, 15 years running.

Paint in Nature

Painting in High Places

The Full-Body Ski Touring Workout • Ski touring’s greatest rewards—solitude and untracked powder—don’t come free. To access them, you must combine endurance, balance, and strength. This workout hits the quads, glutes, hamstrings, back, shoulders, and core to prep you for endless laps. Incorporate it into your current strength-training plan once a week, alongside regular cardio and interval workouts.

Sweet Potato Hash • This savory, protein-packed breakfast made with sweet potatoes and bacon is sure to put instant oats to shame.

Buried in an Avalanche • In March of 2013, four friends—Alain Duguay, Annick Chasse, Matt Schenk, and Laura Sly—were struck by a massive avalanche in British Columbia, Canada. Three of them were buried alive.

Snow Shelters

Editors Choice Awards • Testing cold-weather gear is the definition of Type 2 fun. In the moment, you might be chilled, wet, and maybe a little scared. But later on? Those trips become your go-to campfire stories. That’s the stuff Backpacker editors and our 150-strong test team live for. After months of vetting the newest winter-ready products in every frozen region of the country, we brought the best of the best into Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains for a four-day ski touring trip. The six winners that emerged are this year’s top picks for turning Type 2 fun into unforgettable winter memories.

Wallowa Feature • FINDING BEAUTY, SNOW, AND SOLITUDE IN OREGON’S WALLOWA MOUNTAINS

Your Strangest Winter Camping Questions Answered • We collected all of your burning questions and consulted our field experts on everything from winter gear to screaming barfies to hibernation.

Insulation

Shells

Footwear

Packs

Baselayers

Pants

Gloves

Socks

Bags/Pads

Tents

Skis/Boots/Bindings

Snow Safety

Snowshoes

Headwear

Eyewear

Kelli Jones • ENTREPRENEUR & GEAR-REPAIR GURU