The Trailhead
Every journey has a first step. And some of the greatest, most meaningful journeys begin at trailheads. Welcome to ours! Here you’ll learn about gear, see route and trail intel, and dive into stories, images, and videos from our global community of adventureheads like you. Think of it like "The Third Place"–not home, not work, but your other most important/favorite place. The spot to hang out around like-minded people and have your life decisions and priorities validated. You won't need to justify your latest gear purchase or explain why you're using up all your paid time off hours to this crowd. They get it. Let’s go!
Chasing Ten with Christopher Johnson
How long have you been going light?
As soon as I began backpacking five years ago, I knew I needed to lighten the load I was carrying. I was unaware at the time that ultralight backpacking existed ...
Chasing Ten with Tyson Perkins
How long have you been going light?
I started really getting into backpacking with a few roommates at the time around 2012. With my limited funds, I had to stick to cheap, flimsy packs purchased at...
Chasing Ten with Tina Currin
How long have you been going light?
I think I was born ultralight. My parents split when I was young and ended up in different states. I commuted between North Carolina and Florida several times ea...
Chasing Ten with Mike St. Pierre
How long have you been going light?
I’ve been backpacking for over 20 years with the turning point towards going ultralight starting 15 years ago. After lugging huge, overly prepared packs around o...
Lots of Ground to Cover (To Cover a Lot of Ground)
Therese Hobson’s Studious Approach to Gear for the Appalachian Trail
Therese Hobson completed a NOBO thru hike of the Appalachian Trail this year, taking with her not just gear, but a good base of ...
Thoughtful Spending
Over years and thousands of miles hiking, paddling, and biking along the length of North and South America, Bethany “Fidgit” Hughes has been very intentional about what constitutes her carry weight...
Hike Stronger: Get Prepared for a Great Season with Specialized Exercises
Over the past several years, we've been lucky enough to build a pretty substantial community around Hyperlite Mountain Gear as the business has grown. Making gear that people really connect with ha...
Bear In Mind: The Sorts of Things You Should Know for Successful and Respectful Encounters with Bears
A frequently visited shelter on the Appalachian Trail in Vermont was closed recently for an extended period due to reports of encounters with a seemingly fearless and aggressive bear. After enough...
THE SHAKEDOWN – 14: HYGIENE
PROPER PLANNING FOR A CLEAN GETAWAY
There’s the “must’ve been out for a hike” scent, and then there’s the “thawed out from permafrost after a thousand years” aroma. Depending upon how long you’ve...
THE SHAKEDOWN – 13: TREKKING POLES
QUADRUPEDALISM – IS GOING BACKWARDS GOING FORWARDS?
One of the easiest ways to reveal where your pack and accessory weight is vs. your center of gravity is by hiking without trekking poles. On un...
Best Multitool for Backpacking
IF I HAD A HAMMER
Like headlamps, you’ll never know how perfect a small multi-tool would be for the conundrum at hand until you don’t have it. There are too many variations on the multi-tool to c...
THE SHAKEDOWN – 11: HEADLAMPS
CONSIDERATIONS IN THE LIGHT OF DARKNESS
If you’re staying out past dark, or even if you didn’t plan on staying out, having a good headlamp in your kit can be the difference between safety and you...
