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Home »Posts tagged  lightweight gear

Tag: lightweight gear

A Quick and Dirty CDT Guide

Posted onDecember 17, 2013September 14, 2023AuthorPaul Mags38 Comments

A quick overview of the Continental Divide Trail for planning purposes. Updated regularly. Read More …

CategoriesQuick and Dirty Guides, Trip PlanningTagsContinental Divide Trail, lightweight backpacking, lightweight gear, popular

A Quick and Dirty Guide to the Appalachian Trail

Posted onDecember 3, 2013April 4, 2022AuthorPaul Mags11 Comments

A planning guide and overview for planning a thru-hike or long backpack on the Appalachian Trail.
Read More …

CategoriesQuick and Dirty Guides, Trip PlanningTagsAppalachian Trail, backpacking gear, lightweight backpacking, lightweight gear, popular

Lightweight Backpacking 101

Posted onFebruary 3, 2013December 8, 2025AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

A quick and dirty overview for transitioning from a traditional backpacker to a lighter weight backpacker. Chart to compare and contrast weights and prices,too Read More …

CategoriesGear, Getting StartedTagslightweight backpacking, lightweight gear, stoves

Hike My Hike – Damn It! (HMHDI)

Posted onNovember 9, 2011February 4, 2026AuthorPaul Mags29 Comments

Hike My Hike, Damn it! The one true, correct and absolute way to hike. My way. Read More …

CategoriesMusingsTagscamping, favorite, hiking, humor, lightweight backpacking, lightweight gear

Walking The Backbone – A Backpacking Light article

Posted onApril 5, 2011May 3, 2011AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

An article I wrote for Backpacking Light.  A photo essay and a briefy synopsis of the  lightweight backpacking gear I used from the trail. Check it out!  

CategoriesGear, Long Walks, Musings, PressTagscdt, Continental Divide Trail, lightweight backpacking, lightweight gear

“It’s Just A Water Bottle

Posted onNovember 24, 2010April 15, 2020AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

In May of 2004, Rocky Mountain Sports Magazine published an article about the Nalgene bottle craze in Colorado. Not just for outdoor types, but seems EVERYONE has one of these lexan wonders. The magazine solicited stories about Nalgene bottles in Read More …

CategoriesGear, PressTagslightweight gear, nalgene, water bottle, water containers

Come to the Lite Side

Posted onNovember 19, 2010January 16, 2016AuthorPaul Mags1 Comment

Isaac Stokes is a neighbor of Marni and Josh. He also writes an outdoor column for the Boulder Weekly. Out of the conversations we had over shared beers, Issac thought an article about my more "down to earth" approach to Read More …

CategoriesGear, PressTagscamp stoves, lightweight backpacking, lightweight gear

Styrofoam Cup Water Bottle

Drop In The Bottle – Water Treament in the Backcountry

Posted onNovember 5, 2010April 25, 2025AuthorPaul Mags7 Comments

An overview and comparison of ways to treat water in the backcountry for hiking, backpacking and camping. Read More …

CategoriesGear, Getting StartedTagslightweight backpacking, lightweight gear, water treatment

Old Yeller

Old Yeller Stove

Posted onOctober 10, 2010December 23, 2016AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

Scary and/or amusing! My "Old Yeller" stove system  with many trail miles on it. It was 'retired' after the CDT with perhaps 6000+ trail miles on it!  

CategoriesGearTagsbudget gear, lightweight backpacking, lightweight gear, stoves

The Evolving Gear List : 1997 – 2006

Posted onSeptember 3, 2010April 25, 2025AuthorPaul Mags4 Comments

Over the years my base pack weight has become lighter and lighter. It took many miles and years of tinkering to get to this point, though! I have been asked if I had gear lists for the different trails I’ve Read More …

CategoriesGearTagsAppalachian Trial, backpacking gear, Colorado Trail, Continental Divide Trail, gear list, lightweight, lightweight gear, Long Trail, Pacific Crest Trail

Benton MacKaye Trail

Return to the Hills – 2009 Benton MacKaye Trail Journal

Posted onMarch 6, 2009February 4, 2026AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

The journal from my 2009 thru-hike of Benton MacKaye Trail. This article also has planing info.  

CategoriesJournals, Trip PlanningTagsBenton Mackaye Trail, lightweight backpacking, lightweight gear

Double By-Pass 2008

Posted onAugust 2, 2008November 17, 2023AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

There are some places in the mountains that I've returned to many times. Places that are beautiful and stunning and always seems to call out to me. Franconia Ridge in New Hampshire. The Wind River Range in Wyoming. The canyon Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsbackpacking, lightweight backpacking, lightweight gear

Lake Constantine, Holy Cross Wilderness

Posted onJuly 4, 2008November 17, 2023AuthorPaul Mags2 Comments

The weekend of July 4th, saw my good friend Nahum back in town for the month of July. Nahum is one of my closer friends. Someone who’ve I known for a few years. We’ve established a strong friendship through many Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsbackpacking gear, lightweight backpacking, lightweight gear

Another Lost Creek Wilderness weekend

Posted onJune 2, 2008November 17, 2023AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

The trip of last weekend reminded me of my love of solo backpacking. Day hikes are wonderful. I get to see an area unencumbered by equipment. My day hikes are often how I choose to spend my social time. Experiencing Read More …

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagslightweight backpacking, lightweight gear, Lost Creek Wilderness

Ring Around the Peak – Memorial Day Weekend 2007

Posted onMay 31, 2007January 15, 2016AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

I am going to be lazy for this entry. Just read the article I wrote for the Boulder weekly. 🙂   You can see Disco's and d-low's trip report/photos as well.  

CategoriesOther Outdoor JauntsTagsbackpacking, hiking, lightweight gear, Pikes Peak

“Not Even The Kitchen Sink

Posted onFebruary 6, 2006April 25, 2016AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

An article in Mechanical Engineering Magazine that featured a photo of mine of Glacier Peak on the Pacific Crest Trail. The fact that engineers loved the idea of lightweight backpacking is not surprising. Nice to see they enjoy natural beauty Read More …

CategoriesGear, PressTagscamp stoves, light weight backing, lightweight gear

Hooked On The Outdoors

Posted onFebruary 6, 2006May 10, 2011AuthorPaul MagsLeave a comment

Hooked On The Outdoors magazine did an issue of regular people who have done some cool adventures. I was chosen as the backpacker representative .  Was probably the worlds ugliest centerfold ever. Don't know if I am a "trail machine", Read More …

CategoriesPressTagscamp stoves, lightweight backpacking, lightweight gear

Virtual tip jar

A Quick Guide to Moab

The Squak – A readily available, $60, active-focused grid fleece hoodie from a Utah-based company. Read the review.

Women’s | Men’s | Children’s   

The Squak Camp Dress 

One of Joan’s favorites!

The Squak Alpha Fleece 

                                                                    

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Some local hiking this weekend. I scouted a route for a possible packrafting trip later this month, and on Sunday, @ramblinghemlock and I meandered through a canyon we’ve been curious about for a while.
I can’t imagine this landscape with a wall.
Two years inside the Park Service, trying to balance trade and calling. I left in fall 2025, and I’m still making sense of it - part grief, part gratitude, and part closure.
With a brief but noticeable bit of winter this past week, we opted not to travel the muddy, snowy roads into more remote areas. Instead, we tackled some home projects on Saturday and spent Sunday revisiting a place we hadn’t seen in a while. Red rock, canyon wrens, images, and late winter desert light accompanied the day.
@ramblinghemlock and I pivoted from an original trip after much-needed rain on Friday. On Saturday, we avoided muddy roads that would have derailed our original plan and spent two nights poking around a place we could reach only because of temporary, water-filled potholes and a handy Ziploc bag that made it possible. We also revisited sights we hadn’t seen in a while. Red rock, grand views, and old images marked the unofficial long weekend kickoff of spring around Moab.
@ramblinghemlock and I finally felt better and took a long-overdue trip into the backcountry. We slept outside and enjoyed the peace of the wild places. Canyon wrens filled the canyon with song during the day, and owl calls echoed off the walls at night. We returned to places we had not seen in a while and saw places new to us. The land endures.

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Disclosure: This website may be compensated for linking to other sites or for sales of products to which I link. These sites include Amazon, REI, Moose Jaw, Gaia GPS, Six Moon Designs, Squak Mountain Co, and ULA Equipment. There is no additional fee for purchasing items through these links.

 

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      • Vermont’s Long Trail
      • Appalachian Trail
      • Pacific Crest Trail
      • Colorado Trail
      • Continental Divide Trail
      • Ring The Peak Trail (Pike’s Peak)
      • Benton Mackaye Trail
      • Tahoe Rim Trail
      • Uinta Highline Trail
      • Collegiate Loop
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    • Quick and Dirty Guides
    • Food
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      • All Gear Posts
      • Gear Reviews
      • Gear Quivers
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      • What I’m Wearing
      • Clothing and related
      • Footwear
      • Packs
      • Shelters and related
      • Sleeping bags, quilts, and pads
      • Stoves, cooking, and related
      • Tools
      • Water containers
    • Road trip and car camping – gear and techniques
    • Winter trip reports, gear overviews, tips, and techniques
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