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Home » Archive for  Gear (Page 23)

Category: Gear

The most popular topic of the outdoors it seems.

Carter Moriahs

Big knife. Too much food. Out of shape. No map. My first backpacking trip

Posted onDecember 15, 2010November 21, 2025AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

An account of my first backpacking trip in 1996. I did not know what I was doing to say the least! But, everyone has to start somewhere. It was not a lightweight bapcking trip to say the least! 🙂   With Read More …

CategoriesGear, Musings, PressTagsbackpacking, camping, gear, humor, New Hampshire

“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

Dirt Bagging – A minimalist gear philsophy

Posted onNovember 5, 2010April 29, 2020AuthorPaul Mags3 Comments

A version of this document has appeared in Yogi’s PCT Handbook and on various hiking boards. It  is also  in the current  edition of the Colorado Trail Guidebook.  My overview of lightweight backpacking.   One sunny, summer day in Maine, Read More …

CategoriesGear, Getting StartedTagsbudget gear, dirt bagging

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

Ga-Ga Over Gear: The New Gear Fetish

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

This essay is my rant about gear and the outdoors. Or rather people who care more about spend time outdoors to use gear rather than the other way around.  🙂  

CategoriesGear, MusingsTagsbackpacking, gear, wonks

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

“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

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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!

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PMags Instagram

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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  • Home
  • Ramblings
    • Musings
    • Books and Media
    • Videos
    • From The Web
    • Thru Hikes, Long Walks, or Routes
      • My Alphabet Soup summary
      • 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
      • A Walk Across Southern Utah
      • Great Divide Trail (Canada)
      • The Northern New Mexico Loop
      • Grand – Moab Route
      • SEUG Circuit
      • A Walk Across New England
    • Other Outdoor Jaunts
      • Utah
      • Colorado
      • New Mexico
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Florida
      • Georgia
      • Nebraska
      • New England
      • Nevada
      • North Carolina
      • Oregon
      • South Dakota
      • Texas
      • Wyoming
    • Photos
    • PMags News
    • Press
  • Nuts and Bolts
    • New to the outdoors? Start here!
    • Getting Started
    • Quick Tips
    • Trip Planning
    • Quick and Dirty Guides
    • Food
    • Gear
      • All Gear Posts
      • Gear Reviews
      • Gear Quivers
      • Gear Lists
      • Budget Gear
      • 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
  • Subscribe by email
  • Write Me
  • About PMags.com
    • Who is Paul Mags?
    • About Joan West
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