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20 Tips for Backpacking in the Desert

20 Tips for Backpacking in the Desert

Desert hiking offers some of the most stunning and varied scenery of any ecosystem. In this guide, we offer our tips and tricks for staying safe and healthy in this beautiful but harsh landscape.
Sawyer Micro Squeeze Filter Review
Backpacker filling his sawyer squeeze pouch from a stream

Sawyer Micro Squeeze Filter Review

Sawyer recently released the new Micro Water Filter to their their widely used water filtration product line and we’re pretty excited about it. In a nut shell, the Micro is more compact, lighter, and more affordable than their very popular original Squeeze filter.
Does Bear Spray Really Work?

Does Bear Spray Really Work?

You’ve packed a can of bear spray and are heading off to your favorite wildlife-populated backcountry. But somewhere in the back…
How to Poop in the Woods: A Backpacker’s Guide

How to Poop in the Woods: A Backpacker’s Guide

The problem of human waste in the outdoors was highlighted last May when a glacial geologist with the National Park Service…
Cottonwood-Marble Canyon Loop Backpacking Guide – Death Valley NP

Cottonwood-Marble Canyon Loop Backpacking Guide – Death Valley NP

Still very much a backpacking frontier, Death Valley National Park, at 3.4 million acres, is the largest national park in the US south of Alaska. Popular with desert-loving backpackers, this long and challenging hike is one of the few loop trails in Death Valley National Park. The route is undeniably beautiful, though a bit tricky to follow at times.
Zpacks Triplex Tent Review

Zpacks Triplex Tent Review

Zpacks makes some of our all-time favorite backpacking gear, and their Triplex Tent is truly an exceptional ultralight shelter. Its combination of weight, weather protection, and functionality makes it one of our favorite ultralight shelters for two people, especially on difficult trips with a lot of elevation gain and long mileage.
15 Great Deals at REI’s November Sale

15 Great Deals at REI’s November Sale

Before REI shuts its doors and encourages everyone to #optoutside on Black Friday, they’re having a huge sale. The Gear Up-Get Out sale runs from November 9 – 19 and includes some of our favorite backpacking and hiking gear. Check out the gear we’re most excited about!
Steens Mountain Backpacking Guide – Southeastern Oregon

Steens Mountain Backpacking Guide – Southeastern Oregon

As you head toward the southeast corner of Oregon a panorama of raw wilderness stretches across the horizon, beckoning solitude seekers. The Steens Mountain monolith  runs nearly 60 miles from northeast to southwest and 18 miles across, with its summit sitting at nearly 9,733 feet.
Henry’s Fork Lake Loop – Uintas Backpacking Guide

Henry’s Fork Lake Loop – Uintas Backpacking Guide

This loop explores a gorgeous alpine mountain basin with every enticement you dream of — misty mountain meadows, tall pines, small lakes and winding streams that tie it all together. And if that weren’t enough, the whole scene is framed by a massive mountain range with Kings Peak at its head.
17 Exciting New Backpacking Products from Outdoor Retailer

17 Exciting New Backpacking Products from Outdoor Retailer

We spent this week walking around the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Denver, drooling over all the awesome new gear coming to the backpacking world in 2019. Outdoor Retailer is one of the largest gear conferences in the world and this week we were fortunate enough to meet up with some of our favorite companies to get a sneak peek at their upcoming innovations.
Amethyst Basin Backpacking Guide – High Uintas

Amethyst Basin Backpacking Guide – High Uintas

Moderately challenging, this hike takes you up to a high alpine lake with gorgeous campsites options. The trail follows the Stillwater and Ostler Forks of the Bear River as it ascends about 2050 feet, passing beautiful waterfalls along the way, to a stunning cirque basin.
Loowit Trail Loop – Mount St. Helens Backpacking Guide

Loowit Trail Loop – Mount St. Helens Backpacking Guide

Similar to Rainer’s Wonderland Trail, Adam’s Round-the-Mountain Trail and Hood’s Timberline Trail, the Loowit Trail around Mount St. Helens is nothing short of spectacular. If you enjoy solitude, navigation challenges, eye-popping vistas, and fascinating geology, consider adding the Loowit Trail to your list. 
Red Castle Lakes Backpacking Guide – High Uintas

Red Castle Lakes Backpacking Guide – High Uintas

Gorgeous alpine meadows and pitch-perfect backcountry camping make this area, especially at sunset, a wonderland. It gets its name from the red castle-like peaks that stand like a fortress above the basin.
New HMG Hip Belt Pockets Review

New HMG Hip Belt Pockets Review

Hyperlite Mountain Gear makes some of our favorite ultralight backpacking gear and their Southwest 2400 and 3400 backpacks have been at the top of our Best Lightweight Backpacks list for almost three years running.
Backpacking Trip Guides

Backpacking Trip Guides

Backpacking Trip Guides We provide in-depth backpacking guides to some of the most beautiful places on our planet. Each guide includes all the pre-trip details you’ll need to plan an awesome backcountry adventure. For more popular CleverHiker resources, we recommend checking out the following: United States & Canada Thru-Hikes Pacific Crest Trail Distance: 2,650 milesTime […]
Mosquitos & Hiking: How to Protect Yourself

Mosquitos & Hiking: How to Protect Yourself

Few things can ruin a backpacking trip quicker than relentless swarms of buzzing mosquitoes…
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