7 Best Ways to Make Coffee in the Backcountry
Whether you prefer the pour-over or the French press, these are our favorite tools of the trade.
Why This is the Ultimate Bikepacking Stove & Cook Kit
Meet MSR’s PocketRocket 2 Mini Stove Kit. Plus, get two delicious boil-only recipes.
Tips for Weekend Bike Touring + 2 Recipes
You don’t have to go far to escape. Last-minute trips can be just as rewarding if done right.
Everything You Need to Know About Cold Soak Backpacking Meals
I was thru-hiking the Colorado Trail when I attempted to cold soak my food for the first time. I pulverized the ramen noodles in their package, dumped them into an empty peanut butter container, covered them with water and waited beneath the drooping sun. About a half hour later, I opened the lid to find lifeless noodles bobbing to the surface. It looked like something you’d find in a science lab, limbs splayed in every direction. But I was in the middle of the woods where calories couldn’t be wasted, so I dug into my cup with a grimace. My first bite was surprisingly soft. But it wasn’t bad. I was a little bit more eager for the second bite, which I decided tasted like your typical ramen—only cold. Maybe…
Building Your Backcountry Kitchen, Part 2: The Essential Ingredients
I grew up in a family that embraced the convenience of freeze-dried meals and deviled ham when it came to camping trips. It wasn’t until a college spring break trip to Baja’s Bahia Concepción that I discovered it’s possible to actually, you know, cook while camping. We’d procured some scallops from the bay. My friend Caroline, an avid cook, sautéed them with garlic and chili flakes, adding a splash of her beer and a squeeze of lime to finish. I was gobsmacked—left to my own devices, I’d been subsisting on canned frijoles refritos and tortillas. That pivotal moment not only inspired me to go to culinary school, it redefined what I thought of as camping fare. Today, there are certain ingredients that are staples in my home and backcountry kitchen….
Camp Breakfast in Scotland: Kedgeree and Cranachan Recipes
The green walls of our tunnel tent glow, light shimmering and flowing in waves, the dawn chorus ebbing, reminding us that time is a-wasting. Waking slowly in cocoons of silk, down and nylon there’s a delicious sense of lethargy. We’re slow to get moving. Here, beneath stark basalt mountains on the Isle of Skye, the scent of sun-warmed earth and heather flows into the tent. Still in our bags, there’s good-natured banter about who must leave the comfort of a warm bag to light our stove and get breakfast going. Grumbling slightly, one of the team wriggles out of the tent, the fly taut with the heat from a cloudless sky; a rare and unexpected joy here in the far northwest of Scotland, where one day of sunshine is a thing to…
What to Send in Thru-Hiking Care Packages
And other things to know when shipping packages to friends on the trail.
Backpacking Food Ideas: Get Your Ingredients at the Grocery Store
You can plan your entire backpacking menu with grocery store items. Here’s how.
Best Backpacking Snacks for Thru Hikers
Every step felt harder than the last, like I was hiking through a pool of thickening molasses. The Georgia mountains drained me, pulverizing my small frame until a friend told me I was probably “bonking” – or losing steam from inadequate nutrition. As soon as I stopped to cram a granola bar into my mouth, I felt alive again, like a newly-watered plant. My energy returned. And the looming climb no longer towered over me, laughing at my inadequacy. Instead, I felt confident in my ability to keep going – at least until I bonked again. One of the biggest challenges of my thru hike was learning how to properly fuel myself. Since long-distance backpackers have been known to burn as many as 6,000 calories per day, it seemed…