More than Bikepacking: How to Help Foster Environmental Sustainability

Apr 26, 2022

My introduction to bikepacking was unintentional, which is perhaps why it never felt like my two-wheeled adventures needed to focus on me. My first forays didn’t involve much more than a backpack filled with fishing gear and a tent, riding my 90’s era mountain bike down dirt roads toward reservoirs in Truckee and creeks in Davis, California, intent on fishing for the weekend. As an undergraduate in Bozeman, Montana, my lack of a driver’s license left me peddling up Hyalite Reservoir Road, touring skis strapped to my backpack as I rode that same bike from my dorm to a weekend basecamp. These days, I still avoid putting together routes based on their distance or elevation gain, choosing instead to find purpose in escaping from my normal routine at a slower…

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In Terms of Backcountry Water Treatment, When is Water Considered Safe to Drink?

Apr 29, 2021

Brown, silty streams, tea-colored rivulets, even clear, ice-cold lakes—any backcountry water source can serve up a cocktail of contaminants. But not everything that’s present in an undeveloped water source is necessarily harmful, and only some things pose an immediate threat to your health. In fact, it’s impractical and unnecessary to remove everything, all the time. So in terms of backcountry water treatment, when is water considered safe to drink? First, what’s commonly in backcountry water? The types of contaminants that make water “dirty” depend a lot on that source’s surrounding environment. But most contaminants can be placed into these categories: Microorganisms- Simply put: tiny bugs or germs. Microbes are the primary focus of treatment devices because of their immediate and potentially serious risk to your health. The pathogenic ones include…

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Water 101: Clean Water Solutions to Prepare for Emergencies

Feb 4, 2021

Water is our most important resource, but you never know when a disaster could compromise your local water supply. While the novel coronavirus has not been detected in drinking water supplies, according to the World Health Organization, many of you have reached out about emergency water filter options as you build out your disaster kits. We’ve put together the information you need on some clean water solutions to help ensure you have access to water that’s safe to drink during all kinds of emergencies. Clean Water Threats When drinking water is contaminated in municipal or developed areas, the immediate threat to human health is the introduction of waterborne pathogens—microscopic disease-causing bugs. These include bacteria, protozoa and viruses, all of which are normally removed by the city treatment center long before…

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Snowshoe Sizing: How to Pick Your Perfect Length 

Nov 10, 2020

Aside from bringing a thermos with a hot lunch and/or drinks, one of the easiest ways to ensure a great time snowshoeing is to make the right choice when considering the right snowshoe sizing. One of snowshoes’ biggest jobs is to provide “flotation” to keep you from sinking too deeply into the snowpack, so the amount of flotation you need is what drives your choice of snowshoe length. A bigger snowshoe means more surface area which, in turn, means more flotation. Generally speaking, the “right” snowshoe is one that delivers the flotation you need, while being small enough to keep you nimble on the trail.    Here are some quick tips to help you make the right choice in snowshoe sizing: First: The Majority Rule When considering the following variables, it’s easy to get bogged down in the thought that you want a snowshoe that does it all–from…

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