How to Pack a Backpack

Jun 12, 2023

Correctly packing a backpacking pack is one of those skills you don’t know you need until you’re walking down the trail with something jamming painfully into the small of your pack. Then you need to treat some water and you realize your filter is at the bottom of the bag. Suddenly it starts to rain and where did you put that dang pack cover? A little mindfulness while packing will go miles in keeping you happy and comfortable on trail. Fortunately, once you have the info it’s easy to do. Read on to become a packing ninja. If you are just starting out with backpacking, you should also take some time to become familiar with Leave No Trace practices, like how to wash dishes in the backcountry and packing out…

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Hubba Hubba vs. FreeLite: Which Backpacking Tent is Right for You?

May 1, 2023

All MSR tents are engineered and built to stringent standards of quality and performance. With decades of tent design under our belts, we can say with confidence that you can’t go wrong with any MSR tent, as long as you get the one that’s built for your needs. We offer numerous options within each category of tent, dialed in for specific users who demand certain things, and our backpacking tents are a great example of this variety. Whether you’re choosing your first backpacking tent or your tenth, the trick is knowing what you need in a tent. Answering a few simple questions can help narrow down the specs and features you should look for. If you’re here, you know you want a tent for backpacking, so let’s break down the…

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Best Backpacking Snacks for Thru Hikers 

Apr 26, 2023

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…

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