Backpacking Light

Backpacking Light magazine started in 2001, created by Alan Dixon and Ryan Jordan. This online publication features articles from scientists and engineers who aim to clear up misconceptions about outdoor equipment.

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Articles

Topographic intervention: reconciling terrain and neurobiology with your mental and emotional health needs

1 week ago | backpackinglight.com | Ryan Jordan

“Walking is good for your emotional and mental health.” – says everyone now. Psychologists, wellness writers, and public health pundits agree: walking is good for your mental health. Sure, walking helps. But the reasons most people give for why it helps often miss the mark. The prevailing narrative is shallow. Walking is framed as a kind of aerobic panacea – mild cardio with mental health side benefits. It’s accessible, it’s low-cost, and it’s non-threatening.
Backcountry Lighting Technology and Products: State of the Market Report and Gear Guide

3 weeks ago | backpackinglight.com | Ryan Jordan

Backpacking Light purchased the products featured in this review at MSRP. Black Diamond, Biolite, Fenix, and Nitecore occasionally provide complimentary samples (including lighting and other types of products) to Backpacking Light, but Backpacking Light has no obligation to review or mention them in any editorial coverage. This review was produced with complete editorial independence and without any involvement from any brand featured in this review.
Advances in Materials and Manufacturing in Ultralight Backpacks: A Technical Review and Case Study

4 weeks ago | backpackinglight.com | Ryan Jordan

Funding Disclosure: Arc’teryx provided financial support and product samples for the development of this report. Editorial Independence: Backpacking Light and the author retained full editorial control over this content, including all ideation, research, analysis and conclusions with no influence from Arc’teryx. Affiliate Links:Â This article contains affiliate links to Arc’teryx.
Handwear Systems for Backcountry Travel: Protecting Your Hands in Sun, Cold, Rain, Snow, and Wind

1 month ago | backpackinglight.com | Ryan Jordan

IntroductionProtecting myÂ hands from inclement conditions and injury – and maintaining the grip and dexterity required for tool use and fine motor function – is one of my critical priorities in the backcountry. Grip, dexterity, warmth, moisture management – everything depends on keeping them functional. I learned this the hard way during a circumnavigation of the Wind River Range in the early 1990s. Wanting to save a few ounces, I left gloves at home.
Ombraz Armless Sunglasses: Rethinking Eyewear for the Backcountry

1 month ago | backpackinglight.com | Ryan Jordan

Backpacking Light receives financial compensation from Ombraz in the form of advertising and sponsorships (e.g., podcasts, email newsletters, and events). Ombraz provided complimentary product samples featured in this review; however, the provision of these products was not contingent on publishing a review or providing editorial coverage. Ombraz was invited to review the accuracy of our description of fit-related limitations.
Wind Shirts for Backpacking

1 month ago | backpackinglight.com | Ryan Jordan

IntroductionWind Shirts¬†describe the product category of wind shirts and jackets (referred to as wind shirts for brevity) – non-waterproof, breathable garments worn as outer shell layers for storm protection in mild to moderately inclement weather (wind, rain, and cold). This is the most comprehensive treatise about wind shirts we’ve ever published (about 7,000 words), building on several years of research, testing, and product reviews in this category.
Collateral Damage: How Tariff Policy Is Gutting America’s Outdoor Gear Innovators

1 month ago | backpackinglight.com | Ryan Jordan

Introduction: Tariffs Are Quietly Reshaping the Outdoor Gear IndustryIf you’ve already noticed (or worried about) the price of outdoor gear creeping upward, it may not just be inflation or better technology. There’s an unlikely undercurrent of structural, opaque uncertainty at work: tariffs – or at least, the threat of tariffs. A tariff is a tax placed on imported goods.
Down-Filled Backpacking Quilts (Market Survey and Gear Guide)

2 months ago | backpackinglight.com | Ryan Jordan |Gear Guides

IntroductionThis gear guide features 64 products from 27 brands: down-filled backpacking top quilts sold primarily in North America and Europe. We focus on quilts designed for temperate conditions (20 to 40 Â°F / â€“7 to 5 Â°C). No white-labeled quilts are included, nor are quilts distributed primarily through channels outside the US, Canada, or Europe.
Traction Spikes - Backpacking Light

Feb 11, 2025 | backpackinglight.com | Ryan Jordan |Gear Guides

IntroductionMy first experience with traction devices was back in the 1980s while backpacking in Olympic National Park. Back then, traction spikes as we know them today didn’t exist. We relied on mountaineering crampons, which were necessary for the steep off-trail terrain we often traversed to reach technical mountaineering routes. Walking in crampons on non-technical trails was cumbersome, but they were the only option.
No Normal Coffee Paste Review

Jan 30, 2025 | backpackinglight.com | Ryan Jordan

IntroductionI suffer with Starbucks Via single-use packets for most of my backpacking trips. I don’t not like Via – its compact, single-use form factor and flavor that’s sort of good enough make it an appealing option for somebody who enjoys the ritual of brewing a cup of coffee. And it’s generally absent of the organic chemical-like defects that plague other (cheaper) freeze-dried brands. However, I’m always on the lookout for something with richer flavor, smoother body, and a fresher mouth-feel.