In 2013 I purchased my first of several Enlightened Equipment quilts. Although I’ve been camping all of my life, this quilt gave me my first truly comfortable night of sleep. Since then, I’ve purchased several more quilts from Enlightened Equipment and helped many family members and friends make the conversion. Now, almost everyone I backpack with has one or more of these trusty hiking companions. I read recently that about 75% of 2017 Appalachian Trail Thruhikers slept in quilts by EE. Continue reading
Intro to Backpacking – Recommended Tents
This last weekend, I hosted an Intro to Backpacking workshop with Hudson Valley Hikers. The idea of the event was to allow future backpackers to see and feel real gear in the real world. Each of our hosts brought one or more of their favorite tents. Students were able to watch them set up and then crawl inside to get a feel. They especially liked hanging in the hammock! Continue reading
Intro to Backpacking – Recommended Backpacks
This last weekend, I hosted an Intro to Backpacking workshop with Hudson Valley Hikers. The idea of the event was to allow future backpackers to see and feel real gear in the real world. Our hosts brought several popular backpacks loaded with common equipment. Each pack was fully loaded as if for a weekend-long backpacking trip. The equipment ranged from “bought everything I saw in the store” to “who needs a toothbrush anyway?” The students had the opportunity to carry each of these packs and experience the impact of weight and pack design. Here are some of the packs that were present: Continue reading