What’s the best part about everyone knowing you’re a backpacking buff? The steady stream of gifted gear and gadgets to supe up your hiking kit! What’s the worst part? There’s only so much you can carry on your back! So launder your sleeping bags and air out your old shelter, because it’s time to put a little more moolah in your pocket, and make room for shiny new backpacking gear in the process. Here are some of the best options for places to sell your used gear.

Repairs, fixes, and alterations, OH MY! Don’t let sewing up that shelter tear or patching that hole in your hoodie overwhelm you — we’re here with a list of businesses helping to breathe new life into outdoor gear. By choosing to repair, revive, restore, and reuse (rather than replace), you’re helping to make the outdoor industry more sustainable and the world a better place. If you’re a hiker or backpacker looking to get your kit back in shape by spring, these stellar companies are ready to make it easy.

If every hot spot, moisture wrinkle, and blister under the sun tends to affect your feet, I’m here to tell you there’s another way. Toe socks have been making strides in the hiking community for their blister prevention and overall foot health properties. And, XOSKIN has emerged with an innovative addition to the toe sock market. Here’s the down-low on their take on toe socks, the 5.0 XOTOES. 

The logic stands that if an influencer posts an image to their feed and tags the location, it may be overrun with hopefuls trying to snag a similar shot that may not know or care about their impact on the land.

What if I told you, when used thoughtfully, geotagging presents more opportunities than consequences? Let me show you how.

After 3,000 miles of thru hiking, honing my kit has proven to be a worthwhile endeavor and I’ve never felt more prepared for a long trail adventure than I did for my latest trek this past September on the Appalachian High Route. Now that all 330 miles are under my feet, it’s time to take a look at what worked, what didn’t, and what I carried every step of the way in my trusty home-away-from-home.

The Appalachian High Route is a 330-mile loop that offers a whirligig tour of 6,000-footers and iconic gems of the southern Appalachians. The route was established by Jennifer Pharr Davis earlier this year and utilizes existing trails and roads to form a loop through the southern Appalachians. Here’s a section-by-section breakdown of my trek of the AHR this past September and some additional resources to help you plan your own journey on this novel route.

Whether you’re casually perusing ultralight gear options for an upcoming backpacking adventure, or meticulously planning an epic thru-hike complete with detailed spreadsheets, there are any number of stellar cottage gear companies to check out … including in Japan! Here are 9 ultralight-focused, passion-driven, and trail-tested small brands that hail from the island country in the Pacific.

Sometimes we pat ourselves on the back for sticking diligently to Leave No Trace, the expectation of backcountry behavior meant to protect our public lands, and other times Mother Nature begs for us to do more. Those particularly devoted to the cause join a local trail maintaining club or embark on a work trip to tackle a larger project, while others may simply gather waste as they head out on their local trails. Though leaving public lands better than we found them may look different ways in practice, there are plenty of opportunities to join in on the fun, whether you're solo or adventuring with others. The next time you head out for a hike, remember these assignments to become a habitual trail maintainer.

The Applichinan High Route is for the hiker who swoons at the Smokies and yearns to bag 6,000-foot peaks. The little known fact that 53 of the 54 tallest peaks on the East Coast are in the southern Appalachians may play into the rise of this route’s popularity over the coming seasons. I can’t brag enough on the sights, landmarks, solitude, and experience this trek has to offer.

Whether you’re new to merino wool or you’re a devoted gear-head with a dialed-in pack, I’m revisiting a staple of Smartwool’s repertoire: the Classic Thermal Merino Base Layers. You may know these popular picks by their previous name, the Merino 250 Base Layers. Although the name has changed, the idea hasn’t: a fantastically versatile layer for cool to cold weather. But is merino wool worth the hype, and do the base layers really stand up to thorough testing on trail? Read on to find out.

Learning how to care for my feet while hiking has given me the opportunity to try out several products. These are my six favorite foot care items I’ve come across so far — completely making the difference between being able to continue a hike or having to pull off trail for necessary recovery and rest.

Besides the obvious creature comforts, there are plenty of other appealing attributes that make this luxury item well worth its weight. Read on … as I make the case for carrying a lightweight backpacking chair or stool, offering five reasons to consider giving your bum the upgrade it's been waiting for!

For the last several months, I and the stellar pair behind Let’s Trek Together have been wiping backcountry muck from our lenses, precariously balancing our devices, and keeping up with the latest hiker-trash trends to bring you entertaining and informative short form video via The Trek’s shiny new TikTok account. From silly audio covers to “A Day in the Life” of a thru-hiker, we’ve been going backcountry viral with some of our top posts: let’s dive into the countdown.

Today I’m excited to chat with Andy Neal, host of the Hiker Podcast, outdoor influencer, creator, and hiker extraordinaire. Now, the last time Andy and I chatted was in 2020. I lived in a school bus and was fresh off the Colorado Trail, and he was in the midst of season one of Hiker Podcast. Since then, the podcast and Andy’s content has grown and he’s using the spotlight to focus on some really inspiring topics: but I won’t spoil anything quite yet.

Hikers that tout a sub 15-lb base weight often will include Leukotape in their kit and value it not only as a blister bandage and hot spot healer, but for its versatility as well. What other on-trail applications could this terrific tape have that make it even more worth the weight? Here’s 9 ways you can utilize Leukotape on your next adventure.

Whether hiking a Triple Crown Trail or a favorite local gem, volunteers are hard at work preserving the experience of a walk in the woods. From clearing deadfall and building bridges to turning privies through the height of hiker season, we all owe trail maintainers a debt of gratitude. And what better way to pay it forward than by joining in on the fun?

The Basin and Range Trail is a 1090-mile quasi-loop hiking trail located in eastern Nevada. It features hidden gems in the form of gorgeous mountain ranges and vast desert hiking. This trek is not for the logistically fearful and requires thru-hikers to bushwhack and, in some sections, blaze their own path entirely.

In the past, I’ve brought a large pair of wool socks along on trail just to keep my piggies toasty through the night, but my base weight aches for the ounces, and they don’t always succeed at keeping the cold at bay. Are the Zpacks Goose Socks worth the weight to spoil my feet after a long day of hiking? Let’s find out.

Hi y’all, Oats here! I’m the Social Media Wiz for The Trek back on IG Live with another interview from the PCT. This week, our first PCT Hiker Spotlight is shining on Trek Blogger Emily who flew to the trail from London and has been making stellar updates, sharing photos, tales from the trail, and details on all things new and unexpected in sunny Southern CA ever since.