A family hiking the Alta Via 2 in Parco Naturale Paneveggio Pale di San Martino, Dolomite Mountains, Italy.

10 Expert Tips for Doing Adventure Travel Right

by

By Michael Lanza

What exactly is “adventure travel?” While we may all define it slightly differently, I think there are universal commonalities to it. Real adventure transports you into a physical and emotional place you have never gone before, or rarely go. It brings surprises and occasionally hardships. But the good surprises are a gift that often comes wrapped in wonder and awe, while the hardships teach us something about the world and, usually, about ourselves.

Our earliest adventures can help kindle a fire for more experiences that deliver that buzz again—that feeling of being entirely on your own and not knowing what’s going to happen next, but whatever lies ahead, you’re eager to leap into it.

Read on

The Wildest Shore: Backpacking the Southern Olympic Coast

by

By Michael Lanza

On a remote, sandy beach on Washington’s Olympic coast, we stop in our tracks and gaze up. A wall of muddy earth rises some 300 feet into jungle-like rainforest. A thick strand of hemp rope dangles down this steep, eroding embankment. A ladder of wooden steps built into the muddy ground rises in tandem with the rope.

We’re going up it.

Read on

The Nemo Dragonfly 2P on the Teton Crest Trail.

Review: Nemo Dragonfly 2P Ultralight Backpacking Tent

by

Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Nemo Dragonfly 2P
$480, 2 lbs. 10 oz./1191g
nemoequipment.com

From clear, cool, late-August nights on the Teton Crest Trail, to mixed weather that included rain and wind on a five-day hike in Yellowstone’s Bechler Canyon area in September, the Nemo Dragonfly 2P displayed the weather protection and exceptional livability that distinguishes it as one of the very best two-person, three-season ultralight backpacking tents on the market today—at a very good price for this level of quality. Here’s why.

Read on

The Knog Bandicoot headlamp

Review: The Knog Bandicoot Headlamp

by

Rechargeable Headlamp Knog Bandicoot $35, 2 oz. Eartheasy.com My first reaction to the Knog Bandicoot was: a rechargeable headlamp that weighs and costs less than headlamps that require batteries?! My second thought was: Hey, this thing looks kind of… cool. After using it on late-summer (think: it’s dark by early evening) backpacking trips on the Teton Crest Trail and in …

Read on

The North Face Banchee 50 in Yellowstone National Park.

Review: The North Face Banchee 50 Backpack

by

Backpack The North Face Banchee 50 $230, 50L/3,051 c.i., 3 lbs. 1 oz./1.4kg (S/M) Sizes: men’s S/M and L/XL, women’s XS/S and M/L moosejaw.com In the competitive arena of backpacking packs, there’s an increasingly crowded field of ultralight models, as well as an array of choices in heavier, more tricked-out packs built for moderate to stout loads. Then there’s an …

Read on