Tag: backpacking


  • Part of Mark’s Backpacking Guide One of my joys has been introducing people to backpacking and wilderness experiences. Some people love it, others just couldn’t adjust. They were too used to climate controlled environments, were scared of wild life, and wanted a modern bathroom. Other “city people” jump right in and get into the spirit…

  • The following are rather incomplete notes I have made at one time or another about being in the outdoors in the face of cold, snowy conditions, with a focus on backpacking. It is not as complete as most of my posts about backpacking, though it will likely slowly improve when I stumble across something I…

  • The post was corrupted and I haven’t been able to find a good archive of it. I pulled some text in from another page in May 2025 as a starting point, but this really needs a complete rewrite, updated references, and some corrections. I have run many tests, several of them better constructed since first…

  • Sykes Hot Springs

    Minor Updates Aug 2022 The hike from Big Sur Station to Hot Springs is a 20 mile in and back trip. Sykes Hot Springs is one of my favorite places to take first time backpackers who are reasonably fit. The destination has a natural hot springs and a trout filled stream. The hike is pretty.…

  • BalloonBed Review

    Review Item: BalloonBed Original Sleeping PadManufacturer URL: http://www.balloonbed.com/Manufacture Year: 2005Listed weight: 100g (3.5 oz)Weight as delivered: 85 g (3oz) + .7g  (.2 oz) for a night of balloonsMSRP: £18.95 GBP (~US$38 depending on exchange rate) Description Brownish green fabric holster to hold balloons, small sack made from the same light material to hold all the items, balloons,…

  • The following was Patagonia’s response to some questions about materials and testing which was posted in 2005 to a public forum.  Most of this article matches my personal experience and still seems valid today. Mark Verber Innovation, that steamroller of change, has, over the past five years completely redefined the way people dress for the mountains – to…

  • Bear Bags

    Backpackers have to protect their food against animals while they sleep.  In most parts of the country correctly hanging food in a bear bags can be effective. Unfortunately bags won’t protect your food in locations with habituated bears whose response to backpackers is “Great, I get another treat filled piñata tonight”. In Yosemite I have watched bear tracking backpackers…