Melanzana is a company based out of Leadville, Colorado. They are most well known for their lack of available stock and of course, microgrid hoodie. The company is struggling to keep up with demand as popularity soars around their products specifically the Melanzana Microgrid Hoodie. I had the chance to get my hands on oneRead More

There are sleeping pads that weigh everywhere from a few ounces to a few pounds. When I got into backpacking I thought it would be worthwhile to get a thick inflatable pad that would be puncture resistant and very comfortable. The pad I initially bought was the Big Agnes Insulated Air Core. Today that padRead More

Hiking in adverse conditions means that you need trail runners with a solid tread and quick drying. I looked at the Altra King MT’s one day and thought these would be the perfect shoe for me on the Appalachian Trail. I bought a pair of them and hiked with them for 500 miles and thenRead More

I’ve spent a lot of time with my trusty REI Flash 45. I bought it on impulse back in 2015 at the end of the season sale. It was on sale for a whopping $50. I couldn’t have ever expected that the REI Flash 45 would last me three years of backpacking and a thruRead More

Trekking poles are a necessity for most hikers and for good reason. They provide stability over technical terrain, reduce the impact on the knees, and can help increase your speed. Nowadays, your trekking poles often go right into your tent in lieu of real poles. So there is a lot of reasons to keep yourRead More

Socks are one of the most important pieces of gear for any distance hike, pick the wrong kind and you’ll likely end up with blisters. I have thoroughly used a decent amount of hiking socks. On my 2017 thru hike, I mainly used 4 different brands. Socks are definitely a very personal item for people,Read More

Ah, time to review a necessity for all but the riskiest ultralight backpackers. Over the years, water filters are one of the things that changed a lot but they have plateaued in recent years. No longer are the days of heavy pump filters with expensive and difficult to use filters. One of the most popularRead More

A staple of extreme ultralight backpackers is not carrying a pillow at all. Using your extra clothes instead may work well for some. Others of us are willing to add a few ounces for the comforts of a pillow. If you have been looking at the Aeros Ultralight then you have found the right placeRead More

  UPDATED RECOMMENDATION FOR 2019! Look online these days for a battery bank and you are overwhelmed by a ton of different brands, sizes, characteristics, and everything else you can imagine. You are headed backpacking so you decide to try to narrow it down to battery banks for backpacking and now you’re stuck with aRead More