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The Hiking Tribe

Know the trail before your boots do.

Gear guides, trail notes and backcountry skills from an editor who reads every spec, every forum thread and every flaw. Each pick comes with what it gets wrong.

Move over the map: it traces the contour line you're standing on

Contour 120 ftTrailWater

Follow the trail · six stops, trailhead to summit

Fresh tracks

The trail register: the newest guides, signed in as they go up.

  1. Zipper Split Open at Camp? How to Repair a Tent Zipper Tents & Shelters
  2. Best Ultralight 1-Person Tent for Your Height and Budget Tents & Shelters
  3. Do You Need a Tent Footprint? Your Floor Denier Decides Tents & Shelters
  4. 5 Seam Sealing Mistakes That Leave Tents Leaking Tents & Shelters
  5. Freestanding vs Non-Freestanding Tents Terrain Decides Tents & Shelters
  6. Tent Condensation Management Ventilation Tips Most Miss Tents & Shelters

What earns a place in the pack

How a loaded pack carries: the heavy load against your back, light layers on top, the sleeping bag at the bottom. Pick a zone.

A loaded hiking backpack cut away to show how it is packed: the sleeping bag at the bottom, the tent, stove and food against the back, layers on top, map and headlamp in the lid, a water bottle in the side pocket and a trekking pole strapped outside

Core, against your back

The heaviest load rides here, close to your spine: shelter, kitchen, food.

Tents & Shelters Cooking & Stoves

From sandal to winter boot

Footwear by how much ankle it covers. The higher it climbs, the more it carries.

  1. A prepared hiker wearing specialized hiking water shoes wades through the Virgin River in the magnificent slot canyon of The Narrows, Zion National Park.

    Open

    Hiking Sandals

    Hiking Water Shoes for The Narrows & Beyond: A Guide Relieve Plantar Fasciitis Pain: 10mm Toe Drop Hiking Sandals for Women
  2. Zero-drop trail shoes on a runner mid-stride on rocky singletrack, level heel and forefoot visible

    Below the ankle

    Trail Runners

    Zero-Drop Trail Shoes Explained for Runners Best Trail Runners for Thru-Hiking That Go the DistanceTrail Runners vs Hiking Boots What Pack Weight Decides
  3. Woman on a switchback in women's hiking shoes, dust on the leather uppers, ridgelines behind her

    At the ankle

    Hiking Shoes

    Best Women’s Hiking Shoes That Fit a Woman’s Foot Best Waterproof Hiking Shoes Compared One Clear WinnerBest Hiking Shoes for Beginners With Untrained Feet
  4. Woman in Merrell hiking boots descending a rocky mountain trail with a loaded daypack

    Over the ankle

    Hiking Boots

    Best Women’s Hiking Boots for Every Foot Shape Leather vs Synthetic Hiking Boots — The 5-Year TestHow to Read Hiking Boot Anatomy Before You Buy
  5. Close-up of an insulated winter hiking boot stepping into fresh snow on a frozen alpine trail at golden hour

    High and insulated

    Winter & Insulated Footwear

    Best Insulated Winter Hiking Boots Worth the Money Mountaineering vs Hiking Boots Field-Tested TruthCan Your Winter Hiking Boots Handle Ice Fishing? I Tested It

Also on foot: Hiking Socks · Footwear Fit & Care · Kids & Toddler Footwear

How far are you going?

An afternoon, a week, or the whole trail: each changes what you carry.

Or by terrain and style

Where the trails are

Pick a region of the US, or cross an ocean.

GeorgiaMaineMassachusettsNew JerseyNorth CarolinaPennsylvaniaConnecticutWest VirginiaDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaKentuckyMarylandNew HampshireNew YorkTennesseeVirginiaSouth CarolinaVermontRhode Island AlaskaCaliforniaHawaiiOregonWashingtonNevada ArizonaTexasNew Mexico ColoradoWyomingMontanaUtahIdaho AlabamaFloridaIndianaKansasMinnesotaNorth DakotaOklahomaSouth DakotaMissouriIllinoisArkansasIowaMichiganMississippiOhioWisconsinNebraskaLouisiana

US East & Appalachia

Read before you go

The field manual: the skills that get you there and the ones that get you back.

Skills

Safety

Trail food

Life on trail

Leave it better

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