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TrailGroove Blog

A Blog by the TrailGroove Team

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Contributors to this blog

  • Aaron Zagrodnick 238
  • Mark Wetherington 76
  • PaulMags 27
  • Susan Dragoo 25
  • Steve Ancik 16
  • tmountainnut 12
  • David Cobb 10
  • Eric 10
  • HappyHour 9
  • jansenjournals 8
  • DustyD 7
  • Karen Garmire 6
  • Cinny Green 6
  • HikerBox 6
  • Daniel Anderson Jr 5
  • AndreaL 5
  • michaelswanbeck 5
  • George Graybill 5
  • SparbaniePhoto 5
  • Wired 4
  • mgraw 4
  • JimR 3
  • JimG 3
  • eliburakian 3
  • Kevin DeVries 3
  • Steven Genise 3
  • sarahtied 2
  • Doug Emory 2
  • Jessica Smith 2
  • Adrienne Marshall 2
  • seano 2
  • MattS 2
  • Jen 2
  • Peter 1
  • Claire Murdough 1
  • DKim and PatriciaV 1
  • Tucker Ballister 1
  • Curry Caputo 1
  • Madeline Salocks 1
  • Greg Jansky 1
  • J. Parascandola 1
  • BSuess 1
  • Adel 1
  • Rob Newton 1
  • Grace Bowie 1
  • Allison Johnson 1
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Gear | Trips | Food | Technique | Reading

Entries in this blog

Gear

The Multi-Purpose Foam Pad & Backpacking Sit Pads

Carrying the additional half-pound or so a three-quarter length closed cell foam pad, in addition to an inflatable pad, is antithetical to the general concept of lightweight backpacking. However, the versatility of this piece of gear and the added level of safety and comfort it provides make it something some backpackers never leave behind, with multiple use cases out on the trail – from a sit pad in camp and on breaks, to extra insulation and protection for your inflatable in longer lengths.
Mark Wetherington

Mark Wetherington in Gear

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Food

The Backpacking Spice Rack: Packing Spices for the Trail

Whether you’re a freeze-dried meal aficionado or if you prefer to custom make each of your meals for the trail, most backpacking meals will rely on dried and pre-packaged ingredients, with little in the way of fresh ingredients to bring life to meals. The result? Many times meals are good, but need…a little something. Spices are a backpacker’s best friend in this regard as they’re already in dried form and weigh next to nothing while packing a punch in the flavor department. Packing your whole s
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Food

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Gear

Backpacking Jargon: 2L vs. 2.5L and 3 Layer Rain Gear

Waterproof / breathable clothing and footwear is often classified depending on the type of layering construction that’s utilized in combination with the actual waterproof and breathable membrane or coating. The layering process is used to protect the more fragile waterproofing layer from abrasions, snags, and from dirt and body oils which will compromise effectiveness. Along with weight and price, when choosing your backpacking rain gear its construction (in regards to layers) should
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

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Reading

My First Summer in the Sierra Book Review

“No Sierra landscape that I have seen holds anything truly dead or dull, or any trace of what in manufactories is called rubbish or waste; everything is perfectly clean and pure and full of divine lessons… When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe”. These words - some of Muir’s most famous – are just a few of the many gems of My First Summer in the Sierra. Muir’s 1911 book traces his summer as a sheepherder in the Sierra, discovering a
Adrienne Marshall

Adrienne Marshall in Reading

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Gear

3 Season Backpacking Clothing List and Strategy

A clothing system for backpacking needs to be as lightweight as possible while still performing a variety of critical tasks in an ever-changing and varied wilderness environment. A clothing system must be comfortable, will act as our first line of defense to keep us warm, and should protect us from the sun, precipitation, biting insects, and bumps and scrapes on the trail to name a few concerns. While each of these tasks are easily obtainable with dedicated and specialized items of clothing, whe
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

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Gear

Backpacking Jargon: What is a Freestanding Tent?

The default term “tent” is no longer accurate to describe the various shelter options used by backpackers. Tarp-tents, tarps, bivy sacks, hammocks, and tents generally cover the gear used to seek refuge from the elements, but each have further sub-categories that merit examining and understanding when making the best decision about what you will put in your pack. Freestanding tents add convenience, but also add weight. Freestanding & Non-Freestanding Backpacking Tents In
Mark Wetherington

Mark Wetherington in Gear

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Gear

Trail Tip: The Backpacking Dining Tarp

The image of a heavy blue tarp stretched above a picnic table at a car campground is often the first image that comes to mind when a "dining tarp" is brought up in conversation among backpackers. While many lightweight tarps are on the market, they are primarily showcased as shelters and their other uses are understated, if depicted at all. Often left out of the pack, and understandably so in many situations because of the added weight and limited function, there are certain circumstances where
Mark Wetherington

Mark Wetherington in Gear

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Technique

Backpacking in the Rain: Dealing with the Deluge

While we can hope that a good forecast holds or we luck out and enjoy blue sunny skies on our next backpacking trip, inevitably a trip will fall during a stretch of rainy weather – and we all know that good forecasts don’t always work out quite as planned. Rainy weather adds a new set of challenges a hiker must prepare for, and when chilly weather is added to the equation you have some of the most challenging weather conditions a backpacker will face. But whether it’s afternoon mountain showers
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Technique

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Food

How to Make Your Own Dehydrated Backpacking Meals

You like to hike, or you would not be reading TrailGroove, America’s finest hiking magazine right now. And you probably like to eat good food, because you are a human. But for far too many people, hiking and eating well do not seem to go together. When I share a camp with fellow hikers, I often cringe to see the awful dreck they gag down: ramen, instant mashed potatoes, quinoa. If I ate that stuff day after day I would lose my will to hike, and perhaps my will to live. Many hikers, especially lo
HappyHour

HappyHour in Food

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Gear

Ruffwear Approach Dog Pack: A 15 Year Review

While bringing along man’s best friend on our backcountry adventures comes with many advantages, especially when backpacking it also comes with an extra set of dog-specific gear. Dog food, a section of foam pad, dog jackets, bowls, leashes, and perhaps even a sleeping bag for your dog all serve to increase the weight carried. The solution of course is to have the dog carry some of their own gear or other gear to help offset some of the weight – most importantly of course without overloading the
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

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Food

Backpacking Mac and Cheese: Options for the Trail

A staple for many off the trail, mac & cheese at first seems so simple but can come with a few challenges when adapting this dish for backpacking. Since it’s relatively easy to get at the store and packs well, I’ve always held off on the pre-made, just add hot water commercial backpacking options that are out there. But in reality, this usually means that the mac & cheese is just left off my backcountry meal menu entirely. And for several reasons – cooking traditional mac & cheese in
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Food

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Gear

MSR Access 1 Ultralight Four-Season Tent Review

The MSR Access 1 tent is conceived as a one person, ultralight, four-season tent suited for winter backpacking, ski touring, and snowshoeing and especially in locations that may be at or around the treeline. It’s also suited for any location that will involve cold, wind, or otherwise winter conditions combined with your overnight activity of choice. In this review I’ll review the MSR Access 1 – the solo version of the tent. There is also a 2-person option and a 3-person variant, also in the brig
Rob Newton

Rob Newton in Gear

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Gear

MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe Stove Review

An upright backpacking canister stove released by MSR in 2019, the Pocket Rocket Deluxe takes the normal version of their popular upright canister stove (the standard Pocket Rocket stove) and adds an external piezo push start ignition system along with an internal pressure regulator, promising more stable performance across both low canister and in colder weather applications. After utilizing the Soto WindMaster for years that utilizes a pressure regulation system – for more you can see our full
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

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Gear

Kahtoola MICROspikes Traction System Review

If you ask five people when backpacking and hiking season is, you will probably get five different answers. For those that want to extend their own personal season into the fringes of the shoulder seasons and even into the heart of winter, there are a couple things that will be necessary. Warmer gear can only get you so far, and as it gets icy, you’ll need to add something to your footwear to help with traction. Even during the peak of summer, traction devices can make or break a trip
tmountainnut

tmountainnut in Gear

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Gear

Sea to Summit Ultralight Insulated Sleeping Pad Review

Back in 2015, Sea to Summit introduced a new lineup of sleeping pads (or mats as they refer to the line) made up of 6 different models utilizing their Air Sprung Cell design, an egg-crate like dot weld pattern designed to prevent the transfer of movement throughout the pad and increase a user’s sleeping comfort. The mats ranged in r-value from a low of .7 to a high of 5, and ranged in weights from less than a pound to 36 ounces. The details of the lineup on paper caught my eye: Durabl
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

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Reading

Ultralight Winter Travel Book Review

Even among the most avid and enthusiastic three-season backpackers, winter backpacking is an intimidating prospect. The long and cold nights, the high consequences of mistakes, and the challenges of travel in snowy terrain – not to mention the specialized equipment often needed – dissuade many people from heading out on overnight trips during the colder months. While winter conditions certainly make backpacking more difficult in several regards, winter also has unique rewards born of its frigid
Mark Wetherington

Mark Wetherington in Reading

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Gear

Coast FL1R Micro Rechargeable Headlamp Review

I’ve always been a fan of headlamps powered by either 3 AAA batteries or a single AA battery (my current favorite). While these types of headlamps may at first seem a bit archaic – the performance is simply there. When it comes to the ultralight headlamp category, lithium has matched, but not overtaken a single AA battery when watt hours are compared side by side. To avoid throwing away batteries, I use all Panasonic Eneloop batteries – rated for over 2000 cycles. On the plus side, ex
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

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Gear

NEMO Moonlite Elite Backpacking Chair Review

For nearly the past 10 years, I’ve packed a backpacking chair of some type along on most of my backpacking trips. It’s one of those items that is never immediately packed – ending up somewhere off to the side while packing in what I describe as some type of “maybe” pile. Although rocks and logs in the field are free of charge and don’t add weight to your pack (provided you don’t carry them), the chair always ends up coming along. New to the lightweight backpacking chair market, the NE
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

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Gear

Review: BearVault BV450 Bear-Resistant Food Canister

Aside from bear canisters, there are few – if any – pieces of gear that backpackers can be required to have. Don’t want to bring a tent? That’s your choice. Feel like skipping the stove and eating no-cook dinners? Go for it. Trust the forecast and decide to leave the rain gear at home? No big deal. The ability to choose what we bring and the multitude of options for nearly every type of gear that exists are part of the fun of planning a backpacking trip. However, for certain national parks and o
Mark Wetherington

Mark Wetherington in Gear

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Gear

Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter: Long Term Review

For the past 10 years, the Platypus GravityWorks water filtration system has been my primary method for treating water in the backcountry. When it comes to backpacking water treatment, we need a solution that is effective, reliable, and reasonably fast, without taking up too much space or weighing us down on the trail. Essentially, we need all-around performance. In this review we'll evaluate the GravityWorks water filtration system and how well it performs in the backcountry. The Gra
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

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Gear

Feathered Friends Eos Down Jacket Review

For backpackers in all but the most temperate and low elevation climates, a down jacket is an almost indispensable piece of gear. While fleece jackets, wool sweaters, or synthetic insulation pieces can provide warmth, their ability to do so at a comparable warmth-to-weight ratio as a down jacket is lacking. Although synthetic pieces are certainly catching up in the warmth-to-weight regard and their ability to insulate when wet provides a distinct advantage, there is a reason why the most common
Mark Wetherington

Mark Wetherington in Gear

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Food

Mountain House Veggie Chorizo Breakfast Scramble Review

A newer meal from Mountain House, the Veggie Chorizo Breakfast Scramble Meal is a meal based on eggs, a plant-based chorizo-flavored crumble, hash-style potatoes, and bell peppers. Each pouch has 580 calories and is ready in 9 minutes after adding 1 1/3 cups of boiling water. This vegetarian and gluten-free meal has a well-rounded nutritional profile, and has a shelf life of 30 years. The Veggie Chorizo Breakfast Scramble meal from Mountain House offers 580 calories in a vegetarian an
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Food

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Gear

Helinox Ground Chair Review

The past year or two I’ve become a fan of at least on occasion, heading out on a trip every now and then that involves a day or two of backpacking into the wilderness with a particular destination in mind, then staying a couple nights exploring in that area. As a backpacker who’s also a fly fisherman, a secret lake in the wilderness is often involved on these trips. In contrast to the more typical backpacking trip of packing in the miles and moving daily, these types of excursions allow you to r
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Gear

MSR WindPro II Stove Review

For 3-season use stove choices are simple: many of us rely on an upright canister stove – with my current favorite choice being the Soto WindMaster. For year-round utilization however and when temperatures fall in winter, and / or melting snow is one’s source of water, modifications to your stove system or a different system entirely are called for. As temperatures drop, performance of upright canister stoves begins to suffer and especially as temperatures approach or surpass the boiling point o
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

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Gear

Western Mountaineering UltraLite 20 Degree Sleeping Bag Review

For many lightweight and ultralight backpackers looking for a single sleeping bag to suit their needs throughout the year in many parts of the country, a 20 degree bag is often chosen for its blend of warmth while still remaining light enough to easily carry. Here in the Rockies, it might be a bit too warm in the summer, though you’ll still see lows in the 20’s at times at high elevation even in August. For spring and fall the rating is nearly spot-on perfect, and for colder temperatures you can
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

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