Sure, you could take a look at the 2020 Thru-hiker Gift Guide, but what if you're not just any thru-hiker? What if you're a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hiker? Yes, every thru-hiker thinks themself special and those found (or about to be found) on the PCT are no different. So what if your loved one
The 2020 Thru-hiker Gift Guide
Things are finally cooling off (at least in California) and it's nearly time for the results of what will be some very strange thru-hiker surveys. That means it's also the season to work on upgrading your backpacking outfit for when it's time to go back outside next year (if you're interested,
Mac’s Backpacking Gear List 2020 (v2.0)
It's been a complicated year, but I still managed to get outdoors despite not being able to escape the country as originally planned. My gear list has continued to evolve as I continue to figure out what gear I like best and for what application I most enjoy using each piece of gear. I've
Backpacker Radio #79 | Mac from Halfway Anywhere
Last month, I sat down and talked to Backpacker Radio about pretty much everything I've ever done in the outdoors up until this year. You can start listening at around 10 minutes in and then sit back to enjoy the last eight years of my life compressed into a little under two hours. Long by many
Sierra High Route Gear List
The gear required for a hike of the Sierra High Route (SHR) needs to strike a balance of functional and lightweight. Typically, I am happy to tell people that "if you're happy carrying it, then carry it", but since the SHR calls for a lot of scrambling up loose talus and/or boulder fields, it's nice
Mac’s Backpacking Gear List 2020 (v1.0)
It's the dawn of a decade and I've made a lot of changes to my three-season backpacking gear list to kick off the twenties. Some of my favorite pieces of gear are still with me and are still going strong (socks and fanny pack) while I'm trying others out for the first time (pillow, anyone?). My
Guide to REI’s Gear Up Get Out Sale (2019)
How do you know you're getting a good deal on outdoor gear? Are you paying the MSRP? Yes? I have news! You're paying too much. Thankfully, there are those times of the year when companies discount products in the hopes of increasing sales; with the announcement of REI's Gear Up Get Out Sale,
The 2019 Thru-hiker Gift Guide
We're coming up on the end of the year which means two things, it's almost time for the results of the thru-hiker surveys and it's time to start upgrading your backpacking gear for next year's "go outside and walk places" season (if you're interested, here's my latest backpacking gear
Mac’s Backpacking Gear List 2019 (v2.0)
I didn't stop hiking once I left the Pacific Crest Trail this summer, and since my final PCT gear list, a number of things have changed in my backpacking outfit. After hitting the Timberline Trail, Wonderland Trail, and the Wind River Range. Fall is my favorite time of the year to hike - fewer