From car camping with your family to base camping at the foot of your next serious adventure, you’ll want to have the right gear for the occasion. Below our staff at Switchback Travel breaks down the best camping gear...
Hardshell jackets are designed for the alpine: they’re highly windproof, waterproof, breathable, and durable. This is the outer layer you turn to for ultimate protection while backcountry and resort...
In the typical three-layer ski clothing system, the midlayer is given the all-important insulating duties. As such, it is the one article of clothing you’re most likely to swap out depending on weather conditions. Is it bristling cold and dry...
A key piece of any gear closet is a go-to daypack. It’s what you grab for nearly any type of outdoor adventure, whether it’s a hike, bike ride, or day on the slopes. Generally, what most people look for…
You can leave your dehydrated, salty, and unsatisfying meals at home—today’s camping stoves bring a whole new level of gourmet to your car camping and basecamping adventures. Unlike for backpacking, there’s no need to scour Pinterest for workarounds...
If you've ever gone camping, hiking, backpacking, climbing, mountain biking, trail running, or nearly anything else in the outdoors, chances are you've used a headlamp. While this handy piece of technology requires little introduction...
From car camping with your family to base camping at the foot of your next serious adventure, you’ll want to have the right gear for the occasion. Below our staff at Switchback Travel breaks down the best camping gear...
Hardshell jackets are designed for the alpine: they’re highly windproof, waterproof, breathable, and durable. This is the outer layer you turn to for ultimate protection while backcountry and resort...
In the typical three-layer ski clothing system, the midlayer is given the all-important insulating duties. As such, it is the one article of clothing you’re most likely to swap out depending on weather conditions. Is it bristling cold and dry...
A key piece of any gear closet is a go-to daypack. It’s what you grab for nearly any type of outdoor adventure, whether it’s a hike, bike ride, or day on the slopes. Generally, what most people look for…
You can leave your dehydrated, salty, and unsatisfying meals at home—today’s camping stoves bring a whole new level of gourmet to your car camping and basecamping adventures. Unlike for backpacking, there’s no need to scour Pinterest for workarounds...
If you've ever gone camping, hiking, backpacking, climbing, mountain biking, trail running, or nearly anything else in the outdoors, chances are you've used a headlamp. While this handy piece of technology requires little introduction...
From car camping with your family to base camping at the foot of your next serious adventure, you’ll want to have the right gear for the occasion. Below our staff at Switchback Travel breaks down the best camping gear...
Hardshell jackets are designed for the alpine: they’re highly windproof, waterproof, breathable, and durable. This is the outer layer you turn to for ultimate protection while backcountry and resort...
In the typical three-layer ski clothing system, the midlayer is given the all-important insulating duties. As such, it is the one article of clothing you’re most likely to swap out depending on weather conditions. Is it bristling cold and dry...
A key piece of any gear closet is a go-to daypack. It’s what you grab for nearly any type of outdoor adventure, whether it’s a hike, bike ride, or day on the slopes. Generally, what most people look for…
You can leave your dehydrated, salty, and unsatisfying meals at home—today’s camping stoves bring a whole new level of gourmet to your car camping and basecamping adventures. Unlike for backpacking, there’s no need to scour Pinterest for workarounds...
If you've ever gone camping, hiking, backpacking, climbing, mountain biking, trail running, or nearly anything else in the outdoors, chances are you've used a headlamp. While this handy piece of technology requires little introduction...
With only three iterations in well over a decade on the market, Merrell has taken a slow and steady approach to updating their extremely popular Moab collection. The latest “3” was released in late spring...
There’s no shortage of rain jackets to choose from, but Patagonia’s new Granite Crest stands out with its sustainably built design. Made from recycled fishing nets and featuring a perfluorocarbon (PFC)-free...
Arc’teryx’s Atom series is a long-time favorite in the synthetic jacket world, and the AR (“all round”) slots in as the warmest design in the collection. Updated for fall 2020 with a revised fit...
Salomon’s Quest has garnered serious popularity over the years as a highly capable backpacking boot, and the latest Quest 4 carries the torch. We put the recently retooled boot through its paces...
Patagonia is a consistent leader in the alpine apparel market, and their Triolet shell slots in as a burly and highly protective option at a very reasonable price. The thick, 75-denier face fabric is excellent for use around sharp equipment...
The Ultra Raptor has long been a staple in La Sportiva’s lineup, spoken of with reverence by trail runners and hikers alike. While the jury might be out on whether this is a hiking shoe or a running shoe, one thing is certain...
With only three iterations in well over a decade on the market, Merrell has taken a slow and steady approach to updating their extremely popular Moab collection. The latest “3” was released in late spring...
There’s no shortage of rain jackets to choose from, but Patagonia’s new Granite Crest stands out with its sustainably built design. Made from recycled fishing nets and featuring a perfluorocarbon (PFC)-free...
Arc’teryx’s Atom series is a long-time favorite in the synthetic jacket world, and the AR (“all round”) slots in as the warmest design in the collection. Updated for fall 2020 with a revised fit...
Salomon’s Quest has garnered serious popularity over the years as a highly capable backpacking boot, and the latest Quest 4 carries the torch. We put the recently retooled boot through its paces...
Patagonia is a consistent leader in the alpine apparel market, and their Triolet shell slots in as a burly and highly protective option at a very reasonable price. The thick, 75-denier face fabric is excellent for use around sharp equipment...
The Ultra Raptor has long been a staple in La Sportiva’s lineup, spoken of with reverence by trail runners and hikers alike. While the jury might be out on whether this is a hiking shoe or a running shoe, one thing is certain...
With only three iterations in well over a decade on the market, Merrell has taken a slow and steady approach to updating their extremely popular Moab collection. The latest “3” was released in late spring...
There’s no shortage of rain jackets to choose from, but Patagonia’s new Granite Crest stands out with its sustainably built design. Made from recycled fishing nets and featuring a perfluorocarbon (PFC)-free...
Arc’teryx’s Atom series is a long-time favorite in the synthetic jacket world, and the AR (“all round”) slots in as the warmest design in the collection. Updated for fall 2020 with a revised fit...
Salomon’s Quest has garnered serious popularity over the years as a highly capable backpacking boot, and the latest Quest 4 carries the torch. We put the recently retooled boot through its paces...
Patagonia is a consistent leader in the alpine apparel market, and their Triolet shell slots in as a burly and highly protective option at a very reasonable price. The thick, 75-denier face fabric is excellent for use around sharp equipment...
The Ultra Raptor has long been a staple in La Sportiva’s lineup, spoken of with reverence by trail runners and hikers alike. While the jury might be out on whether this is a hiking shoe or a running shoe, one thing is certain...
Fall is our favorite time of the year to hike: the temperatures have cooled off, the bugs are mostly gone, and the colors in the mountains are incredible. For this shoulder season, we always make some adjustments to our hiking gear kit, adding a little...
Another ski season is upon us, and to help navigate the confusing online environment, we have put together a list of our favorite websites for buying ski gear. All the sites below are reputable companies that we...
A down jacket is a wonderful insulating piece: it’s light, packable and offers premium warmth that you simply can’t find in a synthetic equivalent. In choosing your perfect puffy, one of the forks in the road...
You have a huge range of widths to choose from when making a ski purchase, from 60-millimeter racing skis to 130-millimeter big-mountain sleds designed for extreme places like Alaska. After years of trending...
Down is perhaps the most effective insulator on Earth: Its warmth-to-weight ratio and compressibility are unbeatable, and it’s extremely soft and cozy to boot. To better understand the world of down, below we break down considerations like fill power...
We meander through old growth, gaining vert slowly at first, then with haste. The forest is still dozing, but humidity never sleeps, quickly soaking our faces and forcing a trailside pause to de-layer. Wordlessly, we begin again and settle into a slow...
Fall is our favorite time of the year to hike: the temperatures have cooled off, the bugs are mostly gone, and the colors in the mountains are incredible. For this shoulder season, we always make some adjustments to our hiking gear kit, adding a little...
Another ski season is upon us, and to help navigate the confusing online environment, we have put together a list of our favorite websites for buying ski gear. All the sites below are reputable companies that we...
A down jacket is a wonderful insulating piece: it’s light, packable and offers premium warmth that you simply can’t find in a synthetic equivalent. In choosing your perfect puffy, one of the forks in the road...
You have a huge range of widths to choose from when making a ski purchase, from 60-millimeter racing skis to 130-millimeter big-mountain sleds designed for extreme places like Alaska. After years of trending...
Down is perhaps the most effective insulator on Earth: Its warmth-to-weight ratio and compressibility are unbeatable, and it’s extremely soft and cozy to boot. To better understand the world of down, below we break down considerations like fill power...
We meander through old growth, gaining vert slowly at first, then with haste. The forest is still dozing, but humidity never sleeps, quickly soaking our faces and forcing a trailside pause to de-layer. Wordlessly, we begin again and settle into a slow...
Fall is our favorite time of the year to hike: the temperatures have cooled off, the bugs are mostly gone, and the colors in the mountains are incredible. For this shoulder season, we always make some adjustments to our hiking gear kit, adding a little...
Another ski season is upon us, and to help navigate the confusing online environment, we have put together a list of our favorite websites for buying ski gear. All the sites below are reputable companies that we...
A down jacket is a wonderful insulating piece: it’s light, packable and offers premium warmth that you simply can’t find in a synthetic equivalent. In choosing your perfect puffy, one of the forks in the road...
You have a huge range of widths to choose from when making a ski purchase, from 60-millimeter racing skis to 130-millimeter big-mountain sleds designed for extreme places like Alaska. After years of trending...
Down is perhaps the most effective insulator on Earth: Its warmth-to-weight ratio and compressibility are unbeatable, and it’s extremely soft and cozy to boot. To better understand the world of down, below we break down considerations like fill power...
We meander through old growth, gaining vert slowly at first, then with haste. The forest is still dozing, but humidity never sleeps, quickly soaking our faces and forcing a trailside pause to de-layer. Wordlessly, we begin again and settle into a slow...
All good plans start with a wild idea, but this one might just take the cake. Back in the spring, Kaytlyn—who I’d never met at the time—approached me with an ambitious proposal. She wanted to link up a series of North Cascades high routes on foot...
In February of 2022, the Switchback Travel team convened in the town of El Chaltén, located within the Southern Andes’ Los Glaciares National Park. Known as the trekking capital of Argentina...
The arctic landscape has an allure that is difficult to describe; not only is it reminiscent of being in the alpine—stunted trees, big skies, and unimpeded vistas—but the utter remoteness and rawness is palpable...
Peru’s Ausangate Trek is epic, and we aren’t throwing that term around lightly. The region is loaded with glacier-capped peaks that reach over 20,000 feet in elevation, yet despite good infrastructure...
Brian and I were less than a week into our adventure north when, during a brief phone call, my dear friend’s children insisted I read their favorite poem, "the Yukon Song." Though written for children extolling the virtues of leaving civilization and...
Don’t undo your bootlaces until you have seen the river. As we sit in dusty, windswept Ulgii, one of Mongolia’s westernmost cities, and await our delayed flight back to the capital city of Ulaanbaatar...
All good plans start with a wild idea, but this one might just take the cake. Back in the spring, Kaytlyn—who I’d never met at the time—approached me with an ambitious proposal. She wanted to link up a series of North Cascades high routes on foot...
In February of 2022, the Switchback Travel team convened in the town of El Chaltén, located within the Southern Andes’ Los Glaciares National Park. Known as the trekking capital of Argentina...
The arctic landscape has an allure that is difficult to describe; not only is it reminiscent of being in the alpine—stunted trees, big skies, and unimpeded vistas—but the utter remoteness and rawness is palpable...
Peru’s Ausangate Trek is epic, and we aren’t throwing that term around lightly. The region is loaded with glacier-capped peaks that reach over 20,000 feet in elevation, yet despite good infrastructure...
Brian and I were less than a week into our adventure north when, during a brief phone call, my dear friend’s children insisted I read their favorite poem, "the Yukon Song." Though written for children extolling the virtues of leaving civilization and...
Don’t undo your bootlaces until you have seen the river. As we sit in dusty, windswept Ulgii, one of Mongolia’s westernmost cities, and await our delayed flight back to the capital city of Ulaanbaatar...
All good plans start with a wild idea, but this one might just take the cake. Back in the spring, Kaytlyn—who I’d never met at the time—approached me with an ambitious proposal. She wanted to link up a series of North Cascades high routes on foot...
In February of 2022, the Switchback Travel team convened in the town of El Chaltén, located within the Southern Andes’ Los Glaciares National Park. Known as the trekking capital of Argentina...
The arctic landscape has an allure that is difficult to describe; not only is it reminiscent of being in the alpine—stunted trees, big skies, and unimpeded vistas—but the utter remoteness and rawness is palpable...
Peru’s Ausangate Trek is epic, and we aren’t throwing that term around lightly. The region is loaded with glacier-capped peaks that reach over 20,000 feet in elevation, yet despite good infrastructure...
Brian and I were less than a week into our adventure north when, during a brief phone call, my dear friend’s children insisted I read their favorite poem, "the Yukon Song." Though written for children extolling the virtues of leaving civilization and...
Don’t undo your bootlaces until you have seen the river. As we sit in dusty, windswept Ulgii, one of Mongolia’s westernmost cities, and await our delayed flight back to the capital city of Ulaanbaatar...
Welcome to our Darkroom! What started as one camera article has expanded into a burgeoning section of information covering everything from inexpensive point-and-shoots to full-frame...
For photographers who frequently shoot outdoors, weather sealing is a must. It protects your expensive camera gear, takes away much of the worry, and allows you to keep...
Sony’s full-frame mirrorless cameras have created a lot of buzz in the photography world, and they keep improving with each rendition. It’s true that the FE lens options for Sony still...
Hiking and backpacking requires a lightweight and durable camera that captures great images. Depending on your budget, the options abound in categories from compact point-and-shoots...
Nikon’s full-frame camera lineup is impressive, but perhaps even more so is the extensive collection of FX-format (full frame) lenses. Below are 10 of the best FX...
The mirrorless revolution is in full swing. These impressive digital cameras pack large image sensors into compact bodies, offering some of the best image and video quality on the market with less bulk than a DSLR...
Welcome to our Darkroom! What started as one camera article has expanded into a burgeoning section of information covering everything from inexpensive point-and-shoots to full-frame...
For photographers who frequently shoot outdoors, weather sealing is a must. It protects your expensive camera gear, takes away much of the worry, and allows you to keep...
Sony’s full-frame mirrorless cameras have created a lot of buzz in the photography world, and they keep improving with each rendition. It’s true that the FE lens options for Sony still...
Hiking and backpacking requires a lightweight and durable camera that captures great images. Depending on your budget, the options abound in categories from compact point-and-shoots...
Nikon’s full-frame camera lineup is impressive, but perhaps even more so is the extensive collection of FX-format (full frame) lenses. Below are 10 of the best FX...
The mirrorless revolution is in full swing. These impressive digital cameras pack large image sensors into compact bodies, offering some of the best image and video quality on the market with less bulk than a DSLR...
Welcome to our Darkroom! What started as one camera article has expanded into a burgeoning section of information covering everything from inexpensive point-and-shoots to full-frame...
For photographers who frequently shoot outdoors, weather sealing is a must. It protects your expensive camera gear, takes away much of the worry, and allows you to keep...
Sony’s full-frame mirrorless cameras have created a lot of buzz in the photography world, and they keep improving with each rendition. It’s true that the FE lens options for Sony still...
Hiking and backpacking requires a lightweight and durable camera that captures great images. Depending on your budget, the options abound in categories from compact point-and-shoots...
Nikon’s full-frame camera lineup is impressive, but perhaps even more so is the extensive collection of FX-format (full frame) lenses. Below are 10 of the best FX...
The mirrorless revolution is in full swing. These impressive digital cameras pack large image sensors into compact bodies, offering some of the best image and video quality on the market with less bulk than a DSLR...
Sarah Uhl calls herself an artist, activist, and joy evangelist. That's quite the job description, and yet she’s pulling it off, brush stroke by brush stroke. A plein air painter from Carbondale, CO...
At Switchback Travel, we love stories. Nothing moves or motivates us quite like artfully written and insightful accounts of the world. And while the online format is great, we’d be lying if we said we didn’t have a soft spot for books...
Jason Hummel is a leading adventure photographer and ski mountaineer based in Tacoma, Washington. He authored Alpine State of Mind, a beautifully presented book of adventure stories and...
Misty Mountain's headquarters in the hills of Western North Carolina is not the kind of place you just stumble upon. It's the kind of place you set off to find. And when you arrive...
The time could have been 9pm or 5am, and we wouldn’t have known the difference. It was a clear, mid-June day in the land of the midnight sun. The warm orb hung high in the sky as I pulled onto the summit block...
With all of the negatively surrounding the tragic spread of the coronavirus—lives and jobs lost, cities shuttered, and tensions on high—there are some notable silver linings...
Sarah Uhl calls herself an artist, activist, and joy evangelist. That's quite the job description, and yet she’s pulling it off, brush stroke by brush stroke. A plein air painter from Carbondale, CO...
At Switchback Travel, we love stories. Nothing moves or motivates us quite like artfully written and insightful accounts of the world. And while the online format is great, we’d be lying if we said we didn’t have a soft spot for books...
Jason Hummel is a leading adventure photographer and ski mountaineer based in Tacoma, Washington. He authored Alpine State of Mind, a beautifully presented book of adventure stories and...
Misty Mountain's headquarters in the hills of Western North Carolina is not the kind of place you just stumble upon. It's the kind of place you set off to find. And when you arrive...
The time could have been 9pm or 5am, and we wouldn’t have known the difference. It was a clear, mid-June day in the land of the midnight sun. The warm orb hung high in the sky as I pulled onto the summit block...
With all of the negatively surrounding the tragic spread of the coronavirus—lives and jobs lost, cities shuttered, and tensions on high—there are some notable silver linings...
Sarah Uhl calls herself an artist, activist, and joy evangelist. That's quite the job description, and yet she’s pulling it off, brush stroke by brush stroke. A plein air painter from Carbondale, CO...
At Switchback Travel, we love stories. Nothing moves or motivates us quite like artfully written and insightful accounts of the world. And while the online format is great, we’d be lying if we said we didn’t have a soft spot for books...
Jason Hummel is a leading adventure photographer and ski mountaineer based in Tacoma, Washington. He authored Alpine State of Mind, a beautifully presented book of adventure stories and...
Misty Mountain's headquarters in the hills of Western North Carolina is not the kind of place you just stumble upon. It's the kind of place you set off to find. And when you arrive...
The time could have been 9pm or 5am, and we wouldn’t have known the difference. It was a clear, mid-June day in the land of the midnight sun. The warm orb hung high in the sky as I pulled onto the summit block...
With all of the negatively surrounding the tragic spread of the coronavirus—lives and jobs lost, cities shuttered, and tensions on high—there are some notable silver linings...
