Nothing described here should be taken as the absolute best way to do things. These are simply things that I have personally found to be useful.
External Sources/Suggested Reading
Websites/Blogs
Andrew Skurka: https://andrewskurka.com/
Paul Magnanti: pmags.com/
John Zahorian: johnzahorian.com
Alan Dixon: www.adventurealan.com/
Justin Simoni: justinsimoni.com/
r/ultralight: www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/
Other misc backpacking blogs
Colorado Adventures:
- National Geographic Explorer of the year for his 6 month solo trek around Alaska.
- My go to resource when I have a question about a new environment/conditions. His book is an amazing collection of tips but many of these topics are also covered for free on his website.
Paul Magnanti: pmags.com/
- Some great suggestions for Colorado backpacking loops and shoulder season trips
John Zahorian: johnzahorian.com
- Some good info on gear and but the best part are his youtube videos documenting his adventures in beautiful places.
- He recently started a podcast where he interviews other crazy hikers called the "the routes podcast" which is a lot of fun to listen to.
Alan Dixon: www.adventurealan.com/
- Another favorite. Heavier emphasis on product reviews of new gear rather than skills but still very useful.
Justin Simoni: justinsimoni.com/
- Lots of Colorado high intensity adventures. Cooler than you (or me)
r/ultralight: www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/
- At present, the r/ultralight sub on reddit is without question the most useful and active forum for information on ultralight backpacking on the internet.
- Their wiki is a mini-encyclopedia on the topic.
- I frequently comment there and answer questions as u/drotar447. In fact, much of the the material I've written on my various skills/gear sub-pages are edited versions of things I've posted to reddit.
Other misc backpacking blogs
- Dave Chenault: https://bedrockandparadox.com/
- Erin "Wired" Saver: https://www.walkingwithwired.com/
- Cam "Swami" Honan: https://www.thehikinglife.com/
- http://www.drop-n-roll.com
Colorado Adventures:
- https://www.exploringtherockies.com/
- www.14ers.com-I'm not too interested in the Colorado 14ers hysteria but this website also has really good information on non-14er mountaineering routes.
- www.climb13ers.com/colorado-13ers/
- www.gohikecolorado.com/- I recently stumbled across this website. Looks like an amazing collection of cool hikes.
- Cordis Hall: cordisimo.blogspot.com/--More of an ultrarunner than a hiker but he has some fun looking Colorado adventures.
- adventuresofthepint.com/
Misc Map Links
See also: my pages on Maps, Navigation and Weather and Route Planning
National/General Maps
Boulder Area
US Forest Service (USFS)
Wilderness Areas: www.wilderness.net
National Parks Service
Planet Explorer
Misc GPS/GIS Links
Colorado Scenic Byways: www.codot.gov/travel/scenic-byways
General Trail Info: Of these, I use "Hiking Project" most often.
Outdoor Recreation Information Center, ORIC: www.oriconline.org/
Free Dispersed Camping: freecampsites.net/
National/General Maps
- USGS maps: viewer.nationalmap.gov/basic/
- Caltopo: www.caltopo.com
Boulder Area
- Boulder County GIS Data: gis.bouldercounty.opendata.arcgis.com/
- Boulder City Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) GIS Data: https://bouldercolorado.gov/open-data/tag/osmp
- State of Colorado GIS data: https://geodata.co.gov/
US Forest Service (USFS)
- Paper maps: http://www.nationalforestmapstore.com/
- GIS/GPS data: data.fs.usda.gov/geodata/
Wilderness Areas: www.wilderness.net
National Parks Service
- www.nps.gov/gis/npsmaps.html
- GIS/GPS data: https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/
Planet Explorer
- https://www.planet.com/explorer/
- Daily satellite imagery is useful for estimating snow coverage.
- Fun, and so far they haven't asked for $$
Misc GPS/GIS Links
- Free GPS compatible maps: https://www.gpsfiledepot.com/
- GPS coordinates grabber: http://boulter.com/gps/grabber/
- Only used a couple times but it was useful for grabbing waypoints from sites like protrails.co
Colorado Scenic Byways: www.codot.gov/travel/scenic-byways
- When possible I always take the scenic byway even though they are usually slower.
General Trail Info: Of these, I use "Hiking Project" most often.
- ProTrails: www.protrails.com
- All Trails: www.alltrails.com
- Hiking Project: www.hikingproject.com/
Outdoor Recreation Information Center, ORIC: www.oriconline.org/
Free Dispersed Camping: freecampsites.net/
Gear Repair/DIY
Adventure Xpert: www.adventurexpert.com/
Rip Stop By The Roll: ripstopbytheroll.com/
Dutchware Gear: dutchwaregear.com/product-category/myg/
Quest Outfitters: www.questoutfitters.com/
r/MYOG: the "make your own gear" sub-reddit.
Rip Stop By The Roll: ripstopbytheroll.com/
Dutchware Gear: dutchwaregear.com/product-category/myg/
Quest Outfitters: www.questoutfitters.com/
r/MYOG: the "make your own gear" sub-reddit.
- Mostly I just browse this one in amazement of the tarps and backpacks that people make themselves.
Books
- "The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide" by Andrew Skurka (2nd edition, 2017)
- "Ultralight Backpackin' Tips" by Mike Clelland (2011)
- "Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills" (9th ed, 2017)
- The focus is primarily on technical mountaineering and climbing, but the first 100 pages covers hiking and camping gear. Also, the very end of the book has a concise summary of geology and mountain weather.
Ideas/Options for teeny-tiny books for backpacking
Wish List
- Sony RX100 Camera