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Seven steps to lighten up

By Andrew Skurka / December 19, 2011 /

I spend most of my day walking, so I optimize my pack for on-trail ecstasy by keeping it light. However, I don’t go “stupid light” by sacrificing too much functionality, durability, comfort etc. for the sake of saving a few grams. Here are seven tips to lighten up: 1. Create a gear list. In a…

Make your own: Fancy Feast Alcohol Backpacking Stove

By Andrew Skurka / December 10, 2011 /

I received my first Fancy Feast stove from Ryan Bozis (aka Major Slacker), who attended one of my presentations in Virginia in Spring 2006. I of course thanked him for it, but given how simple the stove was, I could not imagine that it was better than the stove that I had used for most…

A Guide to Canadian Topographical Maps

By Andrew Skurka / April 2, 2010 /

When I am planning a trip in the United States for which a pre-produced mapset is unavailable, I usually make my own with National Geographic TOPO! software. In TOPO! I can pan seamlessly across USGS topographical map images, like how I can pan across a Google Map; I can markup the maps with symbols, text…