tent
Top Tents and Hammocks of 2017: Results from the Annual Hiker Survey
For the fourth year, The Trek has surveyed long-distance hikers on the Appalachian Trail (AT) regarding the shelter systems they use - tents, hammocks, and more. Each year, we ask...
Budget Ultralight Big 3
Big 3 Budget Ultralight As many of you may know or may not know my entire backpack was stolen during my A.T. Thru-hike in 2016 in Duncanon, PA. I now have...
The Top Tents and Hammocks on the Appalachian Trail: 2016 Thru-Hiker Survey
For the third year running, we surveyed long-distance hikers on the Appalachian Trail in 2016, regarding the shelter systems they used. This year, we added more specific questions about tent...
From the Ground to the Trees: Transitioning From a Tent to a Hammock
So you've finally had enough; you've spent one too many nights on the cold hard ground, sleeping on top of rocks and roots, in constant worry of your tent being flooded...
Gear Review: Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1
I've slept in hammocks, tents, and shelters. I've shared a REI Dash 2. I've caught some z's in the Alps Mountaineering Zephyr 3 up to 10,000 feet. When I decided to...
Gear Review: MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2-Person Tent
Disclosure: The following product was donated for the purposes of review. I value my own space. Since my boyfriend and I met on the trail in 2014, we carried different...
Shelter on the Appalachian Trail: To Pack or Not to Pack?
Long distance hiking requires many hours of resting, an irony that illuminates the fragile resilience of the hiker's body and the critical necessity of shelter. Hiking from Georgia to Maine...
How to Pick Your Big Three
When you think of gear, what do you think of first? Do you think of the first aid kit you'll need? The clothing you'll wear? What kind of trowel you...
Hammock, Tent, or Tarp? A Flowchart
Every time the question "hammock, tent, or tarp?" arises, the answer seems to be, "it depends." Based on my own experience and the input of other AT thru-hikers, I created...
A Guide to Choosing Between Freestanding & Non-Freestanding Tents
What tent should you choose? First, some definitions are in order: Freestanding Tents: Tents which use included poles to stand up. They are not attached to anything and can be...