A frameless backpack is a core element of any ultralightweight backpacking strategy. Since the beginning of the 2000s, they’ve been my backpack model of choice for the majority of hiking trips that I’ve done. The following article contains a rundown of why you should consider using a frameless backpack, addresses some of the most…

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles. click for larger version I’d previously hiked two other sections of the (roughly) 180km Sunshine Coast Trail: Sarah Point to Manzanita hut (2015) Mowat Bay to Lois Main (2016) Pestered by wasps and other biting insects on those two earlier trips, I deliberately returned late season. No bugs. This…

Are you interested in taking a trip? Whether you want your trip to be alone, with your friends, with your family, or even just with your romantic partner, you will need to find a place to visit, as well as activities to participate in. If you have yet to decide what you would like to…

Are you interested in taking a camping trip? Whether you are interested in going camping alone, with your family, with your romantic partner, or with a group of your friends, you will need to find a campground to camp at. While many individuals just choose to go camping at the nearest campground, you may want…

Are you looking for something to do this summer, spring, or even fall? Whether you are looking to do so something independently, with your family, or with your friends, have you ever thought about going camping? If you have yet to examine camping, you may want to think about it, as camping is often referred…

Are you interested in going on a camping adventure? If you are, you are definitely not alone. In the United States, camping is often referred to as a popular pastime. One of the many reasons why camping is so popular is because of all of the choices that you have. One of the many choices…

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles. Day 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 Day 1 – June 9, 2021Bamfield to Michigan The West Coast Trail Express delivers clean hikers to the Visitor Centre at Pachena Bay close to Bamfield. Private logging roads from Lake Cowichan…

A frameless backpack is a core element of any ultralightweight backpacking strategy. Since the beginning of the 2000s, they’ve been my backpack model of choice for the majority of hiking trips that I’ve done. The following article contains a rundown of why you should consider using a frameless backpack, addresses some of the most…

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles. click for larger version I’d previously hiked two other sections of the (roughly) 180km Sunshine Coast Trail: Sarah Point to Manzanita hut (2015) Mowat Bay to Lois Main (2016) Pestered by wasps and other biting insects on those two earlier trips, I deliberately returned late season. No bugs. This…

The Stubai High Trail (“Stubaier Höhenweg” in German) is one of the most beautiful treks in the Austrian Alps. Linking together eight characterful mountain huts, this horseshoe-shaped route around the Stubai Valley oscillates between breathtaking passes and enchanting valleys, while affording hikers non-stop views of serrated peaks, shimmering lakes, and magnificent glaciers.  I walked…

As many of my US readers will be aware, the Labor Day sales are now in full swing. This represents a great opportunity to save on any wishlist backpacking gear you may have been thinking about during the pandemic. Over the past week, I’ve been scanning the net for the best hiking and backpacking…

From the late 1980s through to the end of the 1990s, I exclusively used hiking boots on all of my backpacking trips. They were waterproof, durable, grippy on slippery surfaces, and provided protection and stability for my feet and ankles. At the time, it was what (almost) everyone used for extended excursions into the…