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Get ready to cover more ground, more quickly. (Photo: Andy Cochrane)

Fastpacking 101: What You Need for This Running-Backpacking Hybrid

by Andy Cochrane May 5, 2022

written by Andy Cochrane

This article was first published by Outside Online. Get full access to Outside content along with Gaia GPS Premium by joining Outside+.

I have to confess, I find backpacking quite boring. And not for a lack of trying, either—I grew up backpacking with my parents and high school friends, and was even a guide on youth trips in Montana. I still get talked into a trip once in a while, but besides the camaraderie, backpacking feels monotonous, slow, and more complex than it needs to be.

Fastpacking—or “shufflepacking,” as my friends and I call it—is the next evolution of wilderness trips for those who want to go farther and faster. Practically speaking, such an endeavor entails jogging the descents, shuffling the flats, power-hiking the hills, and eating a lot of snacks, all while carrying a minimalist pack.

To be clear, fastpacking is different from ultrarunning. It’s not a race, and you carry everything necessary to camp in the backcountry. It’s not exactly backpacking, either, but ultralight backpacking might be the closest analogue, since you pare down your kit to the absolute essentials in order to travel fast and light. Simply put, the biggest difference between backpacking and fastpacking is how you’re moving: by jogging instead of walking.

How to Get Started

Generally, my life philosophy for attempting new activities is “Just wing it, learn from the mistakes, and do better next time,” but that’s terrible advice for fastpacking. Most of these trips go deep into the backcountry, and being so remote is inherently risky. You’re as likely to get into life-threatening trouble fastpacking as you are hiking or running, so take similar precautions. It’s important to understand your route, watch the weather, plan out your meals, and pack the right gear. And be ready for problems to arise—a sprained ankle 20 miles from the trailhead is not a headache to be underestimated but addressed with a first aid kit, layers, and a means of contacting help back home.

If you’re not already a proficient distance hiker and trail runner, fastpacking might feel like learning two or three sports at once. It’s possible to jump right into the deep end, but expect some miscues along the way. For example: on my first trip, I overpacked, and my shoulders paid the price. Hopefully, this guide will help you get started and avoid the most common mistakes. Most of it focuses on three main knowledge buckets—gear, nutrition, and fitness—plus some suggestions on where and when to fastpack and why you should consider it.

The author’s shufflepacking buddy on their second morning in Wyoming’s Wind River Range, preparing for another 25-mile day. (Photo: Andy Cochrane)

Gear

Few brands make gear specifically for fastpacking, since it’s still a niche sport. But with a mix of ultralight backpacking equipment and trail-running apparel, you’ll be ready to tackle your first shuffling adventure in no time. The goal is not to buy the lightest or smallest pack (even though more weight and bulk are generally not your friends). Rather, think about bringing only essential items worth the weight and comfortable to wear while running.

The most crucial piece of gear is your pack. If you’ve ever tried to run with a heavy, traditional backpack, you know it can be uncomfortable, awkward, and cause injury. The ideal shuffling pack should be snug while running and should not restrict your form. It should also have enough storage to carry your gear, without dangling pots and pans like Frodo Baggins. A good target weight for a fully loaded pack is 15 pounds, give or take.

This 30-liter Ultimate Direction pack ($180) is the best I’ve tried, because it has large front pockets, weighs just 1.5 pounds, and proves to be very stable on my back. You might notice that it doesn’t have load-bearing hipbelts, which actually is normal for shuffling packs, as it’s harder to run with weight on your hips; instead, packs employed by fastpackers are similar to packs and vests for running, putting the bulk of the weight on your back and shoulders.

The next riddle to solve is clothing, which will vary somewhat depending on the conditions. Unless the forecast calls for extreme weather (in which case bring additional appropriate gear or consider rescheduling), keep your pack light and stick to just one set of clothes. I always bring an athletic shirt and running shorts for the daytime, then thermal base layers, hiking pants, and a puffy for at night, and an extra pair of socks. When it’s cold or wet, add in a rain jacket, hat, and mittens or gloves. As with most backcountry trips, avoid cotton, which will chafe when you sweat and doesn’t keep you warm when it gets wet. And don’t take this list as gospel—if conditions change, so should your gear.

Trail-running shoes with good grip and a high stack height make for ideal footwear, because the pack’s weight adds impact to each step. I like the Hoka Speedgoat ($145), because it’s well cushioned and light yet durable. Hiking boots are less than ideal, because they aren’t designed for the agility and movement of running. Of course, your own ideal shoes will vary depending on foot shape and running style, so test a few pairs before bringing them on a long trip in the backcountry.

Other essentials include a first aid kit, bear spray if you’re in bear country, a small knife and spork, and cord. Lastly, lightweight poles—I use the Black Diamond Distance Carbon ($150)—will protect your knees and help you climb up steep passes faster.

There are a few electronics you should always bring, such as a headlamp, satellite phone or other backcountry communication device, and cell phone. You’ll want the headlamp not just for nights around camp—in the spring and fall (or on any trip ambitious in length), you’ll likely start or end at night. A Garmin InReach satellite phone helps provide communication from nearly anywhere, so you can bail out if things go wrong. And apps like Gaia GPS turn your cell phone into the best navigation tool out there. For long trips, an external battery to recharge your devices is handy to ensure that these crucial safety devices remain functional.

Last but not least, give some thought to your sleep system: a light tent, bivy, or tarp that will keep you sheltered and warm at night—but that doesn’t fill up your pack and weigh you down—is critical. I’m a big fan of the MSR Front Range ($320), which can fit up to four friends fairly comfortably. With an inflatable pad like the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Uberlite ($190 and up) and a seasonally appropriate sleeping bag (a light bag or quilt for summer, and something rated down to 30 or 40 degrees Fahrenheit for the shoulder seasons), you’ll be ready to go.

Eat, Run, Repeat

Like all long-distance activities, the name of the game is caloric intake. As we know, not all calories are created equal. For races like a marathon or a 50K, you can and should focus on foods high in sugar and carbs, because they are easy to digest and burn quickly. But this strategy omits the fats, proteins, and other nutrients necessary for multiday outings. When you’re out for hours and hours, you need to give your body a chance to recover each night, so fast-burning foods are only half the game plan.

While on the move, carb-heavy snacks like gels, chews, stroopwafels, and electrolytes are key to avoid bonking. Balance these with calorie-dense fatty foods, like nuts, peanut butter, seeds, cheese, and meat, which burn longer and help you recover. Bringing dehydrated or freeze-dried meals for dinner will help keep your pack light and manageable.

While some fastpackers go without a stove entirely, I am not such a masochist. The MSR Pocket Rocket ($80) weighs just three ounces and enables hot meals at night and hot coffee in the morning, making its inclusion worth the weight.

For hydration, I bring the easy-to-use Katadyn BeFree filtration system (from $45), which screws onto most flasks. You may be able to get away with drinking straight from the source, depending on the environment and water quality, but if you’d rather not risk it, bring along something like the MSR Guardian Purifier ($390) to filter out any bacteria or parasites.

Fitness

You technically don’t need to train before you go fastpacking, but it’ll make the trip much more enjoyable if you’re in sufficient shape for your itinerary. Start by running and building up your aerobic endurance, prioritizing distance over pace. You’re training to spend a full day on your feet without being completely wrecked at the end of it, not to win your local 10K.

Consider tailoring your training plan to your exact trip and the terrain you’ll be shuffling across. For example, if your route has a lot of vertical gain, do some weighted hikes and strength training. For my first trip, I followed an ultramarathon training plan and swapped the tempo workouts for hikes up the local ski hill. Just like running, the ramp-up for fastpacking should be slow and steady. To mitigate chances of injury, increase your mileage by 10 percent per week at most.

Takeaways

It’s easy to get started fastpacking; a trip can happen on any trail and at any time of the year. (I personally don’t necessarily recommend winter fastpacking trips, because cold and stormy weather requires more gear and thus a heavier pack, but they aren’t impossible, either). For first-timers, picking an established backpacking route and doing it faster and lighter, in mild weather is a great way to begin. This will help you nail down the basics while keeping it safe. Fastpacking trips don’t have to cover incredibly long distances, and they certainly don’t have to be in the backcountry. They’re just a way to unlock a new type of adventure—the rest is up to you.

When you buy something using the retail links in our stories, we may earn a small commission. We do not accept money for editorial gear reviews. Read more about our policy.

May 5, 2022

Adventures Gaia GPS How-To

Natural Navigation Clues: How to Find Your Way Without a Compass

by Mary Cochenour May 4, 2022

written by Mary Cochenour

Paper maps and compass have forever been the gold standard of backcountry navigation. Throw in a mapping app, like Gaia GPS, and your navigation kit is complete. But what keeps you from getting lost in the backcountry may not depend entirely on the tools in your backpack. Staying found starts with something you’re born with – the ability to pay attention to your surroundings.

Situational awareness, or paying attention to the natural world around you, is key to mastering backcountry navigation. After all, a compass bearing in the field only gives you direction. For direction to have any meaning, you’ll need to know how to expertly read topographic maps. And for topo maps to have context, you’ll need to be aware of landscape around you.

Learn these quick tips on how to use landscape awareness and natural navigation clues to find your way in the backcountry.

Start with the Big Picture on the Map

Not getting lost in the backcountry starts with your trip planning at home. Before you get out in the wilderness, get to know a place by studying its features on a map. Small-scale maps that show a big area and less topographical detail can help you see how your planned route fits in the context of the broader landscape.

You can do this for free on Gaia GPS. Start by pulling up the area you plan to visit on www.gaiagps.com/map. Use the planning tools on the left-hand side of the screen to create a route. If you don’t know how to create a route yet, you can learn by watching an 8-minute tutorial at the end of this article.

With your route drawn on the map, zoom way out to see how the route fits within the landscape of the broader region. Take note of prominent features on the map: large bodies of water, river valleys, the area’s tallest peaks, mountain crests or divides, land management details, trailheads, roads, towns, and ranger stations. This zoomed-out view of the map, doesn’t reveal much about the landscape. But consulting the map in broad scale is the beginning of the situational awareness that will help you navigate in the field.

In the map above, you’ll see a green-colored route through Desolation Wilderness, which sits at the southwestern edge of Lake Tahoe. The map shows that area is also wedged between two highways — one to the south and one to the east of the planned route. If the route starts at Lake Tahoe and heads south, the lake will generally be over and behind your left shoulder. Understanding where this big landmark sits in relation to your overall journey gives you a sense of general direction.

Zoom In on the Map to Identify Handrails

After you get the lay of the land, zoom in on the map to view your route in context of the land features within it. You can use a creek or a large mountain as a “handrail” to follow to make sure you stay on course. If your route follows a creek up to its headwaters, you can use the ribbon of water as a guide to its source. If your route takes you along a valley, you could rely on a prominent mountain at the end of the canyon as a beacon to keep in your site. The key to not getting lost is paying attention to the landscape as you move through it.

*Get a better look at the route in this area by clicking the interactive map above and zooming in on the details.*

Let Water Be Your Guide in Backcountry Navigation

Rivers and creeks make predictable backcountry guides. No matter where you are in the world, you can always count on rivers to roll off the shoulders of mountains and rush toward a larger river, the sea, a lake, or a basin. Zoom in on the map to study the flow of the water in the area so that you have an understanding of where water leads if you decide to follow it.

Looking at the route in the map above, you can see a string of prominent peaks to the west: Dicks Peak, Jacks Peak, Mount Price, Agassiz Peak, and Pyramid Peak. Together, they make up a portion of the Sierra Crest, a 500-mile long ridgeline that runs in a general north-south direction along the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.

Notice that most of the route stays on the east side of the Sierra Crest and that all the water along the way, with the exception of Lake Aloha, rolls toward Lake Tahoe. In an emergency, you could follow any water drainage on the east side of the Sierra Crest and wind up at Lake Tahoe so long as the route is passable on foot. Understanding where water flows can be a welcome bit of information if you’re looking to get your bearings in the landscape. Plus, if you’re standing next to a river, you have a good point of reference on the map to find your exact location.

Use Treeline to Pinpoint Your Elevation

Elevation is another predictable navigation marker. Knowing your coordinates on the map only places you in the two-dimensional world. Elevation can help you pinpoint your location, adding a 3D context to your location. But without an altimeter, how will you know the elevation? Look for the treeline.

Treeline is the elevation at which the environmental conditions can no longer sustain tree growth. It’s important to note that treeline is different for every region depending on the weather and landscape conditions. In some northern landscapes, the weather is so harsh that trees are unable to grow above 5,000 feet. In more gentle climates, like the Sierra Nevada, treeline sits closer to 9,000 to 10,000 feet.

You’ll have to study the maps to find the treeline for the area you plan to visit. This is easily done on Gaia GPS’s flagship map, Gaia Topo, which includes tree shading to show you where vegetation grows around the world. Most paper topo maps from government sources, like USGS quadrangle maps which are included in a Gaia GPS Premium Membership, also include tree shading.

When in the field, you can use tree shading on the map to target your location. For example, if you are climbing up a slope that is clearly tree shaded on the map and all of the sudden you emerge from under the tree canopy into a slope with no vegetation. you should be able to see on the map where you’ve crossed the treeline. But be aware, treeline is not always correct on the map. It’s best to use this as an estimate.

Ribbons of river can be as reliable as following a trail.
Photo by Mary Cochenour

Navigate with the Sun for Direction of Travel

Paying attention to the way the sun moves across the sky can help you determine general east-west directions. Everywhere in the world, with the exception of the Arctic, the sun rises on the eastern horizon and sets in the west. During the day it moves across the sky in an east to west pattern. If you pay attention to the sun’s movement, it’s easy to tell the general east and west directions in the morning and evening hours when the sun lies low on the horizon.

But what about high noon when the sun is up in the sky? In midday, the sun can clue you in to north-south directions. In the northern hemisphere, the sun will be directly to the south of your position when it reaches its highest point in the sky. Reverse that order for the southern hemisphere, where the sun sits directly north at its highest point in the sky. However, don’t expect the sun to guide you at the equator or near the earth’s poles, these locations are the exception to the sun’s north-south rules.

Use Shadows For Clues on Cloudy Days

On cloudy days, look for shadows for clues on direction. Shadows will cast in the opposite direction of the sun’s location. This means if you are traveling in the northern hemisphere, the sun at its highest point will be directly south but all shadows will cast to the north. Reverse that order for the southern hemisphere: look for shadows to be cast to the south.

Sometimes, the sun is completely obscured. When this happens, you have to rely on other navigation clues in the backcountry.

Use the Stars to Navigate North and South

Constellations can tell us a lot about direction in the backcountry. In the northern hemisphere, Polaris is known for showing us the direction of true north, hence its nickname — the North Star. The North Star lines up with the earth’s rotational axis above the north pole. From the vantage point in the northern hemisphere, the North Star remains almost motionless in the night sky. All the other stars seemingly rotate around it. Polaris’s relatively static position in the northern night sky has guided navigators for more than a millennia across landmasses and oceans alike. It remains a guiding star in modern navigation as well.

How to Find the North Star

Finding the North Star on a clear night is easy. It’s the brightest star in the Ursa Minor constellation, also known as the Little Dipper. If you can find the Little Dipper in the sky, follow its tail to the bright star at the end and you will be looking at Polaris — and consequently in a northern direction.

If you are having trouble finding the Little Dipper, look for the famed Big Dipper, which appears as the outline of an upside-down cup or pan in the night sky. Angulate from the stars on on the end of Big Dipper’s cup to lead you to the North Star at the tail of the Little Dipper.

In the Southern Hemisphere, Use the Southern Cross to Navigate

The Southern Hemisphere lacks a bright beacon star to mark the south celestial pole. However, you can rely on the unmistakable Southern Cross to show you the way south. First, find the four stars that make up Southern Cross. Line up the star at the head of the Southern Cross with the star at the base of the Southern Cross. Now draw an imaginary line that extends out about four lengths of the cross to the south and you will be looking at southern celestial pole.

Navigate with the Prevailing Wind

Knowing the direction of the prevailing wind will help you keep track of your directions. If storms always blow in from the west, you can use that knowledge to guide you in the right direction. Hold a western course by keeping the western prevailing wind in your face. Turn away from it to travel to the east, and keep it to your left shoulder to hold a northernly direction. Turn around and let the wind lap at your right cheek to travel south.

Wind can be a great tool to give you a general sense of direction, especially in a whiteout when you can’t see landscape. But be cautious and don’t rely on the wind direction too heavily. Use it only as a navigation aid and not a decisive guide.

Wind is shifty. As storms pass, so does the wind’s prevailing direction. Confirm that the wind is actually coming from the prevailing direction by matching it up with clues on the ground. Wind-battered trees will often be leaning away from the prevailing wind or they will be missing branches on the windward side.

Find North and South with Moss

In a pinch, moss can offer consistent directional clues in the backcountry. Generally speaking, moss cannot survive in direct sunlight without water. Because of its sensitivity to sunlight, moss will typically grow on the shaded northern side of trees and rocks in northern hemisphere and on the shaded southern side of trees and rock in the southern hemisphere.

This is a general observation, though. Moss growth can be affected by the amount of moisture or humidity in the area. The story moss tells provides only a clue as opposed to the sun’s definitive directional patterns.

Pay Attention To Your Surroundings

Back before I used a compass, I relied on all these techniques to navigate through the backcountry. I think I was so terrified of getting lost that I became hyper-aware of my surroundings. My mind cataloged every turn in the landscape, the directions rivers flowed, and stand-out rock formations. Paying attention to natural navigation clues remains a key component to how I navigate today. The only difference is I also rely on a paper map and a compass as well as Gaia GPS Premium for a complete picture of where I stand in the backcountry.

Watch this 8-minute Tutorial to Learn How to Create a Route in Gaia GPS

May 4, 2022

Featured Gaia GPS New Maps

Find Phone Signal With Cell Phone Coverage Maps

by Julien Friedland May 2, 2022

written by Julien Friedland

Track where you can find cell service anywhere in the United States including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico with the Cell Phone Coverage maps. Now you no longer need to worry about unexpectedly losing signal. These seven new overlays define where major cell phone carriers reach across the country.

Whether you’re headed to the national parks, planning a thru-hike, or going into the backcountry for a few nights, use these maps to find out if you’ll be able to send texts, make calls, or access the internet anywhere you plan to go in the US.

Two iPhones displaying Gaia Topo with cell phone coverage layers for two different routes.

Overlay the Cell Phone Coverage maps on your routes to find out where you will have cell phone service during your trip. AT&T displays in blue (left) and Verizon displays in red (right).

The new Cell Phone Coverage maps include unique maps for AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Southern Linc, and all carriers combined in the Continental US, Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico. Each map delineates voice and broadband coverage for 3G, 4G, and LTE as indicated by the color opacity. The lightest colors represent 3G and the darkest representing LTE.

To view coverage for Alaska carriers including ASTAC, Bristol Bay Telephone Coop Inc., Copper Valley Telecom, Cordova, Telecom Coop, GCI, OTZ Telecom, TelAlaska, and Windy City Cellular, view the “All Carriers” map.

Take Cell Phone Coverage maps with you by downloading them before you go with a Premium subscription. To view the maps, select the layers icon on the Gaia GPS iOS and Android apps or on gaiagps.com, then select “add map layers.” Next, visit “Feature/Weather Overlays” and look for “Cell coverage” and then select from AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Southern Linc, or Cell Coverage – All Carriers maps.

May 2, 2022

Monique Song, Overland Lady, Arctic Circle

Gaia GPS Gaia GPS Offroad Podcast Offroading User Profiles

Monique Song: How a City Girl Became the Overland Lady

by Abby Levene April 7, 2022

written by Abby Levene

What do you do when you’re unhappy in your corporate job? You hit the road and drive…all the way to Australia. That’s how Monique Song found her way into offroading and eventually becoming the beloved Overland Lady. In a traditionally male-dominated pastime, Monique challenges gender, racial, and cultural norms on her solo adventures around the world.

Monique ended up spending a year traversing Australia’s remote landscapes with “Altar,” her Toyota Landcruiser. It was in the land Down Under that she started Overland Lady, a blog about her inspiring adventures.

Monique’s journey to traveling around the world on four wheels was far from given. Born and raised in China, she felt the heavy weight of expectations from her culture and her parents. And yet, Monique found she was happiest on her weekend getaways from her home in Vancouver, BC, to the mountains.

“On every trip, the part I dreaded most was coming back,” Monique says. “Looking at a city from afar I would think, ‘oh man, back to real life.’ That’s when I started to realize that maybe I liked the life out there on the mountain.”

When the opportunity to travel from Canada to Australia arose, she jumped on it. From Australia, Monique headed to the Arctic. Since then, she’s joined the rollover club and totaled her rig on Alaska’s Dempster Highway. While Monique is not afraid to get her hands dirty and her rig destroyed, she infuses her personal sense of femininity into her wild lifestyle. Monique attests it’s important to her to wear makeup and do her hair, even when hundreds of miles from another human.

“As an overlander, you tend to become a bum over time,” Monique explains. “You rarely shower. You don’t shave. And really over time you start to look sloppy. This is my way of keeping myself accountable in terms of hygiene.”

Get the full inside scoop on Monique’s makeup philosophy plus find out what rigs she’s eyeing next on the Gaia GPS Offroad podcast. You’ll also get her best tips on how to ease yourself into traveling alone in new places. Follow along on Monique’s adventures by following her on Instagram and YouTube and by checking out her blog, Overland Lady.

April 7, 2022

Gaia GPS How-To Offroading

How to Air Down Off-Road Tires for Overlanding

by Bryan Rogala March 23, 2022

written by Bryan Rogala

Overlanding upgrades often include expensive add-ons like lockers, a winch, or a new suspension. But there is a simple upgrade that will improve your vehicle’s traction, and it doesn’t have to cost a penny. Try airing down your tires.

Traction starts and ends at your tires and improves your vehicle’s off-road capability immensely. If your tires don’t have traction then it doesn’t matter how advanced your vehicle’s traction control system is or how much money you’ve dumped into other modifications. Airing down, or letting air out of your tires to reduce the pressure, increases a tire’s contact patch on the ground. Under the right conditions, airing down provides more traction and a smoother ride.

Read on to learn how to gauge tire pressure, the different methods for airing down, tools to make it easy, and how to air back up when you hit the pavement.

How Low Can You Go? Airing Down Your Tires

First, let’s talk about air pressure in general. There’s no hard and fast rule on what pressure you should air down to, and most tire manufacturers won’t give recommendations for liability reasons. Choosing how much air to let out of your tires will largely depend on your specific vehicle and tires, what street pressure you run, and your driving preferences. In general, lighter vehicles, like a Subaru Forester or Jeep Wrangler, can run lower air pressures off-road than a larger vehicle.

person kneeling next to jeep letting air out of tire while other person looks on. Several cars in background with other overlanders standing near

The best guide I’ve found is from Jonathan Hanson, a writer and adventurer who co-founded Overland Expo and Overland Journal. As a rough starting place, Hanson recommends dropping pressure by 25% for general off-road driving on rough dirt roads, washboard. and moderate trails, 30-35% for traction on slick-rock and difficult trails, and up to 50% for surfaces like very soft sand.

Let’s use my 06 Power Wagon as an example. I run about 44 PSI in the front tires and 54 PSI in the rear on the street, and going by the guide above I should be running around 30 PSI in the front and 40 PSI in the rear on most easy off-road terrain. I can go as low as 22 PSI upfront for deep sand. Remember, that’s just a starting point: figuring out the best pressure for your rig will take some testing to see what works best.

Tire Choice

Before diving into the nitty-gritty on how to air down, let’s talk about tire choice. Tires are the most important piece of the traction puzzle, and the tires you put on your vehicle can make the difference in how far down the dirt road you venture.

All-terrain tires work best for overlanding, offering a durable tread compound and burly sidewalls. These elements help protect the tires from punctures and other damage while driving off-pavement and also makes them better suited to airing down. When you reduce the pressure in your tires, the sidewalls flex, providing more tread in contact with the ground. Stiffer, stronger sidewalls allow you to air the tire down more with less worry about damage.

The Toyo’s Open Country A/T III, which I run on my truck, or BF Goodrich’s All Terrain T/A K02, provides an upgrade in off-road traction compared to the stock all-season tires that come on most crossovers, SUVs, and trucks. Thanks to a more aggressive tread pattern that has more bite, these tires perform well in loose dirt and rocks. Despite being more aggressive, they still work very well on pavement and remain quiet on the highway.

Three Methods for Airing Down

The Cheap Method

Pressure gauge letting air out of a tire

Tire gauges, like the small, pen-shaped devices that are available at most gas stations, will measure PSI and let air pressure out of your tires at a low cost. To use the tire gauge, depress the valve core and monitor the pressure gauge until you let the desired amount of air out of your tire, and repeat the process for each tire. You can also use a stick or other slim object like a pen if you’re in a bind, being careful not to let too much air out.

The biggest drawback of the tire gauge method is that, depending on your tire pressure, it takes a long time and you’ll only be able to deflate one tire at a time. There are several tools to consider to make it easier on yourself.

The Fast and Precise Method

To reduce time spent airing down, many overlanders use ARB’s E-Z Deflator. This tool removes the valve core (the mechanism that prevents air from escaping the tire) and lets you decrease pressure from your tire faster, saving you a ton of time at the trailhead. While you can remove the valve core yourself, you risk losing the valve core and ending up with a flat tire. The E-Z Deflator encases the valve core inside of it, ensuring you won’t lose it, and uses a built-in pressure gauge so that you won’t miss your mark when airing down. Unfortunately, using this method means you still only deflate one tire at a time.

Person sitting next to Toyota Tacoma using an E-Z deflator to let the air out of the passenger side Toyota.

The Automatic Method

Use automatic tire deflators to let the air out of more than one tire at once. Automatic tire deflators screw onto your tire’s valve stem and automatically let the air out of the tire until you reach your target pressure. First, you need need to set up your target tire pressure manually and then simply screw them on to your valve stems and let the tire deflators take the air out for you. When your tires reach the desired pressure, the deflators shut off and stop letting air out. This means you’re free to do other tasks and that you won’t have to worry about checking tire gauges. Here’s a great video on how to use automatic tire deflators. While at a higher price point this set from Staun has been proven over the years and is highly recommended.

If you want to make airing down even easier, consider another tool called an Indeflate. It’s a simple device with two air hoses that automatically equalizes the pressure in two tires and allows you to deflate or inflate two tires at once. It still takes the same amount of time that it would for your compressor to inflate two tires, but this tool will remove one step and pair down your airing down/up process even more.

Airing Back Up

Airing down provides a much more comfortable ride off road and gives you better traction, but running low pressure on the pavement is unsafe and robs you of fuel economy. Underinflated tires heat up on the pavement, especially at highway speeds, and are subject to blowouts and failures, so you must fill your tires back up when you leave the dirt. Driving slowly to a gas station with an air compressor works in a pinch, but you’re better off carrying an air compressor in your vehicle.

Air compressor cables hooked up to the battery of a car

There are many portable air compressors on the market designed for automotive use. I recommend a high-quality compressor that connects to your vehicle’s battery for maximum filling capacity. For filling up larger off-road tires you should look at one from VIAIR or ARB – like VIAIR’s excellent 400P. Avoid buying one of the small compressors that plug into your car’s 12v outlet; they just don’t have the power to fill up tires quickly, and once you realize how long it takes it’s unlikely you’ll ever air down again.

When you choose an air compressor, pay attention to the CFM (cubic feet per minute) rating and duty cycle. The CFM number refers to how much volume the compressor can move, and the duty cycle refers to how long the compressor can run before needing to shut down. I’ve used VIAIR’s 400P Automatic for years with great success, and it will fill one of my truck’s 35×12.5in tires from 15-30PSI in 2 minutes and 45 seconds.

Person kneeling next to vehicle managing the air tubes for a compressor in order to put air back into the tires.

Make Airing Down Easy and You’ll Do it More

After swapping on a set of all-terrain tires, airing down provides the biggest performance boost you can give your rig. The time it takes to air down prevents many people from skipping this step, despite the many benefits. With that in mind, make airing down easy and you’ll be more likely to do it. A set of automatic tire deflators and a good air compressor will accomplish that goal.

March 23, 2022

Gaia GPS How-To

How to Check for Snow on the Trail

by Abby Levene March 10, 2022

written by Abby Levene

Spring is here and the trails are melting out. But conditions at the parking lot do not necessarily tell you what the trail looks like up ahead. Even well into the summer, snow can cling to high mountain passes. Lingering cornices and deep snow drifts can be onerous and present obstacles.

Plus, mountain weather can turn on a dime. A warm, sunny day can quickly escalate into a freezing cold white-out blizzard.

Thankfully, you can use Gaia GPS to help eliminate this guesswork of whether the trails will be sunny and snow-free. In this guide, you will learn how to use recent satellite imagery (FreshSat — Recent and Cloud Free layers), snow depth total estimates (Snow Depth layer), actual snowfall data (Snow Stations Daily layer), and Precipitation and Snow Forecasts to get a sense of how much snow may be on your hike or overlanding trip. And you’ll learn how to use these maps in conjunction with the best community resources to make informed decisions about where to go and what to bring.

All of the maps in this article are available with a Gaia GPS Premium Membership. Upgrade by clicking the button below to get our best discount.

Get a Bird’s Eye View with FreshSat – Recent & Cloud Free

A desktop screenshot shows the FreshSat layer.

If you’re wondering whether you need crampons and an ice axe to climb your next 14er, start by examining the FreshSat layers. These maps provide a near-in-time aerial view of conditions on the ground.

By nature of their source, these images are lower resolution than our other satellite maps. But they provide the most updated views of the terrain and conditions, which proves helpful if you want to see where snow lingers on remote mountain and forested areas. For a more crystal clear areal view, check out the high-resolution Satellite layers.

FreshSat – Recent and FreshSat – Cloud Free both give you a snapshot of relatively up-to-date ground conditions. FreshSat – Cloud Free shows a mostly unobstructed view of the earth’s surface. FreshSat – Recent provides an even more up-to-date picture of ground conditions, but clouds may obstruct some of the view.

Both maps are updated at least every 14 days, using data from Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 government satellites. Date stamps on both FreshSat maps make it easy to identify how recently a location has been updated. Simply look at the corner of a map tile to see the date when that image was taken.

Layer these maps with your favorite base map, such as Gaia Topo, to examine the route for your trip. Start by scoping out FreshSat — Recent. If the area is obstructed by clouds, head over to FreshSat — Cloud Free. Zoom into the high points of your route, north-facing slopes, and forested areas to look for signs of snow.

Get FreshSat — Recent and FreshSat — Cloud Free.

Check Estimated Snow Depth Totals with the Snow Depth Layer

A desktop screenshot shows the Snow Depth layer.

Inspired by a thru-hiker looking to track snow depths along the Pacific Crest Trail with Gaia GPS, the Snow Depth overlay gives you an estimate of snow levels covering your next route. Outdoor adventurers can examine how many centimeters of snow most likely exist in specific areas by referencing color-coded indicators of coverage.

In fact, thru-hiker Joe “Stringbean” McConaughy used this map religiously on his recent record-setting Arizona Trail “run.” Stringbean referenced this layer to get a sense of when he might encounter snow on the high-elevation sections of the trail. To do this for your next trip, just place this overlay on top of your basemap. Tweak the opacity to get a picture of how much snow may be on the trail.

When referencing snow depths, remember that estimates are not based on actual observations, but product model output. However, snow depth totals are updated every 24 hours by both NOAA and Gaia GPS. Data for snow depth values come from the NOAA National Weather Service’s National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC) Snow Data Assimilation System (SNODAS).

If you’re looking to find snow totals for a storm in the western U.S. or Canada, reference the Snow Stations (Daily) map — see below. You can also get actual snow data by checking your local climate center or weather source. SNODAS recommends the American Association of State Climatologists, NOAA Regional Climate Centers, and NOAA National Climatic Data Center.

Get the Snow Depth overlay.

See if it Snowed Overnight with Snow Stations (Daily)

iPhone screenshots show the Snow Stations (Daily) layer.

Snow chains on or off? If you’re heading out on an overlanding or backpacking trip through the mountain west, pair the Snow Depth overlay (above) with real-time snow data found in the Snow Stations (Daily) layer to get an even more accurate sense of conditions.

The Snow Stations map taps into hundreds of remote SNOTEL and Canadian weather sensors to show just how much snow fell — or melted — over the last 24 hours in mountain zones around the west. The map also provides water density readings to give you a sense of how heavy and wet this new snow may be. Readings are updated once every hour.

To use this layer, look for color-coded snowflake icons on the map. Each snowflake represents a remote weather station and the color of the snowflake indicates how much snow has fallen or melted in the last 24-hour reporting period. Click the icon for more info.

Get the Snow Stations (Daily) map.

Check for Incoming Storms with Precipitation and Snow Forecasts

An iPad screenshot shows the 48-hour Precipitation Forecast layer.

Don’t underestimate what weather may be coming your way. Check the forecast so you’re prepared, and so you know when to reroute or stay home. Get a quick weather reading right in Gaia GPS with Precipitation and Snow Forecast overlays.

Three Precipitation Forecast overlays give you the 24-, 48-, and 72-hour forecasts. Each taps directly into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasting data. The NOAA Weather Prediction Center (WPC) researches and releases short-term forecasts twice a day, based on predictive models and satellite imagery. Their reports can forecast heavy rain, snow, and flash flooding up to seven days in advance.

Find out if that rain will turn to snow by looking at the Snow Forecast layers. Gaining a sense of whether you simply need a raincoat or could benefit from warmer layers and heftier footwear could make or break the safety and comfort of your trip. Like the Precipitation Forecast, the Snow Forecast comes in 24-, 48-, and 72-hour options.

Choose the best day to head out on the trail by referencing the right weather overlay. Heading out for a weekend backpacking trip? Check out the 72- or 48-hour forecasts to get a view of overall precipitation. Use the 24-hour forecast to get a quick and accurate prediction for the weather today and tomorrow. You must be connected to the internet to view the Precipitation and Snow Forecast maps.

Get the 24-hour, 48-hour, and 72-hour Precipitation Forecasts. And get the 24-hour, 48-hour, and 72-hour Snow Forecasts.

Watch: Discover if the Trails Are Melted Out

Talk to People!

Maps provide invaluable tools — but they don’t replace first-hand beta. Talk to people who have recently visited the area to get as up-to-date trip reports as possible. In addition to your friends and local community, check out Facebook groups, subreddits for the area, local trail organizations and park websites, and Backpacking Light forums. And of course, there’s the good old-fashioned telephone; you can use it to call the ranger’s station to get the latest trail conditions report.

For example, mountain athlete Kyle Richardson has summited Longs Peak (Neníisótoyóú’u) in Rocky Mountain National Park 52 times, during all seasons. He even set a speed record on it last summer. Despite his intimate familiarity with the 14er, he never assumes to know what the mountain may have in store that day. When deciding whether to attempt Longs (and what gear to bring), Richardson checks the Rocky Mountain National Park webcam, mountain-forecast.com, and 14ers.com for recent trip reports.

Look at the photos other visitors have posted. In addition to forums, you can find recent photos by checking relevant hashtags on Instagram and Twitter. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. And once you’ve gone on your trip, do the community a favor and drop a line on the conditions you encountered.

A Note on Safety

You can use these resources and maps as a planning tool to help you pack, plan your route, and be ready for the weather and trail conditions ahead. Know the terrain and alternate routes ahead of time. Plan for inclement weather, even if none appears in the forecast. Gaia GPS provides map layers to help prepare, but making wise decisions remains with you.

March 10, 2022

A red Jeep with a camping trailer parked on the edge of the woods. The Jeep is set up for camping.

Gaia GPS Gaia GPS Offroad Podcast How-To Offroading User Profiles

TrailRecon Explains How to Become an Overlander Overnight

by Mary Cochenour March 9, 2022

written by Mary Cochenour

The easiest way to get into overlanding is to simply just go. Don’t wait for the perfect rooftop tent. Forget those bluebird skies. Save the expensive tires for another day. Just get out there and do it now with whatever ride sits in your garage.

“You need a shelter, you need food and water, and you need some safety gear,” says Brad Kowitz, the creator of TrailRecon, a wildly popular YouTube channel dedicated to all things overlanding. “That’s my advice, just get the basics, get out there, and go have a good time.”

How TrailRecon Got Started

Before starting TrailRecon, Brad recalls taking his stock Jeep on the trail and camping with the hiking gear he had in the basement. Over time, he built up his rig to include more creature comforts: a full kitchen setup, a fridge, and a rooftop tent. While these expensive mods can make a trip more enjoyable, not having them shouldn’t prevent you from going out and making memories today, says Brad’s wife Regena.

“Whether you’re going out with the basics or you’re upping your game with glamping, just being outside is scientifically proven to be good for your mental health,” Regena says.

Helping folks get outside and experience the benefits of nature is the whole reason TrailRecon was born. It all started in 2015 with a video that Brad and Regena’s son Jordan made of their trip to the mud caves in California’s Anza Borrego State Park. The video gained an audience and soon the Kowitzes were posting about all their camping trips. The channel went viral. Now, with almost half a million subscribers, TrailRecon covers every aspect of overland adventure, from camp cooking to vehicle mods to detailed trail reports.

“It’s all part of a whole, right?” Regena says. “When you go overlanding or off-roading, you’ve got to have gear and equipment and you’ve got to eat. Ideally, you have friends who go along with you and those friends have their own vehicles, and a lot of people are interested in hearing about those vehicles.”

As retired Navy Corpsmen, Brad and Regena have been using their extra time to take the TrailRecon brand in new directions. They’ve added a classic Cherokee to their quiver of Jeeps. They’ve developed a new line of TrailRecon Adventure Coffee. Brad also started UnlimitedRecon, a new YouTube channel dedicated to documenting adventures beyond overlanding.

How to Join TrailRecon on an Overlanding Trip

Even though Brad has reached next-level YouTube fame, getting on a trip with TrailRecon is not out of reach. Brad is the face of E3 Overland — a nationwide overland community that helps to educate, empower, and entertain folks on the trail. In addition to web-based learning, E3 focuses on in-person events that get members together all across the country. Brad says joining members on E3 events keeps him grounded and connected to people who love the outdoors.

“I spend a lot of time talking to a camera lens and I don’t spend a lot of time talking to people,” Brad explains. “So being able to have these events where I can talk to folks who are enjoying the videos and find out what their stories are and how I can maybe help them on the way is something that’s important to me.”

Tune in To Episode 13 of the Gaia GPS Offroad Podcast for all the TrailRecon Details

You can hear more about how to join TrailRecon on an overlanding trip in 2022 on episode 13 of the Gaia GPS Offroad podcast. Plus, you won’t want to miss Brad’s take on overlanding with a full-size pickup, the benefits of traveling with an offroad trailer, and Regena’s sage advice for making a reluctant spouse fall in love with roughing it in the great outdoors.

Get Our Best Discount on Gaia GPS Premium

If you want to follow in the tread of TrailRecon and plan custom overland trips far away from the crowds, you’re going to need Gaia GPS Premium. With a Premium Membership, you’ll be able to create your own routes, download maps for offline use, and access the entire map catalog, including offroading favorites like MVUM, Mines and Minerals Resources, satellite imagery, USFS Roads and Trails, weather maps, and more.

March 9, 2022

Adventures Featured Gaia GPS How-To New Maps

Using Gaia GPS to Find Free Camping in National Forests

by Ashli Baldwin March 9, 2022

written by Ashli Baldwin

Many National Forests across the United States allow free dispersed camping. This post will show you how to use Gaia GPS to find free camping spots before heading out and navigate when you get there.

Dispersed camping refers to camping outside of established campgrounds, typically with no amenities like bathrooms or running water. Sites vary from drive-up to walk-in only.

free camping

Get the Right Maps in Gaia GPS

The best maps to plan for off-grid camping in National Forests include:

USFS Classic: This map offers detailed coverage in many designated USFS areas.
USFS 2016: An update to USFS Classic, the 2016 map shows some forest service roads missing on the Classic map, but lacks private boundaries. Read more about USFS 2016 here.
Gaia Topo: The proprietary Gaia GPS base map — this map rocks. If you’re not using it yet — why?
Public Land (US): A shaded map meant to overlay on any basemap. The important color you’re looking for here is green, which means US Forest Service.
MVUM (USFS): The USFS’ Motor Vehicle Use Maps overlay shows roads styled to indicate seasonality and accessibility. Tap a road for details on use restrictions and access dates.
USFS Roads & Trails: An overlay of maintained routes, 4×4 trails, backroads, and little-known paths across U.S. national forests and grasslands. All roads are labeled to indicate their level of maintenance and accessibility by passenger vehicles.

A Premium Membership allows you access to these maps and the ability to layer maps together. This feature is key so that you can layer Public Land with USFS maps for the ultimate free campsite search experience.

Using the Maps to Find Free Camping Spots

Below you can see an example of a layered map in Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Northern Wisconsin. It shows layered maps using Gaia Topo, USFS Classic, Public Land (US), and MVUM (USFS).

You can see the opacity settings used:

How to Find a Dispersed Camping Spot

You’ll want to find an area that is:

In green (National Forest)
Typically along or at the end of a Forest Service road (but not necessarily)
Check the usage periods for the road for accessibility
Make sure there aren’t a lot of buildings in the area (shown as black marks on USFS maps)

You’ll always want to get confirmation that the area you’ve picked is indeed okay for dispersed camping. Rules and regulations can vary widely, and temporary fire bans may be in effect. Always check before you go and note any posted signs along your route.

Using 3rd Party Resources and Maps

A quick Google search may yield some results for locations of free campsites in your National Forest, but more often than not, these sites don’t come openly advertised. This keeps the area impact low, and your special spot a secret.

If you’re willing to spend the time, here are a few additional resources to help you find that perfect spot:

Call the ranger stations. They know the forest better than anyone else, and will typically advise you on the best places to spend the night.
Find specialized maps for your National Forest. Some even list known dispersed camping sites. Here is an example from Nicolet, where the brown tent symbol with a white background represents a common dispersed free camping area.

Planning for Your Trip

Plot waypoints at the campsites you find and/or plan a route to your desired location. It’s best to plan several backup locations in case the one you want is already taken.

If your forest service area offers printable PDF maps, consider adding them to Gaia GPS. You can follow these steps to geo-reference your maps and add them to your account.

Most importantly, download maps before you leave so that you can view your location and navigate offline.

Leave No Trace

When you’re in the Forest, Leave No Trace. Pick up your garbage and follow all rules and regulations.

Find an amazing spot? Keep it a secret!

Disclaimer: Always bring a back up map. Rules and regulations may vary depending on your area. Always check with the responsible land management agency before heading out.

March 9, 2022

Featured Gaia GPS How-To Newsletter

How to Plan a Backpacking Trip

by Jim Margolis February 22, 2022

written by Jim Margolis

On one of my first backpacking trips, I was dropped off by boat at the start of the Dusky Track in Fiordland National Park, New Zealand. When the boat driver tried to lift my pack out of the boat, he nearly fell into the water. He curtly told me my pack was too heavy and that I was “doing it wrong.”

Midway through the trip, I could see that I had packed three times as much food as I really needed. Was I so hungry because my pack was so heavy? Or was my pack so heavy because I was always so hungry? I may never know the answer to that backpacker’s paradox, but I do know I could have planned the food more thoughtfully. This article can help you avoid the multitude of trip-planning gaffes. Backpacking is a very broad topic — consider this a starting place for your planning, and adapt the ideas for your trip.

This article will cover:

Choose a place to backpack
Establish priorities for your trip
Plan your route
Educate yourself on hazards
Plan food and gear

Choose a Place to Backpack

You can truly go backpacking at any time of year if you pick the right destination and carry the appropriate equipment. Summer and early fall are common seasons for trips to the high alpine areas in the Rockies and the Sierra. Spring and fall can be a good time in the Appalachian Mountains and the deserts of the western United States. Winter is a good time for low latitude destinations like the southern Appalachians, Florida, and low elevation desert across the southwestern US.

At gaiagps.com/hike, you can search for hikes in many popular parks throughout the United States.

If there’s a specific area you’d like to visit, set Gaia Topo as the map source on gaiagps.com/map, click on points of interest, and nearby hikes will be listed. Guidebooks, blog posts, online trip reports, and forums can also provide inspiration.

point of interest diagram on gaiagps.com

Understand the Human History of Your Destination

You can show respect to the original inhabitants of the area you are visiting by researching the human history of the land. You can use the Native Land map to understand the human history of your destination, as well as your home and many other places worldwide.

In many popular backpacking destinations, such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park, Native Americans were murdered and forcibly removed by the United States government, and the landscape was then advertised as a pristine and uninhabited wilderness. The very definition of “wilderness” in the Wilderness Act of 1964 also perpetuates the falsehood that these areas were uninhabited: “…an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” The founding of National Parks and the creation of wilderness areas, coupled with the larger history of dispossession of Native American and Indigenous lands worldwide through genocide and fraudulent treaties, contributes to the erasure of modern-day Indigenous societies. It’s important to recognize this is not just a history lesson. The cultural and economic impacts of genocide and forced removal remain contemporary issues for Indigenous people.

One way to acknowledge this history is to use a land or territorial acknowledgment. As Chelsea Vowel writes in Beyond Territorial Acknowledgments:

“If we think of territorial acknowledgments as sites of potential disruption, they can be transformative acts that to some extent undo Indigenous erasure. I believe this is true as long as these acknowledgments discomfit both those speaking and hearing the words. The fact of Indigenous presence should force non-Indigenous peoples to confront their own place on these lands.”

An acknowledgment by itself is only a small gesture. Read more about moving beyond acknowledgment with authentic relationship and informed action.

Establish Priorities For Your Trip

Backpacking used to be a balancing act between carrying minimal gear to be happy walking or carrying luxury items to be happy camping. Over the last decade, gear has become lighter, making it easier to be comfortable both walking and camping. Establishing goals around the length of days and hiking pace early in your planning will give structure to planning decisions and can mitigate conflicts with partners.

two backpackers climbing a hill on a rugged trail in Peru

Plan Your Route

Once you decide where you’ll be backpacking, use gaiagps.com/map to create a route for each day. With Gaia Topo, the route planning tool snaps to the trail, making it easy to calculate mileage and elevation. You can put all the routes in a folder to see the total distance and elevation gain for the trip. Add waypoints to mark the trailhead, points of interest, and emergency access points. Consider separate routes for side trips or escape options—if you can’t make it over a pass due to weather or snow conditions, for example. Planning in some base camp days to rest, fish, or summit a peak can be a good way to add variety to your trip. For an in-depth presentation on how to plan a route on gaiagps.com, check out the Gaia GPS webinar on creating routes.

Recommended Maps for Backpacking

Gaia GPS offers a comprehensive selection of maps for planning and use during your trip. You need a subscription to download any map for offline use and to access map sources other than Gaia Topo. Here’s a list of recommended maps for backpacking:

Gaia Topo – updated weekly with data from OpenStreetMap, Gaia Topo offers up-to-date coverage of trails and points of interest. It is also optimized for mobile downloads, saving space on your device.
USGS Topo – Official topographic maps from the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
USFS 2016 – Full, detailed topographic coverage of all 172 national forests and grasslands in the US.
NatGeo Trails Illustrated – These maps cover many popular destinations like National Parks and major long trails like the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, John Muir Trail, and Colorado Trail.
Public Lands – Use this overlay to identify public lands like National Parks, US Forest Service lands, BLM lands, and state and local parks. This can be a great way of finding local spots for a trip.
Snow Depth – If your route may involve snow, you can get a rough sense of snow coverage with this overlay.

Be sure to print backup maps in case your device runs out of battery or is damaged. It’s easy to print maps on gaiagps.com. You can print on waterproof paper from your home printer, store the backup maps in a plastic bag, or order large custom-printed maps online. For a longer trip, a large overview map, such as those made by Beartooth Publishing, can be helpful.

Before you leave, be sure to download maps to your phone so you can use them without service. Make sure you know how to change map sources in the app (iOS/Android) and conserve your phone’s battery. Also, brush up on your map reading skills with our blog article on how to read topographic maps.

Estimating Hiking Time

An average pace on a flat trail is about 2 mph, and you should add 30 minutes for every 1000 feet of elevation gain. For an 8-mile day where the elevation gain is 3000 feet, the travel time would be 5-and-a-half hours.

This does not include time for breaks. Depending on your fitness, pack weight, and the quality of the trail, you may travel faster or slower. As you travel, keep track of your pace and adjust your time estimates accordingly using the Trip screen in Gaia GPS:

A screenshot of the trip screen in the Gaia GPS app

Once you estimate your hiking time, work backward from critical points along your route to plan out where to camp and when you need to depart in the morning. If you need to be on top of a pass by 1 PM to avoid afternoon thunderstorms, make sure you camp close enough the night before. It’s easiest to edit your route on the website and then sync the route to your phone.

Leave Plans with an Emergency Contact

An injury, navigation error, or other mishap could leave you stranded in the wilderness. It’s always a good practice to leave your plans with a responsible friend who can initiate a search and rescue response if needed. Include the following information:

Your route, including start date and time, end date and time, and campsite locations. Gaia GPS makes it easy to share a route via email.
Establish a clear time that you will be in touch with your emergency contact at the end of your trip. Set a time for your emergency contact to call search and rescue if they don’t hear from you. For example, if you plan to be finished with your trip and in service to contact your friend by 6 PM on July 31, you might set noon on August 1 as the time for your contact to call search and rescue. Have a clear plan for who they should contact and what to do to initiate a search.
Phone number for the main park office, local search and rescue, or sheriff’s office
Location of your car
Make, model, and license plate number of your car
Name of each person in the group and any pertinent medical conditions

Three hikers hiking down a grassy pass along a body of water — Hiking down a pass on the traditional, unceded territory of Apsaalooke (Crow), Tsesthoe (Cheyenne), and Oceti Sakowin (Sioux) in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Montana.

Logistics and Permits

Many popular areas require camping permits or reservations at specific campsites or huts. In the United States, many permits and reservations can be made online through recreation.gov and you can find those campsites right on Gaia Topo. The rules and dates vary by location, but some popular destinations allow online reservations as early as January for trips starting in the summer. However, many land management agencies also have a group of permits that can be acquired daily on a first-come, first-served basis.

To determine if your proposed route crosses Native or Indigenous land, you can use the Native American and Alaska Native Lands layer. Contact the sovereign nation for permits, or change your route if permits are not available.

Educate Yourself on Hazards

An understanding of the hazards you may encounter is the key to staying safe on a backpacking trip. Backpacking is generally not dangerous, and the risks can be managed by educating yourself. The sections below, environmental hazards and human factors, are common hazards to be aware of as you plan your trip.

Hands-on first aid training is invaluable for managing wilderness medical emergencies. NOLS, SOLO, and Wilderness Medical Associates are well-known wilderness medicine course providers. NOLS has a comprehensive wilderness medicine book that is worth studying. It is best used in conjunction with hands-on training through a class.

lightning striking over the Tetons in in Grand Teton National Park

Environmental Hazards

Terrain Hazards
- Exposure. Be wary of cliffs or steep ravines where a fall could injure or kill you. Your balance may be affected by your pack weight and rain can make the ground slick. In these situations, it can be helpful to consider the consequences, not just the likelihood, of a fall.
- Falling trees. Falling trees, particularly dead trees or ones with a significant lean, can pose a hazard, especially at a campsite, where you spend more time. Wind can make the trees more likely to fall — be sure to choose a safe campsite. The Forest Service has a simple guide to this hazard here.
- Rockfall. Camp well away from the base of cliffs. If you are traveling through loose, rocky terrain, position yourself out of the fall line of other hikers so that if a rock is released, it won’t hit you. Consider other hiking groups above you as well as those in your party.

Weather
- Cold and wet conditions. Prolonged exposure to cold and/or wet conditions, or immersion in cold water, can result in hypothermia. Prevention is key—carry adequate layers, extra food, and fuel. Learn how to treat hypothermia in this simple video and read more here.
- Heat. It isn’t just the bad weather that can pose a hazard. Prolonged exposure to heat and sun can cause heat exhaustion and may progress to heatstroke. As with hypothermia, prevention is critical. Maintain adequate hydration, wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothing, and seek shade during the hottest parts of the day.
- Lightning. Thunderstorms are a common occurrence during the summer. On average, 300 people are struck and 30 are killed by lightning in the US every year. Monitor local weather patterns and plan to be off of high passes and peaks before thunderstorms build. If you hear thunder, descend to a safe place. Educate yourself with the National Weather Service’s lightning safety brochure.
Moving water. If your route involves wading across creeks and rivers, seek training from someone with experience in river crossings. Some hiking clubs have classes you can take. The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council has a good informational video, but YouTube is not a substitute for proper training from an experienced individual.
Altitude. Travel to elevations above 8000 feet is associated with risk of developing one or more forms of acute altitude illness. Gradual ascent can prevent altitude illness. If you are unacclimatized, take two days to ascend to 8000 feet. Once at 8000 feet, it is recommended to increase your sleeping elevation 1500 feet or less per day.

Animals. Seeing wildlife can be a highlight of a backpacking trip, but bear attacks and snake bites are not often remembered as fondly. It’s worth understanding how to avoid dangerous encounters with animals.
- Bears. Hiking in a group and making noise will decrease your chances of encountering a bear. Understand the difference between black and grizzly bears, and what to do if you are attacked. In camp, store your food properly. The National Park Service has an educational website about hiking in bear country.
- Mountain Lions. Mountain lions are most active at dusk and dawn. Similar to bears, hiking in a group and making noise will decrease your chances of an encounter. Learn what to do if threatened.
- Snakes. In the United States, the most common venomous snakes are pit vipers (rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths) and elapids (coral snakes). Wear long pants and watch where you step. Snakes tend to be more active in warmer months. Learn what to do in case of a snakebite.
- Bites and stings from spiders, scorpions, bees, wasps, and ticks. In North America, significant envenomations from spiders are uncommon, but black widow and brown recluse spider bites can be harmful. Scorpion, bee, and wasps stings can cause severe allergic reactions in some people. Ticks may spread diseases like spotted fever or Lyme disease. Learn to manage these bites and stings.

Human Factors

three hiker silhouettes on a summit during sunset

Accidents cannot only be attributed to environmental hazards. Bears or rockfall do not pose a threat unless you interact with them, so it is important to consider subjective factors related to personal and group behavior when managing risk. In fact, an Austrian study of hiking accidents found that most hiking falls occurred in good weather. Though not an exhaustive list, the following factors can impair judgment and contribute to hiking accidents:

Fatigue
Dehydration or poor nutrition
Commitment to a goal that blinds you to a hazard — “summit fever”
Poor preparation — lack of awareness of the hazard
Underestimating the hazard
Not voicing concerns due to an interpersonal desire to avoid conflict and/or due to a group culture that doesn’t make everyone feel like they can speak up

Hike in Style

Wherever you go, make sure you travel in good style. Educate yourself on the Leave No Trace principles to help preserve the places you visit for future use. Learn more about the Leave No Trace Principles here:

Planning Food and Gear

Food

It’s important to consume a balance of carbohydrates, fats, and protein for a sustained aerobic activity like backpacking. Plan for 2500 – 4500 calories (or 1.5 – 2.5 pounds) per person per day. When buying food, look for dehydrated and instant options. Dehydrated foods are much lighter per calorie because they don’t contain water. Instant food will cook much faster so you don’t have to carry as much fuel. Repackage all food into plastic bags to minimize the extra weight of the packaging.

Planning your food can often be the most time-consuming part of your planning. It is worth making a simple chart for meals. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Screen Shot 2020-06-01 at 9.50.44 AM.png

Other Meal Ideas

These websites also have great backpacking meal ideas:

Backpacker’s Pantry, Mountain House, Patagonia Provisions, and other companies offer a selection of pre-made instant meals if time for preparation is short.

Gear

backpack, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, tent and other camp supplies laid out on the ground.

After stumbling around New Zealand with a 70-pound pack, I eventually learned to go lighter. Over the years, I discovered that trip priorities greatly influence gear choices, but even on a leisure-oriented trip, the lighter your pack is, the happier you—and your knees—will be. Check out my backpacking gear list, complete with pictures to see what I bring for three-season adventures. Andrew Skurka’s website also has detailed gear lists. Also, try Adventure Alan Dixon’s tips on how to lighten your base weight. Get an inexpensive scale and weigh everything before deciding what to pack. Websites like GearGrams and WeighMyGear can help you compile your list and calculate your total pack weight.

View Backpacking Gear List

February 22, 2022

Gaia GPS New Maps

Discover Snowmobile Trails Across the Globe

by Abby Levene February 9, 2022

written by Abby Levene

Planning snowmobile routes and navigating across the snow has never been easier. Find sledding trails across the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia with our new Snowmobile Trails map. We’ve pulled together trail data from local, state, and federal sources to bring you some of the most comprehensive sledding coverage in the world.

Easily spy trail networks to build routes and find your way in the field. When available, see key details like trail width, grooming status, restricted access areas, and difficulty ratings. Plus, find warming huts, gas stations, and snowmobile shops.

Snowmobile Trails Map Provides Coverage Around the World

No need to rifle through various guidebooks, websites, and maps on your next snow machine adventure. Enjoy trail coverage from local, state, and federal organizations all in one place with the Snowmobile Trails map on gaiagps.com or in the Gaia GPS app.

The Snowmobile Trails map provides comprehensive coverage across many northern states of the US. You’ll also find limited coverage in Canada, Europe, and Australia. If you don’t see the trails near you on the map, hang in there. We’re working hard to expand coverage as quickly as we can.

Styled for Hi-Vis at High Speed

Our cartographers designed the Snowmobile Trails map to make finding trails a snap. The purple trails pop out from the map, helping ensure you see them while flying across the snow. Plus, trails appear at relatively high zoom levels so you can easily discover new networks.

As the key illustrates, trail type is designated right on the map. Trail closures are indicated directly on the map as well.

Get Key Trail Details like Difficulty, Width, & Direction

In addition to all the info you get directly on the map, click on a trail, junction, trailhead, or waypoint to get everything from the difficulty rating to grooming status. Find out which directions of travel are permitted and the width of the trail, when this information is available.

Find Warming Huts, Fuel, & Food

In addition to the designated snowmobile trails themselves, the Snow Mobile Trails map provides all the info you need for a full day of adventure. See key points of interest, parking lots, warming huts, and even where to fill the tank, when this information is available. Plus, easily decipher where you can and can’t go. The map indicates winter closure areas and restricted access areas.

How to Use the Snowmobile Trails Map

To use the Snowmobile Trails map, start by adding Gaia Winter as your base map. Our cartographers designed Gaia Winter specifically for cold weather activities. Key winter points of interest like ski resorts are emphasized on the map. Best of all, the Snowmobile Trails map overlay is designed to pair perfectly with Gaia Winter. The purple snowmobile trails pop against Gaia Winter’s blue-grey palette.

Once you’ve added Gaia Winter as your base map, add the Snowmobile Trails overlay on top of it. Now you’re ready to build a route on your desktop using gaiagps.com or on your phone or tablet using the app. Make sure to download your maps so you can use them deep in the backcountry without cell service.

If you’re worried about finding your way home, record your tracks to leave a breadcrumb trail. Drop waypoints and photos to mark down trees, river crossings, moose sightings, or whatever else you like.

Snowmobile Trails Map is Available with a Premium Membership

The Snowmobile Trails map is available with a Gaia GPS Premium membership. To access this map, visit the layers menu and search for “Snowmobile Trails.” Or from the layers menu, select “Feature/Weather Overlays.” Scroll down and tap “Snowmobile Trails.” Tap the “Add Layer” button. Learn how to add and manage overlays here.

Premium also grants you access to our entire map catalog, including Gaia Winter, avalanche maps like slope angle and avalanche forecast, and weather maps like snow depth and snow forecasts. With Premium, you can also download your maps for use without cell service. And print maps so you always have a paper backup.

February 9, 2022

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