Backpacking Light

By the Numbers: The New Breathability Gap in WPB Jackets and What the Breathability Tests Get Wrong

Stephen Seeber — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 13:00:29 +0000

Testing 21 current waterproof-breathable jackets and fabrics reveals a widening performance gap between membrane types. Stephen Seeber compares new measurements with earlier results, explains how humidity and temperature influence moisture transport, and examines why common breathability tests can overstate hydrophilic membrane performance under the conditions backpackers encounter on the trail.

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2026 Cottage Gear Innovation Awards

Backpacking Light — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 16:19:44 +0000

Explore the 2026 Cottage Gear Innovation Award winners with Backpacking Light and Garage Grown Gear. Six innovative products demonstrate practical advances in backpacking equipment, from shelter stakes to bear canisters. Learn why each earned recognition and celebrate one maker's lasting contributions to ultralight gear with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Episode 149 | Durability

Ryan Jordan — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 13:00:34 +0000

This is Part 1 (of 4) in a new series called Principles of Outdoor Gear Design and focuses on the topic of outdoor gear durability. Ryan Jordan examines durability through the relationship between product, use case, and user behavior. Backpack examples connect materials, manufacturing, and engineering to wear, damage, repair, and continued function. Learn how to interpret durability claims and evaluate the weight, cost, and maintenance tradeoffs involved in choosing gear. (This series is made possible by support from Vaer Watches as part of the Built by Vaer initiative, a partnership collaboration between Backpacking Light and Vaer to bring in-depth educational resources about product design to the Backpacking Light community.)

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Technical Fabrics for Backpacks, Shelters, and Storage Systems: A Comparative Guide

Ryan Jordan — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 18:14:59 +0000

A technical comparison of modern fabrics used in backpacks, shelters, and storage systems, including DCF, Ultra, X-Pac, ECOPAK, silnylon, silpoly, and ALUULA. The tables compare weight, tear strength, abrasion resistance, waterproofness, dimensional stability, construction, and key tradeoffs using current manufacturer data.

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MYOG: SUL Remote Inverted Canister Winter Stove V8

Roger Caffin — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 22:13:28 +0000

An ultralight winter stove is simple in concept—but devilishly complex in execution. This deep dive traces the evolution of a remote inverted-canister stove through eight generations of design, testing, and refinement. The result is a 75-gram V8 vortex stove shaped by careful experimentation with airflow, thermal balance, burner geometry, fuel vaporization, and field-worthy component design.

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A Multifactorial Case of Acute Mountain Sickness, Carbohydrate Depletion, and Dehydration

Ryan Jordan — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 04:33:52 +0000

After a recent strenuous approach to an alpine area, headache, nausea, fatigue, and dizziness produced a Lake Louise AMS score consistent with moderate acute mountain sickness. Garmin data and a detailed reconstruction of food, fluid, workload, and sleep revealed a more complex event. This case study examines how altitude exposure interacted with carbohydrate depletion, dehydration, and accumulated fatigue - and why backcountry illness is often better understood as a convergence of physiological stressors.

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Durston Wapta 30 Backpack Review

Ryan Jordan — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 15:21:11 +0000

The Durston Wapta 30 is a ~1 lb backpack made with Aluula fabric. In this review, we evaluated packbag stability, harness comfort, and usability in the context of its frameless design.

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Episode 148 | Rain Jackets for Mountain Minimalism

Backpacking Light — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 14:45:59 +0000

How to choose rain gear for mountain minimalism based on exposure, retreat options, wind, abrasion, and thermal margin.

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A Simple Shower Test for Evaluating Backpack Water Resistance

Ryan Jordan — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 16:09:31 +0000

We use a simple and repeatable shower test method to evaluate backpack water resistance that incorporates fabrics, closures, seepage, and material water absorption.

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By the Numbers: The Tug of Water – Why Some Layers Hold Sweat and Others Let it Go

Stephen Seeber — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:00:01 +0000

Our new test data reveals which hydrophobic and hydrophilic base layers are most effective at liquid water transfer, moving sweat away from your skin during high exertion.

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