MSR’s New Hubba Hubba Bikepack Tent: Tested and Reviewed
Exploring Wild
by Alissa B
2w ago
At a Glance The Hubba Hubba Bikepack from MSR is a new bikepacking-optimized tent with short poles for easy packing. It comes with a surprisingly nice handlebar bag with spacers, straps, and room for other gear. I’ve found it to be a solid choice that checks all the boxes for functionality and durability while remaining lightweight and compact. The inner has more fabric than most, making it cozy on cool nights but not so great for hot climates. I wish the colors were even stealthier, but they’re not bad. As someone who adores bikepacking with a zeal bordering on obsession, I get excited eve ..read more
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Review: Swift Industries Gemini Cargo Pack Takes Fork Bags to a New Level
Exploring Wild
by Alissa B
3w ago
At a Glance The Gemini Cargo Pack is a unique and super-practical twist on the classic fork bag + straps combo. It carries up to 4 liters per side in a semi-rigid bag that mounts with its own integrated straps to any cargo-style cage. I used a pair of Gemini bags for two weeks of rugged bikepacking, and I especially loved the convenience of not messing with straps or trying to stabilize lumpy dry bags. Most bikepackers are familiar with strapping dry bags into cargo cages mounted on our fork blades. It’s a simple and versatile way to add extra capacity to a bikepacking bag setup and works w ..read more
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John Muir Trail vs. Colorado Trail: Which is best for your next (or first) thru hike?
Exploring Wild
by Alissa B
1M ago
If you’re looking for a short thru hike in the mountains, the John Muir Trail and Colorado Trail should both be on your list. Between July and September these trails come alive with colorful wildflowers, gorgeous vistas, and lots of starry-eyed thru hikers on grand adventures. (Also mosquitos, but let’s focus on the positive.) I’ve thru hiked both, and they do have a lot in common: high mountain scenery, challenging elevation profiles, and nearly constant wild camping opportunities, to name just a few. If you’re debating between the JMT and the CT for your next thru hike, you truly can’t go wr ..read more
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Bike Bag vs. Cardboard Box: Is a roller bike bag worth the money?
Exploring Wild
by Alissa B
1M ago
Here’s a post I never thought I’d write! Over the years I’ve stuffed my bikes into dozens of cardboard boxes while flying to and from bike trips. Boxes are (usually) free and can be found or improvised in nearly any corner of the world. When I was all about long-term budget bike travel, I never considered another option. But things eventually change… I guess that’s life, right? These days I have less room in my calendar for multi-month trips that end in a different country from the one they started in. I’ve been scratching my bikepacking itch with shorter trips, more often flying into and out ..read more
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Old Man Mountain Axle Pack: Install and First Look
Exploring Wild
by Alissa B
1M ago
At a Glance The Axle Pack from Old Man Mountain is a unique way to add bottle and gear cage mounts to any thru axle fork. It’s well designed, rock-solid, and fairly light especially for how sturdy it is. It’s a bit expensive compared to DIY solutions like hose clamps, but far more convenient, reliable, and sturdy. I’m testing the Axle Pack on my suspension fork to add capacity and redistribute my front load closer to the ground. Fork cages are one of my favorite ways to add capacity to a bikepacking bag setup. They keep weight low to the ground, fit a just-right amount of stuff, and don’t r ..read more
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Wolf Tooth Morse Cargo Cage Bikepacking Review
Exploring Wild
by Alissa B
1M ago
At a Glance Wolf Tooth’s Morse Cargo Cage is a small and unobtrusive perch for large bottles and small dry bags on your fork or downtube. It’s one of the smaller and lighter cargo-style cages on the market, with a very adjustable mounting system to fit odd spaces. It’s available both with or without high quality rubber straps. I found it to be perfect for carrying a big bottle in the small space beneath my downtube, and for fork bags up to about 3 liters, but I don’t think it’s big enough to haul my larger 5-liter dry bags securely. I’ve been going down the cargo cage rabbit hole lately, an ..read more
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Backpacker’s Guide to Desolation Wilderness (With Route Ideas for All Levels)
Exploring Wild
by Alissa B
1M ago
Tahoe’s Desolation Wilderness is one of my favorite backpacking spots in California, and I’m not alone, literally. Despite the sense of poetic solitude implied by its name, this alpine granite wonderland is one of the most popular designated wilderness areas in the entire United States. It’s easy to see why. The sparkling granite slabs, aromatic pines, and deep-blue alpine lakes of Desolation Wilderness make a fabulous canvas on which to stamp our dusty footprints. Whether you spend a single night at a scenic lakeside camp or hike for days in a large loop, you’ll feel transported far from the ..read more
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Smartphone vs. GPS Device: Which is Best for Hiking Navigation?
Exploring Wild
by Alissa B
1M ago
Sometimes I’m asked whether it’s important to have a dedicated GPS navigation device for hiking and backpacking, or if a smartphone is good enough. The general answer is, of course, “it depends.” But let’s get specific. I’ve used both over the years and I definitely have opinions about which is best under different circumstances. It’s entirely possible that my take will give me away as a Millennial, but here we go. If you’re hiking on a maintained trail, in most cases I think you can navigate with a smartphone with important caveats I’ll get into below. This even goes for backpackers, as long ..read more
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Blackburn Outpost vs. Salsa Anything: Battle of the Cargo Cages
Exploring Wild
by Alissa B
1M ago
Trying to decide between the Salsa EXP Anything Cargo Cage and Blackburn Outpost Cage? Both are versatile, sturdy, and convenient ways to add capacity to a bikepacking bag setup. I tested both side-by-side, literally, on my recent bikepacking trip and the results were not what I expected. Full disclosure, I’m a long-time Outpost cage fan. I own six of them, most of which have seen well over 5000 miles of bikepacking. I think they’re great! But I recently came across a killer deal on a used Salsa Anything Cage HD and decided to try it out. I own a number of Salsa’s other bikepacking products an ..read more
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Review: Salsa EXP Anything Cargo Cage HD
Exploring Wild
by Alissa B
1M ago
At a Glance Salsa’s Anything Cargo Cage HD is an extra-large, extra-sturdy 3-bolt cage for carrying dry bags and big bottles on fork blades and down tubes. As one of the biggest cages available, it excels at carrying large dry bags filled with soft or awkwardly shaped stuff. It comes with two high-quality rubber straps and is a great value. The Salsa EXP Anything Cage is nearly synonymous with the concept of a bikepacking cargo cage. For years it’s been faithfully carrying food, clothes, sleeping pads, cook kits, and yes, pretty much anything on the forks of adventure-ready bikes. It’s pro ..read more
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