Gossamer Gear Blog
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Covers backpacking & hiking tips, brand ambassador inspirations & gear lists, Gossamer gear news, hiking destinations & overnight trips, outdoor education, and trail wisdom. Gossamer Gear exists to make the lightest backpacking equipment solutions on the planet available to like-minded hikers.
Gossamer Gear Blog
2w ago
It’s hard to not have something go a little awry when planning your first multi-week or multi-month backpacking trip. Going on your first thru-hike involves many details, from route planning to selecting the best camera. Similar to how you’ll likely make a mistake or two on your first backpacking trip, you’ll probably experience some mishaps on your first thru-hike. The key is to learn how to use those mistakes to improve your future trips—as well as to get more comfortable along the way on your thru-hike.
We asked our team of brand ambassadors to share their biggest “whoopsies” from their fir ..read more
Gossamer Gear Blog
2w ago
By: Rochelle “Ruby” Altman
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The wonders of nature and the personal growth it fosters draw many to hiking. Yet, what is often understated is the strong sense of camaraderie that exists among hikers that significantly enriches our outdoor experience. This is exemplified by our community’s willingness to uplift others, whether it’s offering help to a first-time hiker, lending a hand on a challenging trail section, or sharing resources and knowledge. By embracing and sharing our experiences, we strengthen our collective sense of belonging and promote equity in outdoor spaces.
Many of us can rec ..read more
Gossamer Gear Blog
1M ago
If there’s one thing that can be guaranteed for your first backpacking trip, it’s that you’ll inevitably make at least one “mistake.” By the end of a first trip into the backcountry, we all usually leave with some new knowledge and thoughts on what we would do differently next time. Even our brand ambassadors, who have logged thousands of miles through the wilderness, had to start somewhere.
It’s near impossible to completely ace your first trip. In reality, you’ll likely keep picking up new tips and tricks on each trek you take. However, one way to mitigate risks and prepare the best you can ..read more
Gossamer Gear Blog
1M ago
If you’re new to using trekking poles, you might have some hesitations. People avoid using trekking poles on their hikes for a variety of reasons: They don’t know how to use them. They think they’ll look funny. They don’t think they need them. They don’t want to carry extra weight. But the reality is that trekking poles can be a truly fantastic trail companion for just about anyone.
If you’ve been curious about them or are simply looking for some tips to improve your trekking pole game, we’ve got you covered below. We’ll discuss everything you need to know, including:
What are trekking ..read more
Gossamer Gear Blog
2M ago
At Gossamer Gear, “do more” goes beyond a slogan or hashtag. It serves as a reminder to maintain our relentless drive to eliminate the unnecessary in life and focus on what’s important and worthy of “doing” to serve our customers, our community, and our wild places. Our brand ambassadors are an extension of this commitment.
If you haven’t gotten to know our intrepid band of brand ambassadors yet, make sure to check out their profiles on our website to learn more about them, read past blogs they’ve written for Light Feet, and find links to their social media accounts. They’re an impressive bunc ..read more
Gossamer Gear Blog
2M ago
Windy conditions are bound to find you in the backcountry at some point. Especially when you’re camping above treeline, it can be hard to find places to pitch a tent that are fully protected from the wind. However, you don’t have to let windy conditions or rainstorms prevent you from having a secure night’s sleep in the wilderness.
There are steps you can take to perfect your backcountry shelter’s storm mode. Below, we highlight six tips you can follow for faster, easier tent set-up when you have to deal with wind or storms. We hope they help you minimize frustration, get cozy faster, and main ..read more
Gossamer Gear Blog
4M ago
As we prepare to welcome in 2024, we’re taking time to look back at where we’ve traveled. Specifically, we’re looking at where the world-renowned Light Feet blog has taken us over these last 12 months.
Our goal is to make Light Feet our community’s go-to destination for inspiring interviews with outdoor enthusiasts, useful tips and tricks for the trail, adventuresome tales from the backcountry, helpful gear highlights, and all things lightweight backpacking. Thanks to guest contributors, expert interviews, and our top-shelf, in-house creative brainstorming team, we’ve published some pret ..read more
Gossamer Gear Blog
4M ago
When he was 19, Gabe Vasquez joined the Marines. A first generation Mexican-American from Austin, Texas, Gabe is grateful to have started his career in the military, where he formed strong bonds with his fellow service members. However, he also left with PTSD and residual injuries from his time overseas, and has close friends from his military time who have suffered from life-altering injuries.
With little knowledge of the trail beforehand, Gabe set out to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) after returning from his deployments, as part of an effort to raise money for causes supporting ve ..read more
Gossamer Gear Blog
5M ago
Sometimes you need to carry more than you can fit in your pockets or fanny pack, but you also don’t need to trek around town with your 60-liter backpacking pack. Cue the hero of this story: the almighty daypack. Whether going for a long day hike, commuting to work, or heading to your favorite climbing spot, a daypack can help carry the gear you need for your adventure.
But there are many daypack options out there. How do you choose? Well, you’ve come to the right article, friends! Below, we’ll cover some of the key things to look for when selecting the right daypack: size, features, and uses ..read more
Gossamer Gear Blog
5M ago
Loving the outdoors requires us all to be good stewards of the lands where we choose to play. Many national and state parks and forests rely on nonprofit partners to help educate the public and take care of the wilderness. Los Padres Forest Association (LPFA), along with its dedicated volunteers, works to support Los Padres National Forest—nearly two million acres of wilderness in southern and central California.
Bryan Conant has been the Executive Director of LPFA since 2013. He has a strong background in trail design and maintenance and works closely with the Los Padres National Forest and o ..read more