Hiking trail guides, gear reviews, packing tips and route planning advice. Everything you need to plan your next multi-day hike — from the HikeLoad team.
GPS watch vs handheld GPS: a 51 g Coros Apex 4 against a 230 g GPSMAP 67i. Battery days, screen size and where the weight sits, so you pick the right one.
Read articleTitanium vs aluminum cookware: Toaks' 1,100 ml titanium pot weighs 125 g with lid, 63 g less than Fire Maple's 800 ml heat-exchanger Petrel, but aluminum s...
Read articleMerino vs synthetic base layers: merino smells less after days of wear, synthetic dries faster. Tops in our database sit 0-67 g apart, and either fibre can...
Read articleFreestanding vs trekking-pole tents: in our database, solo trekking-pole tents weigh 105 to 557 g less. Where each wins on rock, wooden platforms and in wi...
Read articleSingle-wall vs double-wall tents: a single wall saves up to 372 g solo, but condensation lands on you. Which design suits dry, humid and cold climates.
Read articleFoam vs inflatable sleeping pads: the 369 g NeoAir XLite NXT has R 4.5, the 397 g Z Lite SOL R 2.0. Foam wins on one thing: it never goes flat at 2 a.m.
Read articleCanister vs alcohol stoves: an alcohol kit starts 56 g lighter on a 3-day trip, but the lead is gone by day 7. Real weights, boil times and fuel bans.
Read articleSix Cascade volcano hikes ranked on real GPX data: Mount Hood's 60.03 km Timberline loop down to a 4.64 km summit view, plus 2026 permits and seasons.
Read articleThe 3 best 3-day backpacking trips in the US on real GPX data: Trans-Catalina 65.86 km, Timberline 60.03 km, Art Loeb 44.77 km, plus permit rules.
Read articleSeven US day hikes ranked by ascent per kilometre, from Hidden Canyon at 299 m/km to Mount Marcy - with GPX distances, climb times and what to carry.
Read articleThe three best alpine hikes in New England for 2026 — Franconia Ridge, Mount Washington and Katahdin's Knife Edge, with exact distances and climb.
Read articleThe 3 best Blue Ridge Mountain hikes, from Old Rag's scramble to the 44.77 km Art Loeb Trail — real distances, ascent and gear from HikeLoad GPX data.
Read articleThe best hikes in Olympic National Park, Washington: Mount Storm King, Hurricane Ridge and Mount Ellinor — real GPX distances, elevation and a day-trip pla...
Read articleA practical, feature-by-feature comparison of Gaia GPS and Komoot for hikers: maps, route planning, turn-by-turn navigation, offline use and pricing struct...
Read articleUnderstand the limits of imported route geometry and check distance, elevation, completeness and access before planning a hike.
Read articleSix classic East Coast hikes ranked by HikeLoad GPX data, from Shenandoah's White Oak Canyon to New Hampshire's 1,255 m Tuckerman Ravine climb.
Read articleTrain for a multi-day hike in 8 weeks: a week-by-week plan, real trail ascent targets, and how to load your pack so day three feels like day one.
Read articlePlan 2,500-4,500 calories and 750-850 g of food per day. See exact food loads for three 3-day trails and how to hit 125 kcal/oz without overpacking.
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