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.
How to plan a multi-day hike from scratch in 2026: choosing a route, dialling in your pack weight, food, navigation, training and safety — with links to every guide you need.
Read articleWe mapped 972 multi-day trails — 72,193 km in total. Here are the longest and steepest routes, average distance and elevation, and how the numbers break down by country in 2026.
Read articleWe analysed 1214 pieces of backpacking gear across 18 categories. Here is the lightest option, the average weight and the spread in each — the real numbers for 2026.
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 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.
Read articleCut your base weight the smart way: 6 ranked changes that shed up to 5 kg, starting with a pack swap that saves 1.7 kg on its own.
Read articleThe best lightweight backpack for 2026 depends on your load, not the lowest gram count. Five picks from 510 g to 2,210 g, matched to base weight.
Read articleSouth Kaibab vs North Kaibab at the Grand Canyon: which corridor trail to descend, where the water is, and how to plan a rim-to-rim in 2026.
Read articleA practical head-to-head of the Salomon X Ultra 4 vs 5 hiking shoes — fit, outsole, waterproofing and which to buy.
Read articlePlan the 65.86 km Trans-Catalina Trail in California: book the ferry, reserve campsites from January 1, and pack water for dry Parson's Landing.
Read articleThe Routeburn Track is a 32 km, 2-4 day Great Walk over the 1,255 m Harris Saddle. Route stages, difficulty, best season and a hut packing list.
Read articleThe Kerry Way is a 214 km, 8-9 day loop around Ireland's Iveragh Peninsula. Route stages, difficulty, best months and a sub-8 kg packing list.
Read articleOregon's best hikes, from the 60 km Timberline Trail around Mt. Hood to South Sister and Columbia Gorge waterfalls — distances, permits and gear for 2026.
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