View Full Version : What magazine on BPing for good reading?
mbroadhe
07-18-2006, 11:11
I realize that a good amount of you dislike Backpacker Magazine and after thumbing through a few issues, I'll tend to agree with you. Too much BS filler and not enough thriller articles. So, that being said, I'm looking for a good magazine on backpacking with articles that are both informational and/or entertaining to read in the outhouse and when off the trail. I would like to hear some suggestions. Thanks!
I get a lot out of my local trail club's magazine/newsletter, Potomac Appalachian (PATC). A subscription comes with a membership. Perhaps the regular publications of other trail clubs are as good, I dunno. Ditto ATC's glossier magazine--usually informative and sometimes thought-provoking.
I'm not aware of any commercial magazine other than Backpacker that is dedicated solely to wilderness travel. I subscribe to it, but am growing increasingly lukewarm about it. So if there is some kind of competition out there, I'd like to know about it as well.
go to www.trailjournals.com (http://www.trailjournals.com) stories and pictures.
Not 100% dedicated to BP'ing, but outdoor activities in general, I get and like National Geographic's ADVENTURE magazine... I like that they do just limit the activities to the U.S., they cover the world! (lets me dream a little of the ulitimate adventure!)
I like that they do just limit the activities to the U.S.,
that should read DONT just... (remember to proof before posting....)
Skidsteer
07-18-2006, 18:56
So, that being said, I'm looking for a good magazine on backpacking with articles that are both informational and/or entertaining to read in the outhouse and when off the trail. I would like to hear some suggestions. Thanks!
I have no clue how it could be done in a practical sense, but I've often thought that the membership of WB could put out a better rag than Backpacker. Lots of talent and experience around these parts. :-?
mbroadhe
07-18-2006, 19:31
I have no clue how it could be done in a practical sense, but I've often thought that the membership of WB could put out a better rag than Backpacker. Lots of talent and experience around these parts. :-?
Not to mention some good reads. It's hard for me to keep up with a great deal of the posts here with so many posts each day. When I do get around to digging through it, I find most threads and posts to be both informative and sometimes entertaining. The problem is, I'm afraid to bring the laptop into the bath with me. :-? So, that's another reason I asked about any mags out there.
Skyline made a good suggestion (ATC membership and local AT club membership) that I just may look into. Some pretty sweet schwag is given out with the price of a membership and, more importantly, the money would go back to the trail. :sun
hammock engineer
07-18-2006, 19:32
I have no clue how it could be done in a practical sense, but I've often thought that the membership of WB could put out a better rag than Backpacker. Lots of talent and experience around these parts. :-?
I agree. I do not think that a lot of the advice given out here and used would make much money. Not much profit in telling people to buy from cottege industries, make their own gear, use cheap alternatives, or go to places that are close and free/cheap to visit. No money, but great adivce.
Skidsteer
07-18-2006, 19:56
I agree. I do not think that a lot of the advice given out here and used would make much money. Not much profit in telling people to buy from cottege industries, make their own gear, use cheap alternatives, or go to places that are close and free/cheap to visit. No money, but great adivce.
If paper and printing weren't so expensive,( in a perfect world) I would think that the most valuable and truthful magazine would derive income primarily from subcribers and not advertisers. Of course, the contributors would necessarily be writing for very little money indeed. At least at first.
I realize that a good amount of you dislike Backpacker Magazine and after thumbing through a few issues, I'll tend to agree with you. Too much BS filler and not enough thriller articles. So, that being said, I'm looking for a good magazine on backpacking with articles that are both informational and/or entertaining to read in the outhouse and when off the trail. I would like to hear some suggestions. Thanks!
I have never seen a good backpacking magazine, though Backpacker came close in the early months of its founding, several decades ago.
Backpacking is a niche activity. I doubt if there are enough of us to support a decent magazine. Of the outdoor magazines "Outside" tends to have the best writing, but that writing is rarely about backpacking.
Weary
mbroadhe
07-19-2006, 11:11
Anyone check out Backpacking Light Magazine?
Anyone check out Backpacking Light Magazine?
Tho only a quarterly, and a bit pricey IMHO for just four issues, that's an excellent suggestion. Enough so I googled and found them. Very much a niche magazine, more so than Backpacker. I hope they can make it work. At present, they do not accept advertising so right there they may have a lot more credibility than Backpacker.
I'm subscribing today because it may be something really useful, and I like their approach to it so I want to support them. They'll get me back for a second year if they live up to the marketing on their site...
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/index.html
You can buy a print sub, or an online sub, or combine the two for extra $$$.
Just Jeff
07-19-2006, 12:40
The print and online versions are not the same magazine. They've been trying to address misunderstanding here, but right now you get different content in the two versions.
themooseisloose
07-19-2006, 15:15
I'll second Nat'l Geographic Adenventure magazine. I love it. My partner and I subscribe to 11 magazines (not entirely sure how that happened...) and Adventure is my favorite. Of course, it's not all BPing, but it has a lot of great stuff.
Hammerhead
07-19-2006, 16:10
what about doing just an online mag? (ezine):-?
Mr. Clean
07-23-2006, 15:34
I have to agree with what another poster said; join your local ATC club and eagerly await their newsletter. You will be donating to a great cause AND getting some great reading material. I read all of mine cover to cover, several times.
mbroadhe
08-26-2006, 22:13
OK, so I received a copy of "AT Journeys" today and all I have to say is....:eek: = (not EEK, but WOW, HOLY $h!z) That's one heck of a mag. Three cheers to the ATC for putting something like this together for the price of a membership. Next, thanks to all who recommended joining the ATC. Money well spent and it will continue to be spent year after year.
RedneckRye
08-27-2006, 01:00
Check out www.mountaingazette.com
It is a freebie magazine in Colorado, I think my subscription was $20 to get it mailed to Ohio. Not specifically a backpacking magazine, more dedicated to all around mountain culture. Great stuff.
-RYE
This is not an endorsement of BPer mag. Just because many here do not like it doesn't mean you shouldn't get it. Its a mag. dedicated to one activity just like for instance Golf mag. How much can you write about the same topic? You can pick up a copy of BP thats 10 years old and if you didn't look at the date you wouldn't know how old it was same thing for Golf, Fishing etc. I subscribe to BP because of its articles, photography, feature stories and its advertisements. Most of the club newsletters mags., etc are interesting as well and gererally feature the trail or area they cover. I don't think that I know all that much about bping that I can't afford a sub. to a mag. or even come online to WB, it all helps.
Moon Monster
08-27-2006, 16:28
Another vote for Nat'l Geographic Adventure. I like magazines for inspiration, not neccessarily introduction, and this is good enough at that to warrant subscription. And a year's subscription right now is priced about what two copies of the stand would cost. The mag has a good chunk of writing each issue, which IMO is just as good as the feature stories from Outside Magazine (i.e., John Krakauer-level stuff). Although, I think less of them are seeds for books like those in Outside.
I bought the first two Backpacking Light hardcopy issues. They have not quite been on quarterly schedule yet--still in start-up mode it seems, though issue #5 is in production now, so they are coming along. They so far have more the feel of journals (like literary or art journals you'd find in the corner of your local Barnes & Noble) than a slick advertising laden glossies you'd find in an airport. I like the first two issues very much. I was pleased with the variety of articles and stories. There is a West Coast tilt, though some service is given to the East. But even as an East Coaster, I believe that is how it should be. They are not so niche about lightweight that general backpackers would not like them. On the other hand, the info and tips themselves do not warrant the cover price alone. You can get more than enough lightweight info from this site alone. In other words, they are still primarily entertainment and inspiration pieces. But that's been good for me, and I highly recomend them for that.
There is another angle in them than just lightweight, and that is more lateral thinking as far as what is possible in the hiking world. Examples include hiking 30-mile days, hiking barefoot, and going ultralight in Alaska. These kinds of ideas are not for everyone, but they are great for loosening up our ideas on what new ideas might actually be for us in the backcountry. And that is a service that you will not find to the same extent in any other outdoor-related magazine.
I just subscribed for 1 year @ $12.00