View Full Version : Ok, so you hate Backpacker, is there anything better?
flemdawg1
02-06-2009, 14:51
Backpacking Light is no longer in a print edition, and Outside is even more yuppified. Camping Life, not even close?
YoungMoose
02-06-2009, 14:53
not that i know of
bigmac_in
02-06-2009, 15:00
www.whiteblaze.net
Why does everyone hate backpacker?
bigmac_in
02-06-2009, 15:09
Why does everyone hate backpacker?
It's OK if you're a gear junkie. (like looking at gear and/or have plenty of money to spend on gear)
That's what it's all about.
I can only answer for myself. A few years ago they ran an ad campaign for offroad vehicles, forgetting, apparantly, who their customer base was. I have no idea what percentage of customers they lost, but I was one of them. They dropped the ads, but the experience told me, at least, that they care more about the $$ in their back pockets than the environment or the hiker's right to solitude (peace and quiet, at least) in the outdoors. Others have complained that they give away all these "secret" places. I have my doubts on that one.
Jerryatric
02-06-2009, 15:42
I got a notice from a BILL COLLECTOR that said my subscription hadn't been paid. I didn't even know it had expired/renewed. Magazine companies constantly send stuff out for renewal, even if the subscription has months or years remaining. I probably tossed the notice, thinking it was one of those things. I cancelled my subscription...I was irate! I got an email message from Backpacker telling me that the call from the bill collector was a mistake after I wrote them about what I thought of their customer service. I will never purchase another copy of Backpacker.
8 bucks a year ain't gonna kill me either is the 10 bucks I donate here and I enjoy both
mtnkngxt
02-06-2009, 15:55
Magazines suck period. If you want the articles then you have to have the ads. With the ads comes the lean on the writers to write about the stuff the advertisers make. You can't right an article about how much something sucks when they pay your overhead. Also a magazine isn't going to publish articles about the low end or least expensive stuff as they don't get as big of a kickback.
The alternative is that we as a group start a newsletter. People could submit articles like they do here. DIY stuff, hike recaps, but I'd stay away from gear reviews and such, because all it does is start arguments. Stick to the basics. Updates on trail sections, updates on trail crew work, a calendar of AT events, and maybe some other random stuff like music and LW's saying of the month. Could be done in the form of a zine or online magazine using Adobe Acrobat Reader. I started off college as a Journalism Major, so if anyone wants to go about doing this I'd be willing to put in a fair share of work to make this happen.
Lone Wolf
02-06-2009, 16:02
Backpacking Light is no longer in a print edition, and Outside is even more yuppified. Camping Life, not even close?
Guns and Ammo
I think it's OK, better than anything out there. People that complain about ads obviously don't know what it takes to keep a mag running.
Backpacking Light is no longer in a print edition, and Outside is even more yuppified. Camping Life, not even close?
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/index.html
As you mentioned, this one's not available in printed mag. form (though you can purchase printed articles fro them if you are a member of the online "magazine").
I highly recommend them to anyone looking to hike lighter. Their articles range from thinking "multi use" when packing your gear to the cutting edge of what I call "Stupid light" gear (and how to use it).
They also carry a wide range of UL gear available both to subscribers and, at a slightly higher cost, to non-subscribers. I have a homemade version (with modifications) of the Esbit Heineken can stove that they sell (or sold), and an Esbit "stove" (really a ti pot support) for a larger pot. I used the latter for my March '06 Georgia hike with their ti foil windscreen, and it worked very well (the weather, however, was much warmer than normal).
Whine Whine Whine What the hell R U all talking about. Everyone hates Backpacker - I certainly don't. U can label me as U want, but I enjoy the gear and trip reports, how-to articles, trail updates, and the magazine raising support and awareness for environmental causes. Many magazines survive through advertising not subscriptions. The magazine is trying to appeal to a range of audiences. Has anyone here tried to run a major publication like a magazine.
Why does everyone hate backpacker?
One reason is their "Editors Choice" awards for the best gear. It is always the gear from the magazine sponsors, not an impartial list.
Also, it is gear that you will rarely if ever see, and it is always super expensive. An example from 2008 is the Rab Latok Alpine Jacket. I have never seen a backpacker on the trail wearing one of these. $275 for a shell jacket? Get serious. There are much better choices out there.
Another example is the Klean Kanteen water bottle. It is made of stainless steal, costs $33 and weighs 8 ounces. Again, I have never seen a backpacker carry one of these and wonder why any backpacker would carry a heavy stainless steal water bottle.
I stopped subscribing when I figured out that the writers were journalists pitching the products of sponsors and not backpackers interested in backpacking.
bigmac_in
02-06-2009, 16:37
Whine Whine Whine What the hell R U all talking about. Everyone hates Backpacker - I certainly don't. U can label me as U want, but I enjoy the gear and trip reports, how-to articles, trail updates, and the magazine raising support and awareness for environmental causes. Many magazines survive through advertising not subscriptions. The magazine is trying to appeal to a range of audiences. Has anyone here tried to run a major publication like a magazine.
I'm sorry, have you?
As I said before, it's OK if that's what you're into. Unfortunately, many people aren't like you. (sorry)
I'm tempted to say the magazine doesn't really give a rats ass about environmental issues (oops, I just did), as long as they can sell their advertising. If they did, they probably wouldn't have a print version.
sbennett
02-06-2009, 16:39
I think it's OK, better than anything out there. People that complain about ads obviously don't know what it takes to keep a mag running.
Nailed it.
And seriously, who cares about ads? If you don't like them, turn the page!
Also, to refute something said earlier, the magazine does do articles somewhat often about the peaceful seclusion of hikers in the backcountry, unfortunately they tailor most of these articles for people out west. I don't always agree when do articles about paddling or mountain biking (or God forbid, ORV's) b/c I think it strays from the original focus of the magazine but so what? There's plenty of other good stuff in there.
Arizona I carry a klean kanteen water bottle on the trail and when I am not. I think its better than buying water in a bottle and letting the bottle sit in a land fill for 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 years. It is kinda heavy but its a tuff bottle. Plus I heard that their is some kinda bad chemical in those plastic bottles. I dont care because I also have a couple nalgene bottles I like them also.
sbennett
02-06-2009, 16:45
I'm tempted to say the magazine doesn't really give a rats ass about environmental issues (oops, I just did), as long as they can sell their advertising. If they did, they probably wouldn't have a print version.
Obviously you didn't read the climate change issue they did a year or two ago or the article they did last year about how to reduce your carbon footprint, or the article they had about each presidential candidate's environmental record, or any of the myriad articles they publish on this point. Perhaps you also don't know they made a major push last spring in their March or April issue to go more green by (1) not printing cardboard maps, (2) using different paper to reduce their impact, and (3) offering the mag in electronic format on Zinio.
bigmac_in
02-06-2009, 16:54
OBVIOUSLY, you don't know whether I read those articles or not. What publication hasn't done articles on those subjects in the past 2 years?. Please. . .
If you like the magazine, fine - no skin off my back. I read it occasionally myself. It also makes fine fire starter.
Powder River
02-06-2009, 17:19
I find Outdoor Photographer is a pretty good magazine. It is for those that are into both photography and hiking, but even if you're not it is almost worth it for the stunning pictures alone. Like backpacker, it is heavy into the gear (and not lightweight or cheap gear either) but there are often articles on just how to take better pictures, what to carry, or where to go.
skinewmexico
02-06-2009, 17:40
Backpacker doesn't ever review any gear I use or would consider buying, and rarely covers any of the areas I hike in. I'll refrain from using the term "slick cookbook for the two yacht family" to describe it (credit Dan Jenkins - Semi Tough). I find my money better spent donating to Whiteblaze, and subscribing to BPL, and getting all this specific advice when I need it.
As I said before, it's OK if that's what you're into. Unfortunately, many people aren't like you. (sorry)
I'm tempted to say the magazine doesn't really give a rats ass about environmental issues (oops, I just did), as long as they can sell their advertising. If they did, they probably wouldn't have a print version.
U would have to be a little off your rocker to want to be totally like me. Certainly, I don't think or expect most people to be like me, which leads me to why I made my post in the first place. The magazine is geared to many different people in many different places with many different tastes. As a backpacker I think it has something to offer most backpackers. Is everything in the magazine for all people all the time. Not likely! Is that too hard to accept? With all the good that is in the magazine can't people find something good related to backpacking to talk about? Like Sly said, "I think it's OK, better than anything out there." It's not like I don't agree with some of the valid sticking pts. that others have made, but I felt I had to make my post because this runaway snowball of negativity starts to develop. WHINE WHINE WHINE
As far as not giving a rats ass about environmental issues I think U R dead wrong about Backpacker magazine. Just picked up the Jan 2009 issue. On pg. 11 the editor is raising support and awareness for a program that sends at risk inner city kids to the outdoors to be mentored to gain a fresh perspective. Doesn't sound like corporate greed to me. Sounds like a worthwhile program being promoted with real support and backing it up with real editor dollars. On pg. 34 I see an article on bringing awareness to the plight of the Lynx and how backpackers can assist in tracking the animals to help better preserve and understand them. On pg. 60 I notice a rather graphic raw insiders view on what is happening with the wolves in Denali. Seems environmental awareness is being brought to the forefront again by the magazine.
In a world where people have a real tendency to gripe, we can never forget that we can always find beauty, wisdom, and peace if we look for it.
I can only answer for myself. A few years ago they ran an ad campaign for offroad vehicles, forgetting, apparantly, who their customer base was. I have no idea what percentage of customers they lost, but I was one of them. They dropped the ads, but the experience told me, at least, that they care more about the $$ in their back pockets than the environment or the hiker's right to solitude (peace and quiet, at least) in the outdoors. Others have complained that they give away all these "secret" places. I have my doubts on that one.
Not everyone who enjoys the outdoors/hiking is a tree hugger who hates ATV's. There is a time and place for each.
Here is a thread that clearly demonstrates that all people who enjoy the outdoors, or backpacking specifically, don't all do it the same way. Can't we all understand that and learn to play nice together?
Backpacker magazine screwed up Pharaoh Mountain/Lake in the daks by publishing an article, which drew in huge crowds. A relatively quiet area became a citified area with day-hikers carrying blankets, wine and cheese. At night, the lake looks like a city with campfires very visible all around the lake. I said, dangit, if I wanted crowds I would hike the AT... been on it ever since. :)
Gear reviews are minimal and pretty slanted to their paid advertisers.
Other than that, I loved it... right up until I canceled it... mainly 'cause more and better resources on the net.
Backpacker screwed up the Daks like Bryson screwed up the AT? The good thing is the more people that use the trails the more money they receive. It's why you should always sign in, get permits etc.
hikingtime
02-06-2009, 18:52
Backpacker doesn't ever review any gear I use or would consider buying, and rarely covers any of the areas I hike in. I'll refrain from using the term "slick cookbook for the two yacht family" to describe it (credit Dan Jenkins - Semi Tough). I find my money better spent donating to Whiteblaze, and subscribing to BPL, and getting all this specific advice when I need it.
I agree with that except for the BPL part. I just use the free parts of their website. There is a forum, and other useful areas.
Backpacker forgot it should be a magazine for backpackers. Not for off road vehicles users, not for trendy clothes wearing yuppies who would never actually hike down a trail etc. I cancelled my subscription a couple years ago.
Backpacker screwed up the Daks like Bryson screwed up the AT? what, not enough smilies for ya. here... :) :) :)
The good thing is the more people that use the trails the more money they receive. It's why you should always sign in, get permits etc.
huh?
FritztheCat
02-06-2009, 20:37
I find some of the articles pretty interesting. They cover a lot of hikes I'd love to go on (but won't). They also have AWESOME "how to" YouTube videos out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKPmwfHxRsc
;):D
There are good reasons to dislike the magazine and good reasons to like it. However, IF someone wants an actual printed magazine dedicated predominately to backpacking/hiking--BACKPACKER is about the only choice out there right now. (And it has an average print run of 358,100 copies per issue--so SOMEBODY must like it and read it!). Yes, it does focus on expensive gear. However, there ARE many people who actually DO purchase and use expensive gear--and this magazine markets itself to them. Does the magazine ignore many of the lesser known gear manufacturers when it makes its "Best" awards? Definitely. However, if you look at the items that BACKPACKER MAGAZINE does rate as "Best", those items usually have a pretty high customer satisfaction rating if you read reviews from people who have purchased the gear. So the endorsement isn't totally wrong--it just overlooks some very good manufacturers. (The "Best" movies don't usually get the Oscar either!) Backpackers are a VERY diverse group--with a wide range of values, philosophies and interests. Thus, no one magazine is going to be able to appeal to all backpackers. Unfortunately, there is basically only one backpacking magazine right now. So we don't have many alternatives if we wish to read a printed backpacking magazine.
There are good reasons to dislike the magazine and good reasons to like it. However, IF someone wants an actual printed magazine dedicated predominately to backpacking/hiking--BACKPACKER is about the only choice out there right now. (And it has an average print run of 358,100 copies per issue--so SOMEBODY must like it and read it!). Yes, it does focus on expensive gear. However, there ARE many people who actually DO purchase and use expensive gear--and this magazine markets itself to them. Does the magazine ignore many of the lesser known gear manufacturers when it makes its "Best" awards? Definitely. However, if you look at the items that BACKPACKER MAGAZINE does rate as "Best", those items usually have a pretty high customer satisfaction rating if you read reviews from people who have purchased the gear. So the endorsement isn't totally wrong--it just overlooks some very good manufacturers. (The "Best" movies don't usually get the Oscar either!) Backpackers are a VERY diverse group--with a wide range of values, philosophies and interests. Thus, no one magazine is going to be able to appeal to all backpackers. Unfortunately, there is basically only one backpacking magazine right now. So we don't have many alternatives if we wish to read a printed backpacking magazine.
Great post. Can't argue with the last sentence... but I am sure some will anyway. :D
Thanks, Tin Man! There IS basically only one choice right now for a printed backpacking magazine and it cannot possibly appeal to all hikers. At times, I think it is so hard for some people to fully accept that we backpackers are a VERY diverse group (and that this diversity is a good thing). No one approach or philosophy is 100% right or 100% wrong. Some hikers don't mind carrying an 80 lbs pack --others think 15 lbs is way too heavy. Some are VERY committed to creating little or no carbon footprint in their daily lives. Others would argue that man-made global warming is a complete scam. Some hikers are vegans and/or staunch animal rights activists. Other hikers are hunters and trappers who might believe that PETA stands for "People Eating Tasty Animals". We hikers are indeed a VERY diverse group. That is why no ONE magazine will possibly appeal to all of us (and that is why there is always so much debate on nearly every WhiteBlaze thread)!
okay, calm down now...
'sides, everyone knows animals are tasty, but only if you cook 'em proper
littlelaurel59
02-06-2009, 21:51
I "dropped" my subscription a few years ago when I sent a contribution to the American Hiking Society (americanhiking.org). This non-profit benefits hikers and backpackers by advocating for trail-friendly policy, supports trail maintenance programs, and promotes education and outreach programs. "Backpacker" is included in the membership, so even if you don't like all parts of the mag, you are supporting a worthy and helpful organization.
As for the mag, it is a business. I read what I find interesting and/or helpful, and disregard what is not. Same thing I do with the local paper and WB threads:)
bigmac_in
02-06-2009, 21:53
U would have to be a little off your rocker to want to be totally like me. Certainly, I don't think or expect most people to be like me, which leads me to why I made my post in the first place. The magazine is geared to many different people in many different places with many different tastes. As a backpacker I think it has something to offer most backpackers. Is everything in the magazine for all people all the time. Not likely! Is that too hard to accept? With all the good that is in the magazine can't people find something good related to backpacking to talk about? Like Sly said, "I think it's OK, better than anything out there." It's not like I don't agree with some of the valid sticking pts. that others have made, but I felt I had to make my post because this runaway snowball of negativity starts to develop. WHINE WHINE WHINE
As far as not giving a rats ass about environmental issues I think U R dead wrong about Backpacker magazine. Just picked up the Jan 2009 issue. On pg. 11 the editor is raising support and awareness for a program that sends at risk inner city kids to the outdoors to be mentored to gain a fresh perspective. Doesn't sound like corporate greed to me. Sounds like a worthwhile program being promoted with real support and backing it up with real editor dollars. On pg. 34 I see an article on bringing awareness to the plight of the Lynx and how backpackers can assist in tracking the animals to help better preserve and understand them. On pg. 60 I notice a rather graphic raw insiders view on what is happening with the wolves in Denali. Seems environmental awareness is being brought to the forefront again by the magazine.
In a world where people have a real tendency to gripe, we can never forget that we can always find beauty, wisdom, and peace if we look for it.
Please read my post #20. I don't need to say it again. Good for you if you like the magazine. Good for you if you think they care so much about the environment. I didn't even say I don't like the magazine, just made some comments.
I would still say this - they'd make the whole magazine out of baby seal skin if they could sell advertising. I still might read it occasionally.
Lighten up people.
Here, maybe this will help.
:banana:banana:banana:banana:D:D:D:D:banana:banana :banana:banana:D:D:D:D:p
I'M.....CALMING.....DOWN....Right.....now. Ahhhhh, that's much better!
johnnybgood
02-06-2009, 22:04
I AGREE and DISAGREE with everything posted here .:banana:D:p
skinewmexico
02-06-2009, 22:44
I agree with that except for the BPL part. I just use the free parts of their website. There is a forum, and other useful areas.
See, I like the paid area, great reviews on gear I use. The articles on CO emmissions from stoves was worth a years subscription to me.
One reason is their "Editors Choice" awards for the best gear. It is always the gear from the magazine sponsors, not an impartial list.perfect example - Hyperflow (http://www.rei.com/product/767564) - editors choice award yet only 3 of 5 stars on users reviews. we will see how the new cartridges do.
FritztheCat
02-07-2009, 00:06
Other hikers are hunters and trappers who might believe that PETA stands for "People Eating Tasty Animals".
Since PETA is based in my neck of the woods, we call them People Embarrassing the Tidewater Area. :D
...everyone knows animals are tasty, but only if you cook 'em proper
"Fun to pet, better to chew!" (J Gaffigan)
I hate that magazine because I have to strain to read it. Tiny little red font on a gray background....are they kiddin' me? As I've said before, even with my stronger reading glasses, it's more work than it's worth.
That and I'm probably just a little outside of their demographic range?
TWS
perfect example - Hyperflow (http://www.rei.com/product/767564) - editors choice award yet only 3 of 5 stars on users reviews. we will see how the new cartridges do.
I will admit that one particular Backpacker Magazine "Editor's Choice Award" winner did not measure up. You are 100% correct.:sun
However, other Backpacker Magazine "Editor's Choice Award" winners" do measure up pretty well with the reviews from actual customers.
According to REI Customers...
REI Quarter Dome T3 Tent--4 of 5 stars
Gregory Baltoro Backpack 4.5 of 5 Stars
Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 Tent 5 of 5 Stars
Marmot Helium Sleeping Bag 5 of 5 Stars
Rab Latok Alpine Jacket
4 out of 5 Stars (according to "Outdoor Magic" website and also "Alpinist" website)
GoLite Adrenaline 20 Sleeping Bag--Well recommended by testers at BackPackGearTest.com.
So, the Backpacker Magazine "Editor's Choice Award" winners do tend to rate pretty well with people who actually use the items. It is not just a matter of the Backpacker Magazine giving awards to their biggest advertisers.:-?
i just have to wonder if backpacker even field tested the hyperflow. after so many bad reports and now msr has admitted that the original filters are crap you have to wonder how they happened to get it to work perfectly every time therefore giving it an award while hardly anyone else can get theirs to work at all.
All the way through 2007, it was going downhill. Then, I picked up a copy at a gear shop, having given up on the magazine, and being an idle thruhiker at a gear shop. The magazine wasn't all about gear, like it used to be. It was a survival issue. Somewhere, in the past year or two, they have reformed themselves and went back to the basics. It's worth picking up a copy or two to give them another shot. There's a trailrunner magazine that is fairly relevant to backpacking, though, having only seen 2 issues in my life (and old ones at that), I can't say if this is always true.
Backpacker Rag is so out of touch with modern hiking it isn't funny.
Some of their "secret places" include (No joke!): San Fransisco, New York City, etc.
The LAST one I read had 5 full page ads for SUVs, plus about 3 - 4 smaller ones. Not for vehicles to get to a hard to reach trailhead, but the ones I call FTNVs "For The Neighbors Vehicles" OR, something to Impress others, like your neighbors.
HOWEVER: while at Kincora Hostel last year, I had a great time (spent 5 hours doing so, at about 3.5 mags an hour) reading some old backpackers, a few from as far back as the early 70s. They (Unlike now) were current for the day. What I found funny, compared to today's hikers: in about 7 of them, there were 3 pictures of hikers in shorts. All of the rest were in Jeans or kakhi long pants :)
"Ultra light stoves" 2 - 3 lbs each, plus fuel bottle.
"New lightweight tents: Under 5 Lbs."
"Lightweight boots, only 2.5 Lbs each!" Thats 5 Lbs a pair :eek:
Hey, wait, , , those same ads / articles were in that BP from 06!! :p
Geez some of you are starting to sound like real elitist. So Backpacker has gear reviews for mainstream manufacturers. That's a good thing otherwise people like ULA, SMD and others would be swamped and you'd never be able to get anything.
Fact is backpackers drive all sorts of cars in everyday life, hike in and around big cities where they live, or work.
You'd think that the 1000 or so regular posters here speak for the entire backpacking world.
I like to get the print edition of Backpacking Light. I like reading the trip reports and seeing the pictures.
Backpacker is okay, hit or miss. Sometimes they have really nice pictures.
Outside? I don't like that one too much.
The most recent issue of BP I received was almost totally about foreign hiking. How many of us make a habit of that? In this economy?
When BP changed ownership awhile back I said I'd give them two more years to get their act together. Time's almost up. I'm not planning to renew.
As for alternatives to BP, nothing in print comes to mind. This and several other websites are worth the time.
Unfortunately, without a reader-based income stream (like magazine subscriptions, and newsstand sales to supplement advertising income) websites won't make enough money to regularly employ good, professional writers or pay them what they are worth. The end-product will, of course, be spotty at best.
I've read recently that some of the larger news and opinion websites are trying to figure out how to survive. Advertising isn't paying the bills. Their thinking is: Pay-per-view may eventually have to come to the web. If it does, we may see a resurgence of good journalism—including journalism of specific interest to the niche market of hikers and backpackers.
Personally, I wouldn't mind paying a quarter to view a PDF version of my favorite daily newspaper. Maybe a little more for a good monthly magazine. No long-term commitment, tho. Seems like something Amazon or I-Tunes could jump on—making a large universe of PDF'd publications available, and as easy as downloading an MP3 file.
The most recent issue of BP I received was almost totally about foreign hiking. How many of us make a habit of that? In this economy?
Hiking overseas doesn't interest you?
Since hiking is cheaper than most pursuits, I'm willing to bet the state of the economy affects hikers less than others. People quit work to go hiking, get laid off they go hiking. I'm not going let the economy change my plans. I've also been thinking of hiking overseas. Nepal, New Zealand and Peru come to mind. If I can get a cheap flight, I just may. I hate to think I spent $100 on a passport for nothing.
I enjoyed the foreign hiking articles too. I may never get there, but was nice to read. Heck, people on here talk about trails in foreign lands. Its sparked my interest more than once. Should I quit coming to this site because people are talking about pizza in damascus? Nah, I'll still come here and I'll keep reading the mag.
Should I quit coming to this site because people are talking about pizza in damascus?
Not if it's Quincy's Pizza. ;)
And read what you want folks.
traildust
02-07-2009, 11:53
Been a subscriber for over 15 years. Unfortunately more folks are turning to the internet for info which forces magazines to cover the loose of subscriptions with more ads.
In another 10 years the hardcopy magazines will all disappear and we will all get our news and info from the internet.
Bumshandler
02-07-2009, 14:09
It's seems like many of the enthusiast publications are trending the same way; most have just about the same articles issue after issue. I'm a cyclist and I subscribe to Bicycling Magazine (annual b-day gift from dad). It is practically the same month after month. You could essentially just do a 'find & replace' for many of the articles. "Get fit fast", "Ten Top Performers", "Customize Your Training", "Ride Strong", "Best Bikes Under $xxxx", "Make Your Bike Faster", etc. And I've noticed that NO ITEM EVER gets a 'poor' rating. Please.
And yet a part of me looks forward to it every month :( I suck.
theinfamousj
02-07-2009, 19:11
From what I've seen, Backpacker is the "gateway drug" to actual backpacking from car camping. It switched me over. It convinced my best friend to try camping, at all. And it has hooked my mother.
However, you reach a point where you say, "I knew that already," (for instance, the tips about washing a down sleeping bag) because once you have a certain amount of experience under your belt, you do know some of the information already. It is at this point where your like of Backpacker can switch to their human interest pieces, or if you don't like the human interest pieces ("I was almost mauled by a runaway koala", for example) then the magazine becomes unnecessary.
As for their reviews and love of mainstream gear, let's face it: The gear they love has very little fiddle factor. Newbies to the world of backpacking are not up to fiddle factor, yet. Fiddling requires a baseline of knowledge for comparison.
And, honestly, who cares who advertises? Unless Backpacker is going to start writing a review of the SUVs, then just ignore the advertisements the same way that you do for banner ads on websites other than this, or the 30 second commercial spots on television (where you either TIVO through them, or get up to use the bathroom/get a drink). The magazine cannot exist on subscription $$ alone, so they are selling ad space to keep your (the subscriber's) costs down. If some car company wants to help subsidize your subscription, more power to 'em.
For me, I like the human interest stories, but not enough to subscribe. I read my local library's copy, instead. Or Mom's copy. Or the best friend's copy.
For the more experienced backpackers, what do you want in a magazine? More trip reports? Gear reviews on things with (any) fiddle factor (at all)? I mean, if we want an alternative, let's at least start listing what we are looking for and perhaps someone will see a niche that they can market to. Hmmmm?
OutdoorsMan
02-08-2009, 11:19
I love Backpacker Magazine. It and Field and Stream and Bicycling magazines are subscriptions that I will always renew. I was a little miffed when Rodale Press sold the magazine but they still deliver a great publication in my opinion. One service that is good and getting better is their online hike finder (free). They are big sponsors at Trail Days and give away lots of free gear.
SGT Rock
02-08-2009, 11:29
When I started getting back into backpacking after a break - and the internet was still forming backpacking boards - then Backpacker helped. It helped me by telling me what new gear was good and what I needed. But, in hindsite, it also gave me advice I considered bad now. As I started getting out and using my gear and learning that BP magazine was mainly selling the stuff it advertised - and that I could dirtbag better gear at times than they were selling for $$$$, I got a little fed up with the magazine.
Now that the internet has so many people writing about backpacking, and it is much more interactive than a print magazine, I don't read it at all on my own time. Occasionally I see a copy while sitting in a doctor's office or something like that and chuckle at the articles. FWIW. I would reccomend getting a smartphone and a good data plan if you want to read good backpacking articles on the go - and keep coming to the internet.
It's seems like many of the enthusiast publications are trending the same way; most have just about the same articles issue after issue. I'm a cyclist and I subscribe to Bicycling Magazine (annual b-day gift from dad). It is practically the same month after month. You could essentially just do a 'find & replace' for many of the articles. "Get fit fast", "Ten Top Performers", "Customize Your Training", "Ride Strong", "Best Bikes Under $xxxx", "Make Your Bike Faster", etc. And I've noticed that NO ITEM EVER gets a 'poor' rating. Please.
And yet a part of me looks forward to it every month :( I suck.
Same crap here, same old topics like this one rehashed over and over. Only thing that changes is the Posters names! :D