Backpacker magazine gear guide

[Treefingers]

i just received the BM Gear Guide for spring, and upon flipping through the pages i saw no articles about some of these cottage companies such as tarptent, SMD, Gossamer Gear, ULA packs etc. that are redefining the way most of us backpack. Im not suggesting that BM should only be reviewing these companies great cutting edge products, im suggesting that they shouldnt be putting out these issues that are completely sold out to the multi million dollar companies that are essentially paying the writers of BM to glorify their products that they plan on making the most money off of. I have been a subscriber for a long time and the publication is consitently going down hill in terms of there informative articles and product reviews. i am not planning on renewing my subscription again and i am highly dissapointed that this rag is full of Eddie bauer advertisements and other products that have been trumped long ago but some of these great cottage companies that are fueling the advancement of our sport.

[10-K]

Hasn't it always been like that?

[Egads]

They know butters their bread...the advertisers

[Toolshed]

i just received the BM Gear Guide for spring, and upon flipping through the pages i saw no articles about some of these cottage companies such as tarptent, SMD, Gossamer Gear, ULA packs etc. that are redefining the way most of us backpack. Im not suggesting that BM should only be reviewing these companies great cutting edge products, im suggesting that they shouldn't be putting out these issues that are completely sold out to the multi million dollar companies that are essentially paying the writers of BM to glorify their products that they plan on making the most money off of. I have been a subscriber for a long time and the publication is consitently going down hill in terms of there informative articles and product reviews. i am not planning on renewing my subscription again and i am highly dissapointed that this rag is full of Eddie bauer advertisements and other products that have been trumped long ago but some of these great cottage companies that are fueling the advancement of our sport.

here's my take - You and your cottage industry supporting buddies probably make up less than 1/2 of 1% of the backpack buying public and your spends probably total much less than that. Most Cottage industries don't set out to become market leaders but to experiment with their ideas & designs and eke out a living doing something they love, giving back to the community and getting by via word of mouth. Granted Tarptent designs are now starting to appear more like regular tents as more and more folks try them and make mention of the additional bells and whistle they would desire.
However, there is no need for a cottage industry mfr to advertise in a rag that doesn't focus on long distance hiking, but rather weekender hiking for the masses with disposable income to buy lots of gadgets and such.

I, too, am again disappointed by the magazine. I noticed all the ads in the back this year and thought what a total waste of time to read this. Fortunately it is relegated to the bathroom there to enchant all who enter, or provide additional wiping material when we run short on TP.

It seems the new owner is more intent on increasing ad revenue even more-so than Rodale was, although I think Rodale also increased ad space when they took over from some other company and then before that a large publishing company like Time Warner or NBC had it for a few years.
As for editors, I like Jonathan Dorn and I think he is a local guy, but I liked when John Viehman was the editor. I liked the older editions from the 80's - I couldn't wait back then to get each issue. I bought out the first 10 years of magazines when they came up at a local sale to supplement my collection, however, as of the mid 2000's, I have stopped collecting them and now just recycle them. The older issues had great articles. The newer editions seem to be fluff pieces.

[trailangelbronco]

Magazines always feature companies who spend tons of advertising dollars with them. They pretty much have to in order to keep them as customers and stay in business.

Fortunately, I take my gear advice from Thru Hikers, not magazine writers.

[John B]

I enjoy the magazine in the same way that I like to thumb through "Sky" magazine when I fly Delta -- they show lots of stuff that I could never afford and really don't want. Still, I like looking at it.

But what really struck me about the "editor's choice" products are:
(1) how heavy most things were in comparison to the stuff I typically see when hiking. One example is the Arc'teryx packs at close to 5 lbs. Another example is 3 lbs. boots (I don't believe they gave any awards to trail running shoes).
(2) how expensive their 'choice' award products are. Arc'teryx takes the cake again, with packs nearly $400. Most of the packs I see when hiking are REI, Osprey, Gregory, and Kelty, all of which are about half the price.
(3) how rarely I see their 'editor choice' picks on the trail. Maybe Arc'teryx is popular out west, but I only recall a handful of people carrying them down south.

Also, their "essentials" list seems odd. 1 lbs 4 oz "camp booties"; a 15 ounce first-aid kit; and a 3 ounce, $160 titanium flask, to name but a few that caught my attention.

Even the food they recommend is expensive and heavy. All that said, I'll still subscribe.

Note: I thought the ad they had on p. 141 wasn't exactly suitable for a mag that little kids probably look through.

[Praha4]

ditto, I've tried a lot of 2009's "Editor's Choice Award" items, and I would say only a few of those items were worth buying, I had to return most of them that I tried. They did at least pick the Tarptent Contrail as a top ultralight solo shelter in 2009.

It's all marketing.....the advertisers that buy the most space in the magazine that get the top picks, again this year, and we all know those names. I glanced thru the 2010 Editors choice awards and again they go with those same names.

To try to be fair, I think BM seems to be ranking gear, clothing, boots and equipment that is more appealing to the alpine sports and winter skiiing crowds, than gear that suits hikers on the wet, muddy AT in the eastern mountains.

BM's editors are trying to appeal to the latte' drinking yuppie skiiers who drive BMWs and spend their days on the slopes and nites sitting in front of the fireplace at the lodge ....BM has made a marketing decision that the crowd has more $$$ to spend on gear than bums like us who cook with homemade alchohol stoves and hike the AT.

now I know there's some AT hikers out there with BMWs who will take offense, no offense intended!

[Seeker]

Hasn't it always been like that?

every year, like groundhog day... same thread, same discussion... i quit my subscription over it the first time i realized what they were doing... Western Mountaineering bags weren't featured at all (since they didn't advertise) in that issue. that sorta clinched it for me.

[Not Sunshine]

isn't this exactly the reason we have WB???

i've learned about 95% of what i know about gear from asking WB'ers. not from anything written in Backpacker. I did, however, get a great recipe for wasabi salmon taters from a BP mag though:

mix in some wasabi powder with the instant spuds, then mix in 1 package salmon and sprinkle on Parmesan cheese. really is simple, but i wouldn't have come up with it on my own. delish.

[JustaTouron]

I challenge you to find one item in that entire magazine made by a company that doesn't advertise with the magazine.

In the three years I subscribed to it (many moons ago) there was not one.

[Roche]

Shhhhhhh. When more folks realize they can hike faster, further and have fun the AT could look like the NJ Turnpike.

[white_russian]

I challenge you to find one item in that entire magazine made by a company that doesn't advertise with the magazine.

In the three years I subscribed to it (many moons ago) there was not one.

That is why the Backpacker subscription is only $12.

Consumer reports is $29 and that is for mainstream products.

Even backpackinglight isn't exactly impartial since they sell products themselves and that is $25 (not to mention that they cater to the OCD and occasionally have off topic whims like packrafting).

[WILLIAM HAYES]

somebody gave me a subscription as a gift this is the only way I would read it--I seldom see any of the Editor Choice gear on the trail most of the gear advertised requires a mule to carry it

[Lyle]

Backpacker Magazine has gone downhill steadily since the 1980's when Bill Kemsley, Jr. sold out to Rodale. Bill Kemsley was the founder and publisher of Backpacker for many years starting in 1973. In 1980 I had the honor and pleasure of meeting and hiking with Bill for a couple of days in the Weminuche Wilderness in Colorado. Fantastic guy who put out a superb magazine. Alas, now it is just another mass-produced advertising medium. Here's a very brief history of the beginnings:

http://www.outdoors.org/publications...cking-boom.cfm

Anyone else remember "Wilderness Camping" another good outdoor magazine of the 70's and 80's?

http://cgi.ebay.com/WILDERNESS-CAMPI...item5ad5d5e4c4


There was one more, was it called "Backpacking Journal", or something like that? It was good, but Backpacker was by far the best - Fantastic photographs, they kept the cover free of all printing other than the name, so as not to hide the cover photo.

1970's were the heyday of backpacking.

[Dogwood]

There exists much negative sentiment towards BP for their annual Gear Review Guide and the mag in general here on WB.

The mag is trying to appeal to wide spectrum of readers. Not all readers who might peruse the mag or articles are ULers or long distance hikers. Perhaps, more of this segment of the outdoors and hiking market would read the mag more if more focus was put on articles and gear relating to this segment of the outdoor community. BUT, per say the mag is not aimed at one smallish segment of hiking readership. However, I have noticed Henry Shires Tarptents, ULA gear, and Gossamer Gear named in articles in BP, and most certainly at the BP Gear Forum disscussions. I have also noticed GoLite and Western Mountaineering gear mentioned in articles.

And, let us not forget not all people use the same gear or agree on the same hiking philosophies or do the same type of hikes. Still, most hikers are incorporating at least some conventional wt gear in their hiking and outdoor adventures.

Since I'm an ULer who purchases much gear from UL cottage industry gear manufacturers, yes, I would also like to see more UL and long distance hiking related articles, gear reviews aimed at ULers and long distance hikers, and advertising(this takes money though, and some cottage gear manufacturers don't feel the desire to get too big and don't have big advertising budgets). BUT again, I also realize this is a very small, but perhaps growing, segment of the hiking and outdoor community. In some regards it's still fringe.

I recently did notice a multiple page spread describing thru-hiking the three N-S long distance trails - AT, PCT, and CDT. It included fold out maps of each trail. I thought that was nicely done!

In most for profit publications, especially daily, weekly, and as in the case of BP, monthly, it would be naive to assume avertising does not play a role in the financial solvency of the mag, sometimes so signicantly that some publications survive off advertising. Sometimes, advertising makes the difference between a profitable venture and one that wouldn't exist. I would also think accounting, public relations, marketing, and publisher politics play a role too.

In the end, I think it accurate to state, BP is not exactly a trail blazer when advertising or submitting articles for long distance or UL hiking. So what? It's not just solely aimed at that readership. From a readership perspective take it for what it is - a general magazine on backpacking!

Personally, even though I'm an ULer, purchaser of UL gear, and long distance hiker I'm still going to read BP and take from it what I can, which IMO is still more significant than having NO BP!

[bigcranky]

Didn't Backpacker pick a ULA P-2 pack as one of their editor's choices a few years ago? And the Contrail last year?

[FamilyGuy]

Yes and actually, they also had the top ultralight a couple of years ago as the Six Moon Designs Wild Oasis. Previous years have seen the Squall, Double Rainbow, Lunar Solo, Lunar Duo....

The fact is - these tried and true designs are developed with a lot of input from you, the user and when they hit the market, they change very little over the years. They are that good. But new products from other mainstream manufacturers come out every year. The Gear Guide is not an annual comparison of what is available but instead a compilation of what is new to the market or alternatively, new to the magazine.

[Dogwood]

Yes, Family Guy and Big Cranky you are right. I forgot about the SMD rec as Top Ul too. Some good pts to consider when reading the annual gear reviews made by FamilyGuy.

The top Ul gear categories are not solely based on what is the lightest wt either! BP may have different considerations or rated priorities when they make their gear picks than you or myself in different gear categories.

[jesse]

Eddie Bauer doesn't make outdoor gear. They're more into fashion.

[Wags]

i'm glad the cottage manufacturers aren't in it. otherwise it'd take 3x as long to get my gear and it'd likely be done by someone other than the owner of the company.