Hiking lighter, hiking smarter: Taking the trail to backpacking enlightenment – Backpacking Light Magazine in Bozeman, MT

I felt exposed. With my motley collection of backpacking gear laid out for criticism, I was sure Ryan Jordan would laugh out loud. After all, the founder of BackpackingLight.com http://www.BackpackingLight.com is the guru of all things new and lightweight – a high-end gear aficionado.

But he took the discussion of my hand-me-down external frame pack and its jumbled contents very seriously. He carefully assessed the contents and pointed out how I could save weight and loaned me several items to test. The only time he showed emotion was when he came across my old blue Gerry down vest, circa 1973.

"That’s cool," he said. "That’s a relic. You could probably sell it for $200 on eBay."

By BRETT FRENCH
Gazette Outdoor Writer

Full Story: http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/07/21/build/outdoors/30-hiking-lighter.inc

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Beartooth Mountain Press Backpacking Light PRINT Magazine (Annual Subscription)

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/backpacking_light_print_magazine_subscription.html

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Backpacking Light Magazine Seeks Nominations for
Outdoor Industry’s Most Stringent Product Awards Program

Introducing the Lightitude Award for the Best Gear of 2005

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/lightitude.html