A benefit of paid membership sites like BackpackingLight.com is they keep most of the spammy riff raff away, leaving room for only highly-enthusiastic, and (mostly) intelligent discourse.

Fortunately for us, there’s portion of BPL that’s both FREE of charge AND riff raff: The Community Section.

There you will find over 100 PDF-downloadable ultalight backpacking lists compiled by members of the community. Then, through the magic of crowdsourcing, the lists are ranked and discussed on the forums so that you can easily identify which lists are credible enough to assist in your own pack planning.

Head on over to BackpackingLight to check them out!

It’s hard to find a good hiking podcast.  There’s some quality content out there, but most of it is either out of date or very rarely updated.  To save you some time, here are 5 relevant, high quality, info-packed, entertaining hiking podcasts for your listening and viewing pleasure.  I know there’s more out there, so if you’d like to rep your favorite hiking podcast, do so in the comments below!

(Note:  This list is hiking/backpacking-specific.  There are a few awesome mountaineering podcasts out there which I will feature in a future post)

1.  Backpacking Light Podcast

Audio & Video
Podcast page
Updated 1/week

If you’re into gear, this is your kind of podcast.  The team at BackpackingLight are pros and this podcast enhances their reputation.

2.  ATHiking… the Podcast

Audio
Podcast page

AT veteran Toothless provides awesome tips and advice, as well as some interesting historical info about the trail, in an often humorous, never dull style.
Updated avg 1-2/mo.

3.  Compass Points TV

Video
Podcast page
YouTube channel:  Compass Points TV
Updated 2/month

News reporter, freelance travel writer and avid hiker Dave Pidgeon takes you with him as he explores trails both domestic and international.  At times he’s filming himself “Survivorman” style, other times he’s with a hiking partner, but the content is always extremely well-done, entertaining and informative.

4.  Practical Backpacking Podcast

Audio
Podcast page

This informative backpacking podcast features interviews with experts and (as the title states) practical tips and advice for backpackers at every experience level.

5.  Doing Stuff Outdoors Podcast

Audio
Podcast page
2/month
Although not specific to hiking, there’s plenty of great content here.  Start with these ‘casts:

“Hike Naked Day & Being Followed by a Horse on the Appalachian Trail”

“Hiking a Section of the Appalachian Trail with Toothless”

6.  SouthEastern Backpackers Podcast

Audio
Podcast page
Weekly updates (sometimes more)
From iTunes review page, user ShugSean writes:

With the sound of a fire popping in the background, Rylan and Golden talk about trips they have taken and trips yet to take. Pro’s and cons on gear that they have tried. You can feel the passion as they talk about their love of the piney woods. Wonderful conversational tone and these fellows don’t come off as “know it alls” about backpacking. Fun and imformative!