As we put together to welcome in 2024, we’re taking time to look again at the place we’ve traveled. Particularly, we’re the place the world-renowned Gentle Ft weblog has taken us over these final 12 months.
Our aim is to make Gentle Ft our neighborhood’s go-to vacation spot for uplifting interviews with outside fanatics, helpful suggestions and methods for the path, adventuresome tales from the backcountry, useful gear highlights, and all issues light-weight backpacking. Because of visitor contributors, knowledgeable interviews, and our top-shelf, in-house artistic brainstorming workforce, we’ve printed some fairly enjoyable content material this yr, if we do say so ourselves.
To find out the perfect Gentle Ft blogs from 2023, we used a extremely scientific course of that concerned trying on the variety of views every of our articles obtained this yr and mixing that with an total vibe examine. Following this thorough evaluate, we’re excited to current you with the highest 15 Gentle Ft weblog posts from 2023!
We kicked off the yr with an academic piece on the seven ideas of Go away No Hint (LNT). Curiosity within the outside has continued to extend every year, and we wished to offer some accessible data on how we are able to all cut back our impacts on the surroundings whereas we discover. Try the article for a historical past of LNT ideas, who ought to use them, the place to make use of them, and particulars on every.
This yr, we have been excited to launch our Quick Kumo 36 backpack, a pack made for path working, fastpacking, and record-setting. To rejoice the latest member of our line, we additionally kicked off a weblog sequence all about fastpacking, together with this introductory weblog in regards to the sport.
Our fastpacking weblog sequence additionally included three visitor posts from record-setting fastpacker Jeff Garmire. He supplied tales about his background with fastpacking, suggestions for novices, and different ideas on tips on how to make fastpacking give you the results you want based mostly by yourself private objectives.
The Gossamer Gear workforce begins getting enthusiastic about our April Idiot’s Day weblog months prematurely every year. After an extended record of questionable concepts, this yr we settled on helium-filled backpacks. As a result of why take much less when helium can let you take extra?
For Mom’s Day, we shared a visitor submission from Jennifer Stoneking-Stewart, who has hiked 1,000+ miles along with her two kiddos, now 8 and 10. The weblog was as lovable because it was informative. Jennifer detailed the “ten necessities for teenagers” whereas on path and mirrored on a few of her favourite recollections from their time collectively within the outside.
We launched you to our phenomenal design workforce this yr in an interview with Greg and Carrie Fritsch. We’re happy with our small, family-oriented method to every Gossamer Gear product. You can too be taught extra about this father–daughter design duo in a brief movie we launched about them earlier this yr.
Relying on the place you reside, you would possibly encounter extra rain throughout the spring and summer time months. Wet hikes throughout hotter climate require particular planning, so we shared some suggestions to assist preserve our neighborhood adventuring all through popup rainstorms within the spring and summer time months.
Courageous Trails is a nonprofit working to scale back obstacles that LGBTQ+ youth face to getting outdoors. By a wide range of outdoor-focused management actions, they assist LGBTQ+ youth construct neighborhood and profit from the constructive results of time spent in nature. We interviewed Thursday Sadler, who developed and coordinates the group’s backpacking program, to be taught extra about their work.
Our weblog editor’s (me!) thorough, private evaluate of the Crotch Pot drove roughly a million gross sales of the treasured backcountry kitchen merchandise. I imply, roughly that many, ya know? We did obtain one Instagram remark about it that mentioned it was the primary evaluate this individual had learn that truly made them wish to strive it. Our weblog editor will maintain onto that flatter for the remainder of her life, so thanks @johnpriddle. Additionally, it created many confused questions from her relations and shut mates.
It was actual scorching in Texas this summer time, y’all. Ky Harkey, the chief adventurer at LoneStarParks.com, who has hung out as a NOLS backpacking chief, Wilderness First Help teacher, and director of interpretation for Texas State Parks, wrote a visitor publish for Gentle Ft on tips on how to preserve adventuring within the warmth safely. We’re grateful for the break within the warmth and know we’ll flip to this weblog for good reminders come subsequent summer time.
We have been excited to launch the DCF Whisper ultralight shelter this yr. This spacious, storm- and bug-proof shelter weighs simply 9.8 ounces and is our founder’s go-to set-up. Glen wrote a visitor weblog for Gentle Ft sharing how he developed this design over time. There are solely 100 of those restricted version shelters obtainable.
Our light-weight tarp shelters, the Solo Tarp and the Twinn Tarp, are nice for backcountry sleeping, however we wished to spotlight a few of their different makes use of this yr too. So, our workforce gathered collectively to record 21 very sensible makes use of for the tarps that our neighborhood of light-weight, multi-use fanatics can discover. We additionally determined to launch the #GGTarpChallenge. In case you can show to us that you simply’ve used the Solo Tarp or Twinn Tarp for all 21 of those makes use of, attain out to our workforce for a particular prize bundle!
This yr, we obtained to interview Bryan Conant, the chief director of Los Padres Forest Affiliation (LPFA), and Paul Cronshaw, one in every of our fantastic model ambassadors and an LPFA volunteer, in regards to the group’s work. Their ideas impressed all of us to search out extra methods within the new yr to assist to our public lands. You can too be taught extra about their annual used gear fundraising sale, which affords plenty of Gossamer Gear merchandise at nice costs!
We additionally obtained to interview Gabe Vasquez, a Marine Corps veteran and lengthy distance hiker, about his work to assist veterans’ psychological well being. By a wide range of outside adventures, Gabe has raised greater than $40,000 for Semper Fi & America’s Fund (SFF), a nonprofit that cares for the nation’s critically wounded, in poor health, and injured service members, veterans, and navy households.
This yr, we launched a brand new daypack, the Loris 25. We additionally up to date our in style Vagabond Jet to recycled cloth and launched the Minimalist 19 in our fan-favorite colorwave, tropical mist. Having the precise daypack alongside in your adventures could make an enormous distinction. We put this weblog collectively to spotlight the options to search for in a daypack and examine 5 daypack choices we provide at Gossamer Gear.
Thank You and Glad New 12 months!
From all of us at Gossamer Gear, we wish to specific how a lot we recognize you being part of our neighborhood. You made the journey an amazing one this yr and we’re excited to get to maintain mountain climbing with you into the grand vistas of the longer term. As we shut out the yr, we want you all of the happiest of trails in 2024!
Be certain that to share your adventures with us by tagging tagging Gossamer Gear on social media (@gossamergear) and utilizing the hashtag #takelessdomore. And if in case you have an concept for a visitor weblog, be at liberty to succeed in out to korrin@gossamergear.com!
