Gear tested over 17,000 miles.

I’m Jeff “Peaches” Kessler. I’ve been hiking for over 30 years; my first long trail was the Colorado Trail in 2014. I’ve done a bunch of well-known, named thru-hikes since (PCT, CDT, AZT, PNT, CT twice, Hayduke, Collegiate Loop), plus thousands more miles on high routes, off-trail traverses and weekend trips. I review gear by wearing it out and then wrote about things that fail.

Gear Reviews Trail Finder Trail Guides
17,000+Miles backpacking
2014Trail blogging since
AWESOMEPlanning tools
PCT and CDT Hiker Stats

Where Is the CDT or PCT Bubble?

This widget estiamtes where the crowd of PCT and CDT hikers are likely to be on the trail, for a given date.

Tested on trail

Gear Reviews

Long-term reviews. Every piece here has real mileage on it.

All reviews →
Hoka Challenger trail runners for Backpacking
Gear Review

Hoka Challenger trail runners for Backpacking

I have walked through around 20 pairs of Hoka Challengers on the PNT, CDT, Hayduke, and plenty of…

Oct 2026 · 8 min read
Best Smart Watch for Backpacking
Gear Review

Best Smart Watch for Backpacking

A battery-first look at the best smart watch for hiking and backpacking: real GPS-tracking numbers, why I wear…

Oct 2026 · 21 min read
How to Set Up a Backpacking Tarp: A-Frame, Guylines, and Stakes
Gear Review

How to Set Up a Backpacking Tarp: A-Frame, Guylines, and Stakes

Complete system for pitching a backpacking tarp A-frame — pre-cut guylines, pre-set bowlines, three pitch variations, and stake…

Sep 2026 · 22 min read
Ultralight Backpacking Gear: What over 300 Reddit Gear Lists Show
Gear Review

Ultralight Backpacking Gear: What over 300 Reddit Gear Lists Show

I’ve been a member of r/ultralight for long enough to have spent far too much time reading r/ultralight…

Aug 2026 · 19 min read
Smartphones for Backpacking: Phone Setup and Battery Strategy
Gear Review

Smartphones for Backpacking: Phone Setup and Battery Strategy

Best smartphones for backpacking in 2026 — battery strategy, offline maps, and whether you actually need a dedicated…

Aug 2026 · 15 min read
T-Satellite for Backpacking
Gear Review

T-Satellite for Backpacking

My Prior Experience Last July I had been added to the open T-mobile Starlink (T-Satellite) Beta Test. This…

Jun 2026 · 6 min read
Gear Review: Good Shorts for Hiking (and Running)
Gear Review

Gear Review: Good Shorts for Hiking (and Running)

A good pair of shorts for hiking or running may sound like a daunting task. Honestly, though, you’ll…

Sep 2025 · 6 min read
Best Convertible Hiking Pants, Tested Over 15,000+ Miles (2026)
Gear Review

Best Convertible Hiking Pants, Tested Over 15,000+ Miles (2026)

I tested 5 pairs of men's convertible (zip-off) hiking pants over 15,000+ trail miles. The Outdoor Research Ferrosi…

May 2024 · 15 min read
Best Solar Panel Setup for Backpacking, Tested Over 2,000 Miles
Gear Review

Best Solar Panel Setup for Backpacking, Tested Over 2,000 Miles

After 2,000+ miles hiking with solar panels, here is my 7.2 oz backpacking solar setup — durable, field-tested,…

Jun 2023 · 11 min read
New to ultralight? Start with the gear guide. It’s organized by what actually matters, not by what’s fun to buy.
Read the guide →
Where I've walked

Named Long Trails I've Hiked

The thru-hikes are the headline, not the whole story. Most of my miles are shorter trips, high routes and off-trail wandering. Hover a line to see a trail; click to read the guide.Tap a trail below to read the guide.

The Cascades Sierra Nevada Canyon Country Sonoran Desert Great Basin Rockies Grand Canyon Pacific N Pacific Crest Trail Continental Divide Trail Arizona Trail Pacific Northwest Trail Hayduke Trail Colorado Trail John Muir Trail Tahoe Rim Trail Collegiate Loop
17,000+ miles on foot since 2014

Eight long trails, plus a lot of backpacking that never made a map: high routes, off-trail traverses and weekend trips all over the West.

These are the long ones. For high routes, off-trail traverses and everything shorter, see Other Hiking and the journal.

Plan your hike

Other Guides

Shorter routes and starting points.

Collegiate Loop With a Nolan’s 14 twist Beginning Backpacking Start here if you’re new Big Sur Trail Network GPX + Gaia layers Navigation How I actually navigate
Delightful Tools I’ve Made

Planning Tools

Things I built for my own hikes and gave away.

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Trail Finder

79 long-distance trails matched to your experience, days available, and season. Covers all 11 National Scenic Trails plus routes in Europe, South America, and beyond. No signup.

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Trail GPX Converter

Convert a GPX route into a Garmin-ready course. Snaps waypoints to your track, lets you add resupply splits, and exports TCX or GPX. Works offline as an installable app.

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Big Sur Trail Network

A complete GPX of the Big Sur trail network for Gaia and Garmin. Covers the Ventana Wilderness and all the connector trails that aren’t on most maps.

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Hayduke Trail App

iOS + Android app for the Hayduke Trail. Offline topo maps, real-time water reports, GPS navigation, and community conditions across 800 miles of Utah canyon country.

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Strava Heatmap on Gaia GPS

One of the best route planning tools there is — the Strava Heatmap — can help identify routes and opportunities for backcountry frolics!

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How the Thru-Hiking Bubble Works

The full write-up behind the bubble tracker: how I estimate where the CDT and PCT crowds are from dated trail comments, what snowpack does to the dates, and how many people skip, flip, or drop out.
From the trail

Latest Dispatches

All posts →
Aug 26, 2026 GPX to Garmin Course: How to Get Your Waypoints to Actually Show Up Useful Tools Aug 18, 2026 The Lightest Backpacking Food: A Data-Driven Resupply Optimizer Useful Tools Aug 14, 2026 The Strava Heatmap Layer in Gaia GPS: A Backcountry Route-Finding Essential Useful Tools May 1, 2026 Afterward to the Hayduke Trail HDT Apr 29, 2026 River Friends! HDT