Emma Veidt

Backpacker Magazine

As Bear Encounters Rise on the Appalachian Trail, Most Hikers Still Don't Want to Use a Canister

By: Emma Veidt

Just 13.6 percent of hikers are using bear canister while nearly a third sleep with their food, The Trek's annual Appalachian Trail survey found.

Backpacker Magazine

What Were the Hiking Highlights of 2025? Backpacker's Editors Discuss.

By: Emma Veidt, Zoe Gates, Adam Roy

From 10,000-mile hikes to the battle over public lands, here are the highlights we'll be thinking about long after the year turns over.

Backpacker Magazine

The Gear Backpacker's Editors Loved in 2025

By: Zoe Gates, Emma Veidt, Adam Roy, Benjamin Tepler

Layers, tents, meals: We asked our editors to pick their personal favorite backpacking gear of December and the year as a whole.

Backpacker Magazine

Three Hikers Found Dead on Mt. Baldy After One Fell 500 Feet

By: Emma Veidt

The fatality occurred in the notorious Devil's Backbone area of Mt. Baldy. The recovery mission is still underway.

Backpacker Magazine

The Best Places Backpacker's Editors Hiked in 2025

By: Zoe Gates, Adam Roy, Emma Veidt

A fire lookout with a heavenly view, a a reunion with the desert landscape that changed us, and more.

Backpacker Magazine

The Bad Hiking Habits We're Keeping in 2026

By: Zoe Gates, Adam Roy, Emma Veidt

From refusing to use inflatable sleeping pads to packing enough just-in-case gear for our whole group, here are the things Backpacker's editors don't plan to change in 2026 even if we should.

Backpacker Magazine

The Gear That Backpacker’s Editors Loved in March 2026

By: Zoe Gates, Benjamin Tepler, Emma Veidt, Adam Roy

It's been one of the most unpredictable starts to a spring that the Backpacker staff can recall. This gear was with us for all of it.

Backpacker Magazine

5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Hiking Half Dome

By: Emma Veidt

Half Dome is one of our editor's favorite hikes. Here's what she learned on her 2023 trek, plus some recommendations if you get the chance to climb the famous cables.

Backpacker Magazine

"Several" Hikers Swept Down Utah Canyon in Flash Flood

By: Emma Veidt

A group of hikers is lucky to be alive after floodwaters carried several away in Little Wild Horse Canyon, prompting a multi-agency rescue.

Backpacker Magazine

These 5 Popular "Survival Skills" Won't Help You in a Backpacking Emergency

By: Emma Veidt, Adam Roy

Bushcraft skills like building a shelter out of sticks or identifying edible plants are fun to practice—but they're not likely to help you in a real emergency.