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Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer/2 Hoody

GearLab awarded the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer 2 Hoody Editors’ Choice award for the best overall down jacket.

But I bought mine after seeing how many thru hikers use it on the Continental Divide Trail. They can beat this up for months without destroying the warm layer.

I am a little worried about the ultralight zipper.

NOT CHEAP. I paid CAD $341 including taxes and shipping. But it will be well used on adventures where weight and bulk are critical.

On colder trips, I’ll bring it along with my beloved Helly Hansen LifaLoft jacket.

  • highly compressible
  • DWR (durable water repellent) 800-fill RDS®-certified down insulation
  • Ultra-lightweight ripstop fabric
  • stuffs into its own hand pocket with internal carabiner clip loop
  • 8.8 oz. / 249 g

Click PLAY or see the original Men’s Ghost Whisperer on YouTube.

Personally, I don’t like the form fitting shape — so bought the XL. For me it fits much like a normal jacket.

Read the full review.

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Mainland Egypt’s 1st Long-distance Hike

The 170-km Red Sea Mountain Trail (RSMT) is touted to be the “first long-distance hiking trail in mainland Egypt and the sister project of the award-winning Sinai Trail“.

Of course walking pilgrimage in Egypt has been a tradition for thousands of year.

Connecting a series of ancient trade, travel, smuggling and shepherd routes into a single trail for modern times it is a 170km path taking most hikers 10 days to complete.

Created by Bedouin of the Maaza tribe – who manage the trail today on behalf of the wider Bedouin community – the Red Sea Mountain Trail gives a way into one of the most untrodden, little-known and beautiful wildernesses in the Middle East and perhaps the world.

From vast desert plains to deep gorges and high summits and from crumbling Roman towns to prehistoric rock art and chapels of Egypt’s Desert Fathers, the trail shows the best of the region’s inimitable beauty and seeks to open new kind of tourism that truly benefits its communities.

official website

You can explore the RSMT by clicking through the 10 days of a Virtual Thru Hike.

Or watch a short video on CNN.

It looks great.

We’ve added both the RSMT and the Sinai Trail to our list of the best hikes in Africa.

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#1 Day Hike in the World – Harder Ridge

Harder Ridge in Switzerland, also known as Hardergrat (… grat is ridge in German) is our pick for the very best day hike on Earth.

  • 24km total … about 18km on a sharp ridge
  • 10+ hours. Physically and psychologically challenging.
  • no water available. Carry all you need.
  • not an official trail, but it’s easy to follow in good visibility
  • about 1500m above the lake
  • permits not required
  • it’s popular with trail runners who do about 35km entirely on foot.


Check our Harder Ridge information page.

let’s go outdoors is posting flyovers of some of the world’s best hikes on YouTube.

Click PLAY or watch one route on Harder Ridge on YouTube.

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Visiting Northern California Towns

To stay alive, some small towns are promoting connected trails.

Part of that is NEW – the proposed “Lost Sierra Route”.

It’s multiuser, including motor vehicles. 😕

Personally, I’d like to cycle some of that. Easy resupply in all the small towns.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Video Highlights 2021

by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

With much more home time during the pandemic, my main hobby was improving my video editing and (expensive) video gear.

I put together a short highlights reel from 2021. And plan on doing the same each year forward.

This one includes some bikepacking and travel scenes, as well. Two of my other personal interests.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

In 2021 the most watched video on the BestHike YouTube channel was a short teaser for my SURVIVE the West Coast Trail playlist.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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#3 – Tongariro Northern Circuit, New Zealand

Tongariro Northern Circuit is one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

Why?

Our favourite multi-day tramp in our favourite hiking region of the world — glorious New Zealand.  😎

  • non-stop superb hiking
  • mostly volcanic & desert environs
  • 45km (28mi) depending on route plus sidetrips
  • 3-days, 2-nights recommended
  • option to climb a volcano, or two
  • Mt Doom
  • medium difficulty hiking, with challenging sections
  • wonderful variety of scenery
  • Dec – Mar best months
  • maximum elevation Red Crater 1886m (6188ft)

World → Australasia → New Zealand → Tongariro Circuit

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Click PLAY or watch a 1-minute introduction on YouTube.

For details click over to our Tongariro Northern Circuit information page.

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Magnetic Cutlery for Travel

Full Windsor sent me a sample set of their Magnetic Flatware.

And I’m impressed.

High quality. Durable. And the magnetic coupling is super slick.

There’s no way I could possibly bend or break the spoon as I’ve often done in the past with metal and titanium. The knife has a serrated edge that could cut wire!

Details.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I’ll be doing a detailed video review on my next multi-day adventure.

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PCT Hiker Gear 2021

I did the John Muir Trail in 2021 and had a good chance to check out thru hiker’s gear in person.

Most surprising to me were the increased number of sun hoodies.

Mac posted his annual Pacific Crest Trail Hiker’s Survey, interviewing 654 thru hikers.

  • Average backpack size 53.9 litres
  • Average sleeping bag rating 16.8°F (-8.44°C)
  • Most popular app ~  FarOut Guides (formerly Guthook)

Most Common PCT Backpacks

  1. ULA Circuit
  2. Gossamer Gear Mariposa
  3. Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest

Most Common PCT Shelters

  1. Zpacks Duplex
  2. Gossamer Gear The One
  3. NEMO Hornet 2P

Most Common PCT Sleeping Bags/Quilts

  1. Enlightened Equipment Revelation
  2. Enlightened Equipment Enigma
  3. REI Magma (Men’s/Women’s)

Most Common PCT Sleeping Pads

  1. Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite
  2. NEMO Tensor
  3. Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite – Women’s

Most Common PCT Insulated Jackets

  1. Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer 2 – Hooded (Men’s/Women’s)
  2. Enlightened Equipment Torrid Apex (Men’s/Women’s)
  3. Arc’teryx Cerium LT Hoody (Men’s/Women’s)

Most Common PCT Shells

  1. Outdoor Research Helium II (Men’s/Women’s)
  2. Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite 2
  3. Montbell Versalite (Men’s/Women’s)

Click through for details.