Winter backpacking the Oregon Coast Trail: a safe 5-mile section between Port Orford and Bandon, creek crossings, campsites, and a $60 sleeping pad test.

Backpacking across the Channel Islands turned into one of the wildest and most rewarding week-long adventures I’ve ever had. From long ferry transfers to remote backcountry routes, I hiked from Santa Cruz to Santa Rosa with nothing but my pack, my legs, and more water weight than I care to admit. I crossed foggy ridgelines, camped with foxes, navigated beaches filled with seals, fought through wind and clay mud, and relied on flushing toilets at exactly the right time. The C