Featured Article
The First Woman to Win It All: Emily Keddie's Grand2Grand Ultra
Trail Skills
The Thru-Hiker’s Guide to Chafing
Chafing can turn a thru-hike miserable remarkably quickly. After learning that lesson the hard way in Virginia,...
The Fastest Way Down the Trail Isn't Always Faster
Moving efficiently down a trail has a lot less to do with speed than we think. After...
5 Ways to Manage Post-Trail Depression
Finishing a thru-hike can abruptly remove the movement, purpose, community and routine that defined everyday life for...
Trail Culture
Top 5 birds of the Appalachian Trail
You don’t have to be a birder to start recognizing the birds of the Appalachian Trail. After...
5 Most Recognizable Smells of an Appalachian Trail Thru-Hike
Clean laundry, chicken ramen, hiker funk, overflowing privies and a wet Appalachian forest. Some Appalachian Trail memories...
Why Are Red Efts Everywhere After It Rains?
After it rains on the Appalachian Trail, red efts seem to appear everywhere. Where do they come...
Perspectives
What we want the TownShirt Trail Log to be
Why we publish the Trail Log: stories, trail-tested lessons, community, and honest perspectives from thousands of miles...
You Don’t Need New Gear. You Need More Miles.
We obsess over shaving ounces from our backpacks, but rarely calculate how many hours we have to...
Cutting Your Toothbrush Won't Make You a Better Hiker
Your base weight doesn't measure your backpacking ability. TownShirt explains why cutting your toothbrush won't make you...
Why We Made It
Why We Made It: Red Eft Print
I thought the Appalachian Trail needed a mascot. I knew exactly what it should be.The Red Eft...
Stop Overpacking: Why a TownShirt Is the Only Base Layer You Actually Need
If your pack always feels a little too full, your clothing system is probably the reason. Extra...
All Stories
October 20, 2026
Why Is There So Much Gear Content and So Little Hiking Advice?
After thousands of miles on the AT and PCT, the biggest lessons weren't about gear weights. Here's...
