My Backpack: New Features for Your WTA Basecamp
We've built some newtools to help you organize your hiking to-do list, give props to stand-out trip reports, and earn some merit badges for going above and beyond for the hiking community.
My Backpack—your basecamp for saving hikes and trip reports on wta.org—has some brand new features.
Using your feedback, suggestions and ideas, we've built some new tools. It's now easier to organize your hiking to-do list, recognize stand-out trip reports, and earn recognition for going above and beyond.
Earn merit badges and reward quality trip reports
Our members, trip reporters and volunteer contributors help make us great—and we hope the merit badges are a small way to recognize these important contributions to the hiking community. Earn merit badges for writing 5, 10, 25+ trip reports. You can also earn a badge for the quality of your trip reports, as well as for being a proud WTA member.
It's also now easier to recognize quality trip reports—and trip reporters—for sharing the details that help other hikers find their way. If you found a trip report useful for finding your own way, look for the hiker hand to let the author know.
- Look for the helpful hiker hand to recommend a trip report.
Tools to plan, organize or share hiking ideas
When you're searching the Hiking Guide online or on our Trailblazer app, you can save your hikes to a list. At your request, we've added features to make that list more useful in making your hiking plans. Check off the hikes you've already hiked, take notes on your list of saved hikes, and filter which hikes you'd still like to do.
Toggle on the public view of your saved hikes list to share the possibilities with hiking buddies. If you'd rather keep your to-hike list private, no problem. You can do that, too.
- Use your saved hikes list to organize and plan your hikes.
Are you a member?
From your backpack, you’ll also be able to update your magazine mailing address get a reminder when it's time to renew.
Map your hikes
See where you’ve been, and imagine all the places you'll go by seeing your trip reports and saved hikes in either a list or map view.
- See your trip reports in a map view.
Explore, and then tell us what you think
In the coming weeks, give the new features a test run. Log in and explore. Visit your dashboard to update your profile, recommend helpful trip reports, save and organize your hikes. Let us know what you think, and share your ideas.
Like this website? Please consider supporting it
This website, and all the work of our nonprofit, is supported by WTA members. So if you value wta.org and My Backpack, consider becoming a member.
Don't have a My Backpack account yet?
Creating a free account on wta.org will let you file a trip report, comment on a blog or trip report, submit a photo to our photo gallery or save a hike to a Saved Hikes list.
Comments
Atreidex on My Backpack: New Features for Your WTA Basecamp
Right on, thanks for expanding the features, look forward to testing.
Posted by:
alexlim on Dec 04, 2015 10:35 AM
Trip Dates
I see with the updated Trip Report section you removed the trip dates. Having the date of the trip was very useful. With it just saying, "Hiked yesterday, 3 days ago, etc", we have no idea when the hike was done. Especially ones hiked several weeks or months ago. Please put the dates back in the Trip Reports. Thanks, George
Posted by:
George & Sally on Dec 04, 2015 11:33 AM
Yes, please restore the dates
If I'm looking at a hike I haven't done, it's helpful to know exactly when associated trip reports were written.
Posted by:
Ballard Ambler on Dec 05, 2015 08:27 PM
The dates are still there!
Thank for the feedback and dates questions. The good news is that the dates are still there. Just hover over the relative dates, and you'll see them...and once 14 days has passed, they appear as normal. Give it a try for a couple of weeks, and if you still find the date display frustrating, please shoot me or mybackpack@wta.org an email to let me know.
Posted by:
Loren Drummond on Dec 07, 2015 05:34 PM