Outsideonline
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy Outside+ only if you regularly read Outside's titles or want bundled Gaia GPS maps; the 30% intro discount softens the cost.
New check
Comparison
Outsideonline vs Backpacking Light
Outsideonline and Backpacking Light both land on Depends.
Backpacking Light
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you are a committed ultralight backpacker who wants deep gear testing, expert forums, and courses in one membership.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Avid outdoor athletes and racers | Ultralight gear obsessives |
| Who it's not for | Casual readers who won't hit the paywall enough to justify it | Casual hikers . free Reddit, YouTube, and guides suffice |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.⁸ | No known breaches or recent vulnerabilities; only dated forum reports (SSL lapse 2016, spam 2012) and no public security page. |
| Support quality | Help center exists; quality unknown | Reddit reports unanswered emails; status questioned |
| Public sentiment | Public chatter is positive on editorial quality but frustrated about Gaia GPS paywalling under Outside ownership.⁴ | Reddit sentiment is mixed: longtime ultralight hikers know and use the site, while recent threads question membership value and whether it is still operating.15 |
| Biggest gotcha | Gaia GPS users report paywalled changes after Outside acquisition⁶ | .au is a separate Australian retailer . verify the domain before buying or reading reviews. |
Pick Outsideonline when
- Avid outdoor athletes and racers
- Thru-hikers wanting Gaia GPS maps
- Gear shoppers wanting team-tested reviews
- Readers of Outside and Velo
When Outsideonline is not a fit
- Casual readers who won't hit the paywall enough to justify it
- Gaia GPS users who want previously free map features back
- Teams seeking a software product . this is media, not a tool
- Anyone annoyed by constant membership upsell banners
Pick Backpacking Light when
- Ultralight gear obsessives
- Backcountry skills learners
- Forum-first gear researchers
- Thru-hike planners
When Backpacking Light is not a fit
- Casual hikers . free Reddit, YouTube, and guides suffice
- Anyone expecting fast answers . emails reportedly go unanswered
- Day hikers and car campers needing only basics
- Shoppers wanting a store . this is a publisher, not a retailer
Sources
- Outside Magazine homepageoutsideonline.comofficial
- Outdoor Gear guidesoutsideonline.comofficial
- Outside Subscriptions (membership)outsideonline.comofficial
- Outside+ Subscription Review . Pack & Trailpackandtrail.comreview
- Outside Online Review . rakkuprakkup.comreview
review
- Outside YouTube channelyoutube.comofficial
- Velo (Outside) Privacy Policyvelo.outsideonline.comofficial
- Outside Interactive acquires Inntopiaoutsideinc.comnews
- Security page lookup . no security page foundoutsideonline.comsecurity
- Backpacking Light homepagebackpackinglight.comofficial
- Membership pagebackpackinglight.comofficial
- Gear Reviews Archivesbackpackinglight.comofficial
- Publisher's Gear Guide (affiliate disclosure)backpackinglight.comofficial