Hiking isn’t just a one-size-fits-all stroll in the woods anymore. In recent years, a variety of niche hiking communities have emerged (and exploded in popularity) as outdoor enthusiasts find new ways to experience the trails. From gram-counting ultralight backpackers to trail runners who zoom past with a friendly wave, these trending outdoor hobbies each bring their own flavor of fun to the hiking world. Let’s explore some of the fastest-growing hiking subcultures – and what makes each one unique, appealing, and a little quirky.
Ultralight Backpackers: Obsessed with Ounces
Ultralight backpackers carry only the absolute essentials – a tiny load for big adventures. Ultralight backpackers are the minimalist zealots of the trail. Their mantra? “Less weight, more joy.” These hikers shave off every unnecessary ounce from their gear – yes, even cutting toothbrushes in half – all in pursuit of a feather-light pack. The result is an almost liberating simplicity: imagine carrying under 10 pounds of gear on your back! This once-fringe approach has taken the backpacking world by storm. What used to be a hardcore sect is now infiltrating the mainstream, as even weekend warriors embrace the ultralight ethos to save their knees and hike farther with less fatigue.
Why is ultralight backpacking gaining popularity so fast? For one, gear companies have caught on – today there are entire cottage industries devoted to ultralight tents, packs, and gadgets (titanium spork, anyone?). Major brands are also jumping in with lightweight gear, validating that this is no longer just a fad but the future of backpacking. Hikers have discovered that carrying less weight means more miles and more comfort. Plus, there’s a bit of nerdy fun in obsessing over gear spreadsheets and debating whether a foam pad beats an air mattress by a few grams. Quirks and all, ultralight backpackers prove that sometimes the best way to enjoy nature is to carry as little as possible – just don’t ask them for a spare anything, because they probably left it at home!
Fastpackers: The Speed Demons of the Trail
Fastpackers are like the adrenaline-fueled cousins of the ultralighters. This subculture mashes together trail running and backpacking into what one adventure writer calls “the sexy hybrid of trail running for fitness and backpacking for pleasure”. In essence, fastpacking is all about covering maximum distance in minimum time, carrying just enough gear to spend a night (or a few) on the trail. Picture someone running or power-hiking up mountains with a small pack on their back – that’s a fastpacker in action. They move quickly by day, then bivy at night under the stars, often attempting long routes in record time.
What makes fastpackers unique is their sheer efficiency and stamina. They’ll jog past you with a grin, armed with ultralight gear, trail-running shoes, and perhaps an uncanny love of energy gels. One fastpacker joked that “fastpacking is what happens when you take a trail runner and tell them they don’t need to make it home for dinner.” In other words, they keep going…and going – often covering 20, 30, or even 50 miles in a day. This subculture is growing as more trail runners seek multi-day adventures, and backpackers crave a faster pace. With the rise of FKTs (Fastest Known Times) and endurance races, the appeal of fastpacking has skyrocketed. It’s the perfect niche for hikers who want the thrill of ultramarathons with the freedom of backpacking. Quirky trait to spot a fastpacker? They’re the ones calculating miles per hour while everyone else counts how many snacks they have left.
Thru-Hikers: Masters of the Long Haul
Thru-hikers are the legendary long-distance trekkers who tackle entire epic trails in one go – think the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, or other 1,000+ mile giants. These intrepid souls spend months on end hiking; they eat, sleep, and breathe the trail life (quite literally developing a special “eau de campfire and sweat” fragrance). Thru-hiking has transformed from a niche pursuit into a rite of passage for many adventurers. Thanks to popular books and movies like “Wild”, in the last decade long-distance trails have “exploded with hikers”. In fact, the number of finishers on the Pacific Crest Trail quintupled between 2011 and 2016, and Appalachian Trail completions more than doubled from 2010 to 2017 – a testament to this subculture’s booming popularity.
What makes thru-hikers unique (beyond their sheer endurance) is the culture and community that blossoms on a months-long hike. They adopt quirky trail names (you might meet “Sunshine”, “Tenacious Turtle”, or “Maple Syrup” on the trail). They bond over campfire stories and packets of instant ramen, and they endure everything from blistered feet to surprise snowstorms. Thru-hikers are known for their “hiker hunger” – after burning thousands of calories a day, they fantasize about food constantly and can out-eat anyone at the next town stop. There’s also a proud gritty simplicity to thru-hiking life: wearing the same threadbare shirt for weeks, washing in cold streams, and realizing that “hiker midnight” is about 9:00 PM. Despite the hardships, the appeal is huge – a thru-hike offers a life-changing adventure, a chance to unplug from modern life, and bragging rights of completing a nearly superhuman feat. No wonder this community has become “a real force in the outdoor space.”
Bushcrafters: Wilderness Living Enthusiasts
A rustic bushcraft camp built from natural materials – bushcrafters love crafting comfort from the wilderness itself. In contrast to the speed-focused subcultures, bushcrafters prefer to slow things down and live in harmony with nature (with a few knives and axes handy). Bushcrafters are all about wilderness survival skills and traditional know-how. You’ll find them happily building a shelter out of branches, starting a fire by rubbing sticks, or foraging for wild edibles. Essentially, they practice “camping like it’s 1880” – mastering the art of making do with what the land provides. This subculture has seen a surge of interest as people seek to “connect with nature and disconnect from the fast-paced, technology-driven world”. In an era of constant screen time, the idea of honing primitive skills in the woods is an attractive escape.
Bushcrafters have a unique charm and some fun quirks. They often carry classic gear: a trusty fixed-blade knife, perhaps a flint and steel, maybe even a hand axe strapped to their pack. (If you see someone on a hike with an axe, they’re probably a bushcrafter, not a crazed lumberjack – promise!). Many bushcrafters enjoy dressing in earth-tone outfits or even old-school canvas and leather instead of modern synthetics, to really get that pioneer vibe. Around a bushcraft camp, you might spot rustic furniture made of sticks, elaborate fire pits, or a canvas tarp rigged into a cozy shelter. Why the growing popularity? Beyond the allure of survival TV shows and YouTube channels teaching these skills, bushcraft offers a deep sense of self-reliance. It’s empowering (and yes, fun) to know you can build a shelter and start a fire without a lighter. Plus, spending a weekend off-grid whittling a spoon by the campfire can be surprisingly therapeutic. Bushcrafters remind us that sometimes the best outdoor adventures are about thriving in nature with ingenuity – not just passing through it.
Peakbaggers: Summit Collectors on a Mission
For peakbaggers, hiking isn’t just about the journey – it’s about bagging that summit and then moving on to the next! This subculture revolves around chasing checkmarks on mountain lists. Peakbaggers set goals to climb a specific set of peaks, whether it’s the 46 Adirondack High Peaks, all the Colorado 14ers (mountains over 14,000 feet), the Seven Summits on each continent, or every county high point in their state. If it’s a mountain with a name and a number, there’s probably someone trying to climb all of them. Peakbagging has been popularized around the world, with famous peak lists becoming the subject of mass public interest – so much so that websites like Peakbagger.com host thousands of peak lists for enthusiasts to track their conquests.
What’s the appeal? Peakbaggers love the challenge and structure. It’s hiking meets Pokémon: gotta catch ’em all (except “catch” is “summit” and the Pokémon are mountains). This goal-oriented approach turns each hike into part of a bigger achievement. Unique to this group is their devotion to stats and logs – many keep detailed records of each summit, elevation, and date. Conversations with peakbaggers often involve recounting past climbs or planning upcoming ones to check off that next big peak. They might casually say, “Only 3 more to go to finish the 48!” and you’re left wondering 48 what? (Answer: probably the 48 four-thousand-footers of New Hampshire). Their quirkiness comes through in rituals like taking a signature summit selfie or ceremonially crossing a peak off a dog-eared list. As a community, peakbaggers are super supportive and celebratory – finishing a list can earn you a patch, a certificate, or at least bragging rights for life. With social media showcasing stunning summit views and more people craving measurable accomplishments in their outdoor pursuits, peakbagging continues to grow. After all, there’s no better view than from the top – and these hikers want to see them all.
Trail Runners: The Off-Road Athletes
Trail runners are the fleet-footed free spirits of the hiking trails. Instead of heavy boots and trekking poles, they don running shoes and tiny hydration packs, zipping through the mountains with an almost effortless stride (while the rest of us hikers trudge along). This subculture takes the love of running and brings it into the wilderness, often overlapping with ultramarathoners. In the past few years, trail running has absolutely boomed – in the U.S. alone it jumped from about 13.2 million participants in 2022 to 14.8 million in 2023 (a 12% surge in one year!), and has grown over 25% in the last three years. Clearly, a lot of people discovered that running on dirt and rocks is way more fun than on pavement.
What makes trail runners special is their blend of endurance and joy in nature. They’ll tackle steep climbs and technical descents at a jog, often with a big smile (or determined grimace) on their face. Trail runners tend to be a friendly bunch – it’s not unusual for them to give a cheery “hey there!” as they dash past hikers, and maybe a “keep it up!” encouragement as well. Their quirkier side? Well, they might measure distance in hours rather than miles (“I’m headed out for a 2-hour run”). They’re also known for consuming oddly flavored energy gels and chews mid-stride and geek out over shoe tread patterns and GPS watch stats. Many trail runners get hooked on the community through races or group runs; ultramarathon events like the UTMB or Western States 100 have near-mythic status in this crowd, and those events have drawn huge attention to trail running globally. The appeal is obvious: you get the runner’s high and the epic scenery all at once. Plus, running down a mountain trail with the wind in your hair feels like pure freedom. As trail sports are trending upward, trail runners proudly blur the line between hiker and runner, proving that sometimes you really can have the best of both worlds.
Off-Grid Wanderers: The Digital Detox Nomads
Last but not least, we have the off-grid wanderers – those hikers and adventurers who aren’t content with marked trails or weekend trips. Instead, they seek true wilderness immersion, often trekking far off the beaten path, going days or weeks without cell service, and perhaps even making their home in the wild for stretches of time. Off-grid wanderers might be long-term backpackers, modern nomads living out of a tent (or van) and hiking to remote areas, or anyone who prefers solitude and self-reliance in nature over convenience and connectivity. This subculture has grown as more people crave a digital detox and a return to simple living. In fact, many travelers are now intentionally “going off the grid” to reconnect with nature – letting “sunrises and sunsets mark the passage of time rather than emails and notifications”.
What’s unique about off-grid wanderers is their almost philosophical commitment to being truly present in the wilderness. They navigate with maps and compasses (or savvy instinct), carry solar chargers or not at all, and have an uncanny ability to be content without any Instagram updates for a while. 😉 You might find them trekking into lesser-known national forest areas, practicing dispersed camping far from crowds, or spending a month hiking in a remote mountain range living off instant oats and fresh-caught fish. Their gear often overlaps with both ultralight hikers and bushcrafters – practical and durable, but they’re equally prepared for long-term comfort (a good sleeping setup) and survival (water filtration, first aid, maybe a satellite SOS device for emergencies). The quirks of this group include an aversion to schedules and a calm adaptability to whatever nature throws at them. Rained for three days straight? An off-grid wanderer just shrugs and enjoys the sound of rain on the tent. Ran out of peanut butter halfway through a week-long trek? Time to get creative with foraged berries. The appeal of this subculture is the ultimate freedom and solitude it offers. As modern life gets more complex, more folks are drawn to the idea of “losing (and finding) themselves” in the wild for a while. Off-grid wanderers show us that adventure doesn’t need an itinerary or an audience – just a wild place, an open heart, and a willingness to roam.
No matter which of these niche hiking communities speaks to you, one thing is certain: the outdoors has something for everyone. Each subculture – whether it’s sprinting up peaks, whittling a spoon by the campfire, or walking from Mexico to Canada – adds its own playful twist to the world of hiking. And at the core of each is the same shared love: adventure, nature, and the thrill of the trail. Perhaps you see a bit of yourself in one (or several) of these subcultures. Why not give it a try? Embrace the quirks, join the fun, and maybe you’ll gain a trail name or a few new buddies along the way.
📚 References
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Gear Patrol – “Ultralight Backpacks Are Going Mainstream”
https://www.gearpatrol.com/outdoors/a38388096/ultralight-backpacks-trend/ -
Gear Junkie – “What is Ultralight Backpacking?”
https://gearjunkie.com/camping/ultralight-backpacking-definition-gear -
Limestone Post Magazine – “Fastpacking, the 'Sexy Hybrid' of Trail Running and Backpacking”
https://limestonepostmagazine.com/fastpacking-trail-running-backpacking-hybrid/ -
Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) – “Hike Fast, Sleep Hard: Are You Ready to Try Fastpacking?”
https://www.outdoors.org/articles/amc-outdoors/hike-fast-sleep-hard-are-you-ready-to-try-fastpacking/ -
Free Outside – “How the Triple Crown Trails Have Changed in a Decade”
https://freeoutside.com/2022/04/04/how-the-triple-crown-trails-have-changed-in-a-decade/ -
Axeman.ca – “Why has Bushcraft Become So Popular?”
https://axeman.ca/why-has-bushcraft-become-so-popular/ -
Wikipedia – “Peak bagging”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_bagging -
Sports Destination Management – “Trail Running on Pace for Continued Growth”
https://www.sportsdestinations.com/sports/trail-running/trail-running-pace-continued-growth-22465 -
MightyTravels – “Offbeat Travel Trends 2024 – Go Off the Grid”
https://www.mightytravels.com/2023/12/offbeat-travel-trends-2024/