Rex Sanders
​Freelance science writer, editor, photographer, and videographer
Frequent contributor to Backpacking Light
About Rex
rex.sanders@usa.net
Featured Work
Adapting to Changing Wildfires: Part Three, Backpacking Light, November 2020

This past summer and fall, wildfires in the Western U.S. seemed to set new records daily. News reports featured endless streams of scary images, incomprehensible statistics, and mysterious maps. But all of this told only part of the story.
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NASA satellites with special infrared sensors capture images of fires every day. By animating those images, we can get a different look at how fast and how far wildfires grew in 2020.
Adapting to Changing Wildfires: Part Two, Backpacking Light, October 2020

Wildfires in western North America have changed for the worse and will continue changing. Fire tornadoes ripped living trees out of the ground, set them alight, and dropped them miles away. Blazes consumed 400 mi² (1,000 km²) in one day. Researchers compared the worst wildfires to the firebombing of Dresden in World War II or Hiroshima’s destruction by an atomic bomb.

While reasonably cautious backpackers are unlikely to perish in wildfires, we must learn to live with altered fire behavior, landscapes, and rules. This essay is an exploration of what some of those changes might look like.
Adapting to Changing Wildfires: Part One, Backpacking Light, October 2020

What is the future of backpacking in an era of frequent massive wildfires? This year’s giant blazes in the Western U.S. closed many thousands of square miles (tens of thousands of square kilometers) in forests and parks for weeks and months.

This essay gives you some background on wildfires in the U.S., describes the potential health and safety risks, and suggests how to stay safer and healthier.
Sleeping Bag Temperature Ratings, Backpacking Light, September 2020

You’ve probably seen sleeping bags advertised as good to “32 degrees” (Fahrenheit) or “0 degrees” (Celsius) and wondered how they came up with that number. Thanks to measurements using the ISO 23537 standard, commonly known as the EN rating, we have a consistent but imperfect way to measure and report those values.
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In this column, I’ll review the standard in detail and cover its pros and cons.
​Improving R-values for Consumers,  Backpacking Light, September 2020

Sleeping pad R-values are not that useful for many consumers, and the guidance from pad makers, retailers, and gear reviewers is inconsistent and prone to misinterpretation. This is a proposal for improved labeling and marketing that requires further development.
USGS Science in Point Reyes National Seashore, USGS, December 2016, video

The park also uses USGS science to manage this iconic but complex setting. For example, local ranchers lease 28,000 acres of National Park land for dairy and beef cattle. To monitor ranch lands, the park uses maps, air photos and other databases from USGS.
Condors in Purgatory, Science Notes, August 2015, multimedia

Swooping low across a canyon inside Pinnacles National Park, California condor #444 appeared to be in fine health. “Ventana” hatched in 2007 from a nest in Big Sur, and she paired five years later with #340. The next year they fed their first chick regurgitated food scavenged from miles away. That food came from a dead animal—rotting, stinking and crawling with maggots.

But one of the condor’s favorite meals, the gut pile left behind after a hunter kills a deer or wild pig, threatens the survival of this critically endangered species. 

Backpacking Light stories

Gratitude and Recovery After Outdoor Trauma, Backpacking Light, January 2021
Staff Picks 2020 (contributor), Backpacking Light, December 2020
Standards Watch: Tent Designer Mike Cecot-Scherer, Backpacking Light, December 2020
Standards Watch: Steve Seeber Interview, Backpacking Light, November 2020
Adapting to Changing Wildfires: Part Three, Backpacking Light, November 2020
Adapting to Changing Wildfires: Part Two, Backpacking Light, October 2020
Adapting to Changing Wildfires: Part One, Backpacking Light, October 2020
Sleeping Bag Temperature Ratings, Backpacking Light, October 2020 (video podcast)
GPS: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly​, Backpacking Light, October 2020
Sleeping Bag Temperature Ratings, Backpacking Light, September 2020
Improving R-values for Consumers,  Backpacking Light, September 2020
Standards Watch: Introduction,  Backpacking Light, September 2020 
First, Buy a Smaller Pack, Backpacking Light, May 2020
More Reasons to Modify Gear, Backpacking Light, April 2020
Buy Less, Do More with Good Enough Gear, Backpacking Light, February 2020
Turn-by-Turn Directions for Simple Backpacking Navigation, Backpacking Light, January 2020
2019 Staff Picks (contributor), Backpacking Light, December 2019
Sleeping Pad R-values: Not That Useful, Backpacking Light, November 2019
Backpacking Scissors, Backpacking Light, February 2018
Rescue Insurance for Backpackers, Backpacking Light, January 2014
Backpacking With A Thermometer, Backpacking Light, October 2013
Backpacking With A Voice Recorder, Backpacking Light, October 2013
Satellite Texting, Backpacking Light, March 2013
Satellite Phones, Backpacking Light, March 2013
Two-way Satellite Communications for Backpacking, Backpacking Light, March 2013
Other work

The story behind “If the data you need still exists ...”
rexsanders.com
2021 January 8