Wilderness backpacking is life’s greatest passion for Jaeger Shaw, despite making every possible mistake on a fateful, life-trajectory-altering first trip in 2011. Shortly thereafter, he became obsessed with gear, optimized his kit, and began practicing ultralight techniques – with lots of help from Adventure Alan.

Since then, Jaeger (pronounced Jay-ger) has navigated cross-country routes in Alaska, Patagonia, and the Rockies; knocked out section hikes on the PCT, CDT, AT, and PNWT; enjoyed countless multi-day treks in the mountains and deserts of the American West, and completed nearly all 28 trips in the guidebook, Backpacking Washington.

Focusing his career on the Outdoor Industry, Jaeger worked at Outdoor Research from 2012-2022, collaborated on content with Adventure Alan since 2016, and as of spring 2023, is the owner and managing editor of Adventure Alan & Co. He holds a very high standard when it comes to gear, and always views new hiking products through the lens of performance-to-weight-to-value ratio.

Beyond hiking, Jaeger enjoys complex strategy card games, skiing, running, movies that are so-bad-they’re-good, and is a three-time Seattle Corporate League Ultimate Frisbee champion in partnership with Team REI, (AKA Cotton Kills). His greatest strength is the ability to eat a massive breakfast immediately upon waking up, even at 4am.

Jaeger resides in his hometown of Seattle, WA, land of the Duwamish Tribe. Follow along to read more of Jaeger’s adventures, gear reviews, and recommendations.