Solitude Finds Its Own Stories: A Creative Journey with Kraig Adams, a Solo Hiking Filmmaker

Kraig Adams has made a living by carrying a camera and backpack through some of the world's most remote land for almost ten years. The independent filmmaker lives in Brooklyn and spends most of the year at home planning trips, editing footage, and getting ready for the next adventure. Then, a few times each year, he heads into the wilderness for a week or two, carrying everything he needs on his back.

His films have taken viewers to places such as Kyrgyzstan, Patagonia, the Alps, Norway, and the Balkans. Each trip is a story, designed to capture the landscape and the experience of moving through it alone.

Although many people see him as a digital nomad, Kraig describes his lifestyle a little differently.

"Closest label is probably mobile creator with a home base. I'm not nomadic in the sense of living out of a bag year-round. I live in Brooklyn with my family, and then a handful of times a year I go do something like a multi-week solo traverse through Norway or the Alps, completely off on my own, then come back and edit."

That balance between home and the trail has shaped both his work and the way he tells stories.

A Life Built Between Home and the Trail

To many viewers, Kraig's life looks like a series of adventures, but the reality is much quieter. Most of his year is spent at home in Brooklyn, editing videos, planning future hikes, and enjoying a routine that looks much like anyone else's.

"I don't really travel constantly. Most of my year is honestly pretty boring in a good way. Brooklyn, home, editing at my desk. Then a few times a year I just disappear solo for a week or two."

That contrast has been central to his creative process.

"For me it's not constant travel, it's contrast. Weeks of very fixed routine at home, same coffee shop, same grocery store, walking the dog. Then a trip where I'm carrying everything I need on my back for a week or two straight, moving every day and sleeping somewhere different every night."

Each side offers him something different. The trail provides him with the experiences worth filming, and home provides him with the time to reflect, edit and turn those experiences into stories.

"The trail gives me the stuff worth filming, and home is where I actually sit down and turn it into something."

He also views daily life differently after returning home. For a while, everyday moments feel different after spending days carrying only the necessities. It gets easier to notice little details, and many of those insights eventually find their way into his narration.

Every Story Begins Before the Trail

Although Kraig's videos focus on the experience of hiking, every trip begins long before he reaches the trail. He researches routes, studies weather conditions, plans logistics, and carefully packs every piece of equipment he will carry for the next week or two.

Multi-day hikes require careful planning and constant problem-solving, but years of experience have also taught him to stay open to the unexpected.

Once the hike begins, every decision belongs to him.

"I plan it, hike it, film it, edit it, all me."

When working alone, there’s nobody else to decide what is worth filming. He relies instead on the instinct he has honed over years on the trail.

"Something weird happens, like an animal crossing the trail or some random conversation at a hut, I kind of just know right away that's going in the video."

That instinct has become a defining part of his filmmaking over the years. Whether it's a fire salamander crossing the trail, two dogs balancing across a narrow log bridge, or sharing homemade rakija with strangers before sunrise at a mountain hut, Kraig recognizes those moments almost immediately.

"When it surprises me, if it makes me want to tell someone about it later, it goes in the film."

Back home, he sorts through hundreds of clips and slowly builds each film around five or six moments that stayed with him long after the hike ended.

"Editing after is really just building the whole thing back around like five or six real moments instead of trying to show every single mile."

Most of the footage never appears in the final film. Instead, those memorable moments become the foundation of the story, while everything else helps connect the journey from beginning to end.

Finding His Voice

For years, Kraig's films were known for their quiet, cinematic style. Viewers followed his hikes through the sound of footsteps, rushing rivers, changing weather, and the silence that comes with spending days alone in the mountains. The format resonated with audiences, but over time he started thinking about how he wanted his storytelling to evolve.

"It wasn't one specific lightbulb moment. I was already rethinking the whole channel around that time. Things had grown a lot, and I think I was kind of on autopilot making the same quiet videos because they worked."

That change came together during a trip through Kyrgyzstan.

Standing in the mountains, Kraig realized there were parts of every journey that never appeared in his films. The people watching could see where he was, but they couldn't hear the doubts, the funny moments that came out of nowhere, or the thoughts that filled his long hours of walking alone.

"The silence isn't doing enough anymore. I want people to actually hear what I'm thinking, not just watch me walk."

He could share that part of the experience through narration.

"So narration let me put in the stuff that never made it in before. The doubt, the random funny stuff, the actual thoughts instead of just pretty shots."

Since then, his films have paired cinematic landscapes with the thoughts, experiences and emotions that defined each journey.

Powered From Anywhere

Kraig’s approach to gear has changed since living out of a backpack. Because he carries everything for days on end, it has to be worth the space and weight it takes up.

"Honestly it comes down to weight versus how much I'll actually use it. I'm not carrying anything that's dead weight for six days."

That same thinking applies to every piece of equipment he packs. Capacity matters, but so do charging speed, durability, and how easy something is to reach during the day. After hiking for hours, he often has only twenty or thirty minutes at camp before heading to sleep, so he wants gear that works quickly and fits naturally into his routine.

"I'm usually only plugging in for like 20 or 30 minutes at camp before I want to sleep. I keep it somewhere I can grab without digging, top pocket or hip belt, because half the time I'm charging something quick before heading out at 6am and I don't want to be unpacking my whole bag to find it."

For Kraig, a power bank is another essential piece of hiking gear. It supports the devices he relies on throughout the journey and gives him the confidence to use them whenever he needs them.

His phone has become one of the most important tools he carries. It helps him check his route when the weather changes, review navigation for the next day, make notes, and stay connected whenever there is signal.

Before heading into areas without reception, he always sends his wife, Mica, one final message.

"It's a small thing but it's not really small. Right before I know I'm about to lose signal for a few days I always text Mica something like, 'heading up, back in range in three days probably.' That's it, nothing dramatic."

Knowing his phone will have enough battery changes the way he approaches the hike. Instead of worrying about saving every percentage, he can use it when it matters most.

"Knowing my phone's actually going to have battery when I need it means I'm not stressed about it the whole trip, not turning it off to save 2% just in case. So I can actually use it when it matters, checking a junction when the weather's bad, or just getting one message out before it's dead silence for days."

For Kraig, having reliable power helps him enjoy the peace and quiet of the trail. It allows him the freedom to spend days alone with his thoughts, his camera and the outdoors, while still knowing he is able to navigate safely and stay in touch with loved ones when necessary. Then, when he returns to Brooklyn, he turns his solo days into storytelling films that he shares with the world.

At Baseus, we understand the importance of having space to explore and create. Whether that space is on a remote traill or closer to home, dependable power helps creators like Kraig make the most of their time away by staying in touch with the people waiting for them back home.

For creators who like to travel light, the Baseus PicoGo Air fits easily into a pocket or backpack without adding extra weight. For longer trips, the Baseus PicoGo AM52 gives you reliable power all day, so you can keep your important devices ready for when you need them.

Baseus PicoGo is ready to go with you wherever the next trail takes you.