MSR’s Lightning Ascent Snowshoes are lightweight, durable snowshoes that are ideal for winter hiking and backpacking in mountainous terrain. They’re designed with a unique 360-degree traction system that allows you to walk up slopes or laterally across them without losing your grip. The Lightning Ascents were the first snowshoes to …

Outdoor Research Transcendent Down Gloves provide great warmth and excellent dexterity, which can be a difficult combination to achieve in an insulated winter glove. While mitts and mitten shells are a winter hiking essential, they don’t provide enough dexterity to hold an ice ax, melt snow, or check a GPS. My …

Winter backpacking requires the development of many new skills, particularly in the area of hydration and stove use. Chief amongst these is melting snow for drinking water since most of the streams you encounter will be frozen over and you can’t ingest enough liquid by eating snow. The most reliable …

You don’t have to be an ultralight backpacker to appreciate how much Dyneema (formerly called cuben fiber) has revolutionized backpacking gear, halving the weight of many items, and making backpacking much more pleasurable in the process.  In addition to being lightweight, Dyneema is quite strong and waterproof, making it an …

Winter hiking boots have evolved tremendously over the past 10 years and are now lighter weight and more comfortable than ever before. Gone are the days when you needed to choose between military surplus boots, plastic mountaineering boots, or heavy pac boots to keep your feet warm. Today’s winter boots …

Sleeping bags are still the most popular nighttime insulation option with female backpackers because they’re warmer in cold, damp, or drafty weather, especially below freezing. While mummy sleeping bag designs still prevail, there’s a lot more variety in the types of sleeping bags that have become available in the past …

The Carter Ledge Trail is considered one of the scariest trails in the White Mountains because it requires scrambling across an open ledge above a cliff. Carter Ledge is also on the Terrifying 25 List, which is a popular list of sketchy and yes, terrifying hiking trails in the White …

Weighing in at just 1.73 oz, the Knog Quokka is a unique looking rechargeable LED headlamp ($25) with red and white lightning modes including a spot and wide beam. Ideal for camping and backpacking, it’s comes with a simple and comfortable silicone headband and has an integrated USB plug that …

It can be difficult to pick good backpacking gifts if you’re not an expert backpacker or hiker. That’s why we’ve pulled together this list of great backpacking gifts under $50 to help you get your backpacking friends gear that they’ll appreciate. If you want to spend more, we suggest giving …

Four-season tents for mountaineering, winter backpacking, and backcountry skiing tours need to be a good deal stronger than regular three season tents if you are camping in exposed windy terrain that is subject to heavy snow loads. The strongest and most wind-resistant tents are wedge or dome-shaped and freestanding, so …

The Deuter Trail Pro 36 is a great mid-sized backpack that’s good for technical hikes where you need to carry extra gear, hut-to-hut trips, and even overnight backpacking. It has a lightweight spring steel frame capable of hauling 30-pound loads, a sewn-on top lid, and front panel access through a …

For serious winter snowshoeing over hiking trails and in the backcountry, you want a winter hiking snowshoe that is durable, with aggressive crampons for traction and a secure binding system that locks your boots to the snowshoes. If you’re interested in getting off the grid and snowshoeing through steep terrain …

The Black Diamond FirstLight Tent is a four-season, two-person tent that weighs 2 lbs 9 oz. It’s a single-wall, free-standing tent that is a snap to set up, which is important in freezing weather when you want to get out of your cold damp clothes and into warm dry ones. …

Winter backpacking backpacks are more specialized than regular three-season backpacks, with a stronger emphasis on heavier weight loads, external attachment points, and durability for carrying bulky gear with sharp points like snowshoes, skis, ice axes, and crampons. They also favor more pockets and the ability to access and put away …