Snowshoes are heavy, weighing between four and five pounds a pair, so most winter hikers are happy when they don’t have to carry them on a winter hike. But how can you tell when they won’t be needed? This is a question that vexes many winter hikers. When you add up …

Oboz Sawtooth II Low Hiking Shoes are ventilated, non-waterproof shoes for hikers and backpackers who want shoes that are lighter weight and less constricting than hiking boots, but are more stable and protective than trail running shoes. While they look similar to Merrell Moab 2 Low Vent Hiking Shoes and …

The Gossamer Gear Silverback 55 is a refined and highly functional multi-day backpack that can easily configured in different ways for different kinds of trips, from long distance thru-hiking to multi-day backpacks, on and off-trail. This is the second iteration of the Silverback and it’s undergone some major changes, on balance …

Ultralight backpacking gear lets you hike farther, faster, and with less of a physical impact so you can enjoy yourself more. While you can spend an arm and a leg to switch to ultralight backpacking gear, the cost of doing is probably less than you realize. As an example, I’ve …

The Vargo ExoTi 50 is an external frame backpack made with an ultralight titanium frame. Weighing 2 lbs 11 oz. it combines the ventilation and load carrying benefits of an external frame backpack with the light weight of a modern, ultralight-style pack bag. While the pack’s titanium frame is unique, it …

Most winter hikers in the White Mountains check the weather a few times ever day, so they can grab a good weather window to climb the more challenging above-timberline peaks and enjoy the view. With temperatures forecast in the 30’s and a calm wind, I knew this would be a …

While there are hundreds of hiking boots, trail shoes, and trail runners available, most hikers and backpackers choose from a small set of common makes and models. We surveyed 2,700 hikers in 2019 to ask them what hiking boots, mids, and trail shoes they use. We found that 42% of …

The NEMO Rocket 2 is a three-season, two person single-wall tent that can be set up with trekking poles or the pair of interlocking tent poles included with the tent. Weighing only 22 oz (18.2 oz without poles), the Rocket 2 has two asymmetric peaks, two doors, and two vestibules …