Hyperlite Mountain Gear’s small and large packing pods are the ultralight equivalent of the luggage packing cubes that people use to pack travel bags. They’re U-shaped to fit snugly into Hyperlite’s backpacks and can be used in place of a white plastic compactor …

Layering is one of the most important skills that winter hikers must learn.  It’s the key to staying comfortable in cold weather and preventing perspiration from chilling you. Perspiration reduces your clothing’s ability to trap the warm air heated by your body heat. …

The two most popular peaks to climb on Franconia Ridge, are Mt Lafayette and Mt Lincoln, two 5000-footers with stellar views of Franconia Notch and the Pemigewasset Wilderness. These two mountains are sublime and magnificent in their own right, but they really …

Hillsound Trail Crampons are a winter traction aid that’s tailor-made for hiking on inclined trails covered with hard ice or packed snow where you need longer and sharper spikes to penetrate the surface and give you a good grip.  They’re compatible with insulated …

Wind chill can best be described as a sensation that we feel as a result of the effects of wind and temperature. Wind chill is not something that can be measured using a device, so scientists have come up with a mathematical …

While the small spikes on Kahtoola Microspikes and Hillsound Trail Crampons can provide extra winter traction on icy trails, there are times where you want a more aggressive crampon for winter hiking and light scrambling. While you can use heavy-duty mountaineering or …

There are three kinds of winter hiking boots: insulated winter hiking boots, mountaineering boots, and pac boots. Which kind of winter hiking boot is right for you? Here’s a detailed guide that explains the differences between these so you can pick the …

Today’s winter boots are waterproof, insulated, and compatible with traction aids such as microspikes and snowshoes. While 200 gram Thinsulate insulated mids are fine for commuting and short local walks down to about 10-20 degrees (F), we recommend buying boots with higher …

MSR has a group version of their WindBurner canister gas stove system. Whereas other versions are “upright” type stoves (where the burner mounts on top of the canister), this is a “remote” type stove (where the canister is off to the side, connected …

It’s amazing how some backpacking gear myths persist, even when there’s ample evidence to the contrary. Then there are the lies that gear marketers propagate to sell their products to people who don’t know better. Here are a few of my favorites: …

The Northern Lites Ultralight Backcountry Snowshoe weighs 43 ounces per pair, less than half the weight of most conventional snowshoes from MSR or Tubbs. That’s a big deal because you can slash a few pounds from your winter gear list while reducing …

A one-page listing of weather forecast and trail conditions information for each of the 48 New Hampshire White Mountain 4000 footers. How many of you spend hours each month searching NOAA, NETC, or Mountain Forecast, typing in mountain names into their tiny …

Hillsound Trail Crampon Ultras and Kahtoola Microspikes are the most popular winter traction aids for hiking on packed snow, ice, and mixed ice and rock. They’re like tire chains for your feet, with tiny metal spikes and chains that are attached to …

The Jetboil MiniMo backpacking stove is a canister-based camping stove system that can simmer, so you can actually cook ingredients on a smaller flame, in addition to a full-on boil like Jetboil’s other personal or group stoves systems. Specs at a Glance Volume: 32 oz (1 …