The Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket is a minimalist waterproof/breathable rain jacket and a long-time favorite with thru-hikers and section hikers because it is so lightweight. Weighing a mere 6.8 ounces in a men’s size X-Large,  it is best used in warm …

The REI Flexlite Air Chair is a portable camping chair that is lightweight and compact enough to take backpacking. Weighing 16.2 oz (459 g), it’s definitely a luxury item, but one that is easy to rationalize if you want to hang out …

The Framus 48L is an ultralight backpack made by Bonfus, a Norwegian company, one of a handful of cottage backpacking gear companies in Europe and the UK. It’s set up like most ultralight backpacks with a roll-top closure, two side pockets, and …

The Tarptent Aeon Li is a one-person Dyneema trekking pole tent that weighs 15.8 oz. It’s basically a half-pyramid shape, modified so that it has more usable headroom and interior space than regular pyramid tents and tarps. It has a built-in bathtub …

I replaced my old Titanium camping pot with the more compact 1 liter, 3.9-ounce Evernew titanium pasta pot (formerly sold by REI), in 2010 before hiking coast-to-coast in Scotland’s TGO Challenge. While my primary reason for doing this was to compress the …

Hotspots and hiking blisters occur when increased friction from your footwear causes the outer layers of your skin to separate from the inner layers, a process called “shear.” When the layers of skin separate, the resulting void is filled with fluid creating …

The Sitka Fanatic Hoody is a versatile hooded grid fleece mid-layer that’s great for on-trail hiking and off. It has an integrated face mask which is good for wind and sun protection, mittens sewn onto the end of its sleeves, a kangaroo …

I have a fondness for my Exped Schnozzel, a large 42L dry-bag style stuff sack (2.1 oz) that can serve double duty as a pack liner and an inflation bag for an inflatable sleeping pad. (I’ve actually been using it since 2015!) …

The La Sportiva Nucleo High II GTX boots are hybrid leather and textile backpacking boots that weigh less than many mid hiking boots but have deep lugs, a large toe kick, and a reinforced midsole that offers better foot protection. The boots …

The Six Moon Designs Deschutes Tarp is a one-person, single-wall ultralight pyramid tarp which weighs 13 oz (although ours weighs 12 oz seam-sealed). Made with silnylon, this floorless tarp requires one trekking pole or tent pole to set up and six tent …

The Mystery Ranch 3-Zip Terraframe 50 is an external frame backpack with a load sling that’s good for hauling awkwardly shaped and heavy loads that won’t fit into a normal top-loader or roll-top pack. Load sling packs (also called breakaway packs), like …

Mt Isolation is one of the most remote White Mountains 4000-footers and can make for a long day in any conditions. Being April, you might think that spring has arrived in New Hampshire, but it’s nowhere close. We’re still contending with full-on …

There’s nothing worse than chafing on a hike or backpacking trip between your thighs or butt cheeks.  Often called monkey-butt or baboon ass, it is absolute agony and gets worse with every step you take. Here are some trail-tested ways to prevent …

The Durston Gear Kakwa 55 Backpack is an ultralight, internal frame pack that weighs just under 2 pounds with a total volume of 55L plus additional external storage. It has a sewn-on hipbelt, load lifters, an aluminum tubular frame, large hipbelt pockets, …