The White Mountains in New Hampshire have a well-deserved reputation as a challenging place to hike. People are always a bit surprised by this because they’re not that high in elevation, only topping out at 6,288 feet on Mt Washington. Still, people …

Backpackers and campers have a wide range of stoves available to them ranging from all-in-one stove systems to general-purpose units that can be used across a wide range of temperatures and locales. Backpacking stoves fall into four popular categories: canister stoves, alcohol …

The Enlightened Equipment Visp is an ultralight 3-layer waterproof breathable rain jacket with a fully adjustable hood, velcro wrist cuffs, a waterproof zipper, and a drop tail, that’s fully seam-taped seam taped.  The Visp is lightweight and breathable enough that it can …

Two-person backpacking tents can be used by couples or solo backpackers who want a little bit more space to store their gear inside the tent in bad weather or on long treks. When shopping for two-person backpacking tents, we recommend that you …

Many backpackers carry closed-cell foam sleeping pads because they’re lightweight and don’t fail like air mattresses. If you want to carry multi-purpose gear to save weight, you’re hard on gear or want to save money, closed-cell sleeping pads provide many advantages over …

The REI Flash Air 50 Backpack is an ultralight, roll-top backpack that weighs 1 lbs 14 oz. Available in men’s and women’s sizes, it’s quite similar to the REI Flash 55 Backpack (link to our review) with its reconfigurable pack-mod accessory pocket …

A headlamp is one of the most important 10 essentials for backpacking, hiking, fastpacking, trail running, climbing, and any other kind of outdoor adventure sport. Using your smartphone as a flashlight doesn’t cut it. But the days of carrying extra AA and …

If you plan on winter camping or backpacking in temperatures below 15 degrees Fahrenheit, you should consider getting a liquid fuel stove that burns petroleum distillates like white gas or kerosene instead of a canister-based stove that burns isobutane fuel. Canister gas …

Have you ever spent a cold night shivering in your sleeping bag under a backpacking quilt because the temperature dropped lower than you expected? Here are a few tips and tricks you can use to sleep more warmly using the gear and …

The Patagonia Torrentshell 3L is a moderately priced, 3-layer waterproof/breathable rain jacket that’s surprisingly affordable with premium features important to hikers and backpackers. It has a two-way adjustable hood with a front brim, pit-zips, zippered handwarmer pockets, rip-and-stick velcro-style cuffs, and is …

Hard shell jackets are a burly type of rain jacket, usually made with waterproof/breathable fabric, that is used for cold weather hiking as a windproof and waterproof clothing layer. They have a richer set of temperature regulation features and pockets than warm …

DEET is still the most widely used insect repellent in use today. It is available in multiple concentrations ranging from 10 percent up to 100 percent. The main difference between the different concentrations is how long they remain effective. For example, a …

The Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 20 is an ultralight down sleeping bag designed for back sleepers that weighs 20 ounces (1 lb 4 oz) and is insulated with 900 fill power waterproof down. It has a box-baffled construction to eliminate cold spots and a …

The Enlightened Equipment Torrid Jacket (Stock Model) is a very warm and lightweight synthetic insulated jacket that’s optimized for use by hikers and backpackers. It is not much to look at style-wise (if you get the “stock model”) so it’s not going …