Gear Reviews by Manufacturer

The Montbell Down Balaclava is insulated with 800 fill power down and can be used to augment an insulated jacket or as a part of a backpacking quilt sleep system. Weighing 3.1 oz (87 grams) it is a highly adjustable piece of …

The MSR MiniWorks EX Water Filter is a pump-style backcountry water filter that removes bacteria and protozoa from hard to reach water sources. It’s also compatible with wide mouth water bottles and hydration bladders from Nalgene and MSR. If you need additional …

The Hammock Gear Economy Burrow Quilt (“Econ Burrow”) is a fantastic value for a high-quality top quilt and perfectly suited as a hammock top quilt for the backpacker who doesn’t mind a few extra ounces in exchange for a much lower price. …

La Sportiva’s Ultra Raptor Trail Runners are hiking shoes that excel in mountain environments because their soles have sticky rubber which adheres well to rock, including wet rock while providing enough protection for your feet. A thick rubber toe cap and an …

Montbell’s Versalite Pants are 2-layer ultralight waterproof/breathable pants that weigh just 3.7 oz (in a men’s XL.) They can be used as rain pants or wind pants or when you want light layer to keep your legs warmer in camp. Montbell’s Versalite Pants …

The Montbell Tachyon Parka does a marvelous job at keeping me warm in cold, windy and wet conditions. Weighing just 2.6 oz in a size XXL (Japanese clothing sizes run small), the Tachyon wind shirt is the size of an apple and easy to …

I started using a different pair of snowshoes a few years ago, switching from a pair of MSR Lightning Ascents to a pair of Evo Ascent Snowshoes, also from MSR. While the Lightning Ascents are great snowshoes for mountainous winter hiking and …

The Katadyn BeFree Water Filter is a hollow-fiber water filter, like the filter included in the Sawyer Squeeze and Sawyer Mini Water Filter Systems, but with a MUCH FASTER flow rate. How fast? I can filter a liter of water in 30 seconds …

When the weather gets cold and temperatures drop below freezing at night, I like to switch from using a water filter like the Sawyer Squeeze which will break if frozen (even a bit) to the SteriPEN Adventurer Opti Water Purifier. It works …

The Klymit Motion 60 is a multi-day backpack that uses a removable inflatable pad to augment its frame providing increased comfort and support. A 60-liter alpine-style pack with a top lid and four tiers of side compression, the Motion 60 can haul …

The KS Ultralight Alpisack is a 50L frameless backpack weighing 21 oz. While it can be used year-round, it has a few special features that also make it suitable for climbing, snowshoeing, skiing, and winter hiking. Being frameless, it can’t carry much …

The Hammock Gear Bottom Entry Bug Net is a simple, inexpensive, durable and lightweight solution to protect yourself from bugs while hammock camping. It eliminates zippers which can snag or fail, and, per its name, uses elasticized shockcord on the bottom for …

MSR has a new class of double-wall inner tents called fast and light tent “bodies” which are inner tents without any mesh, designed to reduce gear weight and provide more wind and rain-splatter protection than pitching the fly in a fast and …

In early November I was hiking the Long Trail in Vermont, trying to eke out one last weekend section hike before the weather got colder. At this time of year it gets pitch black at 5:00 pm. I finished eating dinner just …