Gear Reviews

The NEMO Moonlite Reclining Chair is a portable trail chair that’s a bit heavier but far more robust than the other leading trail chairs available today such as the Helinox Chair Zero or the REI Flexlite. It has a comfortable mesh seat …

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. …

The Paria Outdoors Sanctuary Siltarps are a series of ultralight budget silicone/PU coated nylon tarps that come in various shapes (square, rectangular, hex and tapered) and sizes. For this review, we tested the lightest and most minimal size, the tapered A-frame tarp. …

REI’s Minimalist GTX Mittens 2.0 are 3-layer Gore-tex mitten shells that are ideal for use as rain mittens by themselves in cool weather or over a fleece or wool glove liner in winter. They have long gauntlets that cover your wrists, with …

OR’s Helium Gaiters are high hiking gaiters that are suitable for four-season use with any footwear that has an arched sole. They’re much thinner, cooler, and lighter weight than heavier-duty mountaineering gaiters (such as OR’s Crocodile Gaiters) but still perfectly suitable for …

The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite Sleeping Pad is an insulated air mattress designed for three-season camping with an R-value = 4.2, measured using the new Outdoor Industry Sleeping Pad R-value Standard. Weighing just 12 oz (see below), the XLite is also lightweight, durable, and …

The Black Diamond Hilight 2 Tent is a freestanding wedge-shaped, single-wall tent with a trail weight of 3 lbs 12 oz. It’s made with Sil/PU coated polyester which does not sag or stretch when it gets wet and is fully waterproof and …

The Featherstone Moondance 25 is an off-the-shelf 850 fill power down-insulated backpacking quilt with a zippered/drawstring footbox, draft collar, and pad attachment system that’s affordably priced and available for purchase on Amazon. It has a box baffled construction used by higher quality quilts …

The Dutchware Argon Vented Winter Sock is a large sleeve that wraps around your hammock and underquilt and blocks the wind. If you plan to hammock in cool weather, say 40 degrees or less, it really pays to add a overcover and …

The Katabatic Gear Flex 40 is a premium quilt-style sleeping bag. Weighing 16.9 ounces (18.2 actual tested), it’s filled with 900 fill power goose down and comes with an effective sleeping pad attachment system to help prevent drafts from blowing under the …

Outdoor Research’s Helium Wind Convertible Liners are stretchy liner gloves with a Pertex Quantum cover that can be deployed to make them windproof. They’re good for active winter hiking and running when you want to wear breathable gloves for dexterity without having …

Black Diamond’s Alpine Carbon Cork Trekking Poles are three-piece, lever-lock, carbon-fiber hiking poles with cork grips that include removable 38 mm trekking baskets and 100 mm powder baskets for skiing or snowshoeing. They come in a unisex green version, a women’s magenta …

Outdoor Research Phosphor Down Mitts are warm down-insulated mittens for people who get very cold hands during winter hikes or when downhill skiing, snowboarding, or snowmobiling. They’re insulated with 600 fill power goose down and made with Goretex Infinium with Windstopper. While …

The Allmansright Custom Liten 35 Backpack is a frameless backpack with 35 truly usable liters of capacity, that can be used as a hiking daypack or an ultralight backpacking pack for hikers with a dialed kit. While there are a lot of …