Gear Reviews

The Gregory Juno 24 is a ventilated women’s daypack with an integrated mesh back panel and hip belt that cups your hips and torso like a second skin while keeping you cool and dry in hot and humid weather. Unlike many smaller …

Chair Buddies are clip-on chair feet compatible with popular backpacking chairs like the Helinox Chair Zero and the REI Flexlite Air Chair that prevent the chair feet from sinking into sand, gravel, and loose dirt. You can leave them on your chair …

The Minus33 Woolverino ¼ Zip Hoodie is a micro weight, wool blend long sleeve shirt that works well for a cool weather base layer. Woolverino is a blend of Merino Wool (84%), Nylon (12%), and Spandex (4%), which adds strength, elasticity, and …

The Big Agnes Sidewinder SL 35 is a new type of sleeping bag designed for side sleepers and so-called rotisserie sleepers that roll around and change positions when they sleep. Instead of a mummy hood and draft collar, the Sidewinder has a …

The Grand Trunk Hangout Hammock Stand is a portable, reasonably priced, and easy-to-assemble hammock stand so you can set up a hammock when there aren’t any trees around. It comes complete with a portable carry case that you can sling over your …

The Mountainsmith Scream 55 Backpack is a multi-day backpack that’s well-featured, quite durably built, and relatively inexpensive. It’s undergone some design changes this year, including a sturdier frame and a new U-shaped front panel opening that will appeal to overnight and weekend …

The Sea to Summit Ultralight Air Mat Sleeping Pad is quick to inflate and deflate, folds flat and compactly, and is covered with dimpled air cells that adapt to a sleeper’s curves like the mattress of your bed at home. Weighing 13.9 …

The UCO Flatpack Mini Portable Grill and its bigger brother, the UCO Flatpack Portable Grill and Firepit are stainless steel grills that fold flat when not in use. While I’ve tried a bunch of these small grills in the past without much …

The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite Sleeping Pad is an updated version of the original stem-valve NeoAir UberLite pad, featuring Therm-a-Rest’s new Winglock Valve, which can be used as a one-way (non-leaking) valve during inflation and a two-way valve during deflation. The NeoAir UberLite …

The Deuter Trail Pro 36 is a great mid-sized backpack that’s good for technical hikes where you need to carry extra gear, hut-to-hut trips, and even overnight backpacking. It has a lightweight spring steel frame capable of hauling 30-pound loads, a sewn-on …

Nashville Packs is a new cottage backpack manufacturer that’s fundamentally reinventing the way that vest-style backpacks are sized and made. I’ve been testing out their flagship product, the Cutaway Backpack, which is a frameless rolltop pack that’s hands-down the most comfortable, best-fitting, …

The Lifestraw Flex is a screw-on style backcountry water filter that is compatible with a wide range of soda-sized water bottles and reservoirs. While it comes with its own 22 oz soft-bottle, you can also screw it onto standard-sized soda bottles, Platypus …

Klymit’s Static V Luxe Sleeping Pad is an interesting twist on a luxury inflatable sleeping pad, combining a decadent 30″ width, with a pad that is easy to inflate, and rolls up into a small bundle barely the size of many ultralightweight backpacking …

The Hoka One One Speedgoat 4 is a trail running shoe built for covering long distances comfortably while giving you confidence with each step, no matter the terrain. The Speedgoat’s most impressive feature is its Vibram MegaGrip rubber outsole with 5mm lugs …