Gear Reviews

The Arc’teryx Squamish Hoody is a lightweight windshirt (wind shell or windbreaker) that can be used for multiple sports from hiking and mountaineering to climbing and trail running. It’s very barebones, with a one-way adjustable hood, stretch cuffs, a zippered chest pocket, …

The Feathered Friends Petrel 10  UL is the nicest sleeping bag I own. This is a women’s sleeping bag packed with 950+ fill goose down, made in the USA by Feathered Friends in Seattle, Washington. It weighs 32.3 ounces and is rated …

The REI Rainier Rain Jacket is an inexpensive but well-featured waterproof/breathable rain jacket that can be used year-round for hiking and backpacking. Priced at $99.95 dollars, but often discounted, the Rainier is virtually identical to the Marmot Precip Eco Rain Jacket and …

The Black Diamond Beta Lite 45 is an ultralight rolltop backpack with vest-style shoulder straps inspired by running packs. Weighing 31.2 oz, it’s made with an ultralight fabric called Ultra 200 and Ultra 400 and seam-taped internally, making it effectively waterproof. It’s …

The Gregory Katmai 65 is an internal frame backpack with an adjustable torso length, an adjustable-sized hipbelt, and a suspended mesh back panel. The pack is loaded with pockets and has multiple access points that make it easy to organize and access …

The Rab Downpour Eco Rain Jacket is an affordable waterproof/breathable rain jacket with many features that will appeal to environmentally conscious hikers. It has an excellent human-sized (non-helmet compatible) hood, pit zips, hipbelt compatible pockets, and velcro wrist cuffs. The entire jacket …

The Grayl GeoPress Water Purifier is a bottle-based water filter that removes bacteria, viruses, and protozoa from contaminated backcountry and international water sources. It’s easy to use, portable, and safe to use by individuals for day hiking, fishing, or international travel when …

The Granite Gear Blaze 60 is a multi-day backpack with an adjustable length torso and hip belt, so you can get a personalized fit. Weighing 3 lbs, the Blaze 60 is optimized for hauling heavy and bulky gear, including the ability to …

The Granite Gear Crown3 60L is an affordable ultralight backpack with a modular design that can be easily configured for ultralight backpacking, thru-hikes, and winter hiking. The things that set this roll-top backpack apart from other ultralight-style packs, besides its very reasonable …

The Outdoor Research Echo Hoodie is a lightweight breathable hoodie with a UPF of 15 which provides a moderate level of sun protection. It’s intended for use in hot weather during high-exertion activities such as hiking and trail running. While it has …

The NEMO Disco 15 is a spoon-shaped three-season down sleeping bag for camping and backpacking that has more elbow and knee room than a traditional mummy bag.  Its thermal retention and draft management features add to its versatility, and several well-designed small features …

Water purification with the Steripen Adventurer Opti ultraviolet light is an easy way to kill the bacteria, viruses, and cryptosporidium found in natural water sources when day hiking, camping, or backpacking. It’s easy to use, very reliable, and works in all temperatures, …

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Contour 35 is a waterproof frameless backpack designed for thru-hiking by more experienced backpackers carrying minimal gear. With 43.5L of total volume (35L internal and 6.5L external), it’s been stripped down to a minimal feature set to reduce …

The BioLite Headlamp 330 is a micro-USB rechargeable LED headlamp with a remote battery pack that’s good for hiking, trail running, and camping. Weighing 2.4 oz, it has white and red modes, flood and spot modes, a dimmer, battery meter, and digital …