Tents, Hammocks, and Tarps

The Sierra Designs High Side Tent is a single person, double-wall tent that’s a big step up in comfort from a bivy sack. While it features excellent ventilation and a side vestibule, one of the stand-out features of this tent are its …

The Big Agnes Scout Platinum 1 is a single-wall trekking pole tent that’s made with conventional tent fabrics but still only weighs 13 oz. Admittedly, that is a very attractive weight and price point for any ultralight tent, although it comes at …

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 …

TheTentLab MoonLight ML2 is luxurious as backpacking tents come, and a great example of when its worth trading weight for comfort. The attention to detail in its design is apparent in every thoughtful feature from its materials to its spacious interior and …

The Big Agnes Scout 2 Platinum is a 17 ounce, single wall trekking pole tent designed for three-season use. It has a pup-style, A-frame shape, with side struts that create vertical internal sidewalls for improved livability and ceiling height. While the tent …

The EMS Velocity 1 is a lightweight, freestanding and affordable backpacking tent.  I think it’s an exceptional value, particularly if you plan on doing any trips where you need to camp on unprepared tent sites in the woods or other wilderness areas where …

The Hyke & Byke Antero 15 is a hybrid ground sleeping bag and hammock peapod insulation system meant to lower the cost of entry into outdoor recreation. I recently reviewed another hammock peapod system, the Outdoor Vitals MummyPod. The Hyke and Byke …

The Ray-Way Tarp Kit is an excellent introduction to MYOG (make-your-own-gear) and for a reasonable price, makes a lightweight and highly-packable shelter which is flexible for many situations. I have used a Ray-Way Tarp as my primary solo and 2-person shelter since …

The Tarptent Notch is a single person, double wall ultralight tent weighing 27 ounces with two doors and two vestibules. With a removable inner nest (including bathtub floor), the rain fly can be pitched as a standalone tarp or as a complete …

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 …

The Hummingbird Single Hammock  is an 8’8″ x 3’11” hammock that weighs just 5.1 ounces and folds up into the size of a softball when packed up, making it an attractive hammock for international travel or camping. It’s made with reserve parachute …

The Mountain Laurel Design’s Bug Bivy is made using very fine netting which prevents gnats, ticks, black flies, and mosquitoes from reaching you. It has a full length, sewn-in silnylon floor which can also be used standalone as a ground sheet if …

The Thermarest Slacker Hammock Bug Shelter has a large zippered opening and floor making it easy to enter and exit, while protecting your gear, shoes, and clothing from bugs and creepy crawlers at night. It also works with any camping or backpacking …