Ultralight Backpacking Gear Reviews

Gossamer Gear Polycryo is ultralight industrial-grade plastic sheeting that’s used as an ultralight ground cloth or tent footprint by many backpackers. It’s waterproof and surprisingly puncture-proof making it an ideal protective barrier for inflatable sleeping pads and ultralight tent floors. You can also cut and shape it with a pair …

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 more than 20-25 pounds of gear, water, food, …

The LightHeart Gear Rain Jacket (MSRP $99) is a lightweight ripstop nylon waterproof rain jacket made the old-fashioned way, without any so-called breathable fabric. Coated on the outside with silicone and on the inside with polyurethane, this maintenance-free rain jacket won’t wet out like much more expensive waterproof breathable jackets that …

Hyperlite Mountain Gear’s small and large packing pods are the ultralight equivalent of the luggage packing cubes that people use to pack travel bags. They’re U-shaped to fit snugly into Hyperlite’s backpacks and can be used in place of a white plastic compactor bag to provide extra moisture protection for the …

The MassDrop Klymit Ultralight V Sleeping Pad is a lightweight insulated sleeping pad that’s the result of a special design collaboration between MassDrop and sleeping pad maker Klymit. With an R-Value of 4.4, the Ultralight V is ideal for spring or autumn backpacking and camping when the ground temperature is …

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 (55L) Southwest Backpack is a durable Dyneema DCF (formerly called cuben fiber) backpack that’s good for thru-hiking and multi-day backpacking trips in rugged terrain. The 3400 Southwest is basically the same pack as the smaller volume Hyperlite Mountain Gear 2400 (40L) Southwest Backpack (SectionHiker Gear of …

The Katadyn BeFree Water Filter is now available with three different soft bottle capacities: 0.6L (20 oz.), 1.0L (33.8 oz.), and the latest, a 3.0L (101 oz.) bottle. I think the 3.0L size is perfect for backpacking because it can be used to haul additional water for camping or to …

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Echo II Ultralight Shelter System is a modular tarp shelter system with three components that can be mixed and matched depending on your trip requirements. Made with Dyneema fiber, it’s also very lightweight enabling it to be used by one or two people with little weight …

Don’t let the goofy appearance of the Klymit LiteWater Dinghy (LWD) fool you. This oddly shaped inflatable boat is masterfully designed for flatwater use even though it looks much different from other packrafts. Affordably priced, it provides an enormous amount of value and should definitely be on your shortlist if …

Superior Wilderness Designs is a Michigan-based ultralight gear manufacturer that has just introduced a backpack designed for thru-hiking called the 50L Long Haul. Weighing 29 ounces, it’s made with X-Pac, an ultralight waterproof laminate like cuben fiber, but less expensive and more durable. While less well-known, X-Pac is a tried …

Ultralight backpacking tents and shelters come in all shapes and sizes, but each type has advantages and disadvantages for different camping conditions. It’s best to understand these before you waste money on a tent or shelter that doesn’t suit your needs or comfort preferences. There are six basic types of …

The Katabatic Gear Onni V40 65L is a 34-ounce rolltop backpack that’s designed for challenging multi-day backpacking trips. It’s made with a waterproof laminate called V40 (XPac) which is slightly heavier than cuben fiber but less expensive and more abrasion-resistant. Katabatic Gear offers all of their packs in two fabrics, …

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 edges of the quilt when you move around …

I use 9 clothing items (not including hats, socks, or gloves) for three season hiking and backpacking. It’s amazing how many different scenarios they are sufficient for. Environmental Needs Most of the hiking and backpacking I do is in New Hampshire and Maine, up and down the East Coast on …