The MSR Lightning Trail Snowshoe is an ultralight snowshoe designed for snowshoeing over rolling hills and level terrain, featuring a serrated 360-degree frame, horizontal struts, and toe crampon. MSR changed the binding on the Lightning Trails this year, replacing the former (fussy) …
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Oboz Bridger 10″ (400g) Winter Hiking Boots Review
The Oboz Bridger 10″ is a waterproof and insulated winter hiking boot with 400-gram Thinsulate insulation, making it suitable for extreme cold weather use. Oboz doesn’t publish a temperature rating for them but they’re comparable to other 400-gram insulated winter hiking boots …
Read More »Grivel G1 Crampons Review
Grivel’s G1 Crampons are 10-point steel crampons with a universal binding and flexible center bar, called a leaf spring, that makes them compatible for use with all types of boots including ones with soft soles that flex (like most insulated winter hiking …
Read More »Camp XLC 490 Aluminum Crampons Review
CAMP XLC 490 Crampons are lightweight aluminum crampons with a universal binding that are compatible with most mountaineering and hiking boots. They’re designed for low-angle hiking on ice and packed snow, often called glacier travel. While aluminum crampons aren’t as durable as …
Read More »Black Diamond Distance Spikes Traction Device Review
Black Diamond Distance Spikes are microspikes (lightweight winter traction devices) specifically designed for use with trail runners. They’re really quite ingenious and worth getting if you use low shoes with a soft mesh or textile-covered toe box for winter running and hiking. …
Read More »MSR Access 1 Tent Review
The MSR Access 1 is a freestanding, double-wall tent designed for ski touring and winter backpacking that only weighs 3 lbs. While it’s much warmer than a three-season tent and strong enough to handle moderate snow loads, it’s intended for use in …
Read More »Northern Lites Backcountry Snowshoes Review
The Northern Lites Ultralight Backcountry Snowshoe weighs 43 ounces per pair, less than half the weight of most conventional snowshoes from MSR or Tubbs. That’s a big deal because you can slash a few pounds from your winter gear list while reducing …
Read More »The ULA Circuit as a Winter Backpack
The ULA Circuit is one of the most popular thru-hiking and backpacking packs available today. It’s a conventional ultralight style pack with an open front mesh pocket, a roll-top closure, a spacer mesh back panel behind the shoulder straps, and large side …
Read More »Kahtoola K10 Hiking Crampon Review
Kahtoola’s K10 Crampons are winter hiking crampons designed for shoes with flexible soles ranging from trail runners to soft-soled insulated hiking boots. Featuring a flexible leaf string and superlight Chromoly steel, the K10 Crampons weigh just 21 ounces per pair (23.6 ounces …
Read More »Sierra Designs Convert 3 Tent Review
The Sierra Designs Convert 3 is a freestanding three-person tent that’s strong enough for four season winter camping and backpacking, but can also re-configured for three season use in less demanding conditions. It has a large main compartment and two vestibules, which …
Read More »Atlas Helium Trail Snowshoes Review
The Atlas Helium Trail ($150) is a lightweight and surprisingly inexpensive snowshoe designed for use on rolling hills and easy terrain. It has great traction and has a new Wrapp binding system, comparable to the Paragon Binding on MSR Lightning Ascent Snowshoes. …
Read More »The Snow Claw Backcounty Snow Shovel Review
I bought a 5 oz Snow Claw snow shovel as a weight saver to replace my 30 oz collapsible Voile Telepro avalanche shovel. But after some winter camping and a lot of snow shelter practice, I’ve concluded that the SnowClaw isn’t a …
Read More »Outdoor Research Alti II Gore-Tex Mitts Review
Outdoor Research’s Alti II Gore-Tex Mittens are seriously warm double-layer mittens designed for extremely cold weather, well below 0 degrees (F). They have a waterproof and windproof Gore-Tex outer shell with a soft leather palm, polyester fleece lining, long wrist cuffs, an …
Read More »MSR Lightning Ascent Snowshoes Review
MSR’s Lightning Ascent Snowshoes are best-of-breed snowshoes that are ideal for winter hiking and backpacking in mountainous terrain. They’re designed with a unique 360-degree traction system that allows you to walk up slopes or laterally across them without losing your grip. The …
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