Top 10 Gear Picks

What are the best multi-day backpacking packs for thru-hikers, wilderness explorers, and weekend backpackers? While individual tastes and needs vary, here are the 10 backpacking packs available that we feel strike the best balance between form, fit, function, and price. There’s no such thing as a “best” backpack, but these …

What are the best water filter and purification treatment systems used by backpackers? We asked backpackers whether they preferred filter-based systems, pump water filters, gravity filter systems, chemical purification or purification using an ultraviolet light. Here are their top 10 picks. 1. Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter System 2. Sawyer Mini Water Filter …

One person, solo backpacking tents are ideal if you’re thru-hiking, fast-packing, or backpacking big miles and want to trim your gear weight as low as possible. More livable than bivy sacks, one person tents are designed for sleeping and to protect you in bad weather. While some solo tents are …

Sleeping bags are still the most popular nighttime insulation option with backpackers because they’re warmer in cold, damp, or drafty weather, especially below freezing. While mummy sleeping bag designs still prevail, there’s a lot more variety in the types of sleeping bags that have become available in the past five …

Sleeping bags are still the most popular nighttime insulation option with backpackers because they’re warmer in cold, damp, or drafty weather, especially below freezing. While mummy bag designs still prevail, there’s a lot more variety in the types of sleeping bags that have become available in the five years, including …

What are the best backpacking tents? The majority of backpackers purchase two person tents so they can bring company or enjoy more interior space. Favorite tents include the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2, the MSR Hubba Hubba, the REI Quarter Dome, the Tarptent Rainbow, and the NEMO Hornet 2P, among …

More and more backpackers are switching from sleeping bags to backpacking quilts because they’re lighter weight, more compressible, and more comfortable, especially for side sleepers. While top quilts have always been popular with the hammock crowd because they’re easier to use in the confined space of a hammock, they’re also …

A lot of hikers ask me which backpacks I think are the best for multi-day hikes and long distance backpacking, and time and again, I recommend the packs listed below. Why? I think they’re large enough to fit all of the gear and food you need for a backpacking trip …