Gear Guides

Hiking pants are an important piece of hiking gear but one that we often take for granted. They have to be highly breathable and quick-drying, easy to vent when you get too hot, but warm when the temperature drops. Fit, freedom of …

Ultralight backpacking tents are a good option when you’re trying to reduce the weight of your backpacking gear but you’re unwilling to give up the comfort of a tent and sleep under a tarp without insect protection. The lightest weight ultralight backpacking …

You don’t need to buy an expensive rain jacket for hiking and backpacking because an inexpensive one will work just as well as one costing an arm and a leg. In fact, most backpackers use rain jackets that cost $100 or less …

Women’s sleeping bags are the best sleep insulation for female backpackers because they’re warmer than quilts in cold, damp, or drafty weather. While mummy sleeping bag designs still prevail, there’s a lot more variety in the types of sleeping bags that have …

There are three different types of ultralight bug shelters suitable for cowboy camping, sleeping in a lean-to, or underneath a flat tarp: bivy sacks, bug bivies, and net tents. They all have their pros and cons, but that’s true of all ultralight …

The growing use of Dyneema Composite Fabrics, Woven Dyneema, XPac, and LiteSkin has ushered in a new era of durable lightweight, sub-3-pound backpacks that can withstand the abuse of multiple thru-hikes, bushwhacking, canyoneering, and winter hiking and still come back for more. …

Using a Leave No Trace trowel is one of the most responsible things you can do to preserve the backcountry for others to enjoy. While there’s nothing quite as satisfying as having a good bowel movement outdoors in the crisp morning air, …

While there are hundreds of hiking boots, trail shoes, and trail runners available, most hikers and backpackers choose from a small set of common makes and models. Preferences vary widely, however, and some hikers like waterproof mids and boots, while others prefer …

Adjustable length backpacks let you change the torso length of a backpack so it does a better job of transferring weight from the shoulders to the hips. Traditionally, backpack companies have dealt with torso length by forcing you to choose between small, …

There are so many great one-person and two-person backpacking tents available today, that choosing between them has become one of the biggest challenges faced by many backpackers. For example, improved tent fabrics and lighter weight tent poles have reduced the weight of …

Sporks are one of the backpacking industry’s greatest inventions. It’s a wonder that they’re not more widely used since having multifunction utensils would be such a great way to cut down on the plastic utensils polluting our oceans and urban landscape. Perhaps more …