Vintage Backpacking Gear

The Therm-a-Rest LuxuryLite UltraLite Cot is designed for campers, backpackers, fisherman, or kayakers who need more back support than they can get from a foam or inflatable sleeping pad, prefer to sleep up off the ground, or want a cooler sleeping system for camping …

The BioLite CampStove received a huge amount of media attention this summer for being the first camping stove that can burn wood for cooking and recharging USB-enabled electronic devices. That’s a bunch of baloney, in my opinion. There are far better ways to …

The Bergans of Norway Helium 55L backpack took me by surprise. Weighing 2 pounds 9 ounces on the SectionHiker scale, the Helium is set up like a climbing/winter backpack with tons of external attachment points but carries very much like an ultralight …

There are three things you should take away from this review of the new 24 ounce Sierra Design’s Backcountry Quilt: Sierra Designs has improved on the original quilt concept with a built-in hood that will appeal to backpackers and campers who’ve used mummy …

The Mountainsmith Apex 80 Backpack is a high volume, expedition-style appropriate for long backpacking trips where you need to carry extra food or technical gear. With an adjustable length torso, the Apex 80 is loaded with all of the features you’d expect …

The online retailer, Campsaver, has started to manufacture and sell their own branded men’s and women’s mummy bags and hoodless sleeping bags, including the Campsaver Ultralight 30 Down Sleeping Bag, filled with 850 fill power goose down. Priced at just $299.95, it’s …

The Big Agnes Pitchpine 45 SL is a lightweight hoodless sleeping bag that only weighs 20 ounces. Perfect for summer or lightweight backpacking, the Pitchpine is insulated with highly compressible 850 fill power Downtek treated down which is more resistant to moisture and faster …

Approach shoes, like La Sportiva’s Xplorer, provide an interesting compromise between trail runners, climbing shoes, and more rigid hiking boots that may appeal to hikers looking to down size from heavy boots to a lighter weight hiking shoe without giving up the stability …

The MSR Nook 2-person, double-walled tent is spacious and quite lightweight, weighing 3 pounds, 3.7 ounces. With a built-in vestibule, it is suitable for 3+ season camping and backpacking with a built-in front vestibule to store gear, ample tie-downs to improve stability in …

The new updated version of the Flashlight 1 UL is now available commercially and significant improvements have been made to the ventilation, which is now on par with that found in many single wall ultralight tents. In addition to shaving the weight of the tent, Sierra …

The Granite Gear Nimbus Trace Access 70L backpack is a high-capacity pack that can be used for long trips and expedition-style travel. Weighing a hefty 4 pounds 6 ounces on the SectionHiker scale, this is not an ultralight backpack, but it’s still …

I am a day hiker and a backpacker who likes to hike in trail runners most of the year. They’re soooo much more comfortable than hiking boots, they dry much faster when they get wet, and wearing them lets me feel the …

In January, I published  a post titled Backpacking Gear from 1975: A Time Capsule. Here’s a collection of more wonderful gear and advertisements from that golden era of backpacking gear. I get a hoot from looking at these old-time advertisements. Funny how …

GSI Outdoor’s Halulite Minimalist Cookset integrates everything you need for rehydrating cook-in-the-pouch, freezer-bag meals. or making hot drinks in an impressively small footprint. Consisting of a 0.6 liter anodized aluminum pot, sip lid, insulation sleeve, pot grippers, and telescoping “foon,” the Minimalist weighs …