Vintage Backpacking Gear

I have been looking long and hard at lightweight alternatives to heavy mountaineering boots this winter, for lower elevation day hikes. It’s not that I dislike my plastic Scarpa Omega boots, but after hiking in trail runners all year, I’ve found that …

Gossamer Gear’s LT 4 Carbon Fiber trekking poles are adjustable length carbon fiber poles. They’re unlike most commercial trekking poles because they’re so lightweight, just 6.8 oz / pair, and they don’t have hand straps. They are adjustable to 140 cm in length (longer …

Trail Runners for Winter Hiking I got a pair of La Sportiva Crossover GTX trail running shoes to see whether they’d be good for winter hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire this winter. Earlier this year, I successfully made the …

Earlier this year, I bought a Montbell UL. Spiral Down Hugger Thermal Sheet (down sleeping bag) and I’m really pleased with its versatility for summer and autumn camping. Rated at 50 degrees (F), I’ve used the Montbell comfortably to 40 degrees with …

The Gerber Octane Multi-Tool features a pair of pliers and a wire cutter, in addition to a partially serrated, full-sized stainless steel locking knife blade, a Phillips-head screwdriver, 2 standard screwdrivers, pry bar, plastic retail packaging opener, and a bottle opener. This …

The Zpacks Hexamid rocked the Ultralight Backpacking scene when it first came out because it’s a single person, pyramid style, cuben fiber tarp that weighs under 3 oz. It’s made by long distance hike Joe Valesko at Zpacks.com, who has a good …

Trail Runners for Hiking I bought a pair of Inov-8 TerRoc 330 trail running shoes (left) to compare against the Inov-8 Roclite 320’s (right) I reviewed recently (you can check out that review of mine on shoe hero). A number of you …

Trail Shoe Epiphany I love my new Inov-8 Roclite 320 trail running shoes. Having endured hiking in wet leather Gore-Tex lined boots for years, I can’t convey to you the freedom that I feel being able to splash through any puddle or …

Fashionable Fleece? I’ve never really understood why people are willing to pay such a premium for Arc’teryx gear. But when I saw this Arc’teryx Covert Zip fleece sweater on sale, I decided to buy it and try it out. The truth is, …

From Gore-Tex to eVent I’ve been wanting to upgrade my hiking shell and rain jacket from Gore-Tex Paclite to eVent fabric for some time, but I’ve had a difficult time finding a minimalist jacket from any of the US-based outdoor clothing manufacturers. …

The REI 1.3 L titanium pot has a non stick coating for easy cleanup. For years, all I did was boil water for freezer bag meals on the trail and I didn’t need a non-stick coating. But these days, I want the …

The Zpacks Blast 32 backpack is made out of ultralight cuben fiber, the stuff they make racing sailboat sails out of. I remember seeing one up close for the first time last year at the Carter Notch Hut during my Northern Presidential …

I finally got out backpacking this weekend and tried out the Thermarest NeoAir ($149.95) sleeping pad. This is an inflatable pad with an R-value of 2.5 weighing 14 oz in a size regular. The only other popular sleeping pad on the market …

  I own a lot of hiking hats: hats with bills to keep the sun off my head and the rain off my glasses and hats to stay warm at night and that I can draw down over my eyes to keep …