Vintage Backpacking Gear

When you go backpacking you need to take care of your feet. This may sound obvious, but people don’t do a very good job of it. Blisters, plantar fasciitis, athletes foot, bunions, broken toenails, etc. can sideline you for days, weeks, or …

The Exped Downmat 7 is a sinfully luxurious sleeping pad for cold weather camping when you need extra insulation below your sleeping bag to stay warm. Almost all sleeping bags, no matter their temperature rating, have one fundamental flaw. When you get …

The Kelty Redwing 3100 (c.i.) makes a good large day pack if you need to carry a lot of stuff, but it doesn’t have the features or the volume for multi-day backpacking trips. I use mine mainly for leisure travel and going …

There are a plethora of alcohol stove designs available today for backpackers. However, one of my all-time favorites remains the Brasslite Stove (1.4 oz.) which is completely self-contained (except for a windscreen) and includes a built-in simmer control, base plate, and pot …

The Starlite Backpack from Six Moon Designs is a wonderful ultralight pack for any serious backpacker and at 4,200 cubic inches, this is a pack that can hold a lot of gear and food. I have owned my Startlite for over a …

Outdoor Research is not known for their jackets but I’ve had good luck with their Ion wind shirt which I bought for a song at the REI Outlet last year. This is a 2006 product but you can still find it in …