Vintage Backpacking Gear

All of Gossamer Gear’s ultralight backpacks include a SitLight Sit Pad that can be used as a seat during rest breaks or in camp. The foam pad slides into two elastic pad sleeves on the pack of the back to provide cushioning and enhance ventilation. It …

REI’s Co-Op Cycles Soft Shell Pants (men’s and women’s) are a wind-resistant, double weave soft-shell pant that’s good for cold weather riding. They’re quite warm, with a brushed interior that makes them extremely comfortable to wear even when I’m not sitting on bicycle …

Merrell’s Moab Polar Winter Hiking Boots have 400 grams of insulation and a wide front toe box that has plenty of room for your toes to splay out. They’re sized more like a regular three-season hiking boot and just come up over …

The Exped Traverse 40 Backpack is a lightweight alpine style backpack with an innovative frame that can be curved when you want more airflow for back ventilation or flattened when you need a backpack that hugs your back and hips more closely. …

The Sierra Designs Divine Light 1 FL Tent is a trekking pole tent that weighs just 2 pounds and 7 ounces. It takes the best features of Sierra Designs’ groundbreaking Flashlight UL 1, Clip Flashlight and Tensegrity tents and combines them in …

The Therm-a-Rest Slacker Super Snuggler Underquilt is a simple-to-use hammock insulation layer that’s more comfortable to use than trying to wrestle with a sleeping pad in a gathered-end hammock. While designed for use with Therm-a-Rest’s Slacker hammock, it can be used with other …

Granite Gear backpacks have been longtime favorites with Appalachian Trail thru-hikers because of their lightweight, carrying capacity, and durability. The Blaze AC 60 incorporates many improvements over past models of Granite Gear packs, including a better compression system and a large front …

The Diamondback Haanjo Trail  is a 22-speed aluminum bike designed for riding on unpaved gravel and packed dirt roads. It’s a cross between a road bike and a mountain bike with low pressure knobby tires for traction, hydraulic brakes, and drop handlebars. …

The Therm-a-Rest Slacker Single Hammock is more comfortable than many camping hammocks because it’s much longer and wider. It’s also made from a single piece of polyester that’s much softer to the touch and warmer feeling than hammocks made with thin parachute …

The REI Flash 45 is a lightweight backpack with an adjustable, ventilated frame that’s perfect for weekend backpacking trips or more technical day hikes. Weighing just 2 lbs 14 oz in a size L, (a women’s specific version is also available) it’s …

The Platypus Tokul XC 8 Hydration Pack is a great water and load hauler for off-road gravel riding and mountain biking. While it can be used for multiple sports, it’s optimized for cyclists who prefer a hydration pack over water bottles and …

The My Trail Company Down Light Hooded Jacket is an 800 fill power down jacket that’s well suited for hanging out in camp or as a way to augment a down quilt in an ultralight sleep system. Available with or without a …

The Thermarest Slacker Hammock Sleeping pad is a 26-ounce self-inflating pad with an R-value of 2.1. Given its weight and size when rolled up, it’s best used for hammock car camping rather than backpacking. While not as sexy as a underquilt, it’s …

The My Trail Company Pyramid 3 Tent is a three-person pyramid shelter with an optional inner tent. The design is basically identical to the Shangri-La 3 tent (click for review) originally made by the bankrupt ultralight backpacking manufacturer GoLite and now produced by My …