Vintage Backpacking Gear

I spent the majority of this summer wearing a RailRider’s Madison River Shirt for hiking and backpacking that proved ideal for the hot buggy weather we had in New England this year. Like my Railriders EcoMesh pants, also worn above, the Madison River Shirt is treated with Insect Shield whose active …

If you like tarp camping or want to get a substantially lighter weight shelter without paying through the nose, I recommend you consider getting a straight cut square or rectangular silnylon tarp. They’re far less expensive than you might realize and provide you with a lot more versatility than so-called …

I like square flat tarps because they give me the opportunity to select or create different pitches depending on my environmental needs or aesthetic desires for the night. It’s like shelter origami ( see Square Tarp Pitches.) Contrary to what you might expect, there’s a lot of variation in square tarp …

The Jetboil Helios is a highly technical, group cooking system designed to accommodate the larger capacity cooking needs of 3-5 people at a time. As a result the Helios is not necessarily a small or lightweight set, but considering it serves the needs of up to five people, I feel …

The MSR Fast Stash is a bold crossover shelter that offers all of the ventilation benefits of tarp camping with the comfort of a mainstream hiking tent. Based on a traditional flat tarp pitch tarp called an Adirondack Wind Shed (my favorite), the Fast Stash is a 2 person, 3 …

The REI Stoke 29 is perfectly sized for long day hikes, with a large main compartment and three exterior mesh pockets (2 side, 1 front.) I adore mesh packets like this because I can me stow all of the gear or food I need during a hike so it’s easily …

I’ve been using Inov-8 Terroc 330 trail runners for 3-season hiking since April 2010. I just started using my fifth consecutive pair for peakbagging and backpacking, plus I bought another two pairs so that I’ll have more when I wear these out. If that’s not brand and model loyalty, I …

I got interested in Rivendell Mountain Works, makers of the Jensen Backpack, after discovering them on the web last year. I posted a message about the Jensen Backpack on Facebook and Cameron McNeish responded by saying that it was one of his favorite backpacks of all time. That got my …

Brooks Range Mountaineering makes an ultralight 4 season tent that weighs under 2 lbs and has a vestibule. That’s right, under 2 lbs. It’s called the A2 Rocket Tent presumably because of the space age material it is made out of. The first thing you notice about the Rocket Tent …

I really like the Deuter Spectro 38 backpack. At 2,320 cubic inches (38L) capacity, it’s a great pack for longer day hikes, hut-to-hut routes, or fast and light overnight backpacking trips. If you’re not familiar with Deuter (pronounced Doy-ter), you should check out their backpacks. A German company, they’re not …

The CamelBak Highwire 25L is a large capacity hydration pack that’s ideal for long-distance day hikes and peak bagging adventures. Complete with a 100 oz/3L hydration reservoir, it can hold 1526 cubic inches of gear, giving you plenty of capacity to carry food, extra layers, maps, and the 10 essentials. …

I switched from a simple Suunto A10 base plate compass to a Brunton 15TDCL Sighting Compass last year because I wanted a compass that was more robust for bushwhacking, backpacking in open country across Scotland, and for avalanche prediction in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. While the A10 has been an …

I invested in a winter bivy sack this year because I wanted to be able to use it for camping under a shaped tarp or in snow shelters, as a lighter weight alternative to my Black Diamond FirstLight winter tent. I also do more day hikes in winter than overnight …

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 I can hike at a much faster pace …