Gear Reviews

A headlamp is one of the most important 10 essentials for backpacking, hiking, fastpacking, trail running, climbing, and any other kind of outdoor adventure sport. Using your smartphone as a flashlight doesn’t cut it. But the days of carrying extra AA and …

The Patagonia Torrentshell 3L is a moderately priced, 3-layer waterproof/breathable rain jacket that’s surprisingly affordable with premium features important to hikers and backpackers. It has a two-way adjustable hood with a front brim, pit-zips, zippered handwarmer pockets, rip-and-stick velcro-style cuffs, and is …

The Mammut Trion Norwand 38 is an alpine pack that’s great for winter hiking, mountaineering, climbing, and ski touring. It has a vest-style harness, a rolltop closure with a removable floating lid pocket, dual side-compression straps, side ski straps, dual ice axe/trekking …

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear NorthRim 55 Backpack is an ultralight backpack made with an extremely durable outer fabric called Woven Dyneema that is significantly more abrasion resistant than the Dyneema Fiber/Polyester laminate used to make Hyperlite’s regular ultralight backpacks. While it’s priced …

The Outdoor Vitals CS40 is an ultralight rolltop backpack made with Ultra fabric that weighs 27 oz. It has two pre-curved carbon fiber stays that act as a frame with a removable hipbelt held in place by velcro. While it is made …

The Altra Lone Peak 8 is a zero-drop trail running shoe that’s good for hiking and running across a wide range of conditions. It’s a moderately cushioned shoe with a very wide toe box so your toes can splay out and relax. …

Dion Snowshoes is a Vermont-based company that’s gaining traction (and flotation) with their lightweight and modular backcountry and racing snowshoes. While you can buy their snowshoes fully assembled, you can also customize and switch between different frames bindings, and cleats, depending on …

The Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 2 is the latest generation in the ultralight Copper Spur line of tents, boasting increased interior volume and livability by integrating steeper sides walls into the inner tent. The result is an outstanding balance of comfort …

The Montbell Tachyon Hooded Wind Jacket is a gossamer thin 7-denier nylon wind jacket with a 1-way adjustable hood, a full-length front zipper, two handwarmer pockets, underarm vents, and a stow pocket. This is the second Montbell Tachyon wind shirt I’ve owned: …

The Senchi Designs Lark is an ultralight Polartec Alpha Direct Hoodie that is quite warm when worn in a sleeping bag or under a rain shell or wind shirt. Weighing just 5.1 oz, it’s half the weight of other types of gridded …

Have you ever wanted to wear long underwear on a cold winter day, but decided not to because you know you’ll sweat too much? Imagine having long underwear with side zippers that you could vent if you get too warm, or even …

The Mystery Ranch In and Out 22L is a lightweight and highly versatile packable day pack. Designed and built to be a fully functioning daypack, this pack is also light enough and packable enough to be your summit pack or “go” pack …

The Rab Xenair Alpine Light Insulated Jacket is a synthetic insulated jacket with a hood, chest pocket, and hand warmer pockets. It has body-mapped insulation: more on the torso and less along the sides for better thermo-regulation when active. I’ve been using …

The Montbell Mirage Parka is an ultralight 900 fill power hooded down jacket, perfect for winter hiking or backpacking trips when you want to get warm fast and stay warm. Weighing just 14.4 oz in a size men’s XL, this jacket is …