Gear Reviews

Backpackers at night with headlamps in a campsite in the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River, Yosemite National Park.

The Best Headlamps of 2026

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By Michael Lanza

A headlamp is unquestionably essential gear for hiking, backpacking, climbing, trail running, ultra-running and ultra-hiking, ski touring, and other backcountry activities that sometimes push into darkness (whether intentionally or not). But with so many to pick from, how do you choose which one to buy? Price? Brightness? Weight? Design and range of lighting modes? Go with a brand you know and trust? This review cuts through the information overload to help you pick the right headlamp for your adventures.

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A backpacker hiking the Dawson Pass Trail above Pitamakan Pass in Glacier National Park.

The Best Ultralight Backpacks of 2026

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By Michael Lanza

Do you need an ultralight backpack? Many backpackers might answer “no” when, for many reasons, their answer should logically be “yes.” These packs aren’t just for thru-hikers. Typically weighing roughly from under two pounds/0.9 kilos to under three pounds/1.36 kilos (empty), ultralight packs have support for carrying 25 to as much as 35 pounds—making them ideal for more than just ultralight backpacking. For many or even most backpackers, that represents the range of pack weight they either carry on most trips—or could carry on most trips, with smart packing and reasonably light gear.

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The BioLite Range 400 headlamp.

Review: BioLite Range 400 Headlamp

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Rechargeable Ultralight Headlamp
BioLite Range 400
$60, 2.6 oz./75g
backcountry.com

On backpacking trips of four days in August in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, six days solo through the Wind River Range in September, and five days in the Grand Canyon in early April, the rechargeable BioLite Range 400 headlamp delivered good brightness, a practical range of modes, and functionality—plus a fast recharging speed—all in a very compact, ultralight package.

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A backpacker hiking the Dawson Pass Trail in Glacier National Park.

How You Can Tell How Warm a Down Jacket Is

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By Michael Lanza

While sleeping bags have temperature ratings, with down jackets and other insulated jackets, there exists no easy way to determine how warm any specific garment will be without wearing it outside. But despite the absence of a precise metric for gauging the warmth of down and synthetic puffy jackets, there are ways to assess a specific jacket’s relative warmth before you even see it, using simple metrics. This article will explain how to do that.

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The Rocky Talkie Mountain Radio.

Review: Rocky Talkie Mountain Radio

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Two-Way Radio
Rocky Talkie Mountain Radio
$110 each/$220 per pair
6.1 oz./172.9g (one radio only), 7.9 oz./224g (including carabiners and leash)
rockytalkie.com

Over more than 30 years of climbing and skiing in the backcountry, I’ve had a few close calls, some directly due to the inability of my partner and I to hear or see one another. One of my most trusted partners—a longtime friend who once saved me from a potentially long lead-climbing fall by leaping down a steep hill at the route’s base to reel in many feet of rope—also once took me off belay before I reached the top of a pitch and anchored myself; fortunately, I didn’t fall. After relying on the sketchy low tech of shouting and rope signals for much too long, I’ve found a vastly more reliable, light, and inexpensive solution: the Rocky Talkie Mountain Radio.

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