Michael Lanza

Gear Review: La Sportiva Hyper Mid GTX Boots

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La Sportiva Hyper Mid GTX
La Sportiva Hyper Mid GTX

Boots
La Sportiva Hyper Mid GTX
$180, 2 lbs. 1 oz. (men’s 9)
Sizes: men’s 38-47.5
sportiva.com

A boot hits a rare trifecta when it excels for traction in any situation, delivers enough support and comfort for backpacking, and weighs only as much as the lightest hiking shoes. The mid-cut, leather Hyper Mid GTX does all of those things. I wore them on a pair of backpacking trips that would put even a much beefier boot to the test: carrying up to 40 pounds on a four-day, roughly 40-mile September hike in the Olympic Mountains, including 10-plus miles off-trail with very steep scrambling in the Bailey Range and two days of wind, rain, hail, and snow and temperatures in the 30s; and a three-day, 17-mile, mostly off-trail hike in early spring through the rugged canyons of Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park. These boots shined by all measures.

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Gear Review: Gregory Contour 70L/Cairn 68L Backpack

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Gregory Contour 70
Gregory Contour 70

Backpack
Gregory Contour 70L/Cairn 68L
$299, 4 lbs. 5 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S, M, L (fit torsos from 16 to 22 inches), women’s XS, S, M (fit torsos from 14 to 20 inches)
gregorypacks.com

Whether on a family backpacking trip with young kids or a hike of more than about four days, you’re carrying a lot of stuff. In either scenario, I like a pack that can handle a big load and allows me to organize so that I can access items quickly. It doesn’t hurt if the pack is almost a pound lighter than many top competitors. That sums up the Contour 70L (and women’s version Cairn 68L, 58L, and 48L) in a nutshell. I carried the Contour 70L with up to 45 pounds in it on three family trips: skiing to a backcountry yurt (hauling the pack one day in and one day out); three days backpacking Utah’s Coyote Gulch; and five days backpacking Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness.

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Gear Review: Outdoor Research Torque L/S Tee

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Outdoor Research Torque L/S Tee
Outdoor Research Torque L/S Tee

Lightweight Top
Outdoor Research Torque L/S Tee
$69, 6 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XL, women’s XS-XL
outdoorresearch.com

For high-output, three-season activities where you inevitably sweat a lot, like trail running or carrying a pack uphill on a warm day, the key to staying comfortable is a lightweight top that wicks moisture from your skin and dries quickly—so that you don’t get suddenly cold if you hit wind or a long downhill stretch. The long-sleeve Torque Tee has become the top I pull on for trail runs or hikes in temperatures from the 30s (as a base layer beneath a warmer top or a jacket) to the 40s and 50s (by itself).

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Gear Review: REI Sahara Convertible Pants For Kids

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REI Sahara Convertible Pants boys
REI Sahara Convertible Pants boys

Kids Hiking Pants
REI Sahara Convertible Pants
$45, 9 oz. (boys medium)
Sizes: boys and girls XXS (4-5) to XL (18)
rei.com

We parents face a conundrum regarding kids’ gear and outdoor clothing: We want our kids to have the same high-quality stuff we have—it’s worth it to help them enjoy the experience—but, well, they do outgrow it fast. These zip-off hiking pants soften the financial pain of outfitting your children without sacrificing quality. Moderately priced, they are made with the same fabric and features (six pockets!) as the adult version, with the added value of an adjustable waistband to help keep your son or daughter from busting out of them sooner than you’re ready to lay down plastic for another pair.

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Gear Review: Arc’teryx Tecto FL Jacket

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Arc'teryx Tecto FL
Arc’teryx Tecto FL

Lightweight Jacket
Arc’teryx Tecto FL Jacket
$369, 10 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL
arcteryx.com

Rain shells in the “ultralight” category—which might be loosely defined as 10 ounces and under—tend to sacrifice some performance and durability. Not so the Tecto FL. I practically lived in this Spartan jacket on most of a four-day September trip in the Olympic Mountains, where we got slammed with strong wind, rain, hail, and wet snow, with temperatures in the 30s, for a solid two days, followed by a couple days of sunshine but chilly wind and temps in the 30s and 40s, during which I wore this jacket much of the time. We also bushwhacked for miles through pine boughs that would pour buckets of water over us in the Bailey Range. While my soft-shell pants and my waterproof leather boots eventually soaked through from that deluge, this jacket kept my upper body dry. I give it a 10 for waterproofness and durability, because it looks as new now as the day I got it.

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