Michael Lanza

Gear Review: Stoic Somnus 30 Sleeping Bag

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Stoic Somnus 30

Sleeping Bag
Stoic Somnus 30
$299 (regular), $319 (long), 1 lb. 8 oz. (regular)
Sizes: regular (6’), long (6’6”)
backcountry.com

I tend to get a nervous tick when a manufacturer touts an ultralight sleeping bag: I think they shaved weight either by using less insulation (read: you’ll shiver), or the bag is cut like a straitjacket. So I was truly impressed by the new version of the Somnus 30, which just went on sale (with the down upgraded from 800- to 850-fill, making the bag slightly lighter). It may be the perfect summer-weight down bag.

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Gear Review: Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 4 Tent

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Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 4

Tent
Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 4
$600, 5 lbs. 10 oz. (tent, fly, poles)
bigagnes.com

My wife and I are delighted that our kids are big enough to backpack and are eager hikers. But they’re both still grade-schoolers—they can’t carry much yet. She and I still haul virtually all of our family’s gear and food. How far our kids can hike is no longer the limiting factor in our family backpacking trips; it’s how much she and I can carry. Now this incredibly light, low-bulk, four-person tent has changed the calculus of backpacking for us.

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Gear Review: Deuter ACT Zero 50+15 Backpack

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Deuter ACT Zero 50+15
Deuter ACT Zero 50+15

Backpack
Deuter ACT Zero 50+15/ACT Zero 45+15 SL
$185, 50 L/3,050 c.i., 3 lbs. 4 oz.
One size, adjustable to fit torsos 15 to 21 inches
deuter.com

With advances in gear making everything lighter and less bulky, the 3,000-cubic-inch (50-liter) backpack occupies a broad niche, serving trips from weekenders to five days or more for ounce-counters, and hitting the sweet spot for thru-hikers. I think the best packs in this category are light without compromising load support and comfort, in part because they’re not over-engineered with gewgaws you don’t need. That’s exactly why I like the new ACT Zero 50+15.

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Gear Review: Salewa Firetail GTX Hiking/Scrambling Shoe

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Salewa Firetail GTX

Hiking/Scrambling Shoe
Salewa Firetail GTX
$149, 1 lb. 15 oz. (men’s US size 9)
Sizes: men’s 7-12, 13, women’s 6-10, 11
salewa.us

I’ve long observed that expecting “approach” shoes, made for technical scrambling, to be comfortable for hiking more than a few miles is a bit like expecting your road bike to handle riding on rugged trails. But the Firetail nails the hard-to-find balance between performing as an excellent scrambling shoe while remaining surprisingly comfortable on long hikes.

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A backpacker in Granite Park in the John Muir Wilderness, High Sierra.

In the Footsteps of John Muir: Finding Solitude in the High Sierra

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By Michael Lanza

I’m slogging up a long ramp of beach-like sand toward Cox Col, an off-trail pass sitting a few ticks over 13,000 feet in California’s John Muir Wilderness. The high-altitude sun feels like a blacksmith’s forge hovering right above my head. My breaths come faster than my steps, and I feel lightheaded. But I’m thinking mostly about the pass ahead of us—and whether there’s a safe route over it.

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