Granite Gear Perimeter 50 backpack

Review: Granite Gear Perimeter 50 Backpack

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Backpack
Granite Gear Perimeter 50
$250, 50L/3,050 c.i., 3 lbs. 3 oz./1.4kg (women’s regular with standard hipbelt)
Sizes: unisex regular and long, women’s short and regular
backcountry.com

I already had close to 35 pounds loaded in the Perimeter 50 on the first day of a four-day, 45-mile, late-September backpacking trip in Yosemite, when I added about 12 pounds of water and carried it over a mile uphill to a waterless campsite—and was pleasantly surprised at how comfortably it hauled weight that exceeded what Granite Gear rates the pack to handle. While we all have a different measure of max weight and comfort, much about the Perimeter 50 will appeal to backpackers who haul light to moderate loads and appreciate a backpack with an adjustable fit and highly functional features.

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A hiker on the Tour du Mont Blanc in Italy.

Hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc at an 80-Year-Old Snail’s Pace

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By Michael Lanza Our bus winds up a narrow road in the Vallée des Glaciers, below snowy peaks of the French Alps. We boarded it with about 10 other trekkers after a late-afternoon thunderstorm ripped the sky open while we enjoyed a café and tea with chocolate mousse and a slice of blueberry pie at the Auberge de la Nova …

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Trekkers hiking through Norway's Jotunheimen National Park.

Trekking Among Giants in Norway’s Jotunheimen National Park

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By Michael Lanza On a treeless tundra plateau deep in Norway’s Jotunheimen National Park, we stop before a bouncy suspension bridge over a roaring, snarling whitewater river. I shoot a glance at my 75-year-old mom. In a tone that contains more fatalism than enthusiasm, she reminds me, “I’ve never crossed one of these.” I nod, and calmly assure her, “You …

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A trekker on the Dusky Track in the Pleasant Range, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand.

Hiking New Zealand’s Hardest Hut Trek, the Dusky Track

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By Michael Lanza We step out of the Lake Roe Hut into a persistent drizzle, deep in what may be the most dishonestly named mountains in the world—the Pleasant Range in New Zealand’s chronically soggy Fiordland National Park. Belligerent gusts hurl cups of water into our faces. By the time my friend, Jeff, and I have taken our first 50 …

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Nemo Riff 30 sleeping bag.

Review: Nemo Riff 30 Sleeping Bag

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Sleeping Bag
Nemo Riff 30
$360, 2 lbs. 1 oz. (men’s regular)
Sizes: men’s and women’s regular and long
backcountry.com

Let’s face it: Sleeping in a lightweight or ultralight mummy bag isn’t so deliciously comfy that you’d do it on your bed at home—we generally reserve that elusive pleasure for the more obvious rewards of backpacking through wilderness. But the space and features of Nemo’s Riff, available in models rated to 30 and 15 degrees, just might brighten your opinion of the comfort of bags designed for the backcountry.

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