The Arc’teryx Atom LT Hoody.

Review: Arc’teryx Atom LT Hoody

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Breathable Insulated Jacket
Arc’teryx Atom LT Hoody
$259, 12 oz./340g (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s XS-XXXL, women’s XS-XXL
arcteryx.com

From days of backcountry skiing and winter hikes in my local foothills to biking around town on cold days, the Arc’teryx Atom LT Hoody has spent almost as much time on me as it does in my closet. In a category of breathable insulated jackets designed for being active in cool to cold temps—like backcountry snow sports, hiking, and climbing—the Atom LT Hoody’s weight and features make it uniquely versatile for a wide range of activities and users.

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A campsite at Precipice Lake in Sequoia National Park.

How to Get One of America’s Best Backcountry Campsites

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By Michael Lanza

Precipice Lake sits in a granite bowl at 10,400 feet along the High Sierra Trail in Sequoia National Park, about a half-mile before 10,700-foot Kaweah Gap. Below the north face of 12,040-foot Eagle Scout Peak, with the nearest tree at least a couple of trail miles below it, the lake’s glassy, green and blue waters reflect a white and golden cliff with black water streaks that embraces the lakeshore across from the trail.

A ribbon-like waterfall, originating in a remnant glacier above the lake, pours down the cliff. Walking up to Precipice Lake reflexively triggers the part of our frontal lobe that’s responsible for the word: “Wow.”

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The North Face Summit L3 Ventrix Hoodie.

Review: The North Face Summit L3 Ventrix Hoodie

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Breathable Insulated Jacket The North Face Summit L3 Ventrix Hoodie $300, 15 oz./425g (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s and women’s XS-XL moosejaw.com From cool summer evenings and mornings in camp on a six-day backpacking trip in Utah’s High Uintas Wilderness to days of backcountry skiing in a full range of winter weather, The North Face Summit L3 Ventrix Hoodie demonstrated a …

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Outdoor Research Skyward Jacket.

Review: Outdoor Research Skyward II Jacket and Pants

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Winter Shell Jacket
Outdoor Research Skyward II Jacket
$350, 1 lb. 7 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL
backcountry.com

Winter Shell Pants
Outdoor Research Skyward II Pants
$299, 1 lb. 5.5 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL
backcountry.com

OR’s Skyward II Jacket and Skyward II Pants have demonstrated unique versatility as winter shells over numerous days of backcountry skiing in a full range of conditions. I’ve skinned uphill and skied downhill through hours of dumping snow in temperatures in the teens and 20s Fahrenheit without ever taking the jacket off (and obviously not removing the pants) and remained comfortable skiing in single-digit temps (with an insulation layer under the jacket) and weather shifting from falling snow to sunshine.

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A young girl hiking in Spring Canyon, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah.

Plunging Into Solitude: Dayhiking, Slot Canyoneering, and Backpacking in Capitol Reef

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By Michael Lanza

We stand on the rim of an unnamed slot canyon in the backcountry of Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park, in a spot that just a handful of people have seen before us. We’ve arrived here after hiking about two hours uphill on the Navajo Knobs Trail, and then heading off-trail, navigating a circuitous route up steep slickrock and below a sheer-walled fin of white Navajo Sandstone hundreds of feet tall, stabbing into the blue sky. Now I peer down at the narrow, deep, and shadowy crack that we have come to rappel into, and feel a little flush of anxiety.

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