America’s Best Backpacking and Outdoor Adventures
Climbing Shoes Scarpa Furia S $199, 15 oz. (men’s size 8.5) Sizes: men’s US 3.5-11.5, women’s US 4.5-12.5, Euro 35-45 backcountry.com Building on the successful Furia design, Scarpa’s newer Furia S climbing shoe claims to provide increased sensitivity and precision with its ultra-flexible design. Over several months of testing the Furia S on numerous challenging ascents, from Spanish limestone to …
By Michael Lanza
At 5:30 in the morning in early April, the bone-chilling wind cascading off the Grand Canyon’s South Rim at 7,200 feet slices through my few thin layers of clothing. Four of us are following our headlamp beams in the dark down the South Kaibab Trail. We’re just minutes into a day that will also end by headlamp light late tonight—but only after we’ve hiked farther than any of us has ever ambulated in a single day.
Ultralight Shell Jacket Arc’teryx Incendo SL Jacket and Cita SL Jacket $129, 2.8 oz. (men’s medium), 2.3 oz. (women’s) Sizes: men’s XS-XXL, women’s XS-XL backcountry.com With an ultralight shell—besides very low weight—we’re seeking a delicate balance between competing objectives: breathability for high-exertion activities like running, and protection against wind and light precipitation. On numerous late-winter and spring trail runs and …
By Michael Lanza It feels very weird lately to be posting blog stories about “The 5 Southwest Backpacking Trips You Should Do First” or “The Best Backpacking Trip in Glacier National Park.” It also feels very weird to be making plans for trips this summer—as I am doing—while we all hunker down in our homes in the planet-engulfing shadow of …
Trekking PolesBlack Diamond Distance Carbon Z Poles$190, 10 oz./264g (per pair 110cm, with trekking baskets)Five sizes, non-adjustable: 110cm/43.3 ins., 115cm/45.3 ins., 120cm/47.2 ins., 125cm/49 ins., and 130cm/51 ins.blackdiamondequipment.com With gear, exceptionally low weight often means compromising functionality, durability, or both. With Black Diamond’s Distance Carbon Z Poles, though, there’s little compromise. On a mostly off-trail, two-day backpacking trip to Quiet …