America’s Best Backpacking and Outdoor Adventures
Backpack Osprey Archeon 70 and Archeon 65 $340, 68L/4,150 c.i., 5 lbs. 8 oz. (men’s S/M) Sizes: men’s S/M and L/XL, women’s XS/S and M/L backcountry.com Large backpacks may seem to some backpackers like the outdoor industry’s Ford Edsel—reflecting a style from a bygone era—and the clean, old-school, utilitarian look of Osprey’s Archeon series perhaps engenders that reaction. But don’t …
Backpacking Tent
MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2-Person
$550, 3 lbs. 8 oz.
backcountry.com
In exposed, windy campsites on backpacking trips in Utah’s High Uintas Wilderness, Nevada’s Ruby Mountains, and Hells Canyon, the Hubba Hubba NX 2-person tent not only passed that test of its sturdiness, it displayed the subtle reasons why it’s so comfortably livable for a midweight, three-season, freestanding shelter.
Ultralight Rain Jacket Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket $170, 6 oz./170.1g (men’s medium), $180, 6 oz. (women’s medium) Sizes: men’s XS-XXL, women’s XS-XL backcountry.com Whether hiking through heavy, cool mist while backpacking the Wonderland Trail in Mount Rainier National Park, pulling this shell on frequently to fend off cold wind and rain showers during a five-day backpacking trip in The …
Down Jacket Cotopaxi Fuego Hooded Down Jacket $295, 13 oz. (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL cotopaxi.com Down jackets come in a wide range of prices based primarily on the fill-power rating (read: warmth per ounce and packability) and amount of down inside, with the cost boosted when those feathers are water-resistant. While $250 does not seem inexpensive at …
Ultralight Backpacking Quilt Sierra Designs Nitro Quilt 35/20 35-degree: $250, 1 lb. 5 oz. 20-degree: $280, 1 lb. 11 oz. Women’s 20-degree: $340, 1 lb. 11 oz. One size in each model sierradesigns.com For some backpackers, taking a quilt instead of a sleeping bag for multiple nights in the backcountry may seem risky—what if it’s not warm enough? In reality, …