Gear Reviews

The Nemo Dragonfly 2P on the Teton Crest Trail.

Review: Nemo Dragonfly 2P Ultralight Backpacking Tent

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Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Nemo Dragonfly 2P
$550, 2 lbs. 10 oz./1191g
nemoequipment.com

From clear, cool, late-August nights on the Teton Crest Trail, to mixed weather that included rain and wind on a five-day hike in Yellowstone’s Bechler Canyon area in September, the Nemo Dragonfly 2P displayed the weather protection and exceptional livability that distinguishes it as one of the very best two-person, three-season ultralight backpacking tents on the market today—at a very good price for this level of quality. Here’s why.

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The Knog Bandicoot headlamp

Review: The Knog Bandicoot Headlamp

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Rechargeable Headlamp Knog Bandicoot $35, 2 oz. Eartheasy.com My first reaction to the Knog Bandicoot was: a rechargeable headlamp that weighs and costs less than headlamps that require batteries?! My second thought was: Hey, this thing looks kind of… cool. After using it on late-summer (think: it’s dark by early evening) backpacking trips on the Teton Crest Trail and in …

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The North Face Banchee 50 in Yellowstone National Park.

Review: The North Face Banchee 50 Backpack

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Backpack The North Face Banchee 50 $230, 50L/3,051 c.i., 3 lbs. 1 oz./1.4kg (S/M) Sizes: men’s S/M and L/XL, women’s XS/S and M/L moosejaw.com In the competitive arena of backpacking packs, there’s an increasingly crowded field of ultralight models, as well as an array of choices in heavier, more tricked-out packs built for moderate to stout loads. Then there’s an …

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The REI XeroDry GTX Jacket.

Review: REI XeroDry GTX Rain Jacket

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Rain Jacket
REI XeroDry GTX
$179, 12 oz./340g (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL, men’s tall M-XXL, women’s plus 2x and 3x
rei.com

How much rain shell do you want in mountains with variable weather? How much should it weight—and how much should you pay? Those questions came to mind when I wore the REI XeroDry GTX rain shell through hours of cold wind and steady rain, with a bit of wet snow, at the tail end of a five-day September backpacking trip in the Bechler Canyon area of Yellowstone National Park. I was happy with its moderate weight and packability for three-and-a-half days of sunny, mild days at the outset of that trip, when this shell stayed in my pack. But I was even happier that it has features that kept me dry when the weather turned ugly. And paying much less for any gear makes anyone happy.

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The Gregory Zulu 55 backpack on the Teton Crest Trail.

Gear Review: Gregory Zulu 55 and Jade 53 Backpacks

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Backpack
Gregory Zulu 55 and Jade 53
$220, 55L/3,356 c.i., 3 lbs. 13 oz. (men’s S/M)
Sizes: men’s Zulu S/M and M/L, women’s Jade XS/S and S/M
moosejaw.com

Our first day backpacking the Teton Crest Trail in late August was a fairly big one: about 11 miles and more than 3,000 vertical feet uphill. Farther than I prefer to carry an uncomfortable pack (and I’ve carried many over more than two decades testing gear). Fortunately, I didn’t. In fact, throughout that 36-mile, three-day, absolutely glorious traverse of the Teton Range (one of America’s 10 best backpacking trips), the newly redesigned Gregory Zulu 55 proved to be a comfortable and user-friendly backpack, and my complaints about it were minor.

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