Gear Reviews

Gear Review: Gregory Miwok 18 and Maya 16 Daypacks

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Gregory Miwok 18 daypack
Gregory Miwok 18 daypack

NOTE: This review covers an older version of these daypacks. Click here now to read my newer review of the 2019 versions of the Gregory Miwok 18 and Maya 16.

Daypack
Gregory Miwok 18/Maya 16
$100, 18L/1,098 c.i., 1 lb. 10 oz.
One size
moosejaw.com

For most three-season dayhikes—whether it’s several miles or an ultra-hike of 20 or more miles—I want to travel light, and I prefer a daypack that helps me achieve that goal, while remaining comfortable and having a utilitarian feature set. Having been a fan of the Gregory Miwok series for some years for just those reasons, I took the new men’s Miwok 18 out for a spin on various one-day hikes, including the 32-mile, 10,000-vertical-foot Pemi Loop over nine summits in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, and came away largely impressed with its versatility for most dayhikers.

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Gear Review: Jansport Tahoma 75 Backpack

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My son, Nate, hiking to our high camp below California's Mount Whitney.
My son, Nate, hiking to our high camp below California’s Mount Whitney.

Backpack
Jansport Tahoma 75
$310, 70L/4,270 c.i., 4 lbs. 11 oz.
One size, adjustable
jansport.com

After carrying this pack on a four-day climb of the Mountaineers Route on California’s Mount Whitney in April, my 15-year-old son made the most persuasive demonstration of his opinion of it several weeks later: The next time he was carrying a backpack, this kid with an unusually large quiver of packs for his age (and many backcountry trips under his belt) chose the Tahoma 75 again. The reasons, I think, are simple: As a pack for both multi-day mountaineering and backpacking, it’s comfortable, tough, and nicely featured.

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A backpacker at Sapphire Lake on the John Muir Trail in Evolution Basin, Kings Canyon National Park.

Ask Me: How to Load a Bear Canister Into a Backpack

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Michael,

When carrying a bear canister, where and how would you place it in the pack? Toward the bottom above the sleeping bag? More toward the top of the pack just below the shoulderblades? Would you store it vertically and pack stuff around it, or just store horizontally across the pack? This is my first year going places that require a canister, and I can’t find an answer.

Rickard
[Originally submitted as a comment at my story “Video: How to Load a Backpack.”]

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Big Agnes Insulated Air Core Ultra air mattress.

Review: Big Agnes Insulated Air Core Ultra Air Mattress

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Insulated Air Mattress
Big Agnes Insulated Air Core Ultra
$100, 1 lb. 6 oz. (regular, with stuff sack)
Sizes: petite ($90, 66x20x3.5 ins.), regular (72x20x3.5 ins.), long ($110, 78x20x3.5 ins.), wide regular ($130, 72x25x3.5 ins.)
backcountry.com

The ultimate measure of an air mattress comes at the moment when my family discovers it—and when my wife and kids saw the new Big Agnes Insulated Air Core Ultra, they all wanted to sleep on it. I used this air mat for two nights backpacking in the Panamint Range of Death Valley National Park in May, and I (reluctantly) shared it with my family while camping at Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve and on a mid-July rafting and kayaking trip on the Green River through Lodore Canyon in Dinosaur National Monument, and I haven’t found an air mat for backpacking that’s more comfortable and this compact.

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The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak daypack.

Review: Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak Daypack

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Daypack
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Daybreak
$229, 17L/1,040 c.i. 1 lb. 4 oz. (medium)
Sizes: S (fits torsos 15-17 ins.), M (torsos 17-19 ins.), and L (torsos 19+ ins.)
hyperlitemountaingear.com

Lightweight and tough aren’t adjectives I usually use together when describing gear, but they both apply to this daypack. I’ve used it for everything from dayhiking up to several miles on a four-day whitewater rafting and kayaking trip on the Green River through Lodore Canyon in Dinosaur National Monument, on multi-pitch rock climbs at Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve, and ski touring. Besides carrying comfortably with about 10 pounds inside, it still looks brand new.

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