America’s Best Backpacking and Outdoor Adventures
Ultralight Rain Jacket Montane Minimus 777 Pull-On $280, 4.5 oz. (medium) Sizes: men’s XS-XL backcountry.com While any ultralight wind shell or rain jacket offers a lot of versatility, the Minimus 777 pushes the extreme low end in weight for waterproof-breathable outerwear, an appealing trait for hikers, trail runners, and climbers. And it demonstrated that versatility during the eight days I …
Michael, I stumbled upon your blog and have enjoyed reading your advice. I am currently deciding between the Gregory Baltoro 75 and 65. I have always had a 65L pack and was looking to upgrade to a new pack this year. When I compared the two packs I found that there was only four ounces difference in weight from the 65L to …
Hiking Shoes Oboz Crest Low BDry $150, 2 lbs. 5 oz. (US men’s 9) Sizes: men’s US 8-14 moosejaw.com Finding one ideal shoe or boot to cover your feet for dayhikes in any conditions, and crossover to light backpacking, poses a real challenge. Finding one that achieves those lofty objectives at a relatively affordable price can feel like winning a …
By Michael Lanza About 20 years ago, when I was living in rural New Hampshire and syndicating a weekly outdoor column in newspapers across New England, I received a letter—yes, a letter, delivered by the U.S. Postal Service—from a guy who lived near me, offering himself as a hiking partner. He was a few years older than my father. But …
Ultralight Wind Shell The North Face Flight Series Fuse Jacket $250, 5 oz. (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s S-XL, women’s XS-L moosejaw.com Biting winds hit us on the 1,400-foot, third-class scramble up 10,651-foot Snowyside Peak, roughly halfway through an 8.5-hour, 20-mile, 4,500-foot, mid-September trail run-hike of the Alice-Toxaway Loop in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains. So I zipped this ultralight shell up tight …