backpacking gear reviews

Hoka One One TenNine Hike Gore-Tex boots.

Review: Hoka One One TenNine Hike Gore-Tex Boots

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Hiking and Backpacking Boots
Hoka One One TenNine Hike Gore-Tex
$275, 2 lbs. 2 oz. (US men’s 9)
Sizes: US men’s 7-14, women’s 5-11, standard and wide sizes
backcountry.com

Lacing up the Hoka One One TenNine Hike Gore-Tex boots for the first time felt a little like suiting up for a moon walk—if moon boots feel exceptionally cushy, light, supportive, and surprisingly stable, given their oversized platform. Although I’ll probably never walk on the moon, after wearing these boots on a four-day, 45-mile backpacking trip in Yosemite, I’ll definitely hike many more miles of trails in them.

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Granite Gear Perimeter 50 backpack

Review: Granite Gear Perimeter 50 Backpack

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Backpack
Granite Gear Perimeter 50
$250, 50L/3,050 c.i., 3 lbs. 3 oz./1.4kg (women’s regular with standard hipbelt)
Sizes: unisex regular and long, women’s short and regular
backcountry.com

I already had close to 35 pounds loaded in the Perimeter 50 on the first day of a four-day, 45-mile, late-September backpacking trip in Yosemite, when I added about 12 pounds of water and carried it over a mile uphill to a waterless campsite—and was pleasantly surprised at how comfortably it hauled weight that exceeded what Granite Gear rates the pack to handle. While we all have a different measure of max weight and comfort, much about the Perimeter 50 will appeal to backpackers who haul light to moderate loads and appreciate a backpack with an adjustable fit and highly functional features.

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Nemo Riff 30 sleeping bag.

Review: Nemo Riff 30 Sleeping Bag

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Sleeping Bag
Nemo Riff 30
$360, 2 lbs. 1 oz. (men’s regular)
Sizes: men’s and women’s regular and long
backcountry.com

Let’s face it: Sleeping in a lightweight or ultralight mummy bag isn’t so deliciously comfy that you’d do it on your bed at home—we generally reserve that elusive pleasure for the more obvious rewards of backpacking through wilderness. But the space and features of Nemo’s Riff, available in models rated to 30 and 15 degrees, just might brighten your opinion of the comfort of bags designed for the backcountry.

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Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 ultralight backpack.

Review: Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 Ultralight Backpack

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Ultralight Backpack
Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60
$315, 60L/3,661 c.i., 1 lb. 14 oz./850.5g (medium pack with small hipbelt)
Sizes: unisex S-L for both pack and hipbelt
gossamergear.com

Certain items of gear rise to the status of “classic” based on their enduring popularity—especially with ultralight backpacking gear—and that rings true for the Mariposa 60. After hauling it on late-summer, multi-day hikes in Wyoming’s Wind River Range and Washington’s Pasayten Wilderness, I’ve come to understand why I’ve seen this pack on the backs of so many ultralighters: It sports much of what you’d want in an ultralight backpack with hardly a flaw.

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Rab Microlight Alpine Down Jacket.

Review: Rab Microlight Alpine Down Jacket

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Water-Resistant Down Jacket
Rab Microlight Alpine Down Jacket
$295, 15 oz./425g (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s XXS-XXL, women’s XS-XXL
backcountry.com

Although it wasn’t the weather we’d hoped for in the Wind River Range, the rain and chilly wind whipping through our campsites seemed like the perfect testing conditions for Rab’s Microlight Alpine Down Jacket. And it passed the test, thanks to features designed to fend off wet and raw conditions—giving this puffy jacket strong appeal to backpackers, climbers, and others with a knack for getting themselves into that kind of weather in any season.

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