backpacking gear reviews

Testing the Marmot Tungsten UL 2P in Wyoming's Wind River Range.

Review: Marmot Tungsten UL 2P Backpacking Tent

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Three-Season Tent
Marmot Tungsten UL 2P
$379, 3 lbs. 4 oz./1474g
moosejaw.com

Is weight the most important consideration when buying a backpacking tent? If it’s one of the first specs you look at, I suggest you give equal consideration to its space—and especially its space-to-weight ratio. In the interest of finding a tent that offers comfortable living quarters for a friend who’s over six feet tall and I to share on a 39-mile backpacking trip in Wyoming’s Wind River Range—but still comes in at a reasonably low weight—I decided to try out Marmot’s well-priced Tungsten UL 2P. I found that it’s a solidly built and notably spacious shelter for its weight, at a price that’s hard to beat for this quality; but I found some nitpicks with it, too.

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Petzl Actik Core headlamp.

Review: Petzl Actik Core Headlamp

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Rechargeable Headlamp
Petzl Actik Core
$88, 3 oz./85g (with Core rechargeable battery)
backcountry.com

If you agree that a rechargeable headlamp is the way to go—as it is for any backpacker, dayhiker, climber, trail runner, backcountry skier or other user willing to foot the added up-front cost, knowing it eventually pays for itself through what you save not buying (and throwing away) batteries—then the question boils down to which rechargeable headlamp is the best for most backcountry recreationists. Numerous backpacking and other trips with Petzl’s compact, rechargeable Actik Core have convinced me that this one ranks among the best.

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Gear Review: Vasque Breeze III Mid GTX Boots

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Vasque Breeze III Mid GTX boots.
Vasque Breeze III Mid GTX boots.

Backpacking Boots
Vasque Breeze III Mid GTX
$180, 2 lbs. 8 oz. (US men’s 9)
Sizes: men’s 7-15 plus wide sizes, women’s 6-12 plus narrow and wide sizes
moosejaw.com

There’s an almost mind-boggling array of choices out there in shoes and boots for the trail. But many dayhikers and backpackers really only need one solidly built, mid-cut pair of boots that strike a balance between support and out-of-the-box comfort—and basically aren’t too heavy or too light. On a nine-day, mid-July trek on the 105-mile Tour du Mont Blanc in the Alps of France, Italy, and Switzerland, I hiked these boots through wind-driven rain, slick mud, and warm, sunny days, over talus boulders and loose scree, and on trails, dirt roads, and town streets—and they performed well, although I do have one caution about them. Read on.

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The Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor backpack.

Review: Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor 40-60 Backpack

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BackpackSierra Designs Flex Capacitor 40-60$200, 2 lbs. 9 oz. (men’s S/M pack with S/M hipbelt)Sizes: men’s S/M (fits torsos 16-19 inches) and M/L (fits torsos 18-21 inches), plus four hipbelt sizes (XS/S to L/XL)backcountry.com Many avid backpackers eventually find themselves facing an expensive quandary: the need for a second or even third pack to better handle the range of trips …

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Gear Review: Komperdell C3 Carbon Power Lock Trekking Poles

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Trekking Poles
Komperdell C3 Carbon Power Lock
$150, 1 lb./pair
moosejaw.com

I know: Choosing trekking poles can feel a little like picking out the best straw from a dispenser in a restaurant—they all kind of look the same. But poles are not straws, of course; they differ, and finding a pair you like does depend on how you’ll use them. Taking the C3 Carbon Power Lock poles on a five-day, 80-mile backpacking trip in the North Cascades National Park Complex and a three-day, 40-mile hike in Utah’s Dark Canyon Wilderness (and my wife used them on a nine-day trek of the 105-mile Tour du Mont Blanc) convinced me that they compare favorably against more-expensive, top-performing, all-around trekking poles for dayhikers, backpackers, and climbers. Here’s why.

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