backpacking gear reviews

Gear Review: Garmont Trail Guide 2.0 GTX Boots

by
Garmont Trail Guide 2.0 GTX.
Garmont Trail Guide 2.0 GTX.

Backpacking Boots
Garmont Trail Guide 2.0 GTX
$220, 2 lbs. 7 oz. (US men’s 9)
Sizes: US men’s 7-13.5
moosejaw.com

Most boots designed for backpacking aren’t flashy in their design or technology—making it a challenge to distinguish them from one another. But some stand out for subtle reasons, a fact I was reminded of while wearing the Trail Guide 2.0 GTX on a three-day, roughly 23-mile, mid-August backpacking trip with my teenage son in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, carrying up to about 40 pounds in my pack. They delivered all that I usually look for in a backpacking boot, with a nice fit and a midweight package that doesn’t compromise on support or durability.

Read on

The Gregory Wander 70 in Idaho's Sawtooth Mountains.

Review: Gregory Wander 70 Kids Backpack

by

Kids Backpack
Gregory Wander 70
$200, 70L/4,272 c.i., 3 lbs. 10 oz.
One size, adjustable
backcountry.com

There are a couple of groups of people who often have trouble finding a backpack that fits them and functions well: young teenagers and small adults, especially women. Gregory tackles this dilemma head on with the Wander pack series. So I had my 15-year-old son and a woman friend who’s short and slightly built test out the Wander 70 on backpacking and hut trekking trips—and both really liked it. Here’s why.

Read on

Patagonia Nano Puff Hoody

Review: Patagonia Nano Puff Hoody

by

Synthetic Insulated Jacket
Patagonia Nano Puff Hoody
$289, 13 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s XS-XXL, women’s XXS-XL
backcountry.com

A lot of people wore this jacket before I did—or, more accurately, a lot of people wore most of this jacket—before I zipped it up at my campsite on a rocky ledge high above Baron Lake in Idaho’s magnificent Sawtooth Mountains. But I wouldn’t know that by simply looking at or wearing my Nano Puff Hoody. I’m speaking only partly metaphorically: Besides having excellent performance qualities, this jacket now contains cutting-edge, synthetic insulation that comes mostly from recycled polyester—which means that it’s not only good for me in the backcountry, but it’s good for the planet my kids are inheriting.

Read on

Gear Review: Leki Micro Vario Carbon DSS Folding Trekking Poles

by

Leki Micro Vario Carbon Antishock Trekking Poles
Leki Micro Vario Carbon Antishock Trekking Poles

Trekking Poles
Leki Micro Vario Carbon DSS Folding Trekking Poles
$220, 1 lb. 1 oz. (110-130 cm).
Sizes: regular/unisex 110-130 cm, Lady 100-120cm
moosejaw.com

How much does a good pair of trekking poles matter? I used these three-section, folding poles on a dayhike in August that I wasn’t certain I could finish: the 32-mile, 10,000-vertical-foot, nine-summit Pemi Loop in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. For the last few miles, the poles may have been the only thing holding me up. Whether or not you intend to take absurdly long hikes, this one did help me identify the many strengths of Leki’s Micro Vario Carbon DSS Folding Trekking Poles, and evaluate the usefulness of the antishock mechanism.

Read on

Gear Review: Big Agnes Boot Jack 25 Sleeping Bag

by

Big Agnes Boot Jack 25 sleeping bag.
Big Agnes Boot Jack 25 sleeping bag.

Three-Season Sleeping Bag
Big Agnes Boot Jack 25
$190, 2 lbs. 6 oz. (regular)
Sizes: regular and long ($200)
moosejaw.com

Backpackers and campers shopping for a sleeping bag often focus on just a few specs: temperature rating, length, insulation type, and of course, price. They might not give consideration to construction, design, or how the bag fits—as in how much space you have to move around. They might not even bother to crawl inside to try it on. Sleeping in the Boot Jack 25 from Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains and City of Rocks National Reserve to the Panamint Range of Death Valley National Park, I found it nearly true to its 25-degree temp rating, very competitively priced for its quality—and, just as importantly, it has fairly spacious dimensions, so I slept like a baby.

Read on