backpacking gear reviews

The LifeStraw Go Water Bottle With 2-Stage Filtration.

Review: LifeStraw Go Water Bottle With 2-Stage Filtration

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Water Filter Bottle
LifeStraw Go Water Bottle With 2-Stage Filtration
$45, 8 oz.
22 ounces/650ml bottle capacity
backcountry.com

On an 80-mile, five-day backpacking trip in the North Cascades National Park Complex in September, I stopped filling my pack’s bladder by the second day. I didn’t need it—I could just top off my LifeStraw Go bottle every time we passed one of the frequent creeks along our route, and continue hiking with hardly a pause. Rare is the piece of gear whose convenience and utility actually change the way I behave, but the LifeStraw Go does exactly that.

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Gear Review: Marmot Ion 20 Sleeping Bag

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Marmot Ion 20 sleeping bag.
Marmot Ion 20 sleeping bag.

Sleeping Bag
Marmot Ion 20
$419, 1 lb. 13 oz. (regular)
Sizes: regular and long ($439)
moosejaw.com

Heading into Washington’s North Cascades National Park for an 80-mile backpacking trip in the last week of September, I didn’t want to take a chance on gear and clothing that might not stand up to cold, wet weather, maybe even sub-freezing nights and snow in that notoriously soggy mountain range. The hybrid-insulation Ion 20 fit the specs for that mission, thanks to its blend of high-quality down feathers and synthetic insulation and super warmth for such a lightweight bag.

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Gear Review: Helinox Passport FL120 Trekking Poles

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Helinox Passport FL 120 trekking poles.
Helinox Passport FL 120 trekking poles.

Trekking Poles
Helinox Passport FL120
$140, 11 oz. (120cm)
Sizes: 115-130cm
moosejaw.com

Yes, you read the weight listed above correctly: A pair of these adjustable trekking poles weighs just 11 ounces, which is several ounces below the weight of most hiking poles and the lightest model I’ve reviewed at this blog. With that tantalizing statistic in mind, I put them through the ringer on several hikes, including a 20-mile, 4,500-vertical-foot, trail run-hike in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains that included several hundred feet of third-class scrambling up 10,651-foot Snowyside Peak. I found several reasons to like them a lot, despite some shortcomings. Read on.

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Gear Review: Garmont Trail Guide 2.0 GTX Boots

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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.

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The Gregory Wander 70 in Idaho's Sawtooth Mountains.

Review: Gregory Wander 70 Kids Backpack

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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.

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