backpacking gear reviews

The Mystery Ranch Radix 57 on New Zealand's Routeburn Track.

Review: Mystery Ranch Radix 57 Backpack

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Backpack
Mystery Ranch Radix 57
$299, 57L/3,635 c.i., 3 lbs. 11 oz./1.67kg (men’s small)
Sizes: men’s S-XL, women’s XS-L
backcountry.com

With the Radix 57 backpack, Mystery Ranch challenges backpackers with this thought experiment: How light is just right? I had plenty of time to ponder that question, carrying the Radix 57 on backpacking trips in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains and southern Utah’s Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon, plus two classic New Zealand hut treks, the Routeburn and Milford tracks. While I confess a bias toward ultralight backpacks (and I’ve used many), I found criticisms as well as much to recommend about the Radix 57.

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Leki Makalu FX Carbon trekking poles.

Review: Leki Makalu FX Carbon Folding Trekking Poles

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Trekking Poles
Leki Makalu FX Carbon Poles
$230, 1 lb. 1.9 oz./508g (per pair)
One size, adjustable 110-130cm/43.3-51.2 ins.
backcountry.com

What qualities are you looking for in trekking poles? How about good adjustability, packability, durability, comfort, reliability, and especially versatility? Those adjectives all describe the Leki Makalu FX Carbon folding poles—which I increasingly found myself reaching for when choosing poles for backpacking trips in places as rugged as the Wind River Range, High Sierra, Canadian Rockies, High Uintas, and more. In fact, I can point to just one drawback to them—although in this case, I question whether it can even be called that.

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The Leki Makalu Cork Lite Trekking Poles.

Review: Leki Makalu Cork Lite Trekking Poles

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Trekking Poles
Leki Makalu Cork Lite Trekking Poles
$160, 1 lb. 1.9 oz./508g (per pair)
One size, adjustable 100-135cm/39.4-53 ins.
backcountry.com

The first detail to catch your attention with the Leki Makalu Cork Lite Trekking Poles is likely going to be the price—it’s significantly lower than many leading models of hiking poles. But look deeper into the specs and these poles grow more appealing, including a broad range of adjustability and very good durability. From hiking Idaho’s highest peak and in my local foothills to dayhikes and backpacking in southern Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park and Buckskin Gulch and Paria Canyon, these poles performed and held up in ways that convinced me they may be the best value in trekking poles today.

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The Gregory Paragon 60 in the Grand Canyon.

Gregory Paragon 60 and Maven 58 Backpacks

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Backpack
Gregory Paragon 60 and Maven 58
$300, 60L/3,661 c.i., 3 lbs. 12 oz./1.7 kg (men’s SM/MD)
Sizes: men’s Paragon S/M and M/L, women’s Maven XS/S and S/M
Paragon 60: backcountry.com
Maven 58: backcountry.com

Since Gregory first introduced the men’s Paragon and women’s Maven packs, I’ve found myself choosing the Paragon repeatedly for a variety of backpacking trips, including pounding out 77 miles in five days (averaging over 15 miles and 8,000 vertical feet per day) on the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier and a more casual, four-day, 36-mile family hike on the Ruby Crest Trail. With the 2025 update of these packs, I took the Paragon 60 on a four-day, 40-mile walk in the Grand Canyon in late March that included humping up the brutally steep and rugged Boucher Trail—convincing myself that the fully featured Paragon 60 and women’s Maven 58 still offer everything that many backpackers look for in a pack for every kind of trip they take.

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A backpacker hiking to Spider Gap in Washington's Glacier Peak Wilderness.

An Essentials-Only Backpacking Gear Checklist

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By Michael Lanza

What do you need to pack for a three-season backpacking trip? While the specific items depend in part on factors like the time of year, your companions and backpacking style, the trip’s length and the weather forecast, this story provides a core checklist of essential gear to help you organize and efficiently pack—and avoid overpacking—for virtually any backpacking trip.

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