backpacking gear reviews

Gear Review: Arc’teryx Altra 65 Backpack

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Arc'teryx Altra 65
Arc’teryx Altra 65

Backpack
Arc’teryx Altra 65
$475, 5 lbs. (men’s regular)
65L/3,965 c.i.
Sizes: men’s and women’s regular and tall
arcteryx.com

Most packs have one or two strengths or features that stand out; I find few that actually deliver everything I want in a pack intended purely for backpacking. Then along comes the Altra 65. I carried it loaded with up to 40 pounds on a three-day backpacking trip with my nine-year-old daughter in Idaho’s Smoky Mountains, and with up to about 35 pounds on a weeklong family hut trek in Norway’s Jotunheimen National Park, and judged it just about perfect, from fit and comfort to organization and durability.

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Gear Review: Big Agnes Hinman Air Mattress

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Big Agnes Hinman
Big Agnes Hinman

Insulated Air Mattress
Big Agnes Hinman
$70, 2 lbs. 4 oz. (20x72x1.5)
Sizes: five sizes from 20x48x1.5 ins. ($60) to 25x78x2.5 ins. ($90) and a double air mat, 50x78x.25 ($200).
bigagnes.com

Camp in winter or on snow almost anytime of year, and what’s between you and the frozen ground will loom just as important in keeping you warm as your bag. Three cold, clear January nights sleeping under the stars (sans tent) outside a yurt (my family was inside) in Idaho’s Boise Mountains left me impressed with this insulated air mat designed for winter camping, with a rating of -5° F.

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Gear Review: Big Agnes McAlpin SL Winter Bag

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Big Agnes McAlpin SL winter sleeping bag
Big Agnes McAlpin SL winter bag

Sleeping Bag
Big Agnes McAlpin SL (5° F)
$360, $380 long, 2 lbs. 14 oz. (reg)
Sizes: regular and long
bigagnes.com

What should you look for in a winter sleeping bag? I want it to be warm enough, sure, but I also look for several other attributes, like a little extra space, resilience to moisture, and that it’s not too heavy or bulky and doesn’t cost more than my winter tent. Big Agnes has answered my demands with the McAlpin.

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Gear Review: L.L. Bean Ultralite 850 Down Jacket

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LL Bean Ultralite 850 down jacket
LL Bean Ultralite 850 down jacket

Down Jacket
L.L. Bean Ultralite 850 Down Jacket
$179, 1 lb. 1 oz. (men’s medium), $189 tall
Sizes: men’s S-XXL, tall M-XXL, women’s XS-XL, petite XS-XL
llbean.com

In heavily falling snow at around 9,000 feet on Copper Mountain in Idaho’s Boise National Forest, I felt the cold touch my bones. We had been climbing uphill on skis, breaking trail, for about 90 minutes; I was wet, and now the wind on the exposed ridge where we had stopped for a bite hit us. I pulled this down jacket on over my shell jacket and kept it on while skiing back downhill—I was that cold—realizing the snow could saturate the feathers and thinking, “Well, we’ll see if this water-resistant down works.”

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Gear Review: Marmot Variant Hoody

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Marmot Variant Hoody review
Marmot Variant Hoody

Hybrid Cold-Weather Jacket
Marmot Variant Hoody
$185, 15 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL
marmot.com

Whether a fast-forward winter sport like skate-skiing, or a pack-carrying activity like hiking, ski touring, and snowshoeing, many cold-weather outdoor adventures demand a jacket that doesn’t quite fit into the traditional definition of insulation, hard shell, or soft shell. Short story: You need more insulation in front and breathability on your back and arms. Enter the Variant, a hybrid cross between lightweight insulation and a soft shell. I’ve really grown to like it for my two primary winter sports, skate-skiing and ski touring, but it would function equally well for hiking and snowshoeing.

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