backpacking gear reviews

Gear Review: Deuter ACT Zero 50+15 Backpack

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Deuter ACT Zero 50+15
Deuter ACT Zero 50+15

Backpack
Deuter ACT Zero 50+15/ACT Zero 45+15 SL
$185, 50 L/3,050 c.i., 3 lbs. 4 oz.
One size, adjustable to fit torsos 15 to 21 inches
deuter.com

With advances in gear making everything lighter and less bulky, the 3,000-cubic-inch (50-liter) backpack occupies a broad niche, serving trips from weekenders to five days or more for ounce-counters, and hitting the sweet spot for thru-hikers. I think the best packs in this category are light without compromising load support and comfort, in part because they’re not over-engineered with gewgaws you don’t need. That’s exactly why I like the new ACT Zero 50+15.

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Gear Review: Marmot Plasma 30 Sleeping Bag

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Marmot Plasma 30

Sleeping Bag
Marmot Plasma 30
$419, 1 lb. 6 oz. (regular)
Sizes: regular (6’), long (6’6”)
marmot.com

I don’t have room in my life for a heavy, bulky sleeping bag. If I’m backpacking with my young kids, carrying most of our food and gear, or loaded down for a multi-day climbing trip, I need to cut ounces everywhere possible. If I’m backpacking without my family, I want to go as light as possible. The newest bag to raise the superlight bar—or lower it, if you will—is the Plasma 30. I used it recently for five nights on the Ptarmigan Traverse in Washington’s North Cascades, and earlier this summer camping at Idaho’s City of Rocks and rafting Oregon’s Grand Ronde River.

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Gear Review: Sierra Designs Fireside Down Bootie

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Sierra Designs Fireside Down Bootie

Sierra Designs Fireside Down Bootie
$70, 15 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XL, women’s S-XL
sierradesigns.com

When you’re carrying everything on your back to a backcountry yurt or camping in winter conditions, the matter of finding appropriate yurt/camp footwear can be thorny: You want something really warm, not heavy or bulky, and with an outsole that grips snow so that you don’t take an epic digger while walking to the privy. The Fireside Down Bootie fits the bill perfectly.

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Gear Review: Exped SynMat UL 7 Air Mattress

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Exped SynMat UL 7

Air Mattress
Exped SynMat UL 7
$155, 1 lb. (medium), plus 2-oz. mini pump (both weights exclude stuff sacks)
Sizes: S 64x20x2.8 inches, M 20x72x2.8 inches
exped.com

Campsites on hard-packed dirt and stones in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains felt like a feather bed with this inflatable mattress, which has nearly three inches (seven centimeters) of cushion, but still weighs less than many competitors and packs down to the size of a liter bottle.

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Gear Review: Davek Traveler Umbrella

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Davek Traveler Umbrella

Davek Traveler Umbrella
$79, 13 oz.
davekny.com

When the skies opened up at Mt. Rainier National Park and we faced two hours of slogging through steady rain before reaching our next campsite, I was very glad to have Davek’s Traveler umbrella—not for me, actually, but for my nine-year-old son. It made a big difference in his outlook toward hiking in the cool rain.

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