Ask Me: The Best Backpacking Gear for the John Muir Trail

Hello Michael,

I read your article about ultra-backpacking and how you did the John Muir Trail in seven days. I am planning on doing it, but would like to know, for an ultralight backpacker, what do you suggest for a backpack, tent, sleeping bag, etc.? Any feedback or thoughts that you have would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

Joei
Covina, CA Continue reading →

Gear Review: The 5 Best Backpacking Tents of 2018

By Michael Lanza

Time for a new backpacking tent? There’s hardly been a better time to get one. Whether you prioritize weight, living space, performance in foul weather, or unique features, tents for backpacking have seen great innovation and variety. In the competitive outdoor industry, designers keep making shelters that are lighter, stronger, and in many ways more livable.

For this article, I’ve picked out the five top-performing backpacking tents I’ve field tested and reviewed at this blog. I think you’ll find at least one that’s perfect for you—plus you’ll find some at great sale prices now (and links to those online retailers below). Continue reading →

Are You Still Wasting Money on Outdoor Gear?

By Michael Lanza

What if every time you laid down money for hiking, backpacking, or other outdoors gear, you always knew exactly what you needed and were invariably satisfied with your purchase for years afterward? What if you knew every time whether it was smarter to spring for the pricier piece of gear or go for the cheaper model? What if you always knew when and where to find the best gear at rock-bottom sale prices?

Read on to learn how you can become that expert gear buyer—just in time for ongoing gear sales at many online retailers. Continue reading →

Gear Review: Slingfin 2Lite Trek Ultralight Backpacking Tent

Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Slingfin 2Lite Trek
$329, 2 lbs. 6 oz.
slingfin.com

The world of ultralight backpacking tents can sometimes resemble a sort of Galapagos Islands of backcountry shelters, where odd-looking species evolve along a track (that probably defies some basic rules of evolution) toward competing goals of becoming stronger and incrementally larger while becoming lighter. Looked at from that perspective, the 2Lite Trek from Slingfin—a small company co-founded by a former Mountain Hardwear designer—doesn’t depart radically from traditional tents, other than pitching with trekking poles. But a unique design allowed it to stand up to winds of 30 to 40 mph in the Grand Canyon and Idaho’s City of Rocks. It’s also relatively roomy and featured for a two-person tent weighing under 2.5 pounds.

If a light pack on the trail is priority one for you, read on. Continue reading →

Review: Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 Ultralight Backpacking Tent

Ultralight Backpacking Tent
Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2
$400, 2 lbs. 4 oz.
Moosejaw.com

I got a little worried when the wind in the Grand Canyon started gusting to about 30 mph one evening—which I assumed would test the limits of the ultralight Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 tent’s structural strength. When the gusts continued to increase—at times exceeding 40 mph—I seriously thought we might lose one or more of our shelters roughly halfway through our May backpacking trip on the 25-mile Thunder River-Deer Creek Loop off the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. But the Tiger Wall stood up to those gusts, giving me yet another reason to like this supremely featherweight backpacking tent. Continue reading →