America’s Best Backpacking and Outdoor Adventures
Hi Mike,
I am 63 and retired. I have done multiple bicycle tours up to 600 miles around Lake Ontario. Now this boy in and old man’s body wants to hike the Appalachian Trail in the spring of 2016, at 64. Your articles on light backpacking have been valuable in making smart equipment choices. I can use some of my bike gear but the MSR Hubba Hubba tent and MSR WhisperLite stove have to go. I have some questions for you about gear.
Tent
Big Agnes Slater UL 2+
$390, 2 lbs. 11 oz. (tent, rainfly, poles)
bigagnes.com
My first impression of the Slater UL2+ was formed before I even pulled it out of the stuff sack: I couldn’t believe a two-person tent could possibly fit in such a small package. Given that I often backpack with my family—with my wife and I shouldering most of the gear because our kids are young—low weight and bulk take top priority with us. But any concerns about that low weight affecting the Slater’s sturdiness in weather were erased after backpacking and camping trips in Utah’s Coyote Gulch (two nights) and Capitol Reef National Park (two nights), Washington’s Glacier Peak Wilderness (four nights), and Idaho’s White Clouds Mountains (two nights) and City of Rocks National Reserve (two nights). This tent stood up to strong gusts repeatedly, including sustained, steady winds over 40 mph in the White Clouds and Capitol Reef, without even bending slightly.
Hi Michael,
We discovered your website about a year ago, and have loved getting inspired by your stories!
We have planned a family backpacking trip on the Teton Crest Trail this August, based on your past trip, and need to replace our old tent. Our kids are ages 8 and 10, and we need something that will fit the four of us, as well as being light enough to be reasonable to backpack with. We do trips regularly in the mountains around home (Aspen, CO) and in the Utah desert, in spring through late fall. Occasionally we’re out in snow, and sometimes amidst serious bugs. Can you recommend anything in particular that you’ve tried and liked?
Tent
Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 4
$600, 5 lbs. 10 oz. (tent, fly, poles)
bigagnes.com
My wife and I are delighted that our kids are big enough to backpack and are eager hikers. But they’re both still grade-schoolers—they can’t carry much yet. She and I still haul virtually all of our family’s gear and food. How far our kids can hike is no longer the limiting factor in our family backpacking trips; it’s how much she and I can carry. Now this incredibly light, low-bulk, four-person tent has changed the calculus of backpacking for us.