America’s Best Backpacking and Outdoor Adventures
Breathable Insulated Jacket The North Face Summit L3 Ventrix Hoodie $300, 15 oz./425g (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s and women’s XS-XL moosejaw.com From cool summer evenings and mornings in camp on a six-day backpacking trip in Utah’s High Uintas Wilderness to days of backcountry skiing in a full range of winter weather, The North Face Summit L3 Ventrix Hoodie demonstrated a …
Ultralight Rain Jacket Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket $170, 6 oz./170.1g (men’s medium), $180, 6 oz. (women’s medium) Sizes: men’s XS-XXL, women’s XS-XL backcountry.com Whether hiking through heavy, cool mist while backpacking the Wonderland Trail in Mount Rainier National Park, pulling this shell on frequently to fend off cold wind and rain showers during a five-day backpacking trip in The …
Rechargeable Headlamp BioLite Headlamp 330 $60, 2.4 oz. moosejaw.com Few headlamps combine the attributes of being super ultralight, rechargeable, very bright, and having a long enough burn time (or charge duration) for a multi-day backcountry trip, but that’s exactly what you get with the BioLite Headlamp 330. For multiple backpacking trips this summer—including four days on Nevada’s Ruby Crest Trail, …
Ultralight Down Jacket Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Down Hoody $399, 8.8 oz./250g (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL rei.com There’s no getting around a hard truth about most of the products we buy to use outdoors: Their materials come from the petroleum products that are a primary driver of climate change. Increasingly, outdoor brands and consumers are leaning in …
Trekking and Running Poles REI Flash Folding Trekking Poles $149, 14 oz. (115cm) Sizes: 105, 115, 125, and 135cm rei.com When I brought these poles and another pair that are collapsible (not folding)—and virtually the same weight—on a 12-mile trail run-hike in the Foothills, swapping poles with a partner, it quickly became clear that we both preferred these poles. A …