Hiking Gear Reviews

REI 650 Down Jacket.

Review: REI 650 Down Jacket

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Down Jacket
REI 650 Down Jacket
$129, 11 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s XS-XL, women’s XS-XL
rei.com

When you’re shopping for backpacking and hiking gear on a budget—or just targeting your budget strategically to put more into, say, a better pack, tent, or rain shell—an insulated jacket is one of those items where you can save a significant amount and still take home something that’s going to serve your needs for years. And REI’s 650 Down Jacket fits right into that kind of spending plan. I wore this down jacket on cool mornings in the low 50s on a six-day, 74-mile backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon, and came away convinced it’s clearly one of the best values available in a lightweight, three-season puffy jacket today.

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Arc’teryx Aerios FL Mid GTX hiking shoes.

Gear Review: Arc’teryx Aerios FL Mid GTX Hiking Shoes

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Hiking and Backpacking Shoes Arc’teryx Aerios FL Mid GTX $185, 1 lb. 11 oz. (US men’s 9) Sizes: men’s 7-13, women’s 5-10 rei.com The trend toward lighter footwear for hiking and backpacking has generally improved the offerings available—but has also produced a lot of shoes that, frankly, lack the support and cushion for rugged dayhiking or lightweight backpacking. Curious to …

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The North Face Safien GTX hiking shoes.

Gear Review: The North Face Safien GTX Hiking Shoes

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Hiking Shoes
The North Face Safien GTX
$140, 1 lb. 10 oz. (US men’s 9)
Sizes: men’s 7-14, women’s 5-11
Moosejaw.com

Few outings test the comfort and support of hiking shoes like a rim-to-rim dayhike across the Grand Canyon. So to take the full measure of the purported extra cushioning in The North Face Safien GTX shoes, I hiked them across the Big Ditch and back again over two days—a total of 42 miles and about 22,000 vertical feet of serious pounding on consecutive days—and finished feeling no small measure of relief that these shoes really are as cushy as TNF claims. They also have other strengths as well as some minor weaknesses.

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The Black Diamond Magnum 20 in the Grand Canyon.

Gear Review: Black Diamond Magnum 20 Daypack

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Daypack
Black Diamond Magnum 20
$90, 20L/1,220 c.i., 1 lb. 5 oz.
One unisex size
Moosejaw.com

Strip away all that’s not absolutely necessary in gear and the result often is something you use over and over again. From a 23.5-mile, rim-to-rim dayhike across the Grand Canyon and a 13-hour, mostly off-trail dayhike of around 20 miles in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, to shorter dayhikes in Zion National Park, as well as a seven-mile trail run-hike outside Ketchum, Idaho, and rock climbing at Idaho’s City of Rocks (carrying just water on the run and climbs), I kept slipping BD’s Magnum 20 onto my back—just for its simplicity and, of course, because it weighs barely more than half as much as a liter of water.

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Outdoor Research Refuge Hooded Jacket.

Review: Outdoor Research Refuge Hooded Jacket

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Breathable Insulated Jacket Outdoor Research Refuge Hooded Jacket $220, 1 lb. 2 oz. (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s S-XL, women’s XS-XL backcountry.com Puffy jackets stuffed with breathable synthetic insulation comprise one of the unsung-hero categories of outdoor gear: If you’re seeking nothing more than maximum warmth per ounce in a puffy jacket, sure, high-quality down is still the way to go. …

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