Hiking Gear Reviews

A backpacker on the John Muir Trail in the Ansel Adams Wilderness.

Expert Tips For Buying the Right Hiking Boots

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By Michael Lanza

Boots are the most important piece of hiking or backpacking gear you will buy. You can live with a mediocre pack or a cheap tent (as many of us have), but poorly fitting boots are often a trip killer. Trouble is, boots are also the most difficult piece of gear to get right. (First tip: Don’t settle for a mediocre fit—if they don’t feel good, they aren’t good. That said, feeling good doesn’t necessarily mean they are good.) This article will go beyond the usual boots-buying tips you’ll find at countless sources to help you figure out how to find the right hiking footwear for you.

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A trekker hiking the Milford Track up the Clinton River Valley to Mintauro Hut, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand.

5 Expert Tips For Buying a Rain Jacket For Hiking

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By Michael Lanza

Choosing a waterproof-breathable rain shell for hiking, backpacking, climbing, or other outdoor activities can seem daunting. Prices range from under $100 to over $500, and weights from less than half a pound to over a pound. Some are loaded with features, others so minimalist they may seem like just a step above a trash bag with arm holes. You’ll also find the full gamut of opinions on them from reviewers and consumers.

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The Patagonia R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody.

Review: Patagonia R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody

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Fleece Hoody
Patagonia R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody
$199, 12.5 oz./354g (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s XS-XXL, women’s XXS-XL, kids XS-XXL
backcountry.com

Here’s an axiom of outdoor layering systems that will never change: No piece of outdoor apparel offers more versatility than a highly breathable, midweight insulation layer. It’s very possible that the only “layer” you will wear more is your skin. Find a highly breathable midweight hoody or jacket that’s soft and fits like it was custom made for your torso and you have something that may spend more time on your body than in your closet—and few compare with Patagonia’s R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody’s versatility for almost any outdoor user, from hard-core backpackers, climbers, and backcountry skiers to the average dayhiker or fitness walker, as I have found time and again wearing it backpacking, dayhiking, various forms or skiing, and camping, as well as countless days around town.

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A backpacker hiking over Park Creek Pass in North Cascades National Park.

5 Expert Tips For Buying the Right Backpacking Pack

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By Michael Lanza

If you’re super fit and strong, hike with a pack of any weight 50 or more days a year, and have never known any sort of injury or ache in your body, then don’t bother reading this article. But for everyone else, knowing how to find the right pack for backpacking and other outdoor activities—and for your body—will make a world of difference in your enjoyment when carrying that pack for hours a day on a trail or up and down a mountain. This article will lead you through five steps to accomplish exactly that—helping to ensure that you spend your gear money smartly.

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A backcountry skier in the Galena Summit area, Idaho.

The Best Gloves for Winter 2026—and All Seasons

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By Michael Lanza

Are you looking for gloves that keep your hands warm and dry in all seasons—yes, in winter, of course, but also models for spring through fall—and are made to last for years? As a professional gear reviewer who gets cold hands easily and spends many days outside year-round, from resort, backcountry, and Nordic skiing in the deep cold of winter to hiking and backpacking, trail running, biking around town, and working outside in cool temps at any time of year, I’ve used many types of gloves and learned a lot over the past three decades about how to select the right gloves for a variety of uses.

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