ultralight backpacking gear reviews

Ask Me: Got a Family Backpacking Tent Recommendation?

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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?

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Gear Review Update: La Sportiva Ultra Raptor Shoes

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La Sportiva Ultra Raptor
La Sportiva Ultra Raptor

Hiking/Trail Running Shoes
La Sportiva Ultra Raptor
$130, 1 lb. 10 oz. (men’s 9)
Sizes: Euro men’s 38-47.5, women’s 36-43
sportiva.com

For a recent 28-mile dayhike through Idaho’s spectacular White Clouds Mountains—partly off-trail, with a cumulative elevation gain and loss of nearly 8,000 feet, including a steep, very loose scramble of several hundred vertical feet over a pass—I wanted the lightest shoes possible, yet ones with plenty of support, comfort, and traction. It didn’t take me long to decide on the Ultra Raptor, which I had worn a lot and reviewed previously. Not only did they perform as I’d hoped they would throughout this long and rugged hike, but afterward, my feet felt fatigued but otherwise not like I’d just hiked 28 miles.

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Gear Review: Salomon XT Wings 3 Shoes

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Salomon XT Wings 3
Salomon XT Wings 3

Hiking/Trail Running Shoes
Salomon XT Wings 3
$140, 1 lb. 9 oz. (men’s 9)
Sizes: men’s 7-14, women’s 5-12
salomon.com

For my regular trail runs, I like a shoe with plenty of stability and cushion, so that my feet don’t get beat up (and because I sometimes start and finish a trail run on pavement). If the shoe is surprisingly lightweight for the amount of support it delivers, that’s a bonus. So I got a bonus with the XT Wings 3, which I’ve worn on numerous, hilly trail runs of up to 12 miles, mostly in the Boise Foothills but also in Massachusetts. While not in the category of super-light, minimalist trail-running shoes, the XT Wings 3 have enough support to cross over nicely as light dayhiking or ultralight backpacking shoes.

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Gear Review: Zamberlan 230 SH Crosser Plus GTX RR

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Zamberlan 230 SH Crosser Plus GTX RR
Zamberlan 230 SH Crosser Plus GTX RR

Lightweight Boots
Zamberlan 230 SH Crosser Plus GTX RR
$170, 2 lbs. (men’s US 9/Euro 43)
Sizes: US men’s 8-12, 13, 14, women’s 6-11
zamberlanusa.com

Having hiked and backpacked all over America and the world, I’m convinced few places test a pair of boots—especially lightweight boots—like New Hampshire’s White Mountains. So to put these new mid-cuts through the ringer, I wore them on a recent 25-mile, overnight hut trip from Crawford Notch to Franconia Notch in the Whites—including one of the most rugged sections of the Appalachian Trail. And the Crosser Plus impressed me as highly supportive and tough for its weight.

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Gear Review: Granite Gear Leopard A.C. 58 and Leopard V.C. 46 Backpacks

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Granite Gear Leopard A.C. 58
Granite Gear Leopard A.C. 58

Backpacks
Granite Gear Leopard A.C. 58
$250, 3 lbs. 12 oz. (men’s regular)
58L/3,540 c.i.
Sizes: men’s and women’s short (fits torsos 14-18 inches) and regular (fits torsos 18-22 inches). Unisex shoulder straps S-L, men’s and women’s hipbelts S-XL.

Granite Gear Leopard V.C. 46 with Klymit AirBeam Frame
$230, 2 lbs. 6 oz. (men’s regular with AirBeam pack frame)
46L/2,800 c.i.
Sizes: men’s regular (fits torsos 18-21 inches) and long (fits torsos 21-24 inches), four sizes of hipbelts for both men and women.
granitegear.com

Granite Gear Leopard V.C. 46
Granite Gear Leopard V.C. 46

How light do you want to go? With the Leopard A.C. 58 and the Leopard V.C. 46, Granite Gear offers nearly identical backpacks that both deliver a lot of performance for their weight and price. The main difference, besides capacity? One is a lightweight load-hauler with a traditional internal frame, the other a pack designed for ounce-counting ultralighters, with an optional upgrade to an inflatable frame. I wanted to compare the conventional plastic framesheet in the A.C. 58 against the air frame in the V.C. 46 with the AirBeam upgrade, which is one-third lighter.

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