2021's

BEST

BACKPACKING GEAR

Reviews at The Big Outside are based on treating gear roughly in places that are hard on outdoor gear and apparel to give you brutally honest and thorough, field-tested opinions that help you make the best gear choices for your adventures. And that’s exactly what went into these picks for today’s best backpacking gear.

MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR

GHOST WHISPERER/2

DOWN HOODY

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When the goal is minimizing pack weight on summer trips with cool but not freezing nights, bring this wispy jacket. The 800-fill goose down delivers beaucoup warmth for a puffy jacket that’s barely over a half-pound, and the hood boosts its versatility for nights around 40 degrees  Fahrenheit.

SUMMER BACKPACKING GO-TO

SEA TO SUMMIT

X-POT SET 31

File this under brilliant. While not the lightest cooking system out there, the X-Pot and its accessories change the game when it comes to fitting your cooking system inside your pack—proving that a cook set doesn’t have to be bulky.

BIG AGNES

This sub-two-pound, double-wall, freestanding tent has become like the two-hour marathon of the backpacking gear world: the holy grail that some have come close to achieving without nailing it. Now Big Agnes has set the pace with the Tiger Wall 2 Platinum.

Tiger Wall 2 Platinum

MSR

POCKETROCKET 2

Backcountry stoves come in a variety of designs these days. But in many respects, the simplest design remains the most versatile and reliable, and the PocketRocket 2 continues to embody everything a backpacking stove should be.

SIERRA DESIGNS

NITRO

ULTRALIGHT QUILT

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Sleeping in the 35-degree Sierra Designs Nitro Quilt on several nights from Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, Hells Canyon, and City of Rocks to the Cascades proved that it has the warmth and low weight and bulk of the best quilts and some features that set it apart.

PACKING PLENTY OF WARMTH

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