The Crazy Creek Hex 2.0 Original Chair is a lightweight, portable camping and backpacking chair. It weighs 21.6 ounces and rolls up to a 4-5” diameter tube that is 16.5” long. Due to its weight, it falls into the luxury item category in my backpacking gear arsenal and is not something I bring on every trip. However, when I know …

The Gregory Juno 24 is a ventilated women’s daypack with an integrated mesh back panel and hip belt that cups your hips and torso like a second skin while keeping you cool and dry in hot and humid weather. Unlike many smaller backpacks, the Juno 24 has a fully-featured hip belt with large hip belt pockets and a wire perimeter …

ULA Equipment’s Rain Kilt is a lightweight and breathable alternative to rain pants that will keep your lower half dry in the rain without overheating you. It’s great for summertime when hiking on brushy trails with wet ferns, leafy shrubs, and tall grasses that would quickly soak a pair of pants. A rain kilt doesn’t provide much protection in cold …

The Osprey Eja Pro 55 Backpack is a women’s-specific lightweight backpack with an adjustable torso length and a ventilated, tensioned back panel.  It’s a cut-down version of the popular Osprey Eja 58 that’s 12 oz lighter in weight with a few minor design changes.  While it carries loads up to 30 lbs very well, using thinner fabrics means it will …

The Enlightened Equipment Convert is a hoodless, quilt-style sleeping bag with a full-length zipper and drawstring footbox that allows it to be completely closed like a hoodless sleeping bag, completely open like a down comforter, or partially zipped up like a backpacking quilt. The lack of a hood makes it a great choice for side sleepers while the zipper and …

A wet rib is a high-volume accessory pocket that hangs from your backpack’s shoulder straps, below the padded part, in front of your ribcage. It’s super handy for carrying extra hiking gear, like a map, compass, gps, extra gloves, or hats, especially in winter, because it doesn’t interfere with your hip belt the way a fanny pack does. Made by …

The Tarptent Rainbow Li is a one-person, wedge-shaped UL Dyneema backpacking tent (21.8 oz | 619 g) that is pitched with two carbon-fiber tent poles instead of trekking poles. Yes, that’s right. It uses tent poles instead of trekking poles, thereby increasing livability, headroom, and the amount of interior space inside. While the Rainbow Li is not freestanding, you can …

An insulated skirt? Could that possibly be an idea that has any merit at all? A few years back, I started to ask myself this question and I thought the answer would be “no”. I’d seen a couple of women on the trails wearing them, but I doubted it could add an interesting amount of warmth since a skirt is …

Marmot’s Minimalist Shell Mitts are waterproof/breathable shell mitts insulated with a lightweight liner that can be worn alone or layered over insulated gloves or mittens. They are made of Gore-Tex Paclite with reinforced leather palms and are seam-taped for leak-proof protection from the elements. Shell mittens like these are the backbone of winter hiking glove systems: you just swap in …

The Gregory Deva 60 is a women’s internal-frame backpack that’s specially designed to carry heavy loads up to 50 pounds in comfort. It’s ideal for long backpacking trips, multi-sport adventures, and international travel when you want a backpack that’s loaded with features, but can be easily modified and adapted for different uses. If you prefer the organizational style of a …

Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure Hat is a sun hat with a wide brim and a neck cape to protect your neck from the sun and a UPF rating of 50+. It has many great features to recommend including a unique sunglasses holder, but for me, the best and most unique feature is that it folds compactly so I can easily …

Feathered Friend’s Down Booties are goose-down socks that have a removable weather-resistant shell so you can wear them in your sleeping bag or outdoors when winter camping. I like wearing mine in the cabin or on winter backpacking trips after removing my damp winter hiking boots at the end of the day, so I can kick back and cook a …

The Feathered Friends Murre EX 0 Sleeping Bag is a mummy-style down bag specifically designed for women. Weighing 2 lbs 13 oz, it has 25.5 oz of 900+ fill power goose down with cold-weather features that include a draft collar, continuous baffles, hood, zipper draft tube, and a stiff zipper guard. The “EX” in the product name stands for Winter …

Marmot Scree Pants are softshell pants available in men’s and women’s sizes that are good for winter hiking and snowsports. They’re highly breathable and wind-resistant with a good amount of built-in stretch for added comfort and fit. They’re also roomy enough to wear over a base layer without being baggy, something that is increasingly rare in men’s and women’s softshell …