stg-sectionhikercom-buttons.kinsta.cloud Backpacking Gear Reviews and FAQs

One of my goals for this winter is to get off groomed cross-country ski trails and to start skiing the free backcountry ski trails in the White Mountain National Forest. I started cross-country skiing last winter again after a 40 year hiatus and have a pretty good grasp of the basics. But I’ve found that skiing on unmanaged trails, with …

The Osprey Variant 52 is a great winter backpack for overnights and ice climbing and one of the best winter backpacks you can buy off-the-shelf from a mainstream gear manufacturer. It’s lightweight, roomy, exceptionally comfortable, and easily reconfigured for many usage scenarios. I think Osprey has hit a home run with this one and that it will become a winter …

The LL Bean Primaloft Superlight Jacket is a lightweight hooded insulated jacket, perfect for winter hiking, cross-country skiing, and other highly aerobic winter sports. Insulated just over the front chest and sides, and not on the back or arms, it’s a kind of a cross between a lightweight insulated vest and a hooded wind breaker. Weighing just 7.1 ounces in a men’s …

Black Mountain is popular peak on the New Hampshire 52-With-a-View list on the west side of the White Mountain National Forest. Noted for its open ledges, it’s a great place to observe the glory of autumn or bask in the summer sunshine. There are many Black Mountains in the White Mountains – (that does sound odd, doesn’t it), but this one …