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

I was out today doing some gear testing, trying to figure out the best way to carry snowshoes on one of my existing backpacks. It looks like the system shown here is pretty workable: I’ve stowed the bottoms of my Atlas 830 snowshoes into the shovel pocket of an REI UL60 pack I bought a few years ago for extended day …

The Montbell Ultralight Thermawrap Jacket is a lightweight insulation layer (a size XL is 9.1 oz.) that is exceptionally warm.  I wear it directly over a base layer, replacing bulkier garments like a fleece pullover. It’s also windproof, which means I can shed an outer shell layer during aerobic activities such as snowshoeing or cross-country skiing and achieve a greater range of motion in my …

I keep lithium batteries in my backpacking gear repair kit.  I do this to reduce my ultralight pack weight since lithium batteries are 1/2 to 1/3 as light as alkaline batteries. However, lithium batteries also provide many more benefits besides lighter weight and if you’re not using them today, you should consider switching. For example, lithium batteries provide 2 or …

Last winter, my wife bought me some Grabber Hand Warmers to heat up my sleeping bag in cold weather. I didn’t pay much attention to them for almost a year until I tried one last weekend and I was blown away. These are so cool. Each warmer heats up to about 135 degrees F and really lasts for the entire 10 …