Gear Review: Salomon Spikecross 3 CS Winter Trail Runner
Trail runners with spikes embedded in the sole.
Gear Reviews
Gear Reviews
Find the best backpacking gear with help from our expert reviewers and gear testers at Backpacker. We review the best backpacking gear on the market, from sleeping bags, to cookware, to backpacks, to the best hiking boots, in the most rigorous trail conditions imaginable so you can find the perfect setup for all your adventures.
At Backpacker, we take our responsibility to provide readers with fair and accurate gear advice seriously. When you make a purchase through our site, we may earn a commission.
Find the best backpacking gear with help from our expert reviewers and gear testers at Backpacker. We review the best backpacking gear on the market, from sleeping bags, to cookware, to backpacks, to the best hiking boots, in the most rigorous trail conditions imaginable so you can find the perfect setup for all your adventures. At Backpacker, we take our responsibility to provide readers with fair and accurate gear advice seriously. When you make a purchase through our site, we may earn a commission.
Jacks 'R' Better LLC Bear Mountain Bridge Hammock/11'x10 Tarp Combo
Score an ultralight tent for two—for less.
Jacks 'R' Better LLC Katahdin
An affordable, high-performance sleeping bag that keeps you warm and dry in the harshest of elements.
Jacks 'R' Better LLC Mt Rogers
An affordable, high-performance sleeping bag that keeps you warm and dry in the harshest of elements.
Crazy Creek Products HEX 2.0 PowerLounger
This down mat offers comfort and cushion in some of the roughest camp grounds.
Jacks 'R' Better LLC Mt Washington 4
An affordable, high-performance sleeping bag that keeps you warm and dry in the harshest of elements.
Jacks 'R' Better LLC Mt Washington 3
An affordable, high-performance sleeping bag that keeps you warm and dry in the harshest of elements.
Crazy Creek Products Crazy Crib
Score an ultralight tent for two—for less.
Crazy Creek Products Crazy Standard Tarp
Score an ultralight tent for two—for less.
Jacks 'R' Better LLC Winter Nest
An affordable, high-performance sleeping bag that keeps you warm and dry in the harshest of elements.
Crazy Creek Products Crazy Crib LEX w/ Tarp
Score an ultralight tent for two—for less.
Crazy Creek Products Crazy B.A. Tarp Lite
Score an ultralight tent for two—for less.
Esatto, LLC Summer Lightweight
Check out Katie Herrel's author page.
Jacks 'R' Better LLC High Sierra Sniveller
An affordable, high-performance sleeping bag that keeps you warm and dry in the harshest of elements.
Esatto, LLC Classic Hiker
Check out Katie Herrel's author page.
Jacks 'R' Better LLC Old Rag Mtn
An affordable, high-performance sleeping bag that keeps you warm and dry in the harshest of elements.
Jacks 'R' Better LLC Nest
An affordable, high-performance sleeping bag that keeps you warm and dry in the harshest of elements.
Jacks 'R' Better LLC Sierra Sniveller
An affordable, high-performance sleeping bag that keeps you warm and dry in the harshest of elements.
Jacks 'R' Better LLC Hudson River
An affordable, high-performance sleeping bag that keeps you warm and dry in the harshest of elements.
Jacks 'R' Better LLC Sierra Stealth
An affordable, high-performance sleeping bag that keeps you warm and dry in the harshest of elements.
Jacks 'R' Better LLC Shenandoah
An affordable, high-performance sleeping bag that keeps you warm and dry in the harshest of elements.
Determining Your Pack Size
I am going to start backpacking again after many years and wanted to know about internal frame packs. How do you determine the correct size of the pack (I am 5' 10" in height)?
Basket or Box?
Next summer I will be transporting 4 people (2 adults, 1 toddler, and 1 infant) and 2 dogs (50 pounds each) into the great outdoors. What carries more gear? A roof basket like the Thule MOAB, or a roof box?
Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011: Black Diamond Eldorado Tent
A bomber tent with lots of legroom
Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011: Nemo Obi 1p Elite Tent
A super light double-wall tent
Gear Review: Nemo Obi 1p Elite
Check out Casey Lyons's author page.
Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011: The North Face Assault 2 Tent
A lightweight, easy-pitching, two-pole tent.
Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011: Mountain Equipment Co-op TGV2 Tent
No other double-wall tent we tested offers so much protection for so little money and bulk.
Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011: Big Agnes Royal Flush 3 Tent
A tent that can handle it all - temperature swings, ripping wind, humidity, and rocky campsites.
Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011: Mountain Laurel Designs Circus Tent
With a massive 96-square-foot (floorless) area and 70-inch peak height, the Circus Tent can fit up to seven.
Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011: MSR Storm King Tent
An ultralight shelter for four.
Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011: Nemo Alti Storm 3p Tent
A tent with all the bells and whistles you'd want--large vestibules, super sturdy, and great ventilation.
Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011: Sierra Designs Sorcery 55 Backpack
A super comfortable pack that makes 40 pounds feel nonexistent.
Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011: Pieps Plecotus Backpack
The best organized big-day backcountry ski pack
Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011: Black Diamond Agent Backpack
A lightweight ski pack that is super stable.
Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011: Osprey Mutant 38 Backpack
This pack is like a personal valet for your ice tools
Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011: Clik Elite Obscura Camera Pack
Get the features you need for grab-and-go shooting without extra wonk and weight.
Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011: Golite Terrono 90 Backpack
A light-and-large pack perfect for bulky winter loads.
Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011: K2 Pilchuck Kit Backpack
This compact, 11-liter pack comes equipped with an avalanche shovel and probe.
Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011: The North Face Patrol 34 Backpack
The Patrol does it all—skiing, climbing, and hiking.
Gear Review: Snow Peak Hozuk
A soft shell lantern that's perfect for illuminating a tent.
Gear Review: Kelty Lumapivot
A bright LED lantern that's perfect for car camping.
Gear Review: Mammut X-Shot
The brightest headlamp we tested.
Gear Review: Princeton Tec Byte
A great headlamp for ultralighters.
Gear Review: Black Diamond Storm
The Storm has multiple setting options for only $50 and four ounces.
Two Kelty Tent Pricepoints
I am comparing the Kelty Gunnison 2.1, sold everywhere ($189.99) with the Kelty Zenith, sold at Target ($59.99). The basic dimensions are the same and there are a few obvious differences, but how can the price be so different?
Gear Review: Mountainsmith Sunlight 20
A legit 20°F down bag that costs less than 200 bucks.
Gear Review: REI Merino Wool Hoodie
This fine-gauge merino feels like my coziest pajamas.
Gear Review: Jetboil Sol Ti Premium Cooking System
Jetboil’s Personal Cooking System (PCS) is fast, fuel-efficient, and foolproof, and this new titanium version is barely half the weight.
Gear Review: Sierra Designs Stash 1 Tent
A solo tent that can handle nasty weather and is comfortable to boot.
Gear Review: Adidas Terrex Fast X FM
A low-cut hiker that fits and feels like a supportive sneaker.
Gear Review: MSR Twin Brothers
This roomy tent has 96 square feet of floor space.
Gear Review: Mountainsmith Genesee
This four-person tent costs just $199.
Gear Review: Tarptent Hogback
A four-person, double-walled tent that's supremely packable.
Gear Review: Big Agnes Soda Mountain SL4
This freestanding dome weighs less than two pounds per person, but it’s as roomy as a deluxe car-camping tent.
Gear Review: Sierra Designs Zeta 4
This top performer is light, roomy, stable—and affordable.
Gear Test: Bargain Three-Season Bags
Three synthetic sleepers for less than $110.
The Best Breathable, Waterproof Rain Jackets
Four companies made bold claims about cutting-edge waterproof technology in 2011. So we gathered a dozen rain jackets with the new fabrics and put them to the test in a head-to-head challenge. Verdict: We've never worn a more breathable crop of shells.
Gear Review: Marmot Mavericks 20
This hoodless, semi-rectangular bag was the roomiest in our test.
Gear Review: Eureka! Casper 15
This bag packs down to the size of a volleyball.
Gear Review: The North Face Aleutian 20
This mummy costs only $89 and weighs just over three pounds!
Gear Review: Columbia Peak 2 Peak/Peak Power
Made with Columbia Omni-Dry this full-featured jacket is $40 less than its nearest competitor.
Gear Review: Mountain Hardwear Jovian
Made with a PTFE membrane made by General Electric this shell was great in heavy rain.
Gear Review: Westcomb Apoc
Made with Polartec NeoShell, this versatile jacket is durable and breathable.
Gear Review: Mammut Felsturm Half-Zip
Made with Gore-Tex Active Shell this breathable jacket was wearable in a wide range of temperatures.
Men's Packs vs. Women's Packs
Can a woman comfortably use a man's backpack? How much of a difference does it make?
Sharing Pack Weight
My boyfriend always gets annoyed that I load our heavier items into his pack. I think that since he weighs 30% more than me, his pack can be about 40% heavier, adding 10% for M/F differences in hematocrit, VO2 max, etc. Reasonable?
test test
An affordable, high-performance sleeping bag that keeps you warm and dry in the harshest of elements.
Professor Hike: Your Must-Have, Favorite, Can't-Leave-Behind Gear
What's the one item you can't leave home without?
Gear Reviews: Featherweight Shells
Windproof jackets for every type of hiker.
Gear Review: Eureka Dualis Sleeping Pad
Do you toss and turn endlessly in your tent at night? Keep reading.
The Manual: Plan a Trip with GPS
Learn how to plot your own digital adventures with precision--then print the maps and prep your GPS.
Five All-Purpose Light Hikers
Get light yet supportive shoes that stand up to the worst boot-chewing terrain–and satisfied our crew of Grand Canyon rangers and guides.
The End-of-Summer Gear
Close out the season in style, with sandals, eyewear, a wearable air conditioner (for your dog), and a proper skinny-dipping accessory.
How Many Ways Can A Camelback Work
If I had to survive on bad water for several days (say I fell in a canyon with no water) would enemas of the bad water actually keep me from dying of dehydration and not give me diarrhea? I heard of a family lost at sea with a hydration bladder was able to survive this way.
Tendon-friendly Boots?
I tore tendons in my left ankle when I was younger, and as a result, don't have the most stable of ankles while hiking. Braces tend to be too hot and irritating inside a boot - is there any specialty boot or aftermarket product to help?
Poison Ivy is Hairy
My dog joins me on many of my hiking trips. Is there anything short of giving her a bath that will remove the oils from poison oak/ivy?
Rattlesnake Repellent
Does bleach repel Rattlesnakes?
Middle-age Med Kit
What do you recommend including in a medical kit for a five-day hike with four (middle age) adults?
Adderall at Altitude
Sometimes drugs that help with attention deficit problems help with acclimatization to altitudeand sometimes they don't...