Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2011: The North Face Assault 2 Tent
A lightweight, easy-pitching, two-pole tent.
Gear
Gear
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?
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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...
Forest SPF
Whats the SPF of a deciduous forest?
Bear It? Or Use Sunscreen?
Why is it advised to leave odor free deodorant or antiperspirant behind in the backcountry when sunscreen and bug spray are considered ok? Wouldn't the same premise apply to all?
Booze for Blisters?
My grandfather told me many years ago that using rubbing alcohol on your feet a few weeks before a backpacking trip will help prevent blisters. Have you heard this before?
Getting Fit for Philmont
I am leading a crew to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico next summer. We are covering 115 miles in 10 days and summiting four peaks around 12,000 ft. What workouts would you recommend to prepare 12 guys around the age of 16 for this trek
Spring Back from a Sprain
What is the fastest way to recover for hiking from a sprained ankle? What exercises can I do to strengthen my ankle muscles?
Lightning Rod Pack?
Can hiking with an aluminum external frame pack pose a hazard during an electrical storm?
Living with Lyme
I've had Lyme disease now for three years, misdiagnosed at first, I am a hiker and a climber and continue to do so even though the pain in my shoulders and knees is sometimes bad. Im going to climb Mts. Whitney and Rusell soon. Will the high altitude affect my Lyme disease?
Weak in the Knees
I recently went on a seven-day 100 mile hike. My knees where killing me on the down hills. What exercise can I do to prevent this from happen?
Glass Half Full
You run out of water on a long, hot dayhike. You find a full water bottle trailside, and also find a clear running stream. Drink from the stream, drink from the bottle, or abstain?
Boiling at Altitude
How long should water boil at 14,000 feet altitude where it boils at 60 degrees Celsius?
Animal Immunity?
Why is it that wild animals can drink water that's unsafe for humans?
Bad Balls and Birdtoe
Just standing flat footed and lifting my toes I get a sharp pain shooting from the ball through the underside of my toe and my hiking has ceased. What could the problem be?
Sore to the Sole
My boots seem to fit me well, but after about three hours of backpacking the balls of my feet become sore. Friction probably plays a role, so I duct tape the balls of my feet to slow down the pain process. Eventually they do get sore. Any suggestions?
Healthy, Gluten Free Carbs?
I am a backpacker and mountain climber and am trying to find out more information specific to diet and keeping up my endurance, energy and strength. I have celiacs disease and there doesn't seem to be a lot of information on obtaining the right carbs.
Get High with Baby?
As a CO native, hiking Fourteeners in the summer is a favorite activity of mine. I'm excited to introduce my one-year-old to an easy one this summer (carrying him in a baby backpack, of course), but am a bit concerned about him and altitude sickness. Should I be?
Brain-teasing Ache
Why do I get headaches nearing the end of hikes? I drink enough water, eat enough, but the last two miles of so of any hike I get a killer headache.
Acclimatization Insight
Does hiking and sleeping at altitude for the weekend one to three weeks prior to taking a hike at 14,000 help acclimating? I would be back at sea level for the work weeks in between.
Hand Sanitizer Help?
How soon after exposure to poison ivy do I need to wash my skin? If I apply an alcohol-based hand sanitizer after contact with poison ivy, will it reduce my reaction, or stop it altogether?
Giardia Enigma?
When I through-hiked the PCT a number of people I was hiking with came down with giardia. We drank from the same sources for weeks. They treated their water and I never did and I still never got sick. Why?
Gear School: Synthetic Sleeping Bags
The best new sacks are tough on cold and packed with technology.
Gear Review: Backcountry Skirts
Three skirts for conquering the backcountry with a dash of feminine style.
Gear Review: The North Face Phoenix 2 Tent
With The North Face's new Drywall tent fabric and external clips, you can pitch the Phoenix 2 in the middle of a downpour without spilling a drop on the tent floor.
Gear Review: MSR Hubba Hubba Tent plus Gear Shed
How do you improve on a tent that's already received an Editors' Choice award? Try adding a detachable vestibule, or "gear shed", that practically doubles the tent's footprint and its versatility.
Gear Review: Stoic Wraith Rain Jacket
A wisp of a rain jacket at a great price
Gear Review: Sierra Designs Zia 3 Tent
A three-person tent with 40 square feet of floor space.
Gear Review: REI TiWare Nonstick Cookset
This four-piece set has a nonstick silicone/ceramic coating.