Recommended Backpacking Gear

RECOMMENDED GEAR

Lightweight & Ultralight
Backpacking & Hiking

How about a 15 pound pack for a weekend trip? At these pack weights, backpacking feels more like day hiking. It’s hard to describe how freeing this is until you experience it. The trail miles melt away. Without the misery of a heavy pack you can actually appreciate the beauty of the land you’re hiking through. You get into camp early, with plenty of time and energy to do almost anything.

Recommended Backpacking Gear

A list of the best lightweight backpacking gear.
Recommended Backpacking Gear has a focus on value—great performance and reasonable cost.

2019 Lightweight Hikers' Guide to the REI Gear Up Get Out Sale

32 Comments

November 15, 2019

The vast inventory at a REI Sale can be overwhelming. I've done a bunch of research to help you select the best lightweight gear at the sale.

Bikepacking GAP Trail & C&O Canal Trail

September 29, 2019

Bikepacking the GAP Trail and C&O Trail from Pittsburgh to Washington DC is a superb mix of natural beauty, wooded trails, quaint towns, & American history. It’s the perfect introductory trip for those new to bikepacking. But it’s just as suitable and rewarding trip for accomplished riders. Virtually all of the trail is away from traffic on flat, wide, non-technical dirt trails (double track) that do not require great riding skills.

2020 Best Backpacks for Backpacking and Hiking

27 Comments

March 31, 2019

A hiking backpack is the single most important piece of gear that any backpacker will own. There is no reason to settle for a heavy, old-school pack. This buyer’s guide highlights the very best backpacking backpacks of 2019, both Lightweight and Ultralight.

2019 Best Satellite Messengers – SOS Devices

102 Comments

January 12, 2019

Buy wisely and be safe! This post has the best Satellite Messenger - SOS devices that will get help when needed and reassure family and loved ones that you are OK when everything is hunky dory. And yes, there are HUGE differences between devices.

2019 Smart and Light Gift Guide for Hikers and Backpackers

11 Comments

November 12, 2018

This gear is smarter, lighter and more thoroughly tested than your typical buyer’s guide. Enjoy our picks of the best light and practical gear in our Smart and Light Gift Guide for Hikers and Backpackers.

lightweight backpacking quilt - camp boy scout lake

2020 Buyers Guide to Lightweight Backpacking Quilts

113 Comments

April 26, 2018

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Review of Dutchware Chameleon Hammock - Light & Superbly Versatile

23 Comments

February 6, 2017

One hammock can do it all—and well! The Chameleon, works in…

Guide to Lightweight Down Jackets and Pants for Backpacking

82 Comments

November 23, 2016

Forget synthetics! Down rocks. A lightweight down jacket is…

Best Lightweight Backpacking Electronics Gear

18 Comments

July 11, 2016

This best lightweight backpacking electronics gear is supremely…

Best Cheap 25 cent Backpacking Gear

8 Comments

April 1, 2016

The Best Cheap $0.25 Backpacking Gear in my kit are Pint Ziploc Freezer Bags. They are a perfect size and have a ton of uses. I’ve used them to protect my iPhone and other expensive equipment packrafting in Alaska, rafting down the Grand Canyon in winter, trekking in Patagonia and the rain forests of New Zealand. Surprisingly, they are virtually unknown and you won’t find them on grocery store shelves.

Practical Light Gear List Appalachian Trail

20 Comments

March 10, 2016

Just how light can you go on backpacking gear for the AT and still be an efficient hiker? I believe this "Practical Light Gear List Appalachian Trail" is very close to the lower weight limit of gear to efficiently walk long days on the AT without sacrificing comfort, functionality or miles hiked per day. My goal is a sub 12 pound total pack weight (gear, food, water & fuel) to do a ~100 mile section of the AT without resupply.

Best Backpacking Stove System - Trail Designs Caldera vs. JetBoil

46 Comments

December 7, 2015

Best Backpacking Stoves: Trail Designs Caldera, the best alcohol stove system, and JetBoil, the best canister stove system. What makes these systems “best” is that they are fuel efficient, wind-resistant, stable and stow into a small package. Which is the best for you?...

Recommended Lightweight Backpacks

51 Comments

November 16, 2015

Do-it-all Packs: These are your first choice if you want one light pack to work for all your trips. These packs will carry gear and food for trips up to 7 days or more—yet at around 2 pounds they are not too heavy to use for a long weekend on the Appalachian Trail.

Recommended Tents, Tarps and other Shelters

32 Comments

November 11, 2015

Possibly the best all-around, lightweight shelter is a pyramid…

The Big Three - Recommended Backpacking Gear

0 Comments

November 11, 2015

To save as much as 10 to 12 pounds with with the minimum of effort, look at The Big Three. 1) Backpack, 2) Tent/Shelter, and 3) Sleeping bag (or quilt). The lighter versions of these are just as functional as their heavier counterparts.

Recommended Pyramid Shelters

13 Comments

November 10, 2015

A pyramid shelter is likely your lightest effective shelter,…

Recommended Tarps and Shaped Tarps

14 Comments

November 10, 2015

Tarps and Shaped Tarps are significantly lighter and have…

Recommended Tents and Tarptents

8 Comments

November 10, 2015

If you aren't up to Pyramids and tarps: Consider lightweight tents like the REI Quarter Dome 1 Tent, or the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL 1 Tent. (If you want to save some weight, look at the Tarptents, altho these will not be from REI.)

Backpacking Gear Sources

1 Comment

October 29, 2015

Sources for Ultralight and Lightweight Backpacking Equipment This…

Recommended Gear

0 Comments

October 18, 2015

The Big 3 Look at The Big Three:1) Backpack, 2) Tent/Shelter,…

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Disclaimer: Posts on this site contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking on these links, a portion of the sale helps support this site at no additional cost to you. I do not receive compensation from the companies whose products I review. Unless otherwise noted, products are purchased with my own funds. I am never under an obligation to write a review about any product. Finally, reviews express my own independent opinion.

RECOMMENDED GEAR

Recommended Backpacking Gear

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