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Rab Expedition Slipper and Rab Hot Socks Review

This gear review will cover two foot-insulation options from Rab; the Rab Expedition Slipper and the Rab Hot Socks. Both pieces of gear are lightweight options to add warmth to camp insulation, though they differ in terms of insulation level and type, materials, and intended use.

Staff Picks 2020

Backpacking Light staff and contributors give their 2020 staff picks - their favorite backpacking and hiking gear of the year.

Lightweight Winter Down Parka Reviews and State of the Market Report

This article features lightweight down parkas (usually, full-zip jackets with hoods, a longer hem, and box-baffled construction) appropriate for winter backpacking, snowshoeing, backcountry skiing, mountaineering, and other cold-temperature activities.

Synthetic Insulated Jacket Review & State of the Market Report

This comprehensive State of the Market Report presents more than a dozen synthetic insulated jacket reviews and performance comparison to evaluate their durability, warmth, weather resistance, breathability, and features.

Rab Nimbus Review

This Rab Nimbus review summarizes the jacket's performance and compares it to others in its class while using it on a number of mountaineering and trekking expeditions in Alaska and other parts of North America.

Rab Xenon X Review

The Rab Xenon X used to be the best all-purpose lightweight synthetic insulated jacket on the market. Over the last seven years, the author has used the Xenon and Xenon X for some fantastic outdoor adventures: a 35-day traverse of Alaska's Brooks Range, climbing Denali, Half Dome, and El Cap, and other things. Though the Xenon X performs above average in our tests, a variety of other jackets now offer superior performance.

The Unconventional Sleep Systems Manifesto

A Comprehensive Primer and Market Analysis of Top Bags, Quilts, and Wearable Systems

Revisiting Wind Shirts
Revisiting Wind Shirts: Breaking the 3 oz Barrier When we last reviewed wind shirts in “Windshirt Wars”, the lightest fabrics were 1.4 to 1.1 oz/sq.yd. nylons and the lightest hoodless...
Clothing and Sleep Systems for Mountain Hiking, 1st Edition (August 2002)

Clothing and Sleep Systems for Mountain Hiking, 1st Edition (August 2002)

Nunatak Arc Alpinist

Nunatak Arc Alpinist

Elite Top Bag by Rab Carrington

Elite Top Bag by Rab Carrington

The Arc Bag Concept: Saving Weight with Variable Girth Sleeping Bags Having an “Arc” Shaped Cross Section

As we prepare to announce the launch of the Backpacking Light website, it is probably appropriate to introduce a teaser about what we intend to spend a great deal of time with this year: clothing and sleep systems for ultralight hiking, with a focus on quilts.

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