Gear Reviews
Backpacking Light has built a hard-won reputation for comprehensive and fair product reviews, reflecting our Editorial Values of Objectivity, Trust, Authority, Inclusivity, and Clarity.
We publish three main types of reviews: performance, limited, and first looks. Learn more about review rating and gear awards program and review our affiliate disclosure. If you represent a brand and would like to submit a product for review, go here.
- GEAR • Gear Reviews
- GEAR • Gear Guides
- GEAR • Gear Checklists
- GEAR • Make Your Own Gear
- GEAR • Gear Testing & Research
- SKILLS • Tips, Tricks, and Hacks
- SKILLS • Wilderness Skills
- SKILLS • Training
- SKILLS • Trip Planning
- SKILLS • Food Preparation
- PLACES • Trips
- PLACES • Routes
- CULTURE • Essays
- CULTURE • Stories
- CULTURE • Issues
- CULTURE • People
- CULTURE • News
- CULTURE • Media Reviews
- ARCHIVES (Before 30.Nov.2015)
- SEARCH LIBRARY
- TRAILHEADS
Latest
Lightweight Snowshoes: Two Models from MSR and Northern Lights are Cream of the Crop
Overview Snowshoes are essential for traveling in the mountains in most of the winter and spring months. In some places of the western U.S. (e.g., the Cascade volcanoes and Northern...
GoLite, Integral Designs, and Wild Things High Loft Synthetic Insulating Jackets (Comparison Review)
Overview High-loft insulating garments have a higher warmth-to-weight ratio than any other type of clothing. So, they are perfect complements to a lightweight backpacking clothing system when temperatures plummet. This...
Western Mountaineering, Feathered Friends, Nunatak, and PhD Lightweight Down Jackets (Comparison Review)
Introduction A lightweight down jacket is a wonderful thing. A down jacket can have up to three to five times more loft than its synthetic counterpart (e.g. a Patagonia Puffball,...
Book Review: The Ultralight Backpacker
Book Review: The Ultralight Backpacker
RBH Designs Vapor Barrier Hand & Footwear
RBH Designs Vapor Barrier Hand & Footwear
Elite Top Bag by Rab Carrington
Elite Top Bag by Rab Carrington
Hike ‘N Light Alcohol Stove
Hike 'N Light Alcohol Stove
