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Patagonia Dragonfly Pullover REVIEW (Spring 2004 Style)
A three ounce wind shirt with an important distinguishing feature: durability.
The Weird Science of Night Vision: Lighting Considerations for Lightweight Backpacking
Be sure to check our Gear Guide to LED Headlamps. Turn night into day (use bright light), or preserve night vision (use low light)? Because of the eye’s physiology, it...
Western Mountaineering Flight Vest
Introduction The Western Mountaineering Flight Vest provides one of the highest warmth:weight ratios of any garment on the market. You can use this vest for cold rest stops, to boost...
Frameless Backpacks: Engineering Analysis of the Load Carrying Performance of Selected Lightweight Packs
Introduction The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the load carrying performance of several frameless packs available to the ultralight backpacking community. Frameless backpacks tested in this...
Quantitative Analysis of Backpack Suspension Performance
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TarpTent Virga, TarpTent Squall, and TarpTent Cloudburst
Henry Shires' TarpTents, including the solo Virga, the dual-person Squall, and the dual-person Cloudburst, offer simple setup and excellent stability in a package suitable for those who just aren't quite ready to migrate to an open tarp yet.
Oware Flat Tarps (6×8, 8×10, 10×10)
See how this shelter rates with others in our Comparison Review of Tarps and Other Floorless Shelters Photo: An Oware 10×10 ft tarp setup for an incoming mountain thunderstorm: Pitch...
Campmor (Equinox) Silnylon Tarps
See how this shelter rates with others in our Comparison Review of Tarps and Other Floorless Shelters Configurations Reviewed: 6′ x 8′, 8′ x 10′ Photo Caption: Campmor/Equinox’s Ultralight Backpacking...
Oware Alphamid
See how this shelter rates with others in our Comparison Review of Tarps and Other Floorless Shelters Overview As the name implies, the Oware Alphamid is based on a pyramid...
Granite Gear White Lightnin’ Tarp (8×10)
See how this shelter rates with others in our Comparison Review of Tarps and Other Floorless Shelters Also available in 10×10 and 10×12 sizes In the field, using 8 tie-out...
Comparison Review of Tarps and Other Floorless Shelters
Overview The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the floorless shelters for lightweight backpackers. Herein, we review products from GoLite, Integral Designs, TarpTent, Oware, Granite Gear,...
GoLite Lair 1 Shelter REVIEW
The GoLite Lair 1 Shelter offers more weather protection than a tarp without a dramatic weight penalty. At less than 12 oz, the Lair 1 is ideally suited for solo travel in areas where ventilation is important but the chance for rain is very real.
Integral Designs Silshelter
See how this shelter rates with others in our Comparison Review of Tarps and Other Floorless Shelters Overview At only 12.9 ounces, the Integral Designs Sil Shelter provides the lightest...
Integral Designs Sil Poncho
See how this shelter rates with others in our Comparison Review of Tarps and Other Floorless Shelters Overview Are you looking for a truly ultralight, minimalist solution for shelter and...
Merino Wool Shirts
A review of lightweight long sleeve merino wool shirts from Smartwool, Ibex, Icebreaker, Merino Skins, and WhisperWarm.
Campmor (Equinox) Silnylon Poncho-Tarp
See how this shelter rates with others in our Comparison Review of Tarps and Other Floorless Shelters Campmor’s "Ultralite Poncho/Tarps" and Equinox’s "Ultralite Poncho" are one in the same. Order...
Oware Tapered Catenary Tarp (6×8)
See how this shelter rates with others in our Comparison Review of Tarps and Other Floorless Shelters Photo: Oware’s 6×8 Cat Tarp: The trim size and catenary cut ridgeline make...
Pertex Shield Raises Ante in DWR Finishes for Soft Shell Garments
Woven soft shell fabrics such as microfiber polyester and ultralight ripstop nylons suffer from poor DWR finishes that make their utility in the rain very limited. Perseverance Mills of the...
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...
Marmot Precip vs. Cloudveil Drizzle: Raingear for Lightweight Backpacking
Introduction It seems like all major manufacturers have an “ultralight” rain jacket in their line. The problem, however, is that all is not what it seems to be…ultralight often results...
