Backpacking Gear
Best and Worst Backpacking Gear 2026: 12 Pieces Worth Knowing
Twelve backpacking products from this year, covering the standouts worth buying and the designs that need a closer look before you spend.
Independent reviews
Product Reviews and Buying Guides – 481 / 805
From everyday tech and home products to lifestyle and specialist gear, each review focuses on practical use, strengths, limitations, and who the product suits.
Outdoor Gear
Best and Worst Gear from a Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Hike
A long-distance hiker shares the gear that performed well and the gear that fell short over thousands of miles.
Outdoor Gear
Best and Worst REI Gear: Seven Pieces Worth Knowing About
A practical look at seven REI products, from packs and pads that carry weight well to a tent, a down jacket, and a quilt that struggle against the competition.
Backcountry Electronics
Best Backcountry Electronics for Thru-Hiking: Five Essentials Worth Packing
Five rechargeable devices that cover safety, navigation, and entertainment on remote thru-hikes, from satellite SOS to wrist maps and lightweight USB power.
Backcountry Safety
Best Backcountry Safety Tools: Garmin inReach, onX Backcountry, and iPhone Satellite SOS
A practical comparison of four backcountry safety tools: a two-way satellite communicator, an offline navigation app, and two iPhones with satellite emergency calling.
Backpacking Gear
Best Backpacking Accessories 2026: Eight Gear Upgrades That Make Trips Easier
Eight backpacking accessories that solve real trail problems, from a carry-on bag that doubles as a framed pack to electrolytes, specialty instant coffee, and a water bladder that fills in seconds.
Backpacking Gear
Best Backpacking Accessories: Nine Gear Upgrades That Make Trips Easier
Nine backpacking accessories that add comfort, hydration, coffee, and reliable power on trail, with the trade-offs worth checking before you buy.
Backpacking Gear
The Best Backpacking Big Three: One Pack, One Tent, One Sleep System for Most Trips
One pack, one shelter, and one sleep system that can cover most backpacking trips, plus the supporting gear that rounds out a complete kit.
Backpacking Jackets
Best Backpacking and Camping Jackets 2026: Six Down and Synthetic Picks Compared
A practical comparison of six backpacking and camping jackets, from a deep-winter down parka to a $90 budget pick and a 1,000 fill ultralight flagship.
Backpacking Gear
Best Backpacking Chairs 2026: Five Lightweight Folding Chairs Compared
A practical comparison of five compact folding backpacking chairs, from a $50 lounger to a $180 feature-rich option, with honest notes on comfort, seat height, and ground stability.
Backpacking Chairs
Best Backpacking Chairs Compared: Five Ultralight Options From Budget to Premium
A practical comparison of five folding ultralight backpacking chairs, from a $50 budget lounger to a $180 feature-rich option, with clear comfort, weight, and price trade-offs.
Camping Chairs
Best Backpacking Chairs: Helinox Chair Zero, Nemo Moonlight, and Big Agnes Skyline UL Compared
A practical comparison of three popular backpacking chairs, covering packed weight, seat height, stability on soft ground, adjustability, and comfort at camp.
Backpacking Clothing
Best Backpacking Clothing Kit for Long Trails: Six Pieces Worth Packing
A practical long-distance backpacking clothing kit built around warmth-to-weight, fast drying fabrics, sun protection, and brush resistance.
Backpacking Cookware
Best Backpacking Cook Kits and Stoves: Pots, Canister Stoves, and a Budget Setup That Works
A practical guide to backpacking pots and stoves, from ultralight titanium and solid fuel tablets to an all-in-one system and a budget kit that costs about as much as a takeout dinner.
Backpacking Cookware
Best Backpacking Cook Kits: Stoves and Pots for Simple, Reliable Meals
Nine stoves and pots that pair into dependable backpacking cook kits, from a budget canister stove to a heat exchanger pot built for fast, fuel-efficient boils.
Backpacking Cookware
Best Backpacking Cook Systems and Stoves: From Boiling Water to Backcountry Baking
Nine backcountry cook systems and stoves, from tiny alcohol burners and a budget canister stove to an all-in-one kit and cookware built for real backcountry baking.
Backpacking Electronics
Best Backpacking Electronics: Award-Winning Gear for the Trail
A roundup of standout electronics for backpacking and camping, from headlamps and watches to power banks and action cameras, with pros, cons, and alternatives.
Backpacking Food
Best Backpacking Food 2026: Seven Trail-Tested Meals and Snacks
Seven calorie-dense backpacking foods that held up over a 36-day thru-hike, covering breakfast, snacks, lunch, and hot-weather hydration.
Backpacking Food
Best Backpacking Foods for Thru-Hikes: Seven Trail-Tested Picks
Seven backpacking foods that stayed appealing over a long thru-hike, with calorie counts, prep effort, and the trade-offs worth weighing before your next trip.
Backpacking Gear
Best Backpacking Gadgets 2025: Nine Top Picks for Camp and Trail
Nine community-tested backpacking gadgets, from stoves and headlamps to satellite communicators, with the weights, prices and trade-offs that matter.
Backpacking Gear
Best Backpacking Gadgets: 8 Field-Tested Essentials Worth Packing
Eight backpacking gadgets that earn their place in a pack, from a fire-starting carabiner and a satellite communicator to a titanium cook pot and a pocket air pump.
Backpacking Gear
Best Backpacking Gadgets of the Year: 8 Essentials Worth Packing
A practical look at eight backpacking gadgets for fire starting, navigation, camp comfort, and cooking, with the strengths and trade-offs to weigh before you buy.
Backpacking Gear
Best Backpacking Gadgets: 12 Standout Picks for Ultralight Campers
Twelve backpacking and camping gadgets worth packing, with the weights, prices, and trade-offs that matter in each category.
Backpacking Gear
Best Backpacking Gear 2023: 14 Standout Picks for the Trail
A field-tested roundup of backpacking picks across packs, sleeping pads, quilts, tents, stoves, filters, headlamps, and satellite communicators.
Backpacking Gear
Best Backpacking Gear 2025: Six Game Changers Worth Repacking For
The backpacking gear that moved whole categories forward this year, from cold-weather stoves and quilts to packrafts and minimalist footwear, with the trade-offs worth knowing before you buy.
Backpacking Gear
Best Backpacking Gear Awards: Standout Picks Across Every Category
A category-by-category roundup of backpacking standouts, from ultralight packs and storm-ready tents to filters, headlamps, and camp comfort picks.
Backpacking Gear
Best Backpacking Gear: The Big Three, Premium Picks and Value Alternatives
A practical breakdown of backpacking's big three, the pack, the sleep system, and the shelter, with premium picks and lower-cost alternatives that hold up on real trips.
Backpacking Gear
Best Backpacking Gear: Field-Tested Favorites for Ultralight Trips
Twenty backpacking picks that earned a permanent place in the pack, covering packs, sleep systems, shelters, water treatment, cooking, camp comfort, lighting, and clothing.
Backpacking Gear
Best Backpacking Gear: 12 Field-Tested Picks for Multi-Day Trips
Twelve backpacking items that earned their place over a year of trips, with plain notes on weight, comfort, price, and the compromise each one asks for.
Backpacking Gear
Best Backpacking Gear for Multi-Day Hikes: 10 Items That Earned Their Place
A multi-day walk along the Great Glen Way sorted the gear that earns its place from the gear that just adds weight. Ten items, from tents and quilts to shoes and shells, with the trade-offs to weigh before buying.