Sure, your backpack, boots, tent, sleeping bag, air mattress, and other backpacking gear matter a lot, and you should put serious thought into your choices when buying any of them. But little things matter, too. Various necessary accessories, convenience items, and small comforts accompany me on backcountry trips. Nearly three decades of field-testing gear—including the 10 years I spent as the lead gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine and even longer running this blog—has refined my sense of what I like on certain types of trips and what I will not do without anytime.

Here’s my freshly updated list of essential backpacking accessories, ranging from basics like the best stuff sacks, bladders and water bottles, camp kitchen gear, water filters, tent stakes, and bear canister, to my go-to trekking poles, great values in a headlamp, camp stove, sport sunglasses, and knife, and what I sit on and slip my feet into in camp and lay my head down on every night I sleep on the ground.

I’ve tested this gear extensively on numerous backpacking trips from the Teton Crest Trail and Wonderland Trail, Yosemite, and the Wind River Range to Idaho’s Sawtooths, the Grand Canyon, Glacier, and countless other places.

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I don’t carry everything on this list on every trip, of course. Some, like a bear canister, solar panel and power bank, I bring only when needed; others, like a utensil, mug, and inflatable pillow, I always have with me. But what follows represent the best I’ve found of each type of accessory. You’ll find links below to good prices on many of them right now and you can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by making purchases through the affiliate links in this review. Thanks for doing that.

I think you may find some things in this list that you can’t go without. See also my picks for the best backpacking gear of the year.

I’d appreciate any of your observations about the gear reviewed here, or suggestions on favorite accessories of yours that I’ve overlooked; share them in the comments section at the bottom of this story. I try to respond to all comments.

Inflatable Pillow

Call me soft (or smart), but an inflatable pillow goes into my pack on all backcountry trips, because these lightweight and compact models help me sleep better at an inconsequential cost in weight and bulk. Why wouldn’t you take one? These are the best I’ve found.

After using it on multiple backpacking trips, including a nine-day hike of about 130 miles through the High Sierra, mostly on the John Muir Trail, trips in the Wind River Range (including the Wind River High Route), in The Maze District of Canyonlands National Park, and on the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier, I have a new favorite. The Nemo Fillo Elite Pillow ($60, 2.8 oz./79.4g) weighs under three ounces but doesn’t compromise comfort: Inflated, it measures 15x11x3 inches. Made of 100 percent post-consumer recycled PrimaLoft synthetic insulation, it inflates with two strong puffs and the soft, jersey blend cover fabric is machine washable. An integrated stuff sack (read: you won’t lose it) packs the Fillo Elite to the size of a tennis ball (4×3 inches).

Another longtime go-to head rest on countless backpacking trips, including in Glacier National Park, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, and many more, has been the Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight Pillow ($50, 2.5 oz./70.9g, large 13x17x5.5 ins.) because of its ample size and cushion and soft fabric, and it stuffs down to the size of my fist.

Yet another I like a lot is the Therm-a-Rest Air Head Lite Pillow ($55, 2-2.8 oz./56.7g-79.4g), which comes in two sizes that inflate to 18×12.5×4 inches or 15.5x11x4 inches, while packing down smaller than a tennis ball, and the stretch-knit polyester fabric feels soft against your cheek.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Nemo Fillo Elite Pillow at backcountry.com or rei.com, a Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight Pillow at backcountry.com, seatosummit.com, or rei.com, or a Therm-a-Rest Air Head Lite Pillow at backcountry.com.

Two favorite products pull double duty as a pillow and stuff sack—and both weigh less than all but the very lightest inflatable backpacking pillows.

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Stuff Sack Pillow ($63, 1.7 oz./48.2g, 12×17 ins.) consists of highly durable, waterproof (although the zipper is not waterproof) DCF8 shell fabric—which will keep contents dry if heavy rain penetrates a backpack or the sack is exposed for a short time to rain—with a soft, Polartec 100 fleece lining. A perfect size for storing extra clothing and small camp items while on the trail, it can be turned inside-out to function as a pillow at night.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this affiliate link to purchase the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Stuff Sack Pillow at hyperlitemountaingear.com.

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Stuff Sacks and Packing Pods

Stuff sacks protect clothing and gear from any water that penetrates a backpack, and make organizing and loading a pack easier and faster by compartmentalizing clothing and smaller gear items, giving you fewer things to transfer in and out of a pack. They also provide a more effective way of keeping stuff dry inside your pack than a rain cover, which doesn’t fully cover a pack, can blow off, and will wet through in a sustained downpour. I always use stuff sacks, and these are the best I’ve found.

The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Dyneema Composite Fabrics Roll-Top Stuff Sacks ($53-$83, 3.7L to 43L, 1-2 oz./28.4g-56.7g) are incredibly light, waterproof, and tough enough to withstand virtually any kind of abuse. Using the 43-liter Hyperlite Mountain Gear Roll-Top stuff sack ($79, 2 oz./56.7g) as a partial pack liner has kept my pack contents completely dry through steady, wind-driven rain on the Tour du Mont Blanc, Iceland’s Laugavegur Trail, and elsewhere. While they’re not intended to be used as dry bags (they’re not submersible), they keep clothing and gear dry through wet conditions short of full immersion in water. HMG’s Drawstring stuff sacks ($31-$58, multiple sizes) are made with the same waterproof fabric but have drawstring closures that are not watertight; still, they’re adequate for the needs of most backpackers and offer a lighter, more compact alternative to the roll-top sacks.

But the coolest are the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Pods ($60-$70, 1.2-1.4 oz./34g-39.7g, 6.8L to 12.3L), which I’ve used many times, including on a five-day hike in the Wind River Range, a nine-day hike of over 120 miles through the High Sierra, mostly on the John Muir Trail, and a seven-day hike in Glacier National Park. Stackable, flexible, super light, zippered units also made of waterproof Dyneema Composite Fabric with a water-resistant zipper, pods are shaped and sized to slip inside a pack wall to wall, leaving no gaps. Convenient for organization with their clamshell design and spacious enough to fit a surprising amount of stuff, they come in small and large sizes for two capacities—2400/3400 for 40-55L packs and 4400 for 70L packs—and fit inside HMG’s packs perfectly but other pack models as well.

I’ve also become a fan of a few other HMG accessories. The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Versa ($85, 0.2 lbs./90.7g, 2.25x6x9 inches) will attach to your pack at the sternum, hipbelt, daisy chains, or on top of the pack secured by compression Y-straps, or you can wear around your waist in front using its low-profile belt. Incredibly light and compact, made from waterproof, very tough Dyneema Composite Fabrics DCH50, it’s hardly noticeable when I’m hiking but highly convenient when I want to quickly pull out my Nikon Z50, a map, or another small item from its water-resistant main compartment or second, zippered pocket.

The regular Hyperlite Mountain Gear Camera Pod ($125, 2.7 oz./76.5g, 7×5.5×3.75 inches), made with Dyneema Composite Fabrics and easy to attach to a pack’s shoulder straps, holds my Nikon Z50 body with a small zoom lens mounted on it (dimensions 5×3.7×3.7 ins.), but get the large ($145, 3.7 oz./104.9g, 9.5×6.5×4.25 ins.) for extra capacity.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these links to purchase Hyperlite Mountain Gear Roll-Top or Drawstring Stuff Sacks and Pods at hyperlitemountaingear.com, the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Versa at hyperlitemountaingear.com, or the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Camera Pod at hyperlitemountaingear.com..

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On a four-day August backpacking trip in the Wind River Range, Sea to Summit’s 3L Ultra-Sil Dry Bag ($23-$40, 3L/183 c.i. to 35L/2,136 c.i., 1.1-2.6 oz.) kept my puffy jacket dry, and the brand’s Evac Compression Dry Bag UL (see below) kept my sleeping bag dry through an afternoon thunderstorm and a torrential downpour that soaked through my backpack in the Winds—even leaving a small puddle of water in the bottom of the pack. Those two sacks saved me from a cold, wet, miserable night then and easily fended off a more-typical morning rain on a seven-day hike in Glacier National Park in September.

I also used both dry bag models while backpacking the three-day, 22-mile Boulder Mail Trail-Death Hollow Loop in southern Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which includes a descent of several miles in water in Death Hollow, with pools that came to mid-thigh.

For their low weight, durability, water resistance, and price, it’s hard to beat the Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Bags. These bags also kept my down jacket dry inside my pack throughout four February days of backcountry skiing in the Sierra mountains around Lake Tahoe, much of the time in heavily falling snow; and most impressively, kept my clothing dry while paddling an inflatable kayak on Idaho’s class III Payette River, even though the boat filled with water numerous times. Ideal for backpackers, the 30-denier, high-tenacity Ultra Sil Cordura nylon, siliconized for durability and packability, has a hypalon roll-top closure that doesn’t wick moisture, plus fully taped seams and reinforced stitching.

The more affordable Six Moon Designs Pack Liner ($20, 50L, 3 oz./85g) has also kept my gear and clothes dry when rain pounded my pack; and I used it to ensure everything inside stayed dry in case I slipped and fell in any deep pool in the canyon Death Hollow while backpacking the three-day, 22-mile Boulder Mail Trail-Death Hollow Loop in southern Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. A roll-top, 50-liter sack that’s treated to repel water, it’s made of 40-denier ripstop nylon with taped seams.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these links to purchase Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Bags at rei.com or seatosummit.com, or the Six Moon Designs Pack Liner at sixmoondesigns.com.

Planning your next big adventure?
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Compression Sack

As I mentioned above, on a recent backpacking trip in the Wind River Range, the Sea to Summit Evac Compression Dry Bag UL ($40-$60, 2-3.9 oz., 5L to 20L) kept my sleeping bag dry through an afternoon thunderstorm and a torrential downpour that soaked through my backpack. The dry bag sat in water pooled at the bottom of the pack for an hour before I unloaded the pack in camp—and my sleeping bag was perfectly dry.

The compression straps make it as compact as possible and this dry bag kept my sleeping bag dry on the wettest backpacking trips—including a nine-day, 130-mile hike through the High Sierra, mostly on the John Muir Trail, when an hour-long rainstorm one afternoon soaked through my pack (I didn’t use a pack cover—see tip no. 1 in this story); and trekking hut-to-hut for six days on Iceland’s 33-mile Laugavegur Trail and 15.5-mile Fimmvörðuháls Trail, when we hiked through precipitation on most days. The Ultra-Sil 30-denier Cordura nylon and waterproof-breathable eVent fabric will pass air, so you can squeeze the sack down smaller even after closing the roll-top opening (which you can’t do with traditional dry bags). But like the above stuff sacks, these are not designed for full immersion because water will eventually penetrate the roll-top closure.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these links to purchase Sea to Summit Evac Compression Dry Sacks at rei.com or seatosummitusa.com.

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Trekking Poles

The folding, 100 percent carbon fiber Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ ($240, 12.7 oz./360g, pair 95-140cm, three sizes) hit a sweet spot for versatility, falling on the cusp between the most ultralight and packable poles and models that are heavier and less packable.

Quickly deployed thanks to an internal Kevlar cord, and adjusted using BD’s reliable FlickLock levers, they have extended EVA foam grips and partly mesh nylon wrist straps. I’ve frequently grabbed them from a large quiver of poles I own for outings ranging from hikes and runs on local trails to backpacking trips of 77 miles on the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier and 47 miles in The Maze District of Canyonlands National Park.

For lightweight and ultralight backpackers, hikers, and runners, and adventure athletes looking for the lightest and most packable adjustable poles, you need look no further.

Read my complete review of the Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ poles and my picks for “The Best Trekking Poles.”

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to buy the Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ poles at blackdiamondequipment.com, backcountry.com, or rei.com.

Gear up right for your trips with the best backpacking gear of the year.

Headlamp

Hold the rechargeable Black Diamond Spot 400-R ($80, 2.6 oz./73.7g) up against any ultralight headlamp and try to convince yourself to buy something else. It has all the power most users need at 400 lumens with a range of 100 meters; that’s bright enough to hike off-trail, search for your route in the dark, or identify the large animal going for your cached food. And a full charge lasts four hours at max power.

Then consider the arguably unbeatable feature set, starting with three white and red modes with dimming capability, plus intuitive two-button operation, BD’s cool PowerTap technology, lockout mode, and it’s waterproof up to a little over a meter underwater for 30 minutes. But most of all, at just 15 bucks more than BD’s Spot 400, the rechargeable Spot 400-R soon pays for itself through the money saved not buying (and throwing away) batteries. Besides, why wouldn’t you buy a rechargeable headlamp today?

Read my complete review of the Black Diamond Spot 400-R and see my picks for “The Best Headlamps.”

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a rechargeable Black Diamond Spot 400-R at blackdiamondequipment.com or backcountry.com, a battery-operated Black Diamond Spot 400 at backcountry.com or blackdiamondequipment.com, or the Storm 500-R or any BD headlamp at backcountry.com or blackdiamondequipment.com.

Serious adventures demand serious gear. See “The 12 Best Down Jackets”
and “The Best Rain Jackets For Hiking and Backpacking”.”

Solar Charger and Power Bank

Let’s face it, portable power has become an essential backpacking accessory for countless wilderness foot travelers. I carried the BioLite SolarPanel 5+ ($100, 13 oz./368.5g) on a nine-day, 130-mile hike through the High Sierra, mostly on the John Muir Trail, with some off-trail segments, to keep my smartphone charged so I could regularly check my mapping app. With direct exposure to peak sunlight, the five-watt SolarPanel 5+ fully charges its on-board 3200 mAh battery in three hours and can recharge a smartphone in as little as two hours, a BioLite Headlamp 200 in 2.5 hours, or the BioLite Charge 20 PD battery in 5.5 hours.

Hiking with it on my backpack and plugged into a device, with its sun exposure constantly changing and sometimes in forest, I found it would often recharge my depleted Android phone to around 50 percent and boost my iPad charge by about 20 percent during the day. The 360-degree kickstand enables positioning it at any angle, while the integrated sun dial allows you to aim the panel optimally for maximum sun exposure—useful when it’s stationary in camp or during breaks. It features a micro-USB input port and USB A output and comes with a USB A to USB C cable. At 13 ounces/368.5 grams and measuring 10.2×8.2×0.9 inches/25.9×20.8×2.3cm, this slim unit is packable and light enough for extended backpacking trips. The IPX4 weatherproof rating means it’s resistant to water splashes from any direction—fine in a light rain but put it away in significant precipitation (when it’s useless, anyway).

I use the BioLite Charge 40 PD power bank ($70, 9.4 oz./266.5g) to augment a solar panel in the backcountry—or instead of the panel when I don’t need more power in reserve than the Charge 40 PD holds. It was all I needed to keep a couple of my family’s phones powered up on a six-day, hut-to-hut trek on Iceland’s Laugavegur and Fimmvörðuháls trails, where we rarely saw the sun. And it’s ideal for long travel days.

Rated to recharge 2.5 smartphones—though that performance will vary between phone models—it would, when fully charged, bring my Samsung smartphone (2550mAh battery) from around 20 percent to 100 percent three to four times. The 10,000 mAh battery can be recharged plugging into a wall outlet for 2.5 hours using the USB A-to-USB C cable that comes with the unit. It has a USB-C PD port (up to 18W) and two USB-A quick charge out ports. BioLite advises using and recharging it at least once every four months.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase BioLite SolarPanel 5+ at rei.com or bioliteenergy.com, or a BioLite Charge 40 PD power bank at bioliteenergy.com.

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Sunglasses

Everyone needs eye protection from bright sunshine and UV light. But high-performance, well-fitting, and stylish sunglasses for outdoor sports are not often well-priced. Tifosi has broken that rule. The Tifosi Crit wrap-around sport sunglasses ($50, 1 oz./28.4g), ideal for everything from hiking to running, cycling, and more, have photochromic Clarion red lenses that adjust to shifting ambient light from nearly clear to a red mirror with a smoke tint—wearable in conditions from cloudy to the brightest, shadeless, sunny days of mid-summer. The Crit features an aerodynamic, ventilating design, shatterproof lenses, a light and durable Grilamid TR-90 nylon frame, hydrophilic rubber to grip well even when sweaty, adjustable arm and nose pieces for customizing the fit, and UVA and UVB protection. I wore them every day on adventures as wide-ranging as trekking hut to hut on Iceland’s Laugavegur Trail in July, backpacking nine days through the High Sierra, mostly on a section of the John Muir Trail in August, and on a five-day hike in the Wind River Range the week before Labor Day.

Want to save even more? The Svago ($30), made with shatterproof and scratch-resistant, polycarbonate smoke-tinted lenses, also have hydrophilic rubber, a Grilamid TR-90 nylon frame, and UVA and UVB protection.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this affiliate link to purchase the Tifosi Crit, Svago, or any other sunglasses at tifosioptics.com.

Time for a better backpack?
See “The 10 Best Backpacking Packs” and the best ultralight backpacks.

All-Purpose Knife and Multi-Tools

The Swiss Army Climber Knife ($45, 2.9 oz./82.2g) provides a basic set of tools that will meet the needs of most backpackers in a light, compact unit just 3.6 inches/9.1 centimeters long, including large and small blades, scissors, bottle and can openers, screwdrivers, wire stripper, reamer and punch, toothpick and tweezers, corkscrew, and a multipurpose hook. You’ll be hard pressed to find a better value in a small, folding knife.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this affiliate link to purchase a Swiss Army Climber Knife at backcountry.com.

If you need the ultimate multi-tool, I like the Leatherman Wave+ ($130, 8.5 oz./241g). Just four inches long when closed, this updated version of Leatherman’s long-popular Wave boasts a robust set of 18 tools that all lock quickly into position, many of which get frequent use in the backcountry: two knives (straight and serrated), a saw, spring-action scissors, can and bottle openers, a medium screwdriver, regular and needle-nose pliers, and wire cutters.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this affiliate link to purchase a Leatherman Wave+ at backcountry.com.

Hydration Bladder

It may sound silly to get excited about a bladder, but while Gregory’s original 3D Hydro was exceptional, they’ve improved on it with the Gregory 3D Hydro Trek 3L hydration bladder ($63, 3L/100 oz./2.83kg, 10 oz./283.5g). Wider and shorter, it fits most backpacks and daypacks (some have a bladder sleeve that’s too narrow for it) and is easier to fill completely and screw the cap on without spilling, thanks to the molded handle-spine. A strap enables hanging from a branch as a base camp bladder to dispense water through the valve, which is capped by a dust cap when in a pack.

With a hose that disconnects, a soft, three-dimensional body, and removable mouthpiece, it dries out fully after use as readily as a hard-sided bottle—helping to prevent the buildup of mildew that degrades a bladder. The magnetic bite valve, which locks to prevent dripping, sticks to a magnet on the sternum strap of Gregory packs; and the bladder’s crescent-shaped plastic top handle clips securely onto the mating piece in the bladder sleeve in the brand’s packs. That’s a bladder worth getting excited about.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Gregory 3D Hydro Trek 3L hydration bladder at backcountry.com or any 2L or 3L Gregory 3D Hydro bladder at backcountry.com.

Keep your hands warm on your adventures.
See “The Best Gloves for Winter,” including lightweight gloves for three-season use.

The new Camelbak Fusion 3L Reservoir with Tru Zip Waterproof Zipper ($66, 5.5 oz./155.9g) represents a technological step up. Using the Fusion 3L on spring backpacking trips in Arizona’s Aravaipa Canyon and along a section of the Arizona Trail, I noticed right away that, besides the typically durable Camelbak construction, I was most impressed with how the integrated handle and pinch grip allows for much easier, one-handed filling compared to some bladders. Hydroguard inhibits bacterial growth in the reservoir and tube, which are also easy to dry and air out to prevent that, anyway. The valve delivers water quickly and has an on-off switch to prevent leaks. The waterproof zipper is predictably a little sticky but absolutely reliable.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these links to purchase a 2L or 3L CamelBak Fusion 3L Reservoir with Tru Zip Waterproof Zipper at backcountry.com.

Want a more affordable bladder? From a four-day, 25-mile backpacking trip on the Thunder River-Deer Creek Loop off the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, to a three-day, 40-mile hike in the Wind River Range and numerous other backpacking trips and dayhikes, I’ve found the CamelBak Crux 3L Reservoir ($42, 3L/100 oz., 8 oz./227g) as tough and utilitarian as they come.

The self-sealing mouthpiece valve delivers water quickly and never leaked or dripped when I left it unlocked, and the cap reliably screwed on tightly and leak-free every time. The valve locking mechanism shifts easily using one hand. It has a baffle to minimize sloshing, a push-button release of the hose for cleaning, and Hydroguard antimicrobial treatment in the reservoir and tube to inhibit bacterial growth. Plus, you’d have to make a concerted effort to puncture or damage this polyurethane bladder.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these links to purchase a 2L or 3L CamelBak Crux Reservoir at rei.com.

Packable and Collapsible Water Bottles

I prefer water bottles in various common situations, like sitting around in camp or hiking in freezing temps, but hard-sided, heavy bottles are soooo 2015. The HydraPak Flux Bottle (1.5L/50 oz., $60, 4.3 oz./122g, and 1L/32 oz., $29, 2.7 oz./76.5g) has taken the packability and low weight of a soft bottle and married it to the convenience of a hard bottle’s rigidity for standing up and refilling.

Developed with mutual goals of creating an alternative to single-use plastic and reducing the bulk and weight of hard bottles, the Flux is constructed with a dual-layer TPU film laminate that lends it the rigidity to stand on its flat base—full or empty. The spill-proof twist cap’s valve lets you squirt water into your mouth one-handed (like a bike bottle), doesn’t leak when closed, and the wide opening is compatible with all 42mm threaded filters (like the Katadyn BeFree). Embossed RF-welded soft walls are easy to grip.

Best of all, it’s half the weight of a hard-sided plastic bottle—and when empty, the Flux flattens, rolls and stows into its bail handle, compressing to one-quarter of its full size (smaller than a fist) to slip easily into any pack’s side, lid, or other external pocket.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this affiliate link to purchase a HydraPak Flux Bottle at rei.com.

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Water Filter and Water Filter Bottle

It’s hard to beat the speed, convenience, and packability of the collapsible Katadyn BeFree Microfilter soft bottles, available in a 0.6L bottle ($45, 2.5 oz./70.9g), 1L bottle ($50, 2.5 oz./70.9g), and 3L bottle ($65, 3.5 oz./99.2g).

The 0.6L bottle measures just 9x3x3 inches and weighs under three ounces and filters up to two liters per minute just by squeezing the collapsible, BPA-free flask, delivering a strong stream of water. It will even pour through the mouthpiece—albeit more slowly than squeezing, of course—by just tilting it upside-down, even when the bottle is nearly empty.

The Katadyn BeFree Gravity Filter (10L $145, 10 oz./283.5g, 6L, $120, 9.3 oz./263.7g, and 3L, $80, 6.8 oz./192.8g) spares you the work of squeezing the bottle, filtering two liters per minute into another bottle or a bladder.

The .01-micron BeFree microfilter protects against harmful organisms like bacteria and cysts and has a projected life of 1,000 liters. Replacing the filter is easy—it pops out and a new one pops in. No backflushing or tools needed. Clean it occasionally by swishing the EZ-Clean Membrane around in water. For long-term storage, clean the filter by squeezing a flask full of clean (tap) water containing either one Micropur tablet or four drops of bleach through the filter.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase any of the Katadyn BeFree bottles or gravity filter at backcountry.com or rei.com.

The convenience factor of the LifeStraw Go bottle (22-oz./623.7g, $45, 7.8 oz./221.1g, or 1L, $50, 8.6 oz./243.8g) has lightened my pack weight by letting me carry less water—and it’s not because I drink any less. The ease and quickness of dipping, filling, and immediately drinking from the 22-ounce Go bottle—and not having to take time to treat water with a traditional filter—means that, wherever there are fairly frequent water sources along a hike, I can chug some water at the creek, top off the bottle or even leave it half-full if the next water isn’t far, and resume hiking. Consequently, I don’t treat more water than I’ll need and my pack’s lighter.

On my most-recent trip on the Teton Crest Trail, I rarely carried water in my pack’s bladder. The LifeStraw Go’s two-stage, hollow-fiber, 0.2-micron filter membrane with activated carbon removes virtually all bacteria, protozoa like giardia and cryptosporidium, and organic chemicals like pesticides and herbicides.

See my complete review of the LifeStraw Go bottle With 2-Stage Filtration.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to purchase a 22-oz. or 1L LifeStraw Go water bottle at rei.com or backcountry.com.

Got an all-time favorite campsite?
See “Tent Flap With a View: 25 Favorite Backcountry Campsites.”

Of course, there are times when you need a pump water filter in the backcountry, such as when dealing with silted water, or when you have to treat a large amount of water (for a group of three or more people or when water sources are far apart). The MSR Hyperflow Microfilter ($160, 9 oz./255.1g) stands out for its speed and compact size. Measuring just 7×3.5 ins., and lighter than many competitors, this hollow-fiber filter pumps three liters per minute, removing protozoa, bacteria, and particulate matter (though not viruses or chemicals), and leaves no taste. It comes with a Quick-Connect Bottle Adapter for pumping directly into a variety of containers, including all MSR hydration bladders and Nalgene bottles.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these links to buy an MSR Hyperflow Microfilter at backcountry.com or cascadedesigns.com.

On a 40-mile, mid-September backpacking trip in Wyoming’s Wind River Range, I pulled out the pocket-size MSR TrailShot Microfilter ($70, 5 oz./141.7g) frequently to sate my thirst within seconds, enabling me to carry less water on my back. Small enough to stuff inside a side pocket on a daypack, it cranks out a liter in a minute. It’s ideal for one or two people on a fast-paced outing where time efficiency and minimizing weight are top priorities, like an ultra-dayhike, an ultralight backpacking trip where water sources are frequent, or a long trail run or adventure race. You have to get down low to the ground to place the input end of the hose in a stream or other water source and drink directly from the filter’s spout, or use the TrailShot to pump water into a bottle or bladder. It removes bacteria like E. coli and protozoa like Cryptosporidium. MSR projects its life at up to 2,000 liters.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to buy an MSR TrailShot Microfilter at backcountry.com or cascadedesigns.com.

Camp Stove

Simplicity often reigns supreme in the backcountry, and that’s typically how I feel about a cooking stove: keep it simple, efficient, and above all, light.

The Jetboil Flash ($145, 13.1 oz./371g) has become my go-to stove for trips with a small group when we just want to boil water fast, most recently including in Arizona’s Aravaipa Canyon, southern Utah’s Escalante region, the Wind River Range, and Glacier National Park. Cranking 9,000 BTUs, itboils a liter of water in under three-and-a-half minutes in a controlled environment, according to Jetboil. With the insulated FluxRing cooking pot’s fill line limiting each boil to just two cups/0.47 liter—basically just enough to cook for one person at a time—it was fast enough to satisfy for our group of five people on windy mornings in Aravaipa Canyon.

The high fuel efficiency translates to less fuel weight in your pack: Planning our fuel based on Jetboil’s estimate that the Flash will boil 10 liters per 100g JetPower fuel canister, we hiked out of Aravaipa with a little unused fuel. The coolest feature? Jetboil’s thermochromatic color-change heat indicator on one side of the pot shows you how close the water is to boiling. A reliable push-button igniter fires up the stove every time.

See my complete review of the Jetboil Flash.

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The MSR Pocketrocket 2 ($60, 4 oz./113.4g with plastic case, included) boils water fast, has precise flame control for simmering, holds pots of two liters or larger stably, always fires up, and packs small. That’s why it ends up in my pack on many trips. It’s only shortcoming is that the unprotected burner isn’t nearly as fuel-efficient as stoves with a protected burner.

See my complete review of the MSR Pocketrocket 2.

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Get the right tent for you. See “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents”
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But when it’s time to cook for four or more people—especially in a windy campsite—nothing beats the MSR WindBurner Group Stove System ($260, 1 lb. 5 oz./595.3g). Pressure-regulated to produce consistent heat output, with an enclosed burner, the WindBurner Group System loses virtually no fuel efficiency—it basically performs in wind as if there was no wind. Cooking at elevations up to 11,000 feet, with wind at times and mornings down to around 40° F, I used less than two full, 16-oz. MSR IsoPro fuel canisters in six days cooking five breakfasts and dinners for four people—and barely more than one 16-oz. canister for basically the same number of meals for three people (all just boiling water). Plus, good flame control goes from boiling fast to a low simmer for backpackers who want to do more than just boil water. And the pot has a folding handle and strainer lid with a locking latch.

See my complete review of the MSR WindBurner Group Stove System.

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Camp Kitchen

On backpacking trips where I want to carry the lightest stove and pot combo plus have the versatility of a pot that I can cook a meal in and eat out of, I’ll pair MSR’s Pocketrocket 2 stove (above) with the MSR Titan Kettle 1400ml ($75, 5.4 oz./153g). The incredibly light but durable, one-liter pot with silicone-coasted folding handles and a secure lid with a silicone gripper on top for lifting off without burning your fingers, it’s big enough to cook for two, light enough for solo trips—and doubles as a bowl and (giant) mug. Internal graduated markings in 0.2-liter and eight-ounce increments take the guesswork out of measuring water. I like the silicone hanger under the lid to keep it out of the dirt.

You can fit a tiny canister stove and an eight-ounce fuel canister or nest other MSR Titan collection products inside, including the Titan Kettle 900ml ($65, 4.4 oz./126g), a good alternative for serious ultralighters; and the nicely sized Titan Double Wall Mug 375ml ($55, 4.1 oz./116g), which has a very secure sipping lid, with a tab for easy removal, and keeps 12 ounces of liquid hot in cool campsites, as it did for me on cool mornings in Montana’s Beartooth Mountains.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase an MSR Titan Kettle 1400ml and/or Titan Kettle 900ml at rei.com, a Titan Double Wall Mug 375ml at backcountry.com, or those and other MSR Titan products at rei.com or cascadedesigns.com.

When cooking convenience and packability take priority over going absolutely minimalist—as it has on many family backpacking trips—I grab the Sea to Summit Frontier Ultralight Collapsible One-Pot Cook Set ($140, 19 oz./527g, for two to four people). The 2.2-liter/74-ounce pot (10.5 oz./297g by itself) is made with collapsible, food-grade silicone walls and a hardened alloy aluminum base, and the pot’s lid fits securely enough to avoid spills when pouring hot water. The stainless-steel Click Safe Handle attaches to the pot with an audible click and carries any food or liquid weight without loosening; reversing the handle secures the nested and packed set. 

The medium bowls and 400ml cups are small enough to remain packable but most hungry backpackers will refill them at mealtime. I’ve boiled water, cooked pasta, rice, mac ‘n’ cheese and other messy dinners and found the pieces all easy to wipe clean. The walls of every piece lock into place when in use—nothing collapses with hot food or liquid inside—and stack neatly together when collapsed, packing down to 7.8×2 ins./19.7×5.1cm. The set is also PFOA-, PTFE- and BPA-free and the various pieces are also sold individually.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to buy the Sea to Summit Frontier Ultralight Collapsible One-Pot Cook Set at seatosummit.com or rei.com, other Sea to Summit Frontier cook sets (including non-collapsible, which are less expensive), or a Frontier pot, bowl, mug, individually at backcountry.com, seatosummit.com, or rei.com.

A good two-way radio makes your adventures safer.
See my review of the Rocky Talkie Mountain Radio.

Utensil

You gotta eat, and I extend my preference for carrying the bare necessities in gear right down to my utensils. Here are. my top picks.

With hot breakfasts and dinners in the backcountry, I’m virtually always using just a spoon to eat from a bowl or dig into a dehydrated meal packet, so I prefer a long handle like you get with the ultralight, titanium MSR Titan Long Spoon ($18, 0.7 oz./19g), which measures 8.4 inches/21.2 centimeters long and clips onto a mini-biner.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase an MSR Titan Long Spoon at backcountry.com, rei.com, or cascadedesigns.com.

And the very packable Jetboil TrailWare Utensil Set ($17, 1.5 oz./46.7g for all three pieces), which includes a collapsible spoon, fork, and knife.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this affiliate link to purchase a Jetboil TrailWare Utensil Set at rei.com.

Water Bag

No one likes carrying a large amount of water very far in the backcountry, but when I have to do it, I turn to a reliable standby—as I’ve done many times backpacking in the Grand Canyon, including on my most recent trip on the Utah Flats Route and Clear Creek Trail. The MSR Dromlite Bag ($45-$50, three sizes 2L-6L, 4.6-5.7 oz./130.4g-161.6g), the brand’s lighter (and cheaper) but still tough version of its Dromedary, collapses to its cap size. Made with abrasion-resistant Cordura, these tough bags have a temperature threshold from freezing to boiling, a secure cap that ensures effortless filling and pouring, and a sturdy, low-profile handle that enables easy refilling and hanging it in camp.

The classic MSR Dromedary ($52, three sizes 4L-10L, 7-10 oz./198.4g-283.5g), although heavier, offers one larger size (10 liters). These stout sacks have never sprung a leak inside my backpack, thanks to BPA-free, 1,000-denier fabric and a tight seal on the screw cap. Strong perimeter webbing makes it easy to carry or hang in camp, and when empty, they roll up fairly compactly for storage in your pack.

Every backpacker should own one or two of these bags—and two bags give you both a large capacity and the option of carrying less weight when large capacity isn’t needed. There will come a day that you’ll need it—whether you like it or not.

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Bear Canister

A bear canister is required in an increasing number of public lands, among them California’s High Sierra (including the John Muir Trail, Yosemite, and Sequoia-Kings Canyon national parks) and in some campsites in Olympic and Grand Teton national parks.

A canister also provides convenient, infallible food storage anywhere.

Made from an impregnable, transparent polycarbonate, the Bear Vault BV500 Journey ($100, 3 gallons/700 c.i./11.5 L, 2 lbs. 9 oz./1.16 kg) stores up to a week’s worth of food for one person (with judicious packing). It has clear walls for finding items, is built to make it hard for a bear to grasp and damage with its jaws or claws, and has two tabs in the screw-top lid to provide redundant protection against a bear getting into it.

It has also earned the approval of both the Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group and the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to purchase a Bear Vault BV500 Journey bear canister at rei.com.

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Ultralight Camera Carrier

As a photographer who likes to shoot people in motion outdoors and perfect light situations—circumstances that are often fleeting—I’ve long sought a way to carry my camera where I can instantly grab it and shoot. Well, I’ve found it. The Peak Design Capture ($80, 3 oz./84g) offers a method of carrying your camera where it’s secure, stable, and always within easy reach on a pack shoulder strap during activities like hiking. Unlike camera packs, with their zippers, when using the Capture, I simply depress a button to pull it off my pack’s shoulder strap, point, and shoot.

The Capture consists of a metal clip that attaches to any pack strap, belt, or bag via two screws you can turn with your fingers (no tool required), and an Arca tripod-compatible plate that screws into your camera’s base. At just three ounces/84 grams and measuring just 3.3×1.6×0.8 inches/8.3x4x2 centimeters, it’s virtually unnoticeable on a pack strap, yet can hold far more weight than you’ll ever attempt to attach to any pack (over 200 pounds/90 kilos, according to Peak Design).

I found it comfortable enough with my Nikon Z50 mirrorless DSLR and a 50-250mm zoom on it, but certainly less obtrusive with the smaller and lighter 16-50mm lens on the camera. Caveats: I found the Capture will twist slightly when not positioned well on a shoulder strap, causing one end of the metal back plate to dig into my shoulder. Also, the screws can loosen over multiple days of use; check it regularly to ensure those are tight (and your camera won’t suddenly drop to the ground—and mine did not).

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase the Peak Design Capture at backcountry.com, peakdesign.com, or rei.com.

Tent Stakes

Bent stakes suck. Stakes should be extremely light and strong and never fail. Adhering to those simple truths, the Nemo Airpin Ultralight Stakes ($20, 1.4 oz./39.7g, set of four, or $10, 0.7 oz./19.8g, set of two) demonstrated their mettle (or metal, if you will) on various trips, including a six-day traverse of over 90 miles in Glacier National Park. Made of aircraft-grade 7075 aluminum, they have three notches in the head, two facing downward and one facing upward. Run the tent’s stake cord under the first downward notch (labeled “O”), then over the second, upward notch (“OO”), and finally under the other downward notch (“OOO”), creating friction on the cord as you drive the stake into the ground—which is easier thanks to the stake’s tapered shape. No more bent tent pegs or stake cord popping off stakes.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these links to purchase a set of four or two Nemo Airpin Ultralight Stakes at backcountry.com or nemoequipment.com.

Lightweight First-Aid Kit

A first-aid kit can seem like something that just adds bulk and weight to a pack without getting used—but when you really need one, you don’t want to be without it. The compact but well-designed Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight Watertight .9 Medical Kit ($64, 12 oz./340.2g) resolves questions of utility versus weight. Contained in two layers of waterproof packaging in this kit are various wraps and bandages, a trauma pad and wide elastic wraps, blister treatment, an irrigation syringe and wound closure strips, medications for diarrhea, stomach issues, pain, and inflammation, and, of course, a mini roll of duct tape. I suggest adding a small tube of antibiotic ointment, but otherwise, this is a complete first-aid kit that doesn’t occupy excessive pack space.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this link to purchase an Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight Watertight .9 Medical Kit at rei.com.

Low Gaiters

For three-season backpacking—as well as dayhiking and trail running—low or mid-height gaiters (not high ones, like you’d use in winter) are indispensable for keeping stones, debris, rain, and splashed water from puddles and wet trailside vegetation out of your footwear.

The DWR-coated, very breathable, stretch-woven nylon and polyurethane Kahtoola Renagaiter Low ($54, 2.5 oz./70.9g) and Renagaiter Mid ($64, 3.3 oz./93.6g, both in two sizes), both available in two sizes, have become the low gaiters I grab for most outings. They easily zip over hiking shoes and boots, fitting snugly to protect against dirt, stones, debris, and water getting inside your shoes. Excellent breathability means they don’t make your feet sweat on hot days—as I’ve found on local trail runs and on a nine-day hike of about 130 miles through the High Sierra in August, mostly on the John Muir Trail and on mornings with wet vegetation overhanging trails on a weeklong September hike in Glacier National Park. The adjustable and tough DuraLink instep strap tucks into any shoe or boot lugs and its rounded shape prevents it snagging on rocks or roots; it also won’t get chewed up by rocks like some lighter nylon straps. While the Renagaiter Low is best for low-cut, lightweight shoes and the Mid for mid-cut boots, both adjust to fit a range of footwear, making them ideal for all backpacking, dayhiking, and trail-running uses.

I wore the Outdoor Research Ferrosi Hybrid Gaiters ($39, 2.5 oz./70.9g, two sizes) while trekking hut-to-hut for six days on Iceland’s Laugavegur and Fimmvörðuháls trails, when it rained for parts of almost every day and we hiked at times over muddy trail; while backpacking and dayhiking from a base camp for three days in the first week of April in Arizona’s Aravaipa Canyon, frequently walking in the shallow river and using the gaiters to keep stones and sand out of my boots; as well as hiking through wet trailside vegetation while backpacking in the Wind River Range and on local trail runs and hikes when wet snow covered the trails. Stretchy, breathable, wind- and water-resistant Ferrosi fabric kept my feet dry and is rated UPF 50+ for maximum UV protection. A tough, hypalon instep strap, hook-and-loop attachment for the shoe’s heel, and a drawcord cinch at the top hold the gaiters in place.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these links to purchase the Kahtoola Renagaiter Mid or Renagaiter Low at rei.com, or the Outdoor Research Ferrosi Hybrid Gaiters at backcountry.com or outdoorresearch.com.

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Camp Chair

Light and small enough to carry into the backcountry, the Helinox Chair Zero ($140, 1 lb. 1 oz./481.9g, not including 1-oz. stuff sack) will force you to ask yourself why you’d ever tolerate squatting on a rock or log in camp again. The chair consists of a fabric seat that slips over a shock-corded pole structure that forms the chair’s back and legs; and it assembles quickly, like a hubbed tent pole system.

The result is a comfortable seat that’s 20 inches wide, 19 inches deep, 25 inches tall, and whose bottom rises 11 inches above terra firma—unlike chair kits that, while less bulky, are often no lighter, and place your butt at ground level. It also, impressively, has a carrying capacity of 265 pounds/120.2 kilograms, although 200-pounders might find the chair a little tippy, and packs down to 14x4x4 inches, roughly the dimensions of a lightweight backpacking air mattress. Unless you’re ultralight backpacking or thru-hiking, having a comfortable chair in camp may seem well worth the effort of carrying 17 ounces/481.9 grams.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Helinox Chair Zero at backcountry.com, or various Helinox chairs and other products at backcountry.com.

Want an even more comfortable camping chair? While too bulky and heavy for backpacking, the Helinox Sunset Chair ($170, 3 lbs. 8 oz.) will be the envy of your friends when car camping.

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Camp Shoes

I generally consider camp shoes superfluous weight: I often hike in low-cut shoe and just wear them like slippers in camp, with the laces quite loose and the tongue flipped up. But when I need or want footwear for backpacking campsites, water fords, and paddling trips, two different types of footwear have become my go-to picks, depending on the trip.

For cooler backcountry trips, especially when hiking in midweight boots in wet climates, where I want warm, dry footwear in camp, I like the Allbirds Men’s Wool Runners ($110, 17 oz./481.9g, pair US men’s 10). For backpacking in the Wind River Range and elsewhere, on hut and yurt trips, and for river fords, these lightweight, packable, comfortable, warm shoes were perfect. The uppers and insoles are made from super fine Merino wool—keeping feet warm even if wet—and instead of the EVA foam traditionally used in footwear, Allbirds uses SweetFoam, made from sugarcane, and calls it “the world’s first carbon-negative green EVA.” Sizing runs small; buy up one full size in men’s and women’s models. Allbirds.com.

Rhamani sandals ($80, 14 oz./396.9g, pair US men’s 9) come in one style with multiple configurations, thanks to the removable heel and forefoot straps and retractable toe loop—and the strap system is secure enough that I took hikes from campsites, walking faint use trails and splashing through creeks, on a six-day backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon. The contoured footbed feels plush and the outsole grips well on a variety of ground surfaces—packed-dirt trails, pebbly riverbanks, scrambling on rocks. Best of all: They weigh about half of many sports sandals. Sizing is standard whole sizes. rhamani.com.

Sun Hat

On hot days from the Grand Canyon in spring and fall to the intense alpine sun in mountains like the High Sierra, I always wear a wide-brim hat to keep my squash from baking—which makes a big difference in how I feel over the course of hours hiking in such heat. But sun protection isn’t the only performance feature that matters.

In unusually strong winds that blew for three straight days in the Wind River Range, the Patagonia Quandary Brimmer wide-brim hat ($65, 4 oz./113g) stayed put on my head, keeping the alpine sun off it. The semi-rigid, wide brim completely shades your face and neck and resists getting flattened against the side of your head by strong gusts while also having enough flexibility to fold up for stuffing into a pack or exterior pocket. The toggle adjustment in the back enables a snug fit that, along with the adjustable chin strap, prevents the hat from taking flight in wind. The light, 96 percent recycled nylon fabric, breathable crown, and soft, wicking headband keep it comfortable in the heat.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this affiliate link to purchase a Patagonia Quandary Brimmer hat at backcountry.com.

Windproof, Waterproof Emergency Matches

The UCO Titan Matches ($13, 3 oz./85g). will fire up in any downpour, no matter how wet. Each thick, four-inch-long match provides 25 seconds of wind and waterproof burning; they even relight after being submerged in water. The kit includes 12 matches, three replaceable strikers, a waterproof case that floats, and a cord that attaches to a lanyard.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this link to purchase UCO Titan Matches at rei.com.

See also my recommended backpacking gear checklist and menus of all of my reviews of backpacks, backpacking boots, hiking shoes, tents, and sleeping bags. And don’t miss my picks for “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

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Switching from a standard backpacking tent to an ultralight tent can shave pounds from your total pack weight—which for many backpackers will be the biggest step they can take toward a lighter pack. But it can be confusing to sort through the various ultralight tents out there, and the specs on them can look like a big pot of numeral soup, leaving you wondering: How are they different? And ultimately, which one is best for you?

I’ve tested and reviewed scores of tents of all types over a quarter-century of testing and reviewing gear—formerly as the lead gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine for about 10 years and even longer running this blog. I love the best ultralight tents, but I’ve also used some that had flaws or shortcomings not immediately obvious.

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-books to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

This article will explain all you need to know to find the three-season, ultralight tent that’s best for you. See also my “5 Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent.”

Please tell me what you think of my tips or share your questions, suggestions, or favorite ultralight tent model in the comments section at the bottom of this story. I try to respond to all comments.

Size Matters

Consumers of backcountry gear have grown accustomed to focusing on the weight of a product—which is smart—but not always paying adequate attention to other performance metrics. Think of your tent’s weight like it’s a prospective spouse’s feelings about starting a family: It’s a critical and potentially make-or-break factor, but it’s not the only question to ask when evaluating compatibility.

An ultralight tent is a two-sided coin: Before getting one, be certain that low weight ranks as a higher priority to you than other metrics like living space, or you might be disappointed.

Fans of them typically include ultralight backpackers, thru-hikers, climbers, and others who focus on the experience outside rather than inside the tent, who often spend much of each day on the move, and who don’t mind dealing with the inconveniences or quirkiness of a non-traditional tent design. Big people looking to trim pack weight may be smart to get a tent that’s not the absolute lightest, but still reasonably light while providing a bit more space (more on square footage below).

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That said, there are ultralight tents and shelters that do have adequate or even abundant living space, especially those employing non-traditional designs. Floorless tents and tarps that pitch using trekking poles weigh mere ounces while offering much more sheltered living area per ounce (or gram) than traditional tents. While not freestanding, when pitched and staked out properly they often stand up to strong wind as well as—and sometimes better than—any heavier, three-season, freestanding tent. Some have a single-wall or hybrid single- and double-wall design (see below) and optional mesh inserts for buggy conditions. Ventilation, of course, is almost never a problem under a tarp.

You may want a light ground cloth, and site selection and an adequately warm bag both become more important when you’re not in an enclosed tent. But if you really want to reduce shelter weight, when bugs aren’t an issue and you don’t anticipate relentlessly wet, windy conditions, a tarp or similar minimalist shelter is unquestionably the best choice. Plus, if you also want to move to a lighter, smaller-volume pack, you have to first reduce the bulk of your two largest pieces of gear: your tent and sleeping bag.

All of which leads to the conclusion: Yes, size matters. There are tradeoffs to reducing weight. For many backcountry travelers, though, the benefits of a lighter pack far outweigh any disadvantages of an ultralight shelter. Once someone switches to one, they don’t tend to go back to carrying heavier tents.

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How Light Should You Go?

What is an ultralight tent? There’s no hard definition, but I would include any kind of backcountry shelter that’s under about three pounds (1.4 kg). While somewhat arbitrary, that cutoff lumps in a wide range of products, from freestanding, double-wall tents that are significantly lighter than traditional models to shelters weighing a pound or less.

I’m not suggesting you ignore all tents over three pounds; there are two-person, three-season tents weighing mere ounces over three pounds that have their merits. What matters more are your personal needs and preferences in a shelter. That will dictate the design features you want, which (along with your budget) will largely dictate the weight of the shelter you choose.

See my picks for “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents.”

The weight of any kind of shelter (or any gear) basically depends on the type and amount of materials that go into it—a seemingly obvious fact, but one which affects everything from interior space to price. The visible differences include:

• Interior and vestibule space.
• One or two doors.
• Freestanding or requires staking (which includes semi-freestanding).
• Double- or single-wall.
• Whether it has dedicated tent poles or pitches using trekking poles.
• Whether it has a floor and/or bug-proof mesh walls.

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Freestanding or Not?

Tarps and some tents employ your trekking poles, eliminating the substantial weight and bulk of tent poles from your pack. These models can require a little more time and possibly some practice to pitch correctly—you’ll be wise to pitch it for the first time in your yard rather than during a rainstorm in the backcountry. But you’ll quickly familiarize yourself with the idiosyncrasies of one. And tent poles represent one of the single biggest chunks of weight you can remove from your pack, which is why these non-traditional shelters are the choice for serious ultralighters as well as any backpackers who simply want to pack as light as possible.

Besides, “freestanding” is a somewhat misleading term: While such tents do stand independent of stakes, they virtually always must be staked out, anyway, including their rainfly, to ensure that they stay put in wind and ventilate well.

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See my stories “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,”
and “5 Tips For Spending Less on Hiking and Backpacking Gear.”

What’s Best for You?

As I’ve basically laid out above, choosing any kind of backcountry shelter, and particularly an ultralight one, requires asking yourself a few questions:

• How high a priority is low weight to you?
• How much space do you need?
• Do you usually backpack in buggy seasons and/or wet and windy conditions?
• Will this be your only tent or an alternative shelter to use in circumstances appropriate for it?

In the final analysis, if your goal is as light a backpack as possible, nothing gets you closer to that goal than your choice of a shelter. Find the lightest one that still serves your essential needs.

See all reviews of ultralight backpacking tents and ultralight backpacking gear, my “5 Expert Tips For Buying a Backpacking Tent,” and my picks for the best ultralight backpacks at The Big Outside.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

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The choices in tents for backpacking seem to get better every year, with lightweight models continually getting lighter and other advances that make tents sturdier and more livable without adding weight. But with all the options out there, how do you choose? The answer is simpler than you might think: It comes down to understanding the key differences that distinguish tents from one another—which will help you understand what you need.

Like tents, backpackers come in different sizes and their needs in a tent vary depending on their style of backpacking and where they go. In testing scores of backpacking tents over a quarter-century of testing and reviewing gear—formerly as the lead gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine for about 10 years and even longer running this blog—I’ve acquired a sense of what to look for in a tent and how to help people pick out one they like.

The five simple tips in this article will help you find the tent that’s best for your needs. Please share any tips of your own or your questions in the comments section at the bottom of this story; I try to respond to all comments.

See also my story “How to Choose the Best Ultralight Backpacking Tent for You,” which explains specific details and design differences that apply to all tents.

See “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents”
and all backpacking tent reviews at The Big Outside.

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here for my e-books to classic backpacking trips. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.

#1 What Kind of Backpacker Are You?

Is tent weight your top priority, or weather resistance, or interior space and livability? You’ll spend countless hours and nights, as well as plenty of waking hours inside that shelter; make sure it’s going to be enjoyable, and it all comes down to your personal style of backpacking.

Consider these three backpacker profiles:

If you’re the kind of backpacker who’s not interested in rising early and rushing out of camp, and who prefers to hike for not much more than half the day and reach your next camp with time to relax in the warm afternoon sun and perhaps take a swim in a lake or creek, you may prefer a tent with good interior space. That becomes doubly true if your usual destinations present the prospect of rain keeping you inside that tent for hours. Weight may not be your top priority. Still, consider weight as you compare tents, because you do have to carry that shelter.

On the other hand, if you are the kind of backpacker who loves to hit the trail early and bang out big mileage every day—like many ultralighters and thru-hikers—then weight probably is your top priority, and you’re willing to tolerate some compromises in your tent to minimize pack weight because you have a higher ratio of hours spent hiking to hours spent in the tent..

Do you fall somewhere between those two descriptions—not an early-rising, big-mileage backpacker, but nonetheless keen to keep your pack weight comfortable? There are tent models that strike a balance between livability and moderate weight.

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#2 Read the Reviews Closely

Yes, there are a lot of gear reviews in the ether and in print. Find sources you consider authoritative and experienced, whose perspective is shaped by having slept in many tents: With tents especially, the average backpacker doesn’t buy or use very many models, and people have a natural bias to want to affirm that a purchase they made was a good one, so they’ll tend to comment positively—but vaguely.

Read reviews for details you can’t glean by simply checking out a tent in a store, like how well it stands up to wind and rain, the ease of pitching it and breaking it down, and whether it has a problem with condensation buildup, especially on chilly, calm nights.

Use reviews in conjunction with your preferences in a tent to narrow your list to a few finalists—or perhaps easily winnow it to one obvious good choice for you. And lastly, look for brands known for making good tents or that you’ve read good reviews about. You may ultimately settle on a tent from a brand after hearing or reading about another model from that same brand.

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#3 The Little Details Matter

But some little things matter more than others. Here are some key details to examine in a backpacking tent:

A tent will typically last for many years. Make sure you’re satisfied with it.

See “The 10 Best Backpacking Tents” and all reviews of backpacking tents, ultralight backpacking tents, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside.

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-book versions of “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

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A headlamp is unquestionably essential gear for hiking, backpacking, climbing, trail running, ultra-running and ultra-hiking, ski touring, and other backcountry activities that sometimes push into darkness (whether intentionally or not). But with so many to pick from, how do you choose which one to buy? Price? Brightness? Weight? Design and range of lighting modes? Go with a brand you know and trust? This review cuts through the information overload to help you pick the right headlamp for your adventures.

I selected the headlamps covered in this review based on extensive testing on backpacking, camping, long dayhikes, climbing, backcountry skiing, and other backcountry trips, and I’ve field-tested dozens of headlamps over more than a quarter-century of testing and reviewing gear, formerly as the lead gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine for 10 years and even longer running this blog.

The freshly updated picks below represent the best models for backcountry users.

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For dayhiking, backpacking, and similar pursuits, I favor models that meet five simple criteria:

•    Lightweight—no dayhiker, backpacker, runner, or climber needs a bulky light that weighs more than three to four ounces.
•    Versatile and bright enough for everything from reading in the tent and managing camp chores to hiking rugged trail in complete darkness—and if needed, for route-finding off-trail.
•    Intuitive and easy to use, so I don’t have to consult instructions more than once, take off my gloves to operate it, or use a tool to change batteries.
•    Projects a beam that’s focused and even, not blotchy and uneven.
•    Preferably rechargeable so I’m not repeatedly buying and throwing away batteries.

I apply those standards when choosing which headlamps I’ll review at The Big Outside, with the exception of being rechargeable, because some rechargeable headlamps cost more up front (although not over time), and this review covers a variety of headlamps at a range of price points.

The headlamps below are listed in order of weight. Please share your experiences with any of these models, or another you like, in the comments section at the bottom of this story. I try to respond to all comments.

The Best Headlamps

BioLite Headlamp 325
$50, 1.8 oz./51g
backcountry.com

Look for an ultralight headlamp under two ounces and $40 or less and you’ll find very few choices—with the BioLite Headlamp 325, which I’ve used backpacking in the Wind River Range and elsewhere, arguably the best. It sports four all-you-need lighting modes—white spot and red flood LEDs, both with dimming capability, plus white and red strobe—and cranks out enough brightness (325 lumens) and lasts long enough on a full charge (three hours on high, 40 hours on low) for backpackers, dayhikers, trail runners, and others.

With its nearly weightless front housing integrated into the slender, easily adjustable, no-bounce head strap, the 325 goes almost unnoticed on your head—making it certainly among the most comfortable ultralight headlamps. Intuitive, single-button operation, lockout mode, four-position housing tilt, and an IPX4 waterproof rating complete a high-value package at a very good price.

Read my complete review of the BioLite Headlamp 325.

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Knog Bandicoot 250
$50, 2.1 oz./59.5g
knog.com

I thought this headlamp’s predecessor, the Bandicoot, had the potential to upend this entire category. After using the more powerful and comfortable Knog Bandicoot 250 on a nine-day hike of nearly 130 miles through the High Sierra, mostly on the John Muir Trail, I still think this technology is a game changer.

The Bandicoot 250 is powerful, rechargeable, lighter than most competitors, and cheaper than many. Its unique, very light and durable silicone housing seamlessly merges the strap, body, and LEDs and adjusts to fit a huge circumference range of 30-70cm; you may forget you’re wearing it. Four LEDs—high beam, elliptical beams for broad ambient light, a red light for preserving your night vision, and downward-angled lights for reading—cover the needs of many users, including trail running and biking streets at night. It also has a lockout mode.

Read my complete review of the Knog Bandicoot 250.

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Black Diamond Spot 400
$55, 2.5 oz./70.9g
blackdiamondequipment.com

In any direct comparison, the Spot 400 offers an impressive feature set, power, and versatility at a competitive price. That includes the three modes a backcountry headlamp should have—white beam, white peripheral, and red—and the latest update of the Spot jacks the max brightness up to a powerful 400 lumens. It’ll project a beam 100 meters and has dimming capability in all modes.

It features BD’s neat PowerTap technology that allows you to tap the right side of the casing to cycle between max brightness and the dimmed level you’ve already set—which is not only convenient, but so easy that you’ll power down more often, thus prolonging battery life. The lockout mode prevents accidental turning on in a pack. Plus, it’s waterproof up to a little over a meter underwater for 30 minutes.

Read my complete review of the Black Diamond Spot 400.

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Want a reliable, basic, easy-to-operate headlamp at a good price? See my review of the Black Diamond Astro 300 and rechargeable Astro 300-R.

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Black Diamond Spot 400-R
$70, 2.6 oz./73.7g
blackdiamondequipment.com

Virtually identical to BD’s Spot 400, the Spot 400-R adds a feature that keeps on delivering value: it’s rechargeable. Powered by a 1500 mAh Li-ion battery with micro-USB charging port, the Spot 400-R throws a beam 100 meters at its maximum brightness of 400 lumens; that’s bright enough to hike off-trail, search for your route in the dark, or identify the large animal going for your cached food. And a full charge lasts for four hours at max power.

Plus, it sports all the versatility of the Spot 400: three white and red modes with dimming capability, intuitive two-button operation, PowerTap technology, lockout mode, and it’s waterproof up to a little over a meter underwater for 30 minutes. But most impressively, at just 15 bucks more than the Spot 400, the rechargeable Spot 400-R soon pays for itself through the money saved not buying (and throwing away) batteries.

Read my complete review of the Black Diamond Spot 400-R.

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Petzl IKO Core
$105, 2.8 oz./79.4g
backcountry.com

When you compare max brightness, weight, and other features, few ultralight headlamps match the rechargeable IKO Core’s appeal to backpackers, dayhikers, climbers, trail runners, and backcountry skiers. From ski touring to a backcountry yurt on a dark, snowy winter night to backpacking in the Wind River Range and the Grand Canyon, its max brightness of 500 lumens—exceptional for a headlamp weighing under three ounces—illuminated objects 100 meters distant.

The IPX-4 rating means the headlamp is resistant to splashed water but not waterproof—not as good as the water resistance of other ultralight headlamps. But three brightness levels, a combined spot beam and proximity light in two of them, simple operation, the versatility to substitute AAA batteries in a pinch, a lockout mode, and the bendable, adjustable, hydrophobic headband’s comfortable and secure fit—all in a light weighing under three ounces—make the IKO Core one of today’s most unique headlamps.

Read my complete review of the Petzl IKO Core.

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Petzl Actik Core
$88, 3 oz./85g
backcountry.com

If you’re willing to spend more up front for a rechargeable headlamp—which eventually pays for itself—the Actik Core ranks among the very best. Equipped with white and red modes and spot and proximity beams, it stands out among rechargeables for two attributes: putting out an impressive maximum brightness of 350 lumens even when using the rechargeable battery and maintaining constant brightness over the duration of a charge—both of which you’ll appreciate on a long slog after dark.

On a September night in the Wind River Range, at max brightness, the Actik Core illuminated trees 300 feet away across a meadow. It’s easy and intuitive to use with one power button to click between modes and the dimming function. It also runs on three standard alkaline, lithium, or Ni-MH AAA batteries and the battery compartment is accessed by lifting a tab—no tool needed. A charge lasts up to 160 hours, long enough for most multi-day hikes.

Read my complete review of the Petzl Actik Core.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to purchase a Petzl Actik Core at backcountry.com or rei.com.

BioLite Headlamp 800 Pro
$120, 5.3 oz./150g
backcountry.com

From an 18-mile, 13-hour, four-summit hike in Utah’s Wasatch Range to many evenings biking city streets after dark, I’ve found that BioLite’s rechargeable Headlamp 800 Pro stands out for a rare combination of ultra-bright power, a wide range of modes, and a modest weight for a backcountry headlamp that packs this much power and versatility.

For starters, its multiple lighting modes include dimmable white spot and white flood plus the two combined; white strobe; dimmable red flood, and on the battery pack, rear-facing red solid and red strobe visibility beams, for biking streets after dark (plus a lockout function). The max brightness of 800 lumens in 30-second burst mode exceeds that of virtually any ultralight headlamp—very useful for hikers, climbers, backcountry skiers, and others moving off-trail. For its complexity, operation is very intuitive.

Perhaps most uniquely, it offers a constant mode, an option for setting the headlamp to maintain its brightness level rather than dimming as the charge or batteries drain, which is called regulated power and common in most headlamps for the backcountry.

Read my complete review of the BioLite Headlamp 800 Pro.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to purchase a BioLite Headlamp 800 Pro at backcountry.com, rei.com or bioliteenergy.com.

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Black Diamond Distance 1500
$220, 7.5 oz./213g
blackdiamondequipment.com

Comparing any hiking-oriented headlamps to the rechargeable Black Diamond Distance 1500 headlamp feels rather like comparing a Honda Civic to a Bradley armored fighting vehicle. At 7.5 ounces/213 grams and putting out a supernova-like 1,500 lumens at max power, the Distance 1500 is at least twice the price, weight, and brightness of most of today’s best backcountry headlamps. Testing this beast hiking, climbing, mountain and road biking, and backcountry skiing demonstrated that, while it’s certainly overkill for many activities, it’s invaluable for both route-finding and high-speed sports after dark.

The headlamp achieves 1,500 lumens only for bursts of 15 seconds using BD’s Power Tap Technology, activated by double-tapping the side of the headlamp. Its maximum sustained power is 800 lumens—still very bright and useful in certain backcountry scenarios (in other words, when you really need a bright light). The Comfort Cradle, with the light on the forehead and a battery pack in the rear, is quite comfortable and works great with any headlamp-compatible helmet. Caveat: Expect to invest some time into learning its many modes and functions.

Read my complete review of the Black Diamond Distance 1500.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Black Diamond Distance 1500 Headlamp at blackdiamondequipment.com or backcountry.com, or the Black Diamond Distance Headlamp Battery at blackdiamondequipment.com or backcountry.com.

See all reviews of headlamps, hiking gear, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside. And don’t miss my popular reviews of “25 Essential Backpacking Gear Accessories” and “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.

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Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can purchase the e-book versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

Many of us learned a lot about what we liked during the pandemic and many of those newly discovered or rediscovered likes have stayed with us—like sitting out in the back yard to eat and socialize. We realized (or were reminded): Hey, it’s nice sitting out here! That included evenings when cool temperatures might have previously driven us indoors. So we sought ways to heat our domestic outdoor spaces. Enter the BioLite Firepit+, a more civilized and controllable evolution of the old stone-ringed (sometimes smoky and not very heat-efficient), backyard fire pit.

The Firepit+ is a sturdy but relatively light and portable, metal fire chamber with—and most critically, a removable airflow pack containing a rechargeable battery that powers 51 air jets inside the fire chamber, with four fan speeds controlled by a button on the pack or with a free Bluetooth app (Android and iOS versions). Those air jets transform the chore of building a campfire into a much faster, more efficient, and far less smoky task.

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Measuring 27.5 ins./70cm long, 16 ins./41cm deep, 12 ins./30cm wide at the top and 11ins./28cm wide at the base, with two handles, a lid, and folding legs that reduce the unit’s height to 10.5 ins./26.7cm when folded, and weighing about 20 pounds/9kg, the Firepit+ is compact and portable enough for camping and storing in a garage or shed when not in use. The BioLite Firepit Carry Bag ($60) can be purchased separately.

Setup is a snap once you’ve fully charged the airflow pack’s battery before the first use. The Firepit+ assembles quickly by screwing the two handles into place at either end, extending the folding legs (which lock into place and fold up for transport using a release button), attaching the rechargeable airflow pack to one side (which requires no tools), and inserting the fuel rack.

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Key to significantly minimizing smoke and building a roaring, warm fire is basically just adhering to the rules of building a proper campfire: Start with small pieces of dry wood and ideally a firestarter and add more small pieces gradually, always offsetting the wood pieces to permit airflow through the pile—otherwise, you’ll get smoke. As when building a campfire, you may need to poke and move some burning pieces of wood around slightly at times to enhance air flow. Only add large sticks or logs after a bed of coals has developed. Avoid letting wood block the air jets or extend above the top of the burn chamber.

In reality, though, the 51 air jets eliminate much of the usual maintenance needed with a campfire. Keep the jets on the lowest or second setting until the fire has grown; then you can dial them up to speed up the burning and building of coals. The air jets get the fire burning strongly within minutes—imagine 51 very tiny people sitting around the fire constantly blowing on it without having to inhale.

Smoke results when areas of any fire aren’t getting enough oxygen and flames start to diminish and the air jets also minimize smoke by keeping the flames burning efficiently—in other words, they perform the chore of constantly stoking the fire that we usually don’t want to perform non-stop when building a fire.

Once you’ve built up a strong fire and hot coals, you can turn down the jets to maintain minimal air flow and burn wood more slowly. The fine mesh walls of the fire chamber prevent embers from escaping and radiate heat outward—and you can see the flames, which is, of course, one of the pleasures of sitting around a campfire. Friends and I have sat around it comfortably on winter evenings in the 30s Fahrenheit. In temps that cold, the Firepit+ throws enough heat to warm people sitting within three or four feet of it; and the minimal smoke enables you to sit that close. On spring evenings, it also helps keep mosquitoes away.

The chamber burns wood up to 16 ins./40cm long—firewood bought at stores usually fits—or charcoal and converts to a hibachi-style grill by simply raising the fuel rack to the upper level, tossing in charcoal, and sliding the included grill grate into place. (When not using it, the grill grate can be removed and set aside or slid nearly off but left attached while just making a fire.) Charcoal provides a more consistent heat source for grilling meat, kabobs, corn on the cob and other foods on the uncovered grill; a wood fire requires too much maintenance for grilling.

If after grilling with charcoal you want to start a wood fire, use metal tongs to drop one side of the fuel rack at a time to the rack’s lower level and then lay small pieces of wood atop the hot coals, which will act as a firestarter, augmented by the air jets.

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To put the fire out, just let it burn down. Stop adding wood a while before you want to put the fire out and you’ll burn up all or most of the wood in it. Use the air jets to speed up the fuel burning or turn them off and the flames will die out quickly—and it may then get smoky while it’s smoldering. Placing the lid on the chamber will obviously reduce oxygen to the fire and smother it more quickly. Never throw water on the fire; that can damage the chamber and electronics.

The ash door on the chamber’s bottom allows you to dump out cold coals and ashes. (Once the ashes are cold and dead, I scatter them in my garden). With the fire out, the Firepit’s body will cool within about 10 minutes.

The included pre-seasoned, non-stick, cast-iron griddle (8.8 lbs./3.98kg, 19.3×9.5×2 ins./49x24x5cm, cooking surface area 130 sq. ins./330 sq. cm) sits atop the grill grate to fry, sear, or sauté food. A moderate fire (not large) on a low fan setting provides plenty of heat for cooking on the griddle; BioLite cautions against overheating the griddle with a large fire.

BioLite’s Firepit Cooking Kit (sold separately, $50, 1 lb. 10.5 oz/750g) includes a sharp, Santoku cutting and chopping knife and a spatula and tongs, made of stainless steel with silicone rubber on the extra-long handles for safety around the fire, plus a roll-up storage mat. The tongs are large and sturdy enough to place relatively small pieces of split logs

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The Firepit+ is made with a high-temp enamel coating for durability and easy cleaning. Use Firepit+ only on surfaces like packed dirt, gravel, sand, concrete, or flat rocks, not on a lawn or decks, which could be damaged by the heat. Use only dry wood or charcoal, nothing else: no pellets or wet wood. BioLite recommends drying the fire pit after use and storing it in a dry place when not using it (rather than leaving it out in your yard).

Naturally, the Firepit+ is not as quick and convenient as having a gas grill in your yard—but a gas grill isn’t portable for camping and you’re not going to sit around a gas grill and make s’mores or sip whiskey. In the same vein, electric space heaters on posts produce more heat than the Firepit+ and radiate it downward at people seated anywhere around their perimeter. But they lack the ambience of a campfire and aren’t so good for grilling.

The airflow system’s fan runs for up to 30 hours with the fan on low, 14 hours on medium, and seven hours on high on a single charge. The 12,800 mAh 47Wh battery, recharged via micro USB, also functions as a battery for charging other devices. Charge batteryvia micro USB fully at least once every six months for longer life.

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The Verdict

Functioning as an all-in-one fire pit with crackling flames, grill, and griddle, with better control over flames and much less smoke than a traditional campfire, the BioLite Firepit+ combines the benefits of backyard heaters, a fire pit, and a grill in one unit that’s also light enough and portable for camping. Living in your back yard just got better.

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase the BioLite Firepit+ at backcountry.com, rei.com, or bioliteenergy.com; the BioLite Firepit Cooking Kit at bioliteenergy.com or rei.com; and the BioLite Firepit Carry Bag at rei.com, or bioliteenergy.com.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

And don’t miss my popular reviews of “25 Essential Backpacking Gear Accessories” and “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.

—Michael Lanza

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We woke up from our first night in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains in mid-September, at well over 10,000 feet beside a creek that sang soft lullabys to us all night, to find ice crystals in our water bottles and one full water bladder that had been left outside the tent partly frozen. But the overnight temperature dropping to below freezing had hardly registered with me as I slumbered soundly zipped up inside my Sea to Summit Spark Pro -9C/15F sleeping bag—one of the warmest for its weight, most packable, and well constructed ultralight sleeping bags you’ll find.

I slept in the Spark Pro -9C/15Fbag for three nights backpacking in the San Juans in mid-September, with the other two nights at over 11,000 feet along the Continental Divide Trail, where the low temperature remained only slightly above freezing (no ice in our water).

I also stayed comfortably warm inside it, wearing a couple of light and midweight tops, long underwear, a wool hat, and socks, for three nights backpacking mostly on the Uinta Highline Trail in Utah’s High Uintas Wilderness in the first week of October, when we slept under the stars each night and awoke to frost and moisture on our bags, that substantial dampness not penetrating noticeably through the shell or appearing to compromise the bag’s loft or warmth much.

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Stuffed with one pound, 0.9 ounces/480 grams of water- repellent, 950-fill Ultra-Dry Down (in the 15-degree regular; the 30-degree regular has 10.9 ounces/310 grams of down and the long versions of both bags, of course, have a bit more), the Spark Pro ranks among an elite group of the few very best down sleeping bags for warmth per ounce of bag weight, packability, and in the down’s resistance to water: Compared to standard down bags, it keeps you warmer when invaded by any moisture, whether condensation inside a tent, rain penetrating a backpack and the bag’s stuff sack, or condensation inside the bag from moisture released by your body.

The Ultra-Dry Down’s non-PFAS treatment also enables those goose feathers to dry much more quickly than standard down if the bag gets wet. Vertical baffles in the chest, horizontal baffles in lower bag’s top side and throughout the bottom side, plus box-wall baffle construction distribute the down evenly, avoiding cold spots. And this bag provides a visual demonstration of its high-quality down every time you pull it out of its stuff sack, quickly lofting up to about four inches thick.

And at just one pound, 11 ounces/765.4 grams (for the regular, on my scale), the total weight of the Spark Pro -9C/15F compares with many good-quality, 30-degree mummy bags.

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Sea to Summit uses an international standard called ISO 23537 to test and assign two temperature ratings to its sleeping bags: a lower limit and a comfort rating. The -9° C/15° F rating represents this bag’s lower limit; its comfort limit is -3° C/27° F.

On the night the temperature dropped below freezing, with the bag zipped up completely, I slept comfortably for most of the night in just a light wool T-shirt, underwear, and socks, only pulling on a long-sleeve top and a wool hat in early morning (the coldest time of the night and the time when your body often feels coldest because it needs more food). To me, that demonstrates this bag is true to its comfort rating. In temperatures at its lower limit, I would personally expect to need a base layer or two, top and bottom, plus a wool hat to feel warm enough.

I’ve pushed plenty of bags to their limits without getting miserably cold, but I sleep warm; people who don’t would definitely not enjoy pushing this or any bag to its lower limit, but would probably find the Spark Pro -9C/15Fidealfor nights no colder than several degrees above freezing Fahrenheit/three to four degrees above freezing Celsius. (See my “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags.”)

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Sea to Summit’s Free-Flow three-zipper design expands the versatility of the Spark Pro bags. A quarter-length zipper on the upper right side of the bag enables you to fold down the top of the bag like a quilt on mild nights. A footbox zipper ventilates that end of the bag—a feature I virtually never use in bags because my feet are rarely too hot, but which makes more sense in combination with the ability to fold the top of the bag down like a blanket. The two-way, full-length main zipper (left side) slides remarkably smoothly—never snagging, which isn’t true of most “no-snag” zippers in bags I’ve used.

Some ultralight sleeping bags achieve their low weights by using less insulation (read: less warm) or by reducing fabric and insulation weight through tighter dimensions (read: feels claustrophobic to some people). But the Spark and Spark Pro series bags have comfortable dimensions of 61x53x40 inches/155x135x102 centimeters (at the shoulders, hips, and feet, size regular), which compares with some of the better ultralight bags I’ve reviewed.

I found it has adequate space while maintaining thermal efficiency and without making the bag overly bulky: I could fit a long-sleeve top and pants in the foot of the bag (to add a little insulation and keep those clothes warm for when I put them on in the morning) and easily lift both knees to my chest while lying on my back in the bag, as well as dress in the bag with it zipped up. The 72-inch/185-centimeter length is standard for regular bags.

While the Spark Pro is not available in women’s sizes, and the unisex sizing likely favors the builds of more men than women, some women will find the unisex bag works for them because body shapes and sizes vary greatly within genders as much as between genders, rendering the fit of sleeping bags less gender-dependent. Sea to Summit recommends women use the comfort temp rating as their guide.

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In the smart features department, waterproof-breathable fabric in the hood and footbox repels moisture from condensation on tent walls in the areas of the bag most likely to brush against walls. The hood and collar cinch closely around your head using separate drawcords on opposite sides, which I find simplifies a task that’s often done in the dark when half-asleep; but if you’re a side sleeper (like me), either of those cords might brush against your cheek (as with many bags).

Stuffed inside the durable, 40-denier compression sack that comes with the bag, the Spark Pro 15F/-9C regular packs down to seven liters in volume, according to Sea to Summit—although I think I compressed it significantly smaller than that, to about the size of a soccer ball. Either way, that’s a very compact package for a bag with this much warmth. Sea to Summit gives the compressed volume of the 30F/-1C as 5.3 liters; based on my experience with the 15F/-9C, I suspect it can go smaller than that.

That’s due, in part, to the ultralight, 10-denier nylon lining and shell with a non-PFAS DWR (durable, water-resistant treatment), which is lighter and more packable than shell fabrics used in heavier sleeping bags, but also slightly less durable—although most users are very unlikely to tear a sleeping bag.

The Sea to Summit Spark Pro -1C/30F ($549, 1 lb. 5.8 oz./619g, regular) is a good choice for someone who doesn’t get cold easily and typically sleeps outside on nights around or well above freezing.

Another option, Sea to Summit’s Spark series of bags rated 45, 30, 15, and 0 degrees ($349 to $649), differfrom the Spark Pro primarily in that they use 850+-fill Ultra-Dry Down, lack the footbox zipper and short right-side zipper, and come in women’s sizes. In other words, at $100 cheaper for the same temp rating than the Pro series, you get an ultralight bag that’s still quite warm for its weight and packable—and actually a few ounces lighter than its Pro counterpart, due to having fewer features.

The Verdict

Featuring virtually the highest quality down available, giving it superior packability and warmest for its weight, as well as comfortable dimensions, excellent construction, and versatility in a wide range of temperatures, the Sea to Summit Spark Pro -9C/15F sleeping bag ranks among the few very best ultralight sleeping bags out there today.

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See all reviews of sleeping bags, air mattresses, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside, plus my “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

And don’t miss my popular reviews of “25 Essential Backpacking Gear Accessories” and “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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For backpackers prioritizing low gear weight who don’t tend to get cold very easily, a sleeping bag rated 30 degrees Fahrenheit can function as their go-to for most three-season trips. And Marmot’s Hydrogen 30 remains one of the perhaps three highest-quality and warmest ultralight mummy bags at this temperature rating, as I affirmed sleeping in it for two nights on southern Utah’s Owl and Fish canyons loop in early May, four nights in Montana’s Beartooth Mountains in August, and five nights on the Grand Canyon’s Gems Route in mid-April.

Just three of those backpacking nights that I slept in the Hydrogen 30 were inside a tent: one quite windy night in the high 30s F, with a below-freezing wind chill, in Owl Canyon, and two nights in the Grand Canyon. My four nights sleeping out under the stars included a calm night in the mid-40s in Fish Canyon and three nights with winds gusting up to 30 miles per hour at times and overnight lows in the 40s and 50s in the Grand Canyon. In every circumstance, I stayed perfectly warm, even partly opening the bag on the milder nights. I also slept quite well in this bag out under the stars for two nights in the 50s in Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve.

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The 800-fill down, treated with ExpeDry to make it dry faster if it gets wet, gives it a high warmth-to-weight ratio and an EN comfort rating of 36° F/2° C, limit rating of 27° F/-3° C, and extreme rating of -3° F/-19° C—while still weighing a modest one pound 9.4 ounces/720 grams (regular length).

Its weight trails close behind the very lightest and it’s warmer than all but a couple of them with which the Hydrogen 30 compares closely for warmth: As I wrote above, it packs enough warmth for nights that creep toward its temp rating (unless you sleep cold; see my “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” for tips on that). And it stuffs down to a compact 4.6 liters/280 cubic inches/12.2×5.9 inches. When pulled from its stuff sack the Hydrogen lofts up to about three to four inches.

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This bag kept me warm on nights that fell within the temperature range that backpackers will typically encounter in summer in mid-latitude mountains and in spring and fall in the desert Southwest.

Warmth if boosted, of course, by the adjustable hood, which closes evenly and comfortably around my face and head, while the draft collar and tube along the zipper protected me from chilly air outside and strong, cool gusts when I enjoyed long, deep slumber under the stars.

On mild nights when I kept the bag partly open to ventilate, the short second zipper on the upper right side of the bag’s top side (opposite the main zipper) enabled me to fold a flap of the bag down off my shoulders and upper torso, like a blanket—a nice feature because opening the main zipper just on one side to fold a triangle of the top of the bag off you often just results in the flap flipping back over you. The anti-snag slider on the full-length main zipper (on the left) works well. The wraparound construction of the footbox also boosts warmth.

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The circumference measures 61 inches at the shoulders, 56 inches at the hips, and 44.5 inches at the feet—roomier than other leading ultralight, 30-degree bags like the Mountain Hardwear Phantom 30 and Feathered Friends Hummingbird UL 30 at a weight penalty of just a few ounces and a price lower than both. I found there’s plenty of space to move my feet around and stuff a little extra clothing down there to boost insulation and keep that clothing warm for morning. Its length is the standard 72 inches/183 centimeters (regular bag). An internal zippered pocket fits a smartphone to keep it out of the cold.

While the sizes are unisex, I think unisex sizing makes sense in sleeping bags because body shapes and sizes vary greatly within genders as much as between genders.

The 75 percent recycled, Pertex Ultralight 20-denier ripstop shell fabric, with a PFC-free DWR (durable, water-repellent treatment), blocked those strong gusts quite well when I slept under the stars.

For backpackers on a budget, the Marmot Lost Coast 30 ($219, 2 lbs. 6 oz./1.07 kg, regular), with 600-fill down, while heavier and bulkier, is even slightly roomier and has the zippered internal pocket.

The Verdict

With a bit more space than some of the best and lightest ultralight down sleeping bags, while weighing just a few ounces more—and costing less—plus a high warmth-to-weight ratio and packability, the Marmot Hydrogen 30 certainly ranks among the few very best ultralight, 30-degree, mummy bags.

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See all reviews of sleeping bags, air mattresses, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside, plus my “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

And don’t miss my popular reviews of “25 Essential Backpacking Gear Accessories” and “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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Nemo’s Riff down sleeping bags have long carved out a unique space among high-end backpacking bags with their spoon shape and comfortable dimensions, as well as the zippered “thermo gills” on the chest area for adjusting the bag’s degree of warmth to vent on mild nights or batten down the hatches on chilly nights. Spending eight nights in the 2024 update, the Riff 30 Endless Promise, in Glacier National Park in September and in southern Utah in early October, I found that Nemo maintained or improved on the Riff’s exclusive features—while making the bags fully recyclable.

I slept quite comfortably and stayed perfectly warm in the men’s Riff 30 Endless Promise for six nights in Glacier in September, with lows from around 50° to the upper 30s Fahrenheit, and for two clear nights in the high 40s on the Boulder Mail Trail-Death Hollow-Escalante River Loop in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in early October.

Part of Nemo’s line of Endless Promise products, the Riff bags are 100 percent recyclable at the end of their life: Every Endless Promise product is designed to be repaired, resold, and ultimately recycled to keep them out of landfills. Each carries a QR code and customers receive a pre-paid shipping label and a $20 Nemo gift card for returning a product to be recycled into new fabrics or insulation.

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Stuffed with 10 ounces/295 grams of PFAS-free, RDS-certified, 800-fill duck down, the Riff 30 has good warmth for its weight, carrying a comfort rating of 40° F/4° C, a limit rating of 29° F/-2° C, and an extreme rating of -1° F/-18° C. Baffles are aligned vertically over the torso for comfort and horizontally below the waist to prevent down migration.

The hydrophobic down repels moisture, meaning it still traps heat efficiently when wet—the traditional weakness of standard down—and dries faster. It will not, of course, keep you as warm when damp or wet as when dry; think of it as allowing you to get through a night that may feel somewhere between uncomfortable and miserable. Better to keep your bag dry.

Assisting in that goal, the Riff bags have a somewhat rare feature I’ve long thought should be an automatic addition to all high-end bags, especially down models: Reinforced hood and footbox fabric treated with PFAS-free waterproofing to prevent tent condensation from penetrating the shell and getting the down wet—and it’s the head and footbox, of course, that are most likely to get damp with condensation from brushing against tent walls.

Available in men’s and women’s regular and long models rated to 30 and 15 degrees, the Riff still has the key features that set it apart from other sleeping bags. The spoon-shaped cut balances thermal and weight efficiency with extra space at the elbows and knees—particularly nice for side sleepers like me.

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And the brand’s signature thermo gills, parallel zippers over your torso that open to a narrow panel of solid, uninsulated fabric, allow venting without exposing you directly to cold air. In the 2024 Riff update, Nemo added interior zippers to both gills (which previously just had the exterior zippers), creating another level of venting that’s actually useful: I sleep warmly, so on nights around 50° F, I could open all four zippers on the two gills and effectively create a bag equal to one rated perhaps 10 degrees higher than the Riff 30.

With its warmth and my comfort range (and perhaps wearing an extra layer top and bottom), I can also use this bag in temperatures slightly below its rating, meaning the gills give me a bag I could use on about 80 percent of my backcountry nights.

In both the men’s and women’s Riff 30 regular, the girth measures a comfortable 60 inches/152 centimeters at the shoulders, tapers to 53 inches/135 centimeters at the hips, and 57 inches/145 centimeters at the feet, creating a roomier bed than you’ll get in some significantly lighter bags with the same temp rating. (Those measurements increase by one to two inches in the long bags.)

Nemo reduced those girth measures by one to two inches in the men’s models compared with the previous generation of the Riff (which I reviewed), presumably for the achieved benefit of shaving a few ounces from it. At five feet, eight inches and 153 pounds, I find the men’s regular (fits people up to six feet/183 centimeters) spacious without being so voluminous that it compromises thermal efficiency: I have space to pull on my pants inside the bag on chilly mornings, which I like.

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I also like the redesigned, fat draft collar—what Nemo calls its Blanket Fold—both for when I zip the bag up completely, because of how that flap thoroughly seals out cold air and seals in body heat, and when I leave the bag partly open at the top because I can use it sort of like a blanket to cover my shoulders or throw it off as desired. That’s particularly nice for a side sleeper like me, as is the tiny cord for cinching the hood tighter, with a small barrel knot as a grip rather than an obnoxious plastic tab tapping my cheek while sleeping.

The warm, adjustable hood closes neatly to a small blowhole and readily loosens, but the cord doesn’t slip when you want it to remain closed up. An integrated pillow pocket can be stuffed with clothing or a Nemo Fillo pillow. All zippers run smoothly with no annoying tendency to snag.

And count me as a fan of the Riff’s compression stuff sack and the very cool (these things excite me), rectangular, zippered storage sack, which makes storing it among other gear noticeably easier.

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At 31 ounces/879 grams (on my scale for the men’s Riff 30 regular; Nemo gives a weight of 1 lb. 14 oz./845g), with a packed size of 10.5×7.5 inches/26×19 centimeters/four liters in volume, the Riff is certainly competitively light and packable—but still not among the most ultralight or compact down sleeping bags (when comparing identical temperature ratings). Yes, those bags achieve lower weights and better packability through higher rated down and/or a tighter fit (and often carry a higher price). Weight, packability, and price versus a roomier fit are essentially the tradeoffs between the Riff and the best ultralight bags.

The lightweight, 100 percent recycled, polyester ripstop shell and lining fabric offers the amount of durability that will prevent tears or punctures with reasonable care when using it.

The Nemo Riff 15 ($400, 2 lbs. 7 oz./1.12 kg regular), in men’s and women’s models, provides added warmth for shoulder seasons or people who tend to sleep cold.

The Verdict

For backpacking, the updated-for-2024 Nemo Riff 30 Endless Promise and Riff 15 Endless Promise bags still deliver a level of comfort that rises above many competitors while remaining lightweight and packable—and they are now fully recyclable, an important step toward preserving the places we like to sleep outside that we should all embrace and encourage through our choices as consumers.

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See all reviews of sleeping bags and backpacking gear at The Big Outside and my articles “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

And don’t miss my popular reviews of “25 Essential Backpacking Gear Accessories” and “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See the Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

Choosing the absolute lightest air mattress you find doesn’t always go well: The hours of sleep lost to discomfort may exceed the weight savings in ounces. Put another way, the personal energy lost through a poor night of sleep may eclipse what you gain from shaving a few ounces of pack weight. The latest iteration of Therm-a-Rest’s ultralight NeoAir XLite air mats, the NXT, will flip that equation to the positive side of the energy ledger for many backpackers, as it did for me on several spring and summer backpacking trips.

I have (so far) slept on the NeoAir XLite NXT for a total of 32 nights, including: four nights on a pair of three-day hikes in April on a section of the Arizona Trail along the Gila River and in Arizona’s Aravaipa Canyon; another four nights on three-day hikes on both the Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park and the Nigel, Cataract, and Cline Passes Route in the White Goat Wilderness of the Canadian Rockies in early August; three nights in the Wind River Range and four nights in Montana’s Beartooth Mountains in mid-August; three nights on an August backpacking trip in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains; five more nights in the Wind River Range and six nights in September in Glacier National Park; three freezing nights in Utah’s High Uintas and two more nights on the 22-mile Boulder Mail Trail-Death Hollow Loop in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in early October. And my wife used it for two nights on southern Utah’s Owl and Fish canyons loop in early May.

On the Arizona Trail and in the Canadian Rockies and Winds, I slept on this air mat in the Mountain Hardwear Phantom 30, comfortable in just underwear and a light T-shirt or a midweight, long-sleeve top on nights in the 40s F/4-8° C; and inside the Nemo Riff 30 in similar temps in the Escalante and on nights down to the upper 30s in Glacier. But facing chillier nights in Aravaipa, I used the Sierra Designs Mobile Mummy 15F/-9C on this air mat and stayed perfectly warm wearing just a T-shirt, underwear, and socks on one night that dropped to just above freezing.

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The XLite NXT looks good in direct comparisons with other top three-season air mats of key metrics like thickness, weight, and packability. At three inches/7.6cm thick (a half inch fatter than the previous XLite), it matches some competitors that are slightly heavier and exceeds the very short list of air mats that are lighter. As someone who’s been sleeping on the ground for more than three decades and is done with pads that aren’t comfortable—and I’m always looking to review air mats that hit a nice balance of comfort and low weight and bulk—I’m happy to say I slept quite soundly on the XLite NXT.

And yet, this ultralight pad weighs in at 13 ounces/370g (regular) and measures 9×4.1 inches/23x10cm stuffed (regular), roughly the dimensions of a one-liter water bottle. That’s a nice weight-to-comfort ratio. As a five-foot, eight-inch side sleeper who curls up a bit, I found the regular short length (20×66 inches/51x168cm) perfectly fine for me—and I’ll take that weight savings when it comes with no comfort penalty.

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The XLite NXT uses ThermaCapture technology to radiate body heat back to you and a Triangular Core Matrix, consisting of two stacked layers of triangular baffles to create a stable surface and minimize heat loss; Therm-a-Rest says it’s six times quieter than the previous XLite generation. The result is an R-value of 4.5, meaning it’s warm enough for shoulder-season adventures and temps around or below freezing—it even approaches the level of insulation adequate for temps well below freezing and sleeping on snow or frozen ground, which is an R-value of 5 or higher.

That puts the XLite NXT at the leading edge for warmth-to-weight ratio.

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Using the voluminous Therm-a-Rest Pump Sack (included) to inflate the air mat eases that process, although it doesn’t necessarily speed it up, unless you’re quite fast at repeatedly opening the sack to let air inside and then rolling it up tight to force that air into the air mattress. I often found it faster to the XLite NXT by simply blowing into the valve, which requires about 15 to 20 strong breaths, whereas using the air bag took me several minutes. Either way, inflating it is aided by the efficiency of the one-way WingLock valve, which Therm-a-Rest says cuts the inflation time by two-thirds; a simple turn of the valve’s “wings” deflates it almost instantly.

The 30-denier ripstop nylon fabric, with durable TPU laminate, offers greater protection from punctures than some lightweight air mats have.

The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT MAX ($230-$250, 1 lb. 3 oz./540g) is a rectangular version available in two sizes, both 25 inches/64cm wide and from 72 to 77 inches/183-196cm long.

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The Verdict

Hitting a sweet spot for comfort and packability, at one of the lowest weights and highest warmth-to-weight ratios you’ll find in a three-season air mattress, the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT sets a new standard for ultralight air mats.

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See all reviews of air mattresses, sleeping bags, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside, plus “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips For Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my stories “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be,” “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” and “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-book versions of “How to Plan a Backpacking Trip—12 Expert Tips,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

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NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all my reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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Look at specs when shopping for a high-quality, ultralight, three-season sleeping bag and you might quickly trim your short list to about five models, all at basically similar weights and price points. But having slept in most of those top bags—and after sleeping in Mountain Hardwear’s Phantom 30 on cool nights on backpacking trips from a section of the Arizona Trail in the first days of April and camping at Idaho’s City of Rocks in June to the Canadian Rockies and Wind River Range in August—I place the Phantom 30 among the two or (maybe) three very best ultralight mummy bags for its strategic balance between low weight and excellent warmth. Here’s why.

I slept oblivious to the air temp wearing just underwear and a light T-shirt or a midweight, long-sleeve top on nights in the 40s F/4-8° C on several trips: for three nights in the Wind River Range in mid-August, where we had a lot of wind every night; for a total of four nights on the Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park and the Nigel, Cataract, and Cline Passes Route in the White Goat Wilderness of the Canadian Rockies in early August; while backpacking a section of the Arizona Trail along the Gila River in the first days of April; and camping at Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve in June. In the White Goat Wilderness, we had very heavy dew both nights that soaked our tents inside and out, with the condensation inside getting our bag shells wet but not appearing to affect this bag’s warmth or loft at all.

On another, five-night hike through the Winds in early September, I had two nights around freezing, when I had to wear a wool hat and fleece hoodie and stuff my down jacket into the foot end of my Phantom 30 to keep my feet warm; those measures made the bag warm enough for me to sleep, but I don’t get cold easily and I think many users would not want to push this (or virtually any 30-degree bag) to its limit.

Beyond its status as one of the perhaps five very lightest mummy bags you’ll find in this temperature rating category, the Phantom 30 compares in weight to the lightest and nicest ultralight backpacking quilts.

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But I’d argue it’s one of the two or three best ultralight mummy bags for its excellent balance of both low weight and warmth for a bag rated around freezing. That comes down to a key material in Hardwear’s Phantom series bags: the 850-fill down, very nearly the highest fill rating found in sleeping bags (and only six percent less warmth and loft per ounce/gram compared to 900-fill down). That lends the Phantom a top-of-the-charts warmth-to-weight ratio and packability among ultralight sleeping bags.

Also, the bag contains 10 ounces/284 grams of down fill (in the regular), giving the Phantom a fat four inches of loft. That translates to the Phantom 30 weighing a few ounces more than the very lightest bags with this temp rating—but also delivering noticeably more warmth. That means you can push this bag to its temp rating—or lower—without regret (unless you normally sleep cold; see my “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” for tips on that.)

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That helped keep me warm—even, at times, keeping the bag partly unzipped because I felt too warm—on nights that fell into the temperature range most backpackers will encounter in summer in mid-latitude mountains and in spring and fall in the desert Southwest. As someone who sleeps relatively warm, I’d confidently take this bag out on trips with expected overnight lows around freezing and slightly below (adding some clothing layers as needed).

The adjustable hood‘s face gasket closes evenly and comfortably around my face and head when I want to burrow deeply inside the bag, while the draft collar and tube along the zipper protected me from chilly air outside.The lightweight, anti-snag, two-way zipper has a nice pull tab for grabbing even with light gloves on and never caught on shell fabric.

The Phantom’s dimensions reflect a design priority for minimizing weight and packed volume, measuring 58 ins./147cm at the shoulders and 52 ins./132cm at the hips, and the standard 72 inches/182cm long (regular bag); and while Hardwear does not provide a girth measurement at the foot box, I found there’s plenty of space to move my feet around and stuff a little extra clothing down there to boost insulation and keep that clothing warm for morning.

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Overall, at five feet, eight inches and about 150 pounds, I found the regular Phantom 30 certainly efficient in its internal space but also more than roomy enough—for a mummy bag. I believe unisex sizing makes sense in sleeping bags because body shapes and sizes vary greatly within genders as much as between genders. That said, larger or wider people might prefer a bag with more generous dimensions.

The regular Phantom measures just 6×13 ins./15x33cm in its compression stuff sack (2.5 oz./71g), which outweighs standard stuff sacks by perhaps an ounce but delivers added value of $15 to $30 (the cost of buying a compression sack separately) and makes the bag more packable.

The 100 percent recycled, 10-denier ripstop nylon shell with a DWR (durable, water-repellent treatment), among the lightest fabrics used in bags, is adequately durable for normal use with some care.

Mountain Hardwear also offers the Phantom 15 ($580-$610, 2 lbs. 1 oz./941g) and Phantom 0 ($700-$740, 2 lbs. 11 oz./1162g). See my review of the Mountain Hardwear Phantom 0 sleeping bag.

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a unisex Mountain Hardwear Phantom 30 at backcountry.com or rei.com, or any other Phantom bag model at backcountry.com or rei.com.

See all reviews of sleeping bags and all reviews of backpacking gear at The Big Outside, and my “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

And don’t miss my picks for “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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Stepping out of my tent on our first morning in Arizona’s Aravaipa Canyon in the first week of April, I was greeted by an air temperature barely above freezing and a steady wind sailing through our camp at about 20 to 30 miles per hour. So I reacted in the only way that made sense: I wore my sleeping bag in camp. And I could do that and walk around easily (while my friends assumed postures of cold discomfort wearing their down jackets outside—or simply stayed in their tent) because my bag was the Sierra Designs Mobile Mummy 15° F/-9° C.

I stayed warm wearing the Mobile Mummy 15° F/-9° C around camp on evenings and mornings in those temps and slept in quite comfortably in it—not even having to always zip it up completely while wearing just a T-shirt, underwear, and socks—on nights ranging from just above freezing to the low 40s Fahrenheit. I also slept under the stars very warmly zipped up inside the Mobile Mummy on a late September night in the upper 30s in Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve. My wife found it more than warm enough on four nights backpacking in late summer in the Wind River Range, where the lows dropped into the 40s F—the kind of temps for which she prefers a 15- or 20-degree bag because she gets cold easily—and in similar temps for a total of four nights on three-day hikes on both the Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park and the Nigel, Cataract, and Cline Passes Route in the White Goat Wilderness of the Canadian Rockies in early August. In the White Goat Wilderness, we had very heavy dew both nights that soaked our tents inside and out, with the condensation inside getting our bag shells wet but not appearing to affect this bag’s warmth or loft at all.

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After removing it from their product line for nearly four years, Sierra Designs has brought back the Mobile Mummy (which I’ve reviewed in its previous version), updating it with 55 percent partially recycled, 20-denier nylon ripstop fabric with a PFC-free, durable, water repellent treatment (DWR). That 20-denier fabric is heavier and more durable than what you’ll see in many backpacking sleeping bags.

Remaining unchanged in the Mobile Mummy are its long, two-way center zipper extending to the footbox and the zipper-less armholes with overlapping flaps to seal out drafts while sleeping. The center zipper is not only great forside sleepers, it makes sense for most users and I’ve long wondered why that’s not standard in most backpacking sleeping bags. The armholes, of course, enable you to extend your arms outside the bag while wearing it.

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But understand that you still need a layer with warm sleeves on cold mornings—which means that a Mobile Mummy may not necessarily replace an insulated jacket, but it may allow you to bring a lighter jacket that’s augmented by this wearable bag. (You also may need an insulated jacket during the daytime or while on the trail and you can’t wear the Mobile Mummy for that—it would be far too warm and it doesn’t give your legs enough freedom of movement for real hiking.)

Most distinctively, when unzipped from the bottom end, the Mobile Mummy’s footbox can be lifted up and toggled to the outer shell so you can wear is like a very long down parka, even walking around camp in it. That’s why it made sense for SD to make the Mobile Mummy for sub-freezing temps (or even above freezing for users who get cold easily): On mild backcountry nights, you don’t need a wearable sleeping bag.

Stuffed with 18.6 oz./525g (in the men’s regular) of 800-fill power, water-resistant DriDown, the bag carries an ISO comfort rating of 27° F/-3° C and a limit rating of 16° F/-9° C. That high-quality down makes the bag reasonably warm for its weight and more packable than down bags with a lower fill rating and virtually any synthetic sleeping bag. The wide, front zipper draft tube is reinforced with stiff fabric to preclude any possibility of snagging, as are the ample draft tubes at the hood and armholes.

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With a fit length of 72 ins./183cm and circumferences of 60 ins./147cm at the shoulders, 58 ins./147cm at the hips, and 40 ins./102cm at the feet (men’s regular), the bag feels adequately roomy even as its mummy shape remains heat-efficient and minimizes bulk when packed.

The non-adjustable hood (read: no cords in your face when sleeping on your side) features enough elasticity for a snug closure around your head and face and to move with your head even with the front zipper quite open—as it did for me flopping from side to side during nights. That conveniently eliminates the step of closing and opening the hood when entering and exiting the bag; and by just opening the front zipper a few inches, you can easily push the hood off your head when needed.

The bag packs into a stuff sack measuring 8×16 ins./20.3×40.6 cm, which is compact for a bag this warm. It’s also available in a men’s long and a women’s model. 

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to purchase a men’s or women’s Sierra Designs Mobile Mummy 15F/-9C at sierradesigns.com or rei.com.

See all reviews of sleeping bags and all reviews of backpacking gear at The Big Outside, and my “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

And don’t miss my picks for “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.

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Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Wilderness Backpacking Trip,” “10 Tricks for Making Hiking and Backpacking Easier,” and “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-book versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Wilderness Backpacking Trip,” the 10 tricks for making hiking and backpacking easier, and the lightweight backpacking guide without having a paid membership.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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The search for the right backpacking air mattress tends to boil down to two competing objectives: finding a mat with the lowest possible weight without compromising on comfort. And different people will define comfort differently—thus affecting the weight of their air mat choice. But many backpackers and other users may find Nemo’s Tensor Insulated hits a sweet balance between those competing objectives, as I did sleeping on it for eight nights on a nearly 130-mile, August hike through the High Sierra, much of it on the John Muir Trail, and for four nights in early September in the Wind River Range.

On both trips, I slept in the Sierra Designs Cloud 35 and the Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 32 bags and our coldest nights dipped into the 40s F. I also slept on the Tensor Insulated air mat under the stars very warmly zipped up inside the Sierra Designs Mobile Mummy 15° F/-9° C bag on a late September night in the upper 30s in Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve. And my wife slept on the Tensor (and in the Mobile Mummy 15° F/-9° C) for a total of four nights on three-day hikes on both the Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park and the Nigel, Cataract, and Cline Passes Route in the White Goat Wilderness of the Canadian Rockies.

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Three inches thick, the Tensor’s undulating lateral Spaceframe baffles and low-stretch, die-cut trusses to minimize springiness create a nicely cushioned bed with good stability: I flop around during the night but never bounced or rolled off the air mat. To the contrary, even though it’s not one of the thickest backpacking air mats out there, I found it quite comfortable, with hipbones and elbows never bottoming out on the hard ground.

Nemo rates the Tensor Insulated to 15 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit, thanks to its notably quiet PrimaLoft synthetic insulation and a new, continuous TPU film inside to prevent convective heat loss.

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Those updates elevated the air mat’s R-value to 4.2, meaning it delivers significantly more insulation from a cold ground than the previous generation of the Tensor Insulated, which was rated 3.5. That means this air mat is now legitimately warm enough for shoulder-season adventures and temps around and below freezing—although you’d probably want a higher R-value air mat for temps well below freezing and sleeping on snow or frozen ground—and Nemo achieved this without the mat gaining weight. The uninsulated Tensor’s R-value also went up, from 1.6 to 2.5, making it more suitable for cool nights but not temperatures dropping near freezing.

At 13 ounces for the insulated regular mummy air mat and a pound packed (including the Vortex pump sack and staff sack), the Tensor weighs in lighter than many competitors with comparable comfort and dimensions; and it measures a compact 3×8 inches/20×7.5cm packed, slightly larger than a liter bottle, taking up noticeably less space in a backpack than heavier air mats.

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The two-piece Laylow valve, with separate valve flaps for inflating and deflating, make both chores a breeze and deflation almost instantaneous. The Vortex pump sack that comes with the Tensor lets you employ the Bernoulli effect to quickly inflate the mat by blowing a light breath into the open sack and rolling the air into the mat (several times)—much easier than making yourself dizzy blowing air directly through the valve and minimizing moisture entering the air mat. The Vortex sack adds little weight to the package and has a shape and size that makes it a bit faster inflating an air mat than other such pump sacks I’ve used.

Lastly, the updated Tensor’s 100 percent recycled and bluesign-certified, 20-denier polyester fabric on top and bottom is likely not as puncture-resistant as some air mats that use a heavier fabric, but it offers durability that compares with many ultralight models.

The Tensor series comes in four models each in both insulated and non-insulated: regular and regular mummy, both 20×72 inches, and wide (25×72) and long wide (25×76) versions.

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The Verdict

Comfortable, notably quiet, lightweight, and packable, the Nemo Tensor Insulated Air Mattress will appeal to many backpackers and other backcountry travelers who want an ultralight air mat that doesn’t compromise on comfort.

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See all reviews of air mattresses, sleeping bags, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside, plus my “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all my reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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Mummy-style sleeping bags deliver high warmth efficiency for their weight because they trap heat so well—but can sometimes feel like they’re trapping you inside, too. Backpacking quilts mimic the feeling of sleeping under a comforter at home, but may too easily let cold air underneath on chilly nights outdoors. With its zipperless design and integrated comforter in the bag’s upper half, the Sierra Designs Cloud 35 bag achieves the strengths of mummies and quilts without their weaknesses.

I slept in the ultralight men’s Cloud 35-degree for eight nights on a backpacking trip of nearly 130 miles through the High Sierra in August, mostly on the John Muir Trail, with lows often in the 40s Fahrenheit and strong wind; for four nights that ranged from the high 40s to near 60° F on a 78-mile backpacking trip on the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier in early September; and on five nights of camping in Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve in June and early October, with lows down to the 40s—staying quite warm wrapped inside the bag in temps not far above its EN comfort rating of 36° F/2° C. The 35-degree bag has an EN limit rating of 26° F/-3° C.

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Weighing just under 1.5 pounds, the Cloud 35 has a good warmth-to-weight ratio, thanks to being stuffed with 9.5 ounces of PFC-free, 800-fill, water-resistant Dridown down (in the regular, 10.4 ounces in the men’s long, and 20.5 ounces in the women’s 20-degree version). That high-quality down also makes the 35-degree bag very packable, stuffing to 13×7 inches or smaller.

Most unique about the Cloud bags is their zipperless, comforter-style design with a crescent-shaped flap on the upper half of the bag that you can flip to one side or wrap around your torso like a blanket. The comforter flap’s crescent shape maintains some tension on the flap to keep it from opening up while you sleep, and an insulated shoulder pocket at the flap’s upper corner helps keep it wrapped around you.

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The design’s benefits include much easier ventilation and exiting the bag—no fumbling with a zipper in the middle of the night—and a sleeping experience more like lying in your bed than squeezed inside a zipped-up mummy bag. The single flap also reduces bag weight compared to having two overlapping flaps.

While not as secure as a zipper, the flap mostly stayed wrapped around me unless I turned a lot. As a side sleeper, I found the flap, not surprisingly, stayed in place over me better when I slept on the side where the flap opens, with a hand in the shoulder pocket to hold the flap in place, than when I slept on my opposite side, where the flap and shoulder pocket could slip off my elevated shoulder. On a night that I slept under the stars and the wind blew hard most of the night, it did continually blow the flap off me unless I slept on the same side, with my hand securing the flap closed.

The Cloud 35’s dimensions of 60 inches at the shoulders, 58 inches at the hips, and 40 inches at the feet (men’s regular) offer unusually spacious dimensions for moving around—again, replicating a sleeping experience closer to your bed at home than a mummy bag.

The adjustable hood snugged fairly well around my head on cooler nights. You can insert a 20-inch-wide air mattress into the half-length fitted sleeve on the bag’s bottom side to keep from sliding off the mat—although that prevents side sleepers from turning the bag (and its hood) with their body. The 15-denier shell fabric has enough durability for normal use, but avoid catching this lightweight fabric on sharp edges.

The Sierra Designs Cloud 20 ($340, 1 lb. 15 oz.) comes in both men’s and women’s versions; the women’s bag comes in one size with a length of 74 inches and differs from the men’s primarily in the amount and placement of the down fill.

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See all of my reviews of sleeping bags that I like and all of my reviews of backpacking gear, and my articles “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Wilderness Backpacking Trip,” “10 Tricks for Making Hiking and Backpacking Easier,” and “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Wilderness Backpacking Trip,” the 10 tricks for making hiking and backpacking easier, and the lightweight backpacking guide without having a paid membership.

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NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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It was an amazing spot to sleep under the stars for our last night on an early-April backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon: perched on a plateau high above the Inner Gorge of the Colorado River, gazing across the canyon at the Tonto Plateau and South Rim. We waited until dusk had nearly faded to darkness to lay out our sleeping bags atop our completely exposed, flat cowboy-camping ledges, hoping the relentless, strong wind would abate with evening’s arrival and not threaten to launch our bags to New Mexico—but it didn’t. So I burrowed inside my Therm-a-Rest Parsec 32 for warmth—and only opened my eyes once or twice briefly during the night, enough to glimpse the brilliant glow of the Milky Way.

I stayed perfectly warm sleeping in this bag under the stars (no tent) for five nights on a six-day backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon in April, with lows in the 40s and low 50s F and strong winds some nights that made it feel chillier than the ambient air temps. That experience aligns with the Parsec 32’s EN temperature ratings of 41° F comfort, 32° F limit, and 5° F extreme.

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It’s warm enough for typical overnight temps of summer in most mid-latitude mountain ranges or spring and fall in the Southwest canyon country except for people who tend to get cold more easily.

This bag’s nearly 12 ounces of PFC-free, 800-fill down creates four inches of loft, complemented by a warm, adjustable hood that closes snugly around your head and face, plus a draft collar and zipper tube and the thermal efficiency of a mummy design. Therm-a-Rest says the water-resistant Nikwax Hydrophobic Down absorbs 90 percent less water and dries three times faster than untreated, standard down feathers.

In practice, that translates to the Parsec delivering the good warmth-to-weight ratio of high-quality down while also not losing loft (read: warmth) if exposed to moisture on, say, a rainy, multi-day trip with constantly damp air (even inside a tent).

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The bag’s zoned insulation places more down on top than the bottom—not necessarily desirable for side sleepers, but I’m one and my back never felt cold.

The 100 percent recycled, 20-denier shell and lining offer a bit more durability than the 10- and 15-denier fabric used in many ultralight bags at only a slight weight penalty. The shell has a DWR (durable, water-repellent treatment). The two-way, anti-snag zipper, backed by thick fabric strips on both sides, never gets stuck.

At just over one-and-a-half pounds, it weighs less than many similarly rated competitors—and yet it provides a comfortably roomy sleeping experience with dimensions of 62 inches at the shoulders, 57 inches at the waist, and 46 inches at the feet plus a length of 80 inches (in the regular). I never felt constrained shifting around inside this bag.

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The sizing is unisex: Therm-a-Rest no longer makes bags in men’s and women’s models. My take on that is that sleeping bags aren’t boots or packs—gender simply doesn’t matter that much when it comes to a sleeping bag. My wife gets cold very easily and she has virtually always slept in a men’s bag over the 30 years we’ve backpacked together (because I regularly have new bags to test). Her comfort in a bag has less to do with its contours than how warm it is—period.  

Like all Therm-a-Rest sleeping bags, the Parsec comes with a compression stuff sack and easily packs inside it, squishing down to just slightly larger than a bread loaf at 6×8.5 inches.

For colder temps or cold sleepers, there’s also the warmer Parsec 20 ($450, 1 lb. 12 oz., regular) and Parsec 0 ($530, 2 lbs. 6 oz., regular).

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Therm-a-Rest Parsec 32 at moosejaw.com or thermarest.com, or any of the warmer bags in the Parsec series at backcountry.com, moosejaw.com, or thermarest.com.

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Want an even lighter three-season bag? See my reviews of the Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 32F, Sierra Designs Cloud 35, and Feathered Friends men’s Hummingbird UL 30 and women’s Egret UL 30.

See all reviews of sleeping bags that I like and all reviews of backpacking gear, and my articles “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

And don’t miss my picks for “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.

I’ve helped many readers plan unforgettable backpacking and hiking trips.
Want my help with yours? Click here now.

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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On the second night of a four-day, roughly 50-mile backpacking trip in Yosemite in the last week of September, when nights dipped into the 40s Fahrenheit, I laid my bag and pad out under the stars, without a tent, in one of the neatest spots I’ve ever slept outside: on a dry granite slab between two braids of a creek, lulled by a tiny cascade just a few steps from my head. And all night, a strong, cool wind blew down that creek valley, prompting me to zip deeply inside the Bishop Pass 30F/-1C. Despite that wind chill, I stayed warm and slept like a baby.

Besides that Yosemite trip, I also slept in it this bag on a calm night outside under the stars in early June in Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve, with temps in the 40s.

A mummy bag packed with 12 ounces of RDS-certified, flourine-free, 650-fill down, the Bishop Pass sports a confidence-inspiring four inches of loft: It’s warm enough for typical overnight temps of summer in most mid-latitude mountain ranges or spring and fall in the Southwest canyon country except for people who tend to get cold more easily.

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Draft tubes around the face opening and along the zipper’s full length help trap heat, making the bag more efficient. The two-way zipper allows venting the bag from the top and bottom and is backed by strips of heavy-duty fabric that’s impossible to snag in the zipper.

The men’s regular bag measures a roomy 62 inches at the shoulders, 53 inches at the hips, and 86 inches long; although Hardwear doesn’t provide a circumference measure for the foot box, I found it has a comfortable amount of space, not feeling cramped on my lower legs. Similarly, the adjustable hood closes neatly around the face and head.

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The 10-denier shell helps minimize the bag’s weight but that’s as lig ht as bag shells get—15- or 20-denier fabric is more common—and it has a DWR to repel moisture. Exercising reasonable care not to catch it on any sharp points—like sticks or rock edges if sleeping under the stars—will prevent accidental tears. It also has convenient details like a zipper pull that glows and an internal stash pocket.

No, the Bishop Pass does not match the high warmth-to-weight ratio of bags with a higher-quality down (800-fill and higher). But at under two pounds, with a stuffed size of 7×13.5 inches/18x34cm/7.8 liters (regular, which fits people up to six feet tall), it’s still reasonably lightweight and packable for backpacking.

Plus, while bags with higher-quality, 800- to 900+-fill down offer more warmth and packability for their weight, they also often cost upwards of twice as much or more than bags in the Bishop Pass series (when comparing models at the same temp rating).

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For colder temps or cold sleepers, there’s also the Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 15F ($305, 2 lbs. 8 oz. regular) and Bishop Pass 0F ($355, 3 lbs. 7 oz. regular), both in men’s and women’s models, and Gore-Tex shell versions of the 15F ($385, 2 lbs. 10 oz. regular) and 0F bags ($470, 3 lbs. 9 oz. regular).

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a men’s or a women’s Mountain Hardwear Bishop Pass 30F at backcountry.com, or other versions of the men’s and women’s Bishop Pass bags at backcountry.com.

See all of my reviews of sleeping bags that I like and all of my reviews of backpacking gear, and my articles “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

And don’t miss my picks for “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

Click here now to plan your next great backpacking adventure using my expert e-guides.

On several nights in early winter, as temperatures slipped into the teens and single digits Fahrenheit outside my tent on the snow on two separate trips in Idaho’s Boise and Boulder Mountains, I zipped up snugly inside my sleeping bag and lay on this fat, well-insulated air mattress, briefly considering that I might feel cold before morning. And every morning, I awoke after sleeping longer and later than I normally do in my bed at home, feeling incredibly well rested and realizing my 0-degree bag combined with this air mat were only pushed to their limits (for me) when the temps dropped to within a few ticks of 0° F.

While the bag I used certainly gets some credit for my comfort on those frigid nights (read my review of that sleeping bag), it’s a well-known fact that, ounce-for-ounce, the air mattress underneath you delivers more insulative value than your bag—especially on snow or frozen ground, which can quickly drain your body heat.

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The outdoor industry has, since January 2020, employed a new standard test, ASTM F3340-18, to measure R-value—or how well an air mat or any kind of sleeping pad insulates against cold ground to prevent convective heat loss from your body. Only air mats with a minimum R-value of 4.5 to 5 are adequate for sleeping outside on frozen ground with below-freezing air temperatures.

The Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Extreme Insulated Air Mattress performs well in those conditions thanks to Thermolite hollow-core insulation, which lofts inside the mat, giving its four unisex versions an R-value of 6.2, warm enough for sleeping on frozen ground in temps well below freezing. The women’s-specific Ether Light XT Extreme versions have additional Thermolite insulation, giving them a 6.3 R-value. Few air mats have an R-value that high—although two Therm-a-Rest models have a 6.9 R-value, the NeoAir X-Therm (read my review) and the NeoAir X-Therm MAX. Both also cost about $30 more but are significantly lighter and more compact than the Ether Light XT Extreme—though not, I think, as comfortable.

A fat four inches/10cm thick, the Ether Light series of air mats incorporates the brand’s Air Sprung Cells, made with a matrix of interconnected air chambers that individually conform to your body. Mimicking a pocket-spring mattress in the way they distribute your body weight and prevent hipbones or shoulders from bottoming out on the hard ground, those cells create a sleeping experience that feels more like a bed than lying atop a big, flat balloon.

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The Air Sprung Cells also use internal TPU fabric loops to bind the top and bottom layers of shell fabric, enabling more spacing between cells and more air pockets, all of which translates to more cushioning and less weight.

At 21.7 inches/55cm wide at the shoulders and tapering to 16.5 inches/42cm at the foot, the regular Ether Light XT Extreme provides a bit more width than standard regular-size air mats—I never felt like I was on the edge, about to roll off. The six-foot/184cm length is standard for regular-size backcountry air mats. The women’s-specific Ether Light XT Extreme versions are less than an inch wider, six inches shorter, and a bit lighter in the two sizes.

The Ether Light’s two-piece valve has separate ports for inflating and deflating, and deflating takes just a few seconds and makes for a much easier and faster method of packing up the air mat.

The 30-denier and 40-denier face fabric is more durable than some air mats and features extruded lamination and an anti-microbial treatment to inhibit fungal growth inside the mat, both features helping to extend the mat’s life.

The latter is most likely to come from inflating the mat with your breath, but that can be avoided by using Sea to Summit’s Airstream Pump stuff sack (2.2 oz.), which comes with the Ether Light air mats. It allows you to efficiently inflate the mat by blowing a light breath into the open sack and rolling the air into the mat—a much easier experience than making yourself dizzy blowing air directly through the valve. S2S says you use 80 percent fewer breaths, a time and energy saver that also reduces moisture entering the mat—even more important in sub-freezing temperatures, when it will dry out less easily.

Still, I found it requires repeatedly filling and rolling the bag, which becomes a bit tedious. I have substituted the larger and much faster Exped Schnozzel PumpBag UL bag ($39, 2 oz.), which doubles as an ultralight stuff sack for clothing, too.

The Pillow Lock is a nice feature that consists of non-stick patches applied after purchase (peeling and sticking them into place where indicated on the mat) that hold a pillow in place while you’re sleeping.

For its dimensions and R-value, the Ether Light XT Extreme is relatively light and compact at barely more than 1.5 pounds (regular size) and measuring 6.9×9.4 inches/17.5x24cm packed, slightly larger than a football.

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The Verdict

Exceptionally comfortable and highly insulated while remaining reasonably lightweight and packable for a winter air mattress, the Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Extreme Insulated Air Mattress will appeal to many backpackers, climbers, backcountry skiers and other adventurers who sleep on snow or frozen ground.

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a unisex or women’s Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Extreme Insulated Air Mattress at backcountry.com or seatosummit.com.

For three-season backpacking, see my review of the Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Air Mattress.

See all of my reviews of air mattresses, backpacking gear, and sleeping bags at The Big Outside, and my articles “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all my reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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The forecast made me sit up and wonder: Will my bag be warm enough? For the three nights in late December that I planned to spend in a tent in Idaho’s Boise Mountains, lows would drop into the teens and single digits Fahrenheit—slipping below the “comfort” rating and approaching the “limit” rating of my Mountain Hardwear Phantom 0. And this on my maiden voyage with the bag; I had not used it yet. As it turned out, I had nothing to worry about with this extraordinarily warm and packable, ultralight winter sleeping bag.

I found the Phantom 0 impressively warm even on a night that plunged to 3° F—10 degrees below its EN comfort rating of 13F/-11C and near its 0F/-18C limit rating. And yet, I slumbered comfortably wearing only midweight top and bottom layers and warm socks, adding a wool hat only during the night. I have long observed, as a warm sleeper rather than a cold sleeper, that only the highest-quality down bags will keep me warm down to their temp rating. (I didn’t have nights in this bag anywhere near the Phantom 0’s bone marrow-thickening extreme rating of -38F/-39C.)

One defining metric tells much of the Phantom 0’s story: A bountiful 30 ounces of 850-fill-power goose down constitutes three-fourths of the bag’s total weight. Stuffed fat with nearly the highest-quality down on the market (there are a few bag models with down rated at 900-fill) explains this bag’s two major advantages: a sky-high warmth-to-weight ratio and excellent packability.(The down quality also partly explains the price.) Even after being compressed for hours, this fat bag lofts up quickly.

Not only does the Phantom 0 have a greater fill weight and lower total weight than many bags in this temperature-rating category, but at about 2.5 pounds, it weighs no more than many 600-fill down bags that carry an EN limit rating of 20F. Plus, it packs down to 8.25 ins./21cm x 16.5 ins./42cm. Sold with a compression stuff sack included (3.5 oz.), the Phantom 0 compresses as compactly as some 20-degree down and synthetic bags. It bears noting the obvious point that I’m drawing comparisons between the Phantom 0 and bags that are in an entirely different class for warmth.

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As anyone who has carried a heavy and bulky bag (something I have done) knows from experience, weight and bulk are a big deal when you’re talking about a winter bag. Any attempt at keeping a multi-day pack manageably lightweight in winter goes out the window if your bag’s weight soars toward four pounds and, when stuffed, it occupies a disproportionate share of your pack’s volume.

Other features making this a very warm bag include a fat draft collar and face gasket and a draft tube inside the zipper to efficiently trap heat; a mummy cut for efficiency trapping heat; and a four-chamber hood, which keeps the insulation from migrating, creating cold spots. I found the hood adjusts easily to form a close fit around my face and can be closed up to a small breathing hole on really cold nights.

Apropos for a winter bag, this mummy has good space inside for fitting extra clothing at your feet (to boost insulation around the part of your body that can get cold quickly), with an 86-inch length—but just as important, respectable space around your torso, with a relatively roomy 58 inches of girth at the shoulders and 52 inches at the hips (all measurements for the size regular bag). I stuffed a very warm down jacket, unzipped and open, inside the bag with me and never felt too cramped—but that comfort may vary between individuals (I’m 5’8’’, 155 pounds, with a 38-inch chest and 30-inch waist).

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The contoured footbox also has space to pack some extra layers around feet—and allows your feet to assume a natural position when sleeping. The two-way zipper enables ventilating from either end—although I’ll never have to ventilate my feet in winter, I suppose some people might—and its zipper pull glows in the dark.

The DWR-treated, 10-denier nylon Ghost ripstop shell fabric contributes to making the bag more compressible but is at the lighter end of bag fabrics, so take care not to let it contact any sharp objects. The lining is made with recycled, 20-denier nylon taffeta.

Other Phantom versions include the highly water-resistant Phantom 0 Gore-Tex Windstopper shell ($760, 3 lbs. 7 oz., regular), the Phantom 15 ($520, 2 lbs., regular), and the Phantom 30 ($510, 1 lb. 5 oz., regular).

A tip: Get the Gore-Tex shell only if you plan to sleep without a shelter and may get snowed on. A Windstopper shell will keep much of that external moisture out of the bag’s insulation; but if you’re in a tent, most of the moisture penetrating the insulation is likely to come from your body, and you’re better off with the standard ripstop shell, which will allow that body moisture to exit the bag more quickly than Windstopper.

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase the Mountain Hardwear Phantom 0 at backcountry.com, or other versions of the Phantom at backcountry.com or rei.com.

See all of my reviews of sleeping bags that I like and all of my reviews of backpacking gear, and my articles “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of gear reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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Let’s face it: Sleeping in a lightweight or ultralight mummy bag isn’t so deliciously comfy that you’d do it on your bed at home—we generally reserve that elusive pleasure for the more obvious rewards of backpacking through wilderness. But the space and features of Nemo’s Riff, available in models rated to 30 and 15 degrees, just might brighten your opinion of the comfort of bags designed for the backcountry.

I slept in the men’s Riff 30 (inside a tent) for two rainy, raw, and windy August nights around 40° F backpacking in Wyoming’s Wind River Range, staying perfectly warm without ever having to completely mummy myself inside the bag; and in the same temps for four nights backpacking through Washington’s Pasayten Wilderness in September and on two cold, very windy nights in a tent in June in Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve.

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The Riff’s unique, spoon-shaped cut translates to thermal and weight efficiency while creating extra space at the elbows and knees—particularly nice for side sleepers (like me). The girth in the men’s regular length measures a generous 62 inches at the shoulders, tapers to 54 inches at the hips, and expands to 59 inches at the feet, creating a comfortably roomy sleeping environment compared to other ultralight bags. The women’s regular also sports spacious dimensions of 60, 53, and 57 inches at the shoulders, hips, and feet.

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Besides its spacious fit, the Riff sports other features designed to enhance comfort, beginning with the brand’s signature Thermo Gills, parallel zippers over your torso that open to uninsulated fabric, allow venting without letting cold air inside. The insulated Blanket Fold flap at the chin provides extra cover when you open the top of the bag and a fat piece of extra insulation when you zip it up tight, augmenting the full-length draft tube inside the zipper. An integrated pillow pocket can be stuffed with clothing or a Nemo Fillo pillow.

Weighing just a tick over two pounds (men’s regular) and stuffed with 10 ounces of PFC-free, RDS-certified, 800-fill down, the Riff has very good warmth for its weight and a packed size of 11.5×7.5 inches in its stuff sack, comparable to other 800-fill bags. The bag’s hydrophobic down also repels moisture, meaning it still traps heat efficiently when wet—the traditional weakness of standard down—and dries faster. The adjustable hood closes comfortably around my head, boosting warmth on colder nights.

The 40-denier nylon ripstop shell fabric throughout the bag adds a little weight but significantly more durability than the 15- or 20-denier fabric used in many backpacking bags, and the footbox has a DWR (durable, water-repellent treatment) to prevent condensation on the tent wall from dampening that end of the bag. The beefy no. 5 YKK zipper moves smoothly and won’t stick or fail as easily as lighter zippers. The left zipper in men’s bags and right zipper in women’s bags allow zipping two bags together.

The Nemo Riff 15 ($400, 2 lbs. 6 oz. regular), in men’s and women’s models, provides added warmth for shoulder seasons or people who tend to sleep cold.

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a men’s or women’s Nemo Riff 30 or Riff 15 at moosejaw.com or backcountry.com, a men’s Nemo Riff 30 or Riff 15 at nemoequipment.com, or a women’s Nemo Riff 30 or Riff 15 at nemoequipment.com.

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See all of my reviews of sleeping bags that I like and all of my reviews of backpacking gear, and my articles “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

And don’t miss my picks for “The Best Backpacking Gear” of the year.

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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What makes us sleep so well in the backcountry? I contemplated that question after numerous, very peaceful nights of deep slumber on a river trip and three backpacking trips. Certainly, the deep quiet and being outdoors matter. But I must give a nod to the comfort of Sea to Summit’s Ether Light XT, my bed for all those nights—an air mat with an interesting back story of the technology behind my blissful nights on the ground.

I tested the regular Ether Light XT while backpacking four nights in the Pasayten Wilderness in September, two nights in the Wind River Range in August, four nights in The Maze District of Canyonlands National Park in March, two nights on southern Utah’s Owl and Fish canyons loop in early May, three nights in southwest Colorado’s San Juan Mountains in August, and on five nights beside the gently whispering Green River on a rafting and kayaking trip through Desolation and Gray canyons in June.

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A fat four inches/10cm thick, the Ether Light series of air mats incorporates the brand’s Air Sprung Cells, made with a matrix of interconnected air chambers that individually conform to your body. Mimicking a pocket-spring mattress in the way they distribute your body weight and prevent hipbones or shoulders from bottoming out on the hard ground, those cells create a sleeping experience that feels more like a bed than lying atop a big, flat balloon.

The Air Sprung Cells also use internal TPU fabric loops to bind the top and bottom layers of shell fabric, enabling more spacing between cells and more air pockets, all of which translates to more cushioning and less weight. At 21.5 inches/55cm wide at the shoulders and 16.5 inches/42cm at the foot, the regular Ether Light XT provides a bit more width than standard regular-size air mats—I never felt like I was on the edge, about to roll off. The six-foot/184cm length is standard for regular-size backcountry air mats.

Considering its dimensions, the Ether Light XT is relatively light at barely more than a pound in the regular and measures 4.5×9.5 inches/11x24cm packed, slightly larger than a liter bottle.

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The mat features two types of insulation: Exkin Platinum, a quiet, non-woven fabric with a metalized layer that reflects the body’s radiant heat; and Thermolite, a hollow-core insulation that lofts inside the mat to prevent convective heat loss, giving the Ether Light XT’s five unisex sizes an R-value of 3.2, warm enough for three-season trips in the mountains. The two women’s-specific sizes are slightly wider and have additional Thermolite insulation, giving them a 3.5 R-value.

In The Maze District in the first week of March, three of our nights had lows ranging from the high teens to the mid-20s Fahrenheit and I remained entirely warm and comfortable—even sleeping in a 30-degree bag (the freakishly warm and ultralight Feathered Friends Hummingbird)—clearly at least in part because the Ether Light XT provided solid insulation from a cold (though not frozen) ground.

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The two-piece valve has separate ports for inflating and deflating, and deflating takes literally a few seconds and makes for a much easier and faster method of packing up the air mat.

Sea to Summit’s Airstream Pump stuff sack employs the Bernoulli effect to efficiently inflate the mat by blowing a light breath into the open sack and rolling the air into the mat—a much easier experience than making yourself dizzy blowing air directly through the valve. S2S says you use 80 percent less breaths, a time and energy saver that also minimizes the amount of breath moisture entering the mat. I’ve always found air mats vastly easier to inflate using a stuff sack in this way. The Airstream stuff sack opens at both ends—one for the bag for inflating, the other end for the mat itself.

I found it requires filling and rolling the Airstream Pump stuff sack eight or nine times to inflate the Ether Light XT fully—which can feel a little tedious. I substituted the larger and faster Exped Schnozzel PumpBag UL bag ($39, 2 oz.) and only had to fill and roll it three times. The Schnozzel can double as an ultralight stuff sack for clothing, too.

The 30-denier and 40-denier face fabric is more durable than some air mats and features extruded lamination and an anti-microbial treatment to inhibit fungal growth inside the mat, both features helping to extend the mat’s life. The Pillow Lock consists of non-stick patches applied after purchase (peeling and sticking them into place where indicated on the mat) that hold a pillow in place while you’re sleeping.

Sea to Summit’s Ether Light XT Extreme insulated air mat ($200, 1 lb. 9 oz.) has more insulation, boosting the R-value to 6.2, for use in sub-freezing temps.

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase any model of the Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Insulated Air Mattress or the Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Extreme Insulated Air Mattress at backcountry.com or seatosummit.com.

See all of my reviews of air mattresses, backpacking gear, and sleeping bags at The Big Outside, and my articles “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

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Please also consider sharing it using one of the buttons at right and leaving a comment or question at the bottom. Thank you, I really appreciate it.

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking,” and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Backpacking Trip,” the lightweight and ultralight backpacking guide, and “How to Know How Hard a Hike Will Be.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside’s Gear Reviews page for categorized menus of all my reviews and expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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Sleeping bags often look very much alike—until you spend a night inside one and carry it in a backpack. That’s when the differences emerge, and besides price, those differences generally fall somewhere along a continuum where a bag’s warmth and comfort go up or down in proportion to its weight and packed size—and balancing those competing metrics gets tricky. But for many backpackers seeking the most warmth and comfort with the least weight and bulk, the Feathered Friends men’s Hummingbird UL and women’s Egret UL, both available in 30- and 20-degree versions, strike a near perfect balance for three-season adventures.

I slept in the men’s Hummingbird UL 30 on a six-day backpacking trip in Utah’s High Uintas Wilderness and a four-day hike on Nevada’s Ruby Crest Trail, both in July; on a seven-day, 96-mile hike of Wyoming’s Wind River High Route, where I stayed warm zipped up inside the bag on two nights near freezing—testing the bag’s rating—with the hood up and wearing just underwear and a long-sleeve top; and one early-summer night at 8,200 feet under the stars in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest, with the low temperatures around 40° F on several nights.

I also used it on a five-day backpacking trip in the first week of March in The Maze District of Canyonlands National Park, where we had a few nights in the mid-20s Fahrenheit—and while some people would get cold pushing a bag below its temp rating limit, the fact that I remained comfortable in the Hummingbird UL 30 while wearing two warm top layers and long underwear is a testament to this bag’s beaucoup insulation and adequate warmth right down to its temp rating for many people.

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Weighing in under 1.5 pounds, the Hummingbird UL 30’s very high warmth-to-weight ratio is attributable to it being generously stuffed with 11.5 ounces of 950+-fill down (in the regular, 12 ounces in the long)—the highest-quality down available. Those very light feathers mean the bag lofts up fat when laid out—fatter than some bags rated for even colder temps—and packs down to a relatively small eight liters in its stuff sack and could probably get even tighter in a compression sack.

While the Hummingbird and Egret do not use water-resistant down, as is found in some high-end bags today, consider this: Water-resistant down increases the cost of any bag, and unless you’re taking extended trips in chronically wet environments—or you worry that somehow your tent may fail, or you’re not sleeping in a tent—you probably don’t need it. (My high overall score for the Hummingbird and Egret, below, is made lower by the fact that the bag will not keep you warm if it gets very wet—the typical performance of standard down. If that doesn’t matter to you, your evaluation of the bag’s overall performance will likely be higher.)

The warmth is bolstered by a fully and easily adjustable hood that closed comfortably around my head on colder nights, plus draft tubes at the zipper and collar. A full-length, two-way zipper with locking sliders on the Hummingbird (and Egret UL) not only permits controlled ventilation of the bag, it allowed me to open it up completely and use it like a quilt, with my feet tucked warmly into the foot box and the bag lying open atop me. The zipper doesn’t move quite as smoothly as some lighter zippers, but that’s a reasonable tradeoff for better durability and the locking mechanism.

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Some ultralight bags shave grams through trimming the bag’s dimensions, making it feel like being shrink-wrapped. Not so with the Hummingbird: Its dimensions of 58 inches at the shoulders, 52 inches at the hips, and a more snug 38 inches at the feet let me move around, partly extend my arms when sleeping on my side, and bring my knees up to my chest (useful for dressing inside a bag on a cold morning and just a very visual measure of a bag’s spaciousness). Similarly, the women’s Egret UL measures 54 inches at the shoulders, 56 inches at the hips, and 38 inches at the feet.

The 15-denier Pertex Endurance shell fabric on the Hummingbird and Egret sheds light moisture—such as condensation dripping inside a tent, or a short period of light rain if you’re sleeping outside—and has enough durability for normal use, but be careful not to catch this lightweight fabric on sharp edges.

The Hummingbird UL 20 is negligibly heavier and bulkier ($569, 1 lb. 8 oz. for the regular; $589, 1 lb. 9 oz. for the long). The same goes for the women’s Egret UL 20 ($549, 1 lb. 10 oz. for the small; $569, 1 lb. 11 oz. for the medium) compared to the Egret UL 30 ($489, 1 lb. 8 oz. for the small; $509, 1 lb. 9 oz. for the medium).

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Wondering whether to get the 30-degree or 20-degree bag? These bags have enough down to match their temp ratings, but if you usually sleep relatively warm (as I do), I think you’ll find the UL 30 bags adequately warm for three-season trips where the low temps don’t drop below freezing. If you tend to get cold easily, get a 20-degree bag. See more tips on that in my articles “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

Would you prefer an extra-roomy, high-end down bag? The men’s Feathered Friends Swallow UL 30 ($479, 1 lb. 9 oz., regular) has dimensions of 60-56-38 inches and is otherwise identical to the Hummingbird UL, with 950+-fill down and a 15-denier Pertex Endurance ripstop nylon shell, and there’s also a Feathered Friends Swallow UL 20 ($559, 1 lb. 11 oz., regular).

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You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these links to purchase a Feathered Friends Hummingbird UL 30 or 20 at featheredfriends.com, a women’s Egret UL 30 or 20 at featheredfriends.com, or a men’s Swallow UL 30 or 20 at featheredfriends.com.

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See all of my reviews of sleeping bags that I like and all of my reviews of backpacking gear, and my articles “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned backpacker, you’ll learn new tricks for making all of your trips go better in my “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Wilderness Backpacking Trip,” “10 Tricks for Making Hiking and Backpacking Easier,” and “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” With a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read all of those three stories for free; if you don’t have a subscription, you can download the e-guide versions of “12 Expert Tips for Planning a Wilderness Backpacking Trip,” the 10 tricks for making hiking and backpacking easier, and the lightweight backpacking guide without having a paid membership.

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NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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On chilly nights of camping, nothing’s more popular than a fat sleeping bag. When sleeping outside in winter—or wintry temperatures—the Snowbunting EX 0 has become my bag of choice. Most recently, I slumbered peacefully and quite comfortably through three December nights without a tent outside a backcountry yurt in Idaho’s Boise Mountains—one of those nights dropping into the single digits Fahrenheit, and another featuring several hours of snow falling intermittently directly onto my bag, inside which I remained quite warm and dry. Super warm and well built, at a moderate weight, this bag functions well, depending on the user, for trips in temps from around its 0-degree rating to around freezing.

When my 15-year-old son and I took turns testing out this bag and another winter bag for three nights on a climb of the Mountaineers Route on California’s 14,505-foot Mount Whitney in mid-April, and for three nights in February sleeping under the stars in Idaho’s Boise Mountains, he was always eager to relieve me of the Snowbunting EX 0. Little wonder, given how warm it is. Another tester also found it warm enough for single-digit temperatures on December nights in Idaho’s Boulder Mountains.

With a low in the single digits—just barely above the Snowbunting’s rating—and no tent under a clear, starry sky, I was toasty cocooned inside this bag, wearing just one base layer top and bottoms. On nights with temps as low as the teens on Mount Whitney, this bag was more than warm enough for me; I left the hood mostly open and sometimes opened the top of the zipper a bit. I sleep warm, so it was too warm for me in temps around freezing. But my wife, who gets cold very easily, found this bag’s warmth just right on a backpacking and car camping trip in March in southeastern Utah, with lows from the 40s to below freezing.

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The Snowbunting EX 0 is stuffed generously with 25 ounces of 900-fill down (in the regular), the highest quality of down produced, which explains the bag’s high warmth-to-weight ratio. Continuous horizontal baffles enwrapping the bag allow you to shift down to where you need it (although I don’t because I roll side to side, with the bag, during the night), while preventing down from migrating vertically (lengthwise) in the bag and potentially creating cold spots.

The well-insulated hood is plush and adjusts from wide open to blowhole-tight, while a fat collar and draft tube along the beefy zipper shut out drafts. (I’ve read other reviews that criticized the hood as a bit shallow, but I found it deep and spacious enough, even to wear a warm hat comfortably—as long as I wasn’t positioned too high in the bag.) The snap at the top of the zipper is more secure and possibly more durable than a hook-and-loop strip, and a second snap conveniently joins the collar draft tube ends at the top of the zipper.

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This is a true mummy bag, with a trim fit: The circumference is 60 inches at the shoulders, 56 inches at the waist, and 38 inches at the feet. That makes it more thermally efficient—it’s so warm in part because there’s less space to heat up than in a roomier bag. Still, at five feet, eight inches, and 160 pounds, I found the regular actually not as confining as some ultralight bags I’ve used: I sleep on my side and could extend my arms almost completely. I wore one base layer top and bottoms, but also experimented and found I could wear a midsize puffy jacket inside the bag without it feeling cramped.

The waterproof-breathable Pertex Shield EX laminate shell fabric with a DWR (durable, water-repellent treatment) kept me dry inside through hours of intermittently falling snow that accumulated atop the bag while I slept. The shell shakes off dripping condensation inside a tent while also breathing well enough that the bag never got clammy on “milder” nights around freezing. That breathability is especially important for preventing moisture from your body building up inside a bag on longer, sub-freezing trips, which would slowly make the bag heavier and compromise the down’s warmth. The 15-denier shell fabric is common in lightweight bags, but be careful to avoid sharp edges or points.

Does the environment matter to you? Read the sustainability story behind the down used by Feathered Friends at featheredfriends.com/down-tracker.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this affiliate link to purchase a Feathered Friends Snowbunting EX 0 at featheredfriends.com.

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See all of my reviews of winter sleeping bags and all of my reviews of sleeping bags that I like, and all of my reviews of backpacking gear, plus my articles “Pro Tips: How to Choose a Sleeping Bag” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

See also my “12 Pro Tips For Staying Warm Outdoors in Winter.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

The Big Outside helps you find the best adventures. Join now to read ALL stories and get a free e-guide!

As I was loading my backpack at the start of a six-day, 74-mile backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon, I smiled as I held the stuffed Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite air mattress in my hand; call me a gear geek, but unusually small ultralight backpacking gear just has that effect on me. One of my hiking mates glanced over and said, “Is that your air mattress?!” Yea, it’s that tiny. And if you’re serious about reducing your pack weight—as any backpacker should be—you should be taking a serious look at the NeoAir Uberlite. Here’s why.

I used the NeoAir UberLite on that Grand Canyon backpacking trip, when the coolest nights dropped to only around 50° F, and on nights that dipped into the high 30s both on a three-day hike on the Teton Crest Trail in August and while camping in Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve in May; on the latter two trips, I was warm enough pairing this air mat with a 32-degree bag (the Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 32). I also used the Uberlite on subsequent trips, including another six-day, mid-April hike on the Grand Canyon’s Gems Route.

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With 2.5 inches of thickness, it delivers comfort comparable to many of the best backcountry air mats. I’ve found it comfortable either inflated to its maximum or to within one or two breaths of maximum inflation. In fact, on some nights when it lost a little inflation overnight—I suspect due to the air inside it cooling down, because there was no leak from the air mat—I didn’t notice it because my hipbones still didn’t hit hard ground when sleeping on my side.

At 8.8 oz. (without its included stuff sack), weighing 3.2 ounces less than the previous ultralight standard-bearer, Therm-a-Rest’s NeoAir XLite, it sets a new ultralight standard for air mattresses with enough insulation for camping in usual summer temperatures in the mountains (at mid-latitudes such as the U.S., most of Canada, and Europe), and it packs down smaller than a liter bottle at 6×3.5 ins./15x9cm.

With an R-value of 2.0, the UberLite won’t be quite as warm as the XLite (which has an R-value of 3.2), but it may be a little quieter.

One caveat: While all air mats are susceptible to suffering pinhole leaks that can be hard to find and patch in the field, the NeoAir Uberlite’s 15-denier nylon fabric is lighter than you’ll find in most air mats (including the 12-ounce Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite, which uses 30-denier fabric), so be careful with it. That said, over the course of five nights in the Grand Canyon—an environment notorious for needle-bearing vegetation and sharp rocks—the NeoAir Uberlite sprung no leaks.

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BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking any of these links to purchase a Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite air mattress at backcountry.com or rei.com.

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See all of my reviews of air mattresses and backpacking gear at The Big Outside, including the ultralight Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 32 sleeping bag and the Therm-a-Rest Air Head Lite inflatable pillow. See also my related articles “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

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I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons at right, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

Want to make your pack lighter and all of your backpacking trips more enjoyable? See my story “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” If you don’t have a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read part of that story for free, or click here to download that full story without having a paid membership.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

The Big Outside helps you find the best adventures. Join now to read ALL stories and get a free e-guide!

Why spend more money on a sleeping bag? Logical question, of course. But for any backpacker eager to shave a pound or more and significant gear volume from his or her backpack, an ultralight down bag offers one of the best ways of realizing that objective—as well as delivering maximum warmth per ounce. And one of the lightest and most compact bags in this category, Therm-a-Rest’s Hyperion 32F/0C, measured up in every way on a six-day backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon in May; a six-day float trip down Idaho’s Middle Fork of the Salmon River in July; a three-day hike on the Teton Crest Trail and a four-day trip in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, both in August; a five-day, late-summer hike in the Wind River Range; trekking hut-to-hut on New Zealand’s Routeburn and Milford tracks in late spring; and on chilly, rainy spring nights that pushed the bag’s limits camping in May in Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve.

The Hyperion’s EN comfort rating of 41° F/5° C and limit rating of 32° F/0° C fell right in line with my experience: Sleeping in a tent at the City of Rocks on a night that dipped into the high 30s, I was warm enough in underwear, socks, and a warm, long-sleeve top, but felt like the bag was at its comfort limit for me. On the Teton Crest Trail, I also had a night in the high 30s where I needed a top and bottom layer to stay warm. In the Grand Canyon in early May and on the Middle Fork in July, nights only dropped to around 50° F, a temperature for which the bag was comfortable unzipped—although I slept out under the stars most nights on the Middle Fork, and on breezy nights by the water, the air cooled enough for me to zip the bag up and feel perfectly comfortable.

I don’t get cold very easily, so someone who does might not want to push this bag’s—or any bag’s—comfort limit. But given the Hyperion’s extraordinarily low weight, it makes sense and reduces your pack weight even if you need to wear a layer of clothing that you’re carrying, anyway.

But with just a half-length zipper (for weight savings), you can’t truly open it up and use it as a blanket on very mild nights. Still, I found it quite functional on mild nights unzipping it as far as it opens, tucking my feet and lower legs (which generally do not overheat) inside the bag’s bottom half, and opening the upper bag to use as a blanket over part of my torso.

The bag’s design places 70 percent of the insulation on the top and sides and 30 percent on the bottom/back side—ideal for back sleepers, a bit less so for side sleepers (like me), although my back did not feel noticeably colder. The draft collar and comfortably close-fitting, adjustable hood gave me a nice, snug seal on those chilly nights at the City of Rocks, while the lightweight zipper moves as smoothly as any I’ve seen on a sleeping bag, and doesn’t snag.

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The Hyperion is stuffed with nine ounces (in the regular) of 900-fill down—nearly the highest-rated down you can find—which translates to more warmth and packability than most bags of the same weight (and effectively, since few bags are this light, it’s as warm as bags several ounces to a pound or more heavier). According to Therm-a-Rest, the water-resistant Nikwax Hydrophobic Down used in this bag retains its loft up to 60 times longer, absorbs 90 percent less water, and dries three times faster than standard down. Box-baffled construction uses mesh walls to maximize loft and minimize cold spots, and the ThermaCapture lining features a reflective coating that increases the bag’s thermal efficiency without adding weight or bulk.

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The fit is generous at the hood, shoulders (57-inch girth), and through the hips (49.5-inch girth) for a person of average build, though a little snug in the legs (43-inch girth at the footbox).

The 10-denier ripstop nylon shell fabric, treated with a DWR (durable, water-resistant coating) to repel moisture, is as light as bag shells get—handle it with care to avoid tears—but my bag has seen no damage and shouldn’t with sensible use. Two removable straps on the bag’s bottom side allow integrating it with an air mattress (also most useful for back sleepers).

It comes with a compression stuff sack and packs down to roughly twice the size of a liter bottle—much smaller than most similarly rated bags.

There’s also a Hyperion 20F/-6C version ($550, 1 lb. 6 oz.).

BUY IT NOW

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 32F/0C sleeping bag at cascadedesigns.com or backcountry.com, or a Therm-a-Rest Hyperion 20F/-6C at cascadedesigns.com or backcountry.com.

See all of my reviews of sleeping bags that I like and all of my reviews of backpacking gear, and my articles “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

Want to make your pack lighter and all of your backpacking trips more enjoyable? See my story “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” If you don’t have a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read part of that story for free, or click here to download that full story without having a paid membership.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

The Big Outside helps you find the best adventures.
Join now for full access to ALL stories and get a free e-book!

I’m picky about camp chairs. That’s partly because I’m prone to lower back pain that can get uncomfortable when I sit for any length of time, but mostly because I camp a lot and appreciate being able to sit comfortably for the hours that I spend in camp. And well before the end of a long weekend camping at Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve, I decided that the Sunset Chair is the most comfortable I’ve ever used—as well as being very lightweight and compact for a chair made for car camping.

The single-shock-cord, DAC aluminum-alloy pole structure makes the Sunset Chair very easy to assemble in about a minute, with the seat fabric sliding into place over the four top points of the frame. Unlike many basic camp chairs, in which you sink into a seat whose fabric sags because the frame lacks the strength to resist an average person’s body weight, the Sunset’s frame retains its shape, which translates to some actual lumbar support while sitting.

In fact, it’s even sturdy enough to support a big person: My friend Fred, an over-six-foot-tall, 200-pounder, found it super comfortable and not at all tippy. Helinox rates the chair to hold 320 pounds.

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The seat is a plush 23 inches wide with a generous back height of 38.5 inches—tall enough to rest your head back on the light padding in place for that purpose, and tilted back at a slight reclining angle—whereas many camp chairs (including heavier, bulkier models) have straight backs that are not tall enough to rest your head. The 17.5-inch seat height (off the ground) means you don’t have to be a gymnast to get into or out of it, and it allows a more natural seated body position with the options of leaving legs bent or extended.

The ventilated, 600 weave polyester seat fabric doesn’t feel at all sticky. It dissembles and packs easily into its stuff sack—which converts to a pillow—reducing to a very portable 4.5×5.5×18.5 inches. At three-and-a-half pounds, it compares in bulk and weight to some backpacking tents, so it’s strictly for car camping, not backpacking.

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The Verdict

Light and packable, the Helinox Sunset Chair may be, pound-for-pound, the most comfortable car-camping chair available today.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by purchasing a Helinox Sunset Chair at Moosejaw.com, rei.com, or campsaver.com, or any of the various Helinox camp chair models available at Moosejaw.com.

Looking for a camp chair that’s light and compact enough for backpacking? See the Helinox Chair Zero in my “Gear Review: 22 Essential Backpacking Gear Accessories” (scroll down nearly to the bottom of that review), or at moosejaw.com or rei.com.

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons at right, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See my Gear Reviews page at The Big Outside for categorized menus of all of my reviews and my expert buying tips.

—Michael Lanza

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From sleeping under the stars in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains in August to a six-day backpacking trip on the Continental Divide Trail in Glacier National Park in September, I slept like a baby in Nemo’s Kyan 20. But even more impressive about the men’s Kyan and women’s Azura are the qualities that ensure you won’t lie awake at night questioning your decision to buy this bag: warmth when damp, respectable packability, and a price that seals the deal.

Nemo’s Feathercore construction uses a continuous sheet of Primaloft Silver synthetic insulation—which, like other synthetic insulation, traps heat even when wet—to minimize air flow and heat loss, while maximizing compressibility; the insulation also contains 70 percent post-consumer recycled material. Nemo claims the construction method reduces the bag’s packed volume by 40 percent, making it comparable in packability to affordable down (think: 650-fill power down). Compressing to roughly the size of a soccer ball, it doesn’t have the packability of 800- or 900-fill power down, but it’s also priced like a much more affordable down bag.

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The bag’s warmth is good, but not exceptional. While I found the Kyan 20 plenty warm enough for nights slipping down into the 30s Fahrenheit in Glacier in September, I need warm base layers top and bottom for temps in the 20s in this bag (and I sleep fairly warm): It’s not quite as warm as the most thermally efficient down bags with a comparable temp rating—but nor is it nearly as expensive as those bags. It was more than warm enough for a night camping under the stars in the Sawtooths in late August with an overnight low in the 40s.

Nemo’s unique Thermo Gills—a pair of long zippers on the top that, when opened, create insulation-free vents (with nylon fabric, not openings into the bag) that release heat for milder nights that aren’t quite warm enough to open up the bag. That’s a smart innovation that Nemo introduced several years ago and has stuck with.

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside, which has made several top outdoors blog lists. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip. Please follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

Zipping the Kyan up completely, I found plenty of shoulder and torso room to lie on my side and extend my arms almost fully, while the mid-section and foot box are adequately spacious if not as capacious as the roomiest bags I’ve reviewed—without much contorting, I could bring a knee up to my chest. The generous hood wraps comfortably around my head and has a close fit even without tightening the drawcord, and closes down snugly around my face when I do tighten it.

The full-length, two-way, burly YKK zipper runs silky smooth and never snagged, thanks to a stiffer fabric backing it on the draft tube (which also seals out drafts). The shell is made of 20-denier nylon ripstop with a DWR (durable, water-repellant coating), as found in many lightweight bags; and similarly, the 30-denier nylon taffeta lining is common and comfortable enough against skin.

Bonus: The Kyan and Azura come with a compression stuff sack. The summer versions are the Kyan 35 and women’s Azura 35, both $200 ($220 long), 1 lb. 12 oz. (regular).

The Verdict

A synthetic bag is a smart choice if you routinely sleep in wet climes—and a bag’s insulation doesn’t have to get rained on to get damp, moisture can enter the insulation from your body or humid air inside a tent on a trip with sustained rainy weather. And the Nemo men’s Kyan and women’s Azura offer the warm-when-wet benefit of synthetic insulation with the packability of affordable, mid-quality down—at a super value.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking any of these links to purchase a Nemo Kyan 20 sleeping bag at moosejaw.com or campsaver.com, a Nemo Azura 20 at moosejaw.com, outdoorplay.com, or rei.com, a Nemo Kyan 35 at backcountry.com, moosejaw.com or rei.com, or a Nemo Azura 35 moosejaw.com or rei.com.

See all of my reviews of sleeping bags that I like and all of my reviews of backpacking gear, and my articles “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

Want to make your pack lighter and all of your backpacking trips more enjoyable? See my story “A Practical Guide to Lightweight and Ultralight Backpacking.” If you don’t have a paid subscription to The Big Outside, you can read part of that story for free, or click here to download that full story without having a paid membership.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

The Big Outside helps you find the best adventures. Join now to read ALL stories and get a free e-guide!

NOTE: See my review of the newest version of the Princeton Tec Vizz headlamp.

Long a favorite headlamp of mine for backpacking or climbs or dayhikes that somehow stretched into the wee hours, the Vizz received an update in 2018 that made it the brightest three-ounce headlamp I’ve reviewed (three ounces being the standard in ultralight headlamps these days). The new Vizz still stands out for versatility and ease of use: You don’t need a Ph.D. in electronics to operate it. I’ve used it on numerous trips from Sequoia National Park, Washington’s Glacier Peak Wilderness, and Idaho’s White Clouds Mountains to, most recently, Glacier National Park with the 2018 version of the Vizz, and still consider it one of the best. Here’s why.

For starters, the Vizz has fast, intuitive, one-button operation: Click the power button in rapid sequence to cycle through the two white modes and one red mode, and hold the button down to control the dimming function in all three modes. Hold the power button depressed for several seconds to engage the lockout mode.

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In high-power mode, the 420-lumen Maxbright LED in the Vizz throws a powerful beam that Princeton Tec claims projects 78 meters (256 feet). When I backpacked to the Big Boulder Lakes in Idaho’s White Clouds Mountains after dark, took a 6.4-mile evening hike from our campsite in the Glacier Peak Wilderness to Image Lake, and wore it walking around a meadow campsite in Glacier National Park, the beam projected at least 200 feet (60 meters).

Two white LED bulbs cast a broad flood beam with a range that PTec claims is 24 meters, or almost 80 feet. I found the blood beam illuminated the forest on both sides of the trail for farther than I needed it to, which is very helpful when hiking or especially running or climbing in the dark. The red mode does not have a strobe option.

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside, which has made several top outdoors blog lists. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Please follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

Like many leading ultralight headlamps, the Vizz is rated waterproof down to a meter for 30 minutes (IPX7). It has impressive max burn times of up to 110 hours for the white spot beam, 104 hours for the white flood beam, and 150 hours in red mode. More importantly, its regulated LEDs mean that the Vizz maintains constant brightness for as long as the batteries hold enough voltage, meaning that its brightness does not slowly fade as the batteries lose juice.

The Vizz uses three AAA batteries and is not rechargeable. Turning a small screw opens the battery chamber, and I could loosen and tighten it with my fingers. Lastly, the head strap is comfortable whether on the move or lying on my back reading.

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The Verdict

Certainly one of the most powerful ultralight headlamps for dayhikers, backpackers, climbers, trail runners, and backcountry skiers, the Princeton Tec Vizz also delivers good versatility that ranks it among the best headlamps for backcountry users, at a competitive price.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase the updated Princeton Tec Vizz 420 at outdoorplay.com or ems.com, or the original Vizz at nrs.com.

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons at right, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

See my other headlamp reviews and all of my reviews of hiking gear and reviews of backpacking gear.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

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Ultralight Rechargeable Headlamp
Petzl Bindi
$60, 1.2 oz./35g
moosejaw.com

To get a backcountry headlamp that’s crazy ultralight, you have to ditch all superfluous parts, stripping it down to only what’s essential—the light and housing. With the rechargeable Bindi, Petzl created a super-ultralight headlamp by shrinking the housing and dropping two elements that comprise much of the weight of many three-ounce headlamps on the market today: the batteries and head strap (the latter replaced with an adjustable, stretch cord). The result is an uber minimalist light that weighs barely more than an ounce and fits in a closed fist, but proved very functional on predawn mornings and dark evenings in camp on a six-day backpacking trip in Glacier National Park in September.

Rechargeable using a micro USB cable, the Bindi has three white brightness levels and a red bulb with proximity and strobe options, and is waterproof to one meter for 30 minutes (IPX4). At 200 lumens, the brightest white beam projects at least 100 feet in my estimation—consistent with Petzl’s claim of 36 meters (118 feet), and competitive with headlamps that weigh three times as much. At medium brightness (100 lumens), the Bindi illuminates a trail well enough for hiking on a dark night, though not for route-finding off-trail. The dimmest white setting (five lumens) is bright enough for reading and tasks within arm’s reach. Red mode is strictly for close-up tasks or stepping outside the tent at night.

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White mode casts a flood beam that’s much brighter in its center than on its periphery, which feels very natural whether in camp or moving along a dark trail. Holding the power button toggles between white and red modes. Burn time on a full charge is a relatively limited two hours at max power, three hours at medium, and 50 hours at the dimmest setting. The Bindi reaches a full charge from drained in about four hours when plugged into a wall outlet.

With such a tiny housing (that tilts) and an adjustable cord in lieu of a strap, the Bindi remains entirely stable on your head even while running. I found the adjustable, stretch cord almost unnoticeable even wearing it for a couple of hours in camp, and it fits on my various climbing helmets. Petzl guarantees the Bindi for three years or 300 charging cycles.

The Verdict

While its burn time on a single charge isn’t adequate for adventures when you’re on the move for several hours in the dark, the Bindi functions well for many dayhikes, trail runs, dawn-patrol backcountry ski laps, and relatively short backpacking trips when you have daylight for most waking hours. At this weight, it’s also appealing as a backup, second headlamp. If you’re willing to spend more on a headlamp for ultra-ultralight weight rather than for versatility, the Bindi shines.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking this link to purchase a Petzl Bindi headlamp at moosejaw.com or ems.com.

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside, which has made several top outdoors blog lists. Click here to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Subscribe now to get full access to all of my blog’s stories. Click here to learn how I can help you plan your next trip. Please follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

See my “Gear Review: The 5 Best Headlamps,” and all of my reviews of headlamps, hiking gear, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

You live for the outdoors. The Big Outside helps you get out there. Subscribe now and a get free e-guide!

As darkness and light rain both fell on a partner and I for the last couple of miles of a 27-mile dayhike the length of western Maine’s brutally rugged Mahoosuc Range, I slipped the Storm onto my head—which helped prevent my shuffling and occasional staggering from turning into falling. I also used this ultralight headlamp in campsites from Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve and Yosemite National Park to backpacking the Grand Canyon’s Thunder River-Deer Creek Loop. Through all that field testing, the Storm proved itself one of the best high-performance headlamps on the market today. Here’s why.

Few backcountry headlamps have the Storm’s range of features and power, and perhaps none do at its price. For starters, it sports 350 lumens of power in its two LED bulbs—a very bright spotlight and an excellent LED proximity beam for illuminating a campsite, tent interior, or a map or book page. That’s brighter than most headlamps in this weight class. Night vision mode offers three colors: the most common, red, plus green (useful for hunters because it doesn’t disturb game animals), and blue (which cuts through fog). The Storm is rated IP67, meaning it’s both dustproof and waterproof to one meter for up to 30 minutes.

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As with other BD headlamps, the Storm has a couple of features I use frequently: Power Tap technology, which allows you to switch instantly between a dimmed level (that you set) and full brightness simply by tapping the side of the casing; and Brightness Memory, which lets you power the light on and off at a chosen brightness level without having to go to full power (draining batteries).

While the instructions can appear complicated at first glance, using the Storm is fairly intuitive; and anyone who’s owned a BD headlamp of recent vintage will find it familiar. Depress the power button once for on-off, twice to change modes—for instance, from spotlight to proximity beam in white, or from red to green to blue when in a night mode. Press it three times to enter strobe for whichever mode it’s in. In any mode, hold it down when turned on to dim and brighten. Hold two seconds to change between white and red LED modes, and double-click in red mode to switch to green and blue; all three colors have a strobe option.

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Like other BD lamps, the Storm locks off by depressing the power button for four seconds (a blue light will blink rapidly for three seconds when it’s locked off)—a very useful feature to prevent accidentally draining your batteries inside your pack.

Operating on four AAA batteries, it has a longer battery life than many ultralight competitors: BD puts it at 40 hours of battery life at high power, and says that’s based on testing battery life down to the threshold of what is considered “usable” light, for which the industry standard (also used by other companies) is 0.25 lux at two meters. At low power, battery life is up to 120 hours, according to BD.

But that leads to a minor drawback of the Storm: Four batteries make it slightly heavier than the lightest headlamps, and it feels a little bulkier on your head. Although it never bobbed, even when hiking fast, runners may find it a little large. A lever lock provides easy access to the battery compartment without requiring a tool. Any rechargeable batteries can be used in the Storm.

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Whether you’re hiking or descending from a climb after dark, route-finding, starting a dawn-patrol ski run long before sunup, firing up a stove, or just kicking around the campsite at night, the Storm is one of the two or three most versatile, high-performance ultralight headlamps on the market.

At just $10 more than the popular Black Diamond Spot, the Storm has more features and brightness, along with slightly more weight. Some users may not need that enhanced performance. But hard-core wilderness backpackers, climbers, hunters, and ultra-hikers will appreciate the brightness boost, watertight housing, and rangy feature set that can handle any adventure—at a competitive price.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking any of these links to purchase a Black Diamond Storm headlamp at backcountry.com, moosejaw.com, or ems.com.

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See my “Gear Review: The 5 Best Headlamps,” and all of my reviews of headlamps, hiking gear, and backpacking gear at The Big Outside.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

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I know I’m not the easiest person to share a tent with: I flop from side to side during the night. A side sleeper, I curl up with knees bent and extend my arms almost fully. I’ve always preferred mummy-style sleeping bags for their efficiency at trapping heat—but some feel a bit too much like a coffin. On numerous nights of backpacking and camping from the Grand Canyon’s Thunder River-Deer Creek Loop in May to Idaho’s City of Rocks in June and Yosemite’s Tuolumne Meadows area in July, I found that the stretch panels of the Big Agnes Picket SL 30 gave me an experience closer to sleeping in my bed at home.

The key feature is the stretch side panels filled with PrimaLoft Gold Active insulation, allowing much more mobility than a traditional mummy bag. The stretch insulation moves with the fabric, so you don’t open up gaps in the insulation that would let cold air inside. The panels stretch enough for me to easily bring my knees to my chest, extend my arms nearly completely while lying on one side and keep them inside the bag, even get dressed inside without it becoming a rigorous core workout.

PrimaLoft Silver insulation throughout most of the bag makes it warm enough for me to use on nights in the 30s Fahrenheit (but I don’t get cold very easily; cold sleepers often prefer a bag rated 20 degrees lower than the lowest temps they expect to encounter). In short, the Picket’s 21 ounces of insulation, offset quilted construction, and vaulted foot box deliver warmth that’s about average for bags in this category—neither exceptional nor inferior. Plus the synthetic insulation retains its ability to trap heat even when wet.

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The hood’s shape and draft collar provide an opening that’s fairly close-fitting but not claustrophobic with the zipper up but the hood not tightened at all, negating the need to cinch it tighter except on really chilly nights, while the one-hand hood drawcord operates very easily. The 65-inch zipper moves smoothly and extends nearly the full length of the bag—allowing for venting at the foot end or opening the bag up completely to use like a blanket (with just your feet tucked into the foot box), as I did on warm nights—and an anti-snag draft tube generally prevents fabric getting caught in the zipper and acted as an efficient wall against cold air.

The nylon ripstop shell has a water-repellent finish. The bag stuffs easily into its lightweight sack, measuring 8×17.5 inches (20x45cm) packed, although I could stuff it into a sack a bit more than half that size, rendering it as compact as just about any bag I’ve seen in this temperature rating.

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While down-filled bags still hold a slight edge for packability and usually warmth-per-ounce, the Big Agnes Picket SL 30 offers a very comfortable, synthetic alternative to down at a competitive price. The Big Agnes Bolten SL 20 ($290 to $300) is a 20°F version of the Picket.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking any of these links to purchase a Big Agnes Picket SL 30 sleeping bag at moosejaw.com or campsaver.com, or the Big Agnes Bolten SL 20 at moosejaw.com or campsaver.com.

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See all of my reviews of sleeping bags that I like and all of my reviews of backpacking gear, and my articles “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

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As air mattresses have continued getting lighter, more compact, and more comfortable, one would think a limit has been reached on how small they can get before sacrificing real comfort. But Big Agnes has raised that bar again—or lowered it, if you will—with the AXL Air. For four nights backpacking the Thunder River-Deer Creek Loop off the Grand Canyon’s North Rim in May, and several spring nights camping at Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve, I slept like a baby on this plush air mattress, while it all but disappeared inside my pack on the trail. I’ve tested and own many air mats, and I don’t think there’s another I’d now carry instead for three-season backpacking. Here’s why.

The AXL stands alone by a few measures. Very few backcountry air mats weigh less than a pound, and even fewer come in as low as 12 ounces (without its one-ounce stuff sack)—and I haven’t found one under a pound that’s as comfortable as the AXL. Rolled up, the 20×72 rectangular size measures 3×6.5 inches (8x17cm)—the size of a liter bottle; the 20×72 mummy and 20×66 rectangular are both under 11 ounces.

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All sizes of the AXL Air measure 3.75 inches thick along the outer tubes and a deluxe 3.25 inches thick throughout the air mat’s interior tubes—fatter than other air mats that compete for weight, and as thick as some that are several ounces heavier—giving it elevated side walls that help keep you on the mattress. Similar to other air mats with its dimensions, it takes 23 to 24 strong breaths to inflate and it doesn’t deflate any faster or slower than comparably sized, single-valve mats. When deflating it, insert the tab end of the valve cap into the valve to hold it open. (Tip: After opening the valve to deflate any air mat, fold it up like an accordion and lie or sit on it to force most of the air out faster, before rolling it up.)

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While Big Agnes doesn’t give its air mats an R-value, the PrimaLoft Silver insulation and a heat-reflective Mylar layer trap heat efficiently enough to use the AXL in typical three-season temperatures, probably down to around freezing (but not on frozen ground). The ripstop nylon shell fabric is made with a high-tenacity yarn, a high-filament count, and aviation-grade lamination to increase tear strength and durability. According to Big Agnes, aviation-grade lamination is a TPU application that adds durability to the random ripstop nylon. It is lightweight, abrasion resistant, has high elasticity and helps to shed dirt and oil.

My AXL sustained a tiny hole early on my third trip with it, backpacking for four days in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains, and I couldn’t locate the hole to patch it in the field. I repaired it later, at home. The takeaway: Like a lot of air mats, this one is susceptible to punctures.

Another plus: The AXL doesn’t make loud crunching noises when you roll around on it, like the insulation used in some air mats. An antimicrobial treatment inside the mat prevents the growth of microorganisms that can gradually degrade the material.

Big Agnes claims the Insulated AXL Air is the most comfortable and lightest ultralight, three-season pad on the market. Comparing it with the many air mats I’ve reviewed (now forming a sizable pile in my gear room), I have to agree.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking any of these links to purchase any size of the Big Agnes Insulated AXL Air Mattress at moosejaw.com, rei.com, or campsaver.com.

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I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

See all of my reviews of air mattresses, backpacking gear, and ultralight backpacking gear at The Big Outside. See also my related articles “Pro Tips For Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips For Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

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Choosing between sleeping bags can sometimes feel like getting the names of identical twins right—they look an awful lot alike. With bags, you can compare certain key specs: temperature rating, type and amount of insulation (or fill), total weight, and, of course, the price. Using those metrics, the new Sierra Designs Nitro bags look like a pretty good value, so I slept in the 20-degree Nitro 800 while camping on some cool and windy May nights at Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve, and on a three-night, 39-mile backpacking trip in Wyoming’s Wind River Range in mid-September, to see if its performance matches its impressive numbers.

While SD calls it a 20-degree bag, its standardized EN ratings of 28° F (-2° C) for comfort and 17° F (-9° C) for limit offer a good sense of what the average person will find it adequately warm for—although people who get cold easily (including many women) may not want to actually test those temp ratings. Not surprisingly, I found it more than warm enough for nights in the low 40s Fahrenheit; I didn’t have to zip it up completely, even in clammy, rainy weather (sleeping inside a tent). The bag is stuffed with 14.7 ounces of PFC-free, water-resistant, 800-fill-power DriDown, insulation that retains its ability to trap heat even when wet, and will dry out faster than bags stuffed with standard down feathers.

The women’s regular bag contains the same amount of down as the men’s regular, even though it’s four inches shorter, giving the women’s bag a higher density of insulation. That makes it warmer. But given how much more easily women get cold than men, on average, that difference in the bags merely helps justify giving them identical temp ratings.

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The high-quality down helps explain why the Nitro 800/20 Degree weighs in a few ounces south of two pounds—that’s light for a bag with this temp rating. Many lightweight bags achieve a comparable weight partly by literally cutting corners—reducing the bag’s volume, thus using less materials, which naturally translates to less weight but a claustrophobic fit. I’ve slept in too many that were just too tight for even my average build.

To SD’s credit, that’s not the case with the Nitro. It’s mummy cut is more generous than you’ll find in a lot of bags, with a 62-inch circumference at the shoulders, 56 inches at the hips, and 40 inches at the feet (in the men’s regular). I could spread my knees and feet comfortably apart and, as a side sleeper, extend my arms not quite completely straight, but enough to sleep basically in the position I would in my bed. Unfortunately, taller women are out of luck: The one women’s size bag only fits people up to five feet, eight inches.

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I like how, when the bag is completely zipped up, the roomy, adjustable hood fits fairly snugly around my face before I tighten it at all. That also meant I could keep my head outside the hood without letting any cold draft inside the bag. That’s thanks in part to a five-inch-wide draft collar extending all the way to the shoulders. The five-inch horizontal baffles and side wall baffles prevent down from migrating and causing cold spots.

Personally, I’m not a fan of SD’s zipperless foot vent; a couple of times, I inadvertently poked my feet outside the bag when shifting around. Besides, I know at most two or three people who stick their feet outside of their bag when camping; I’ve probably never done that. Still, this feature will appeal to some people—and it comes without additional zipper weight—and accidental foot exposure to cold air wasn’t a regular occurrence in the Nitro.

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On the other hand, I consider the half-length, 40-inch zipper ideal: minimizing weight by eliminating something I don’t need—that is, the ability to cool my legs when sleeping—while making it long enough to easily get in and out of the bag. However, the downside of a half zipper is that you cannot open the bag up fully to use it like a blanket on exceptionally mild nights—but then, most people don’t buy a 20-degree bag for exceptionally mild nights. I found the zipper not entirely snag-proof, but more importantly, it’s very easy to free it if and when it does snag on the inside fabric. The 15-denier shell and liner fabrics help minimize the total weight, but that’s about as light as bag fabrics get, so be gentle with this sack, especially if sleeping out under the stars.

You won’t find any new or special technology in the Sierra Designs Nitro bags—just a comfortable, high-quality, lightweight sleeping bag with water-resistant down at a competitive price. That’s enough reason to get one. SD also makes the Nitro in a men’s 35-degree version ($300, 1 lb. 6 oz.) and men’s and women’s 0-degree ($380, 2 lbs. 8 oz.) versions.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking any of these affiliate links to purchase a men’s or women’s Sierra Designs Nitro 20 sleeping bag, or one of the other versions, at backcountry.com, moosejaw.com, or sierradesigns.com.

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I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

See all of my reviews of sleeping bags that I like and all of my reviews of backpacking gear, and my articles “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

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Insulated Air Mattress
Klymit Insulated V Ultralite SL
$120, 1 lb.
One size
klymit.com

Air mattresses for backpacking vary significantly in a few ways: comfort, price, weight, and packed bulk—and you often pay more for better comfort or low weight and bulk. But the Klymit Insulated V Ultralite SL bends that rule. So I took this relatively affordable air mat on a three-night, 39-mile backpacking trip in Wyoming’s Wind River Range in mid-September, and camping in Idaho’s City of Rocks in spring, to see whether sleeping on it proves as sweet as its price.

With fat, V-shaped air tubes running down the mat’s center, standard dimensions of 72×20 inches tapering to 18 inches at the foot, and 2.5 inches of thickness, the V Ultralite SL was comfortable even for a side sleeper like me—my hipbones never dug into the ground. Square air tubes along its edges keep its perimeter stable, so that I never slid or bounced off it. Not surprisingly, for comfort it compares with some air mats of similar thickness, but not with the most cush backcountry mats out there. However, comparing it against two of my favorites for sleeping on, the Big Agnes Insulated Air Core Ultra is cheaper but heavier and noisier, and the Sea to Summit Comfort Light Insulated is heavier, bulkier when packed, and more expensive.

The R-value of 4.4 gives it a higher warmth rating than most three-season air mats—but flat spots between the V-shaped air tubes in the mat can allow for cold spots if you’re on frozen ground; consider this a warmer-than-average air mat for cold sleepers on three-season trips. The synthetic insulation is noticeably quiet—a relief for anyone who’s rolled around on an air mat with insulation that crunches with every movement (or shared a tent with someone who’s on one)—and it delivered all the warmth I needed inside a tent on September nights in the 40s Fahrenheit.

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The valve twists to open and close, and conveniently can be pushed in to seal it while inflating, so that air doesn’t leak out while you’re drawing your next breath. Inflating it requires 12 strong breaths, which is faster than some air mats. The 20-denier ripstop polyester fabric helps keep it fairly lightweight for an air mat of these dimensions—but that fabric is about as thin as you’ll find in even the lightest air mats, so be careful with it. (Fortunately, Klymit offers a lifetime guarantee. In fact, I returned the first Insulated V Ultralite SL that I received because I could not detect an apparent slow air leak, but Klymit immediately sent me a replacement that has not leaked.) The Insulated V Ultralite packs down to 4.5×7 inches, comparable to many competitors with equal inflated dimensions.

In today’s market of deluxe, super comfy, compact backcountry air mats, some of which cost upwards of $200, the Klymit Insulated V Ultralite SL delivers good comfort and competitive metrics in weight and bulk at a good price—albeit with potentially less durability.

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If you’re on a tighter budget, check out the Klymit Insulated Static V Lite ($95, 1 lb. 4 oz., R-value 4.4), which is also 2.5 inches thick, but 23 inches wide, as well as slightly heavier and bulkier when packed at 5×8 inches. Or if you plan to only camp in mild summer temps and want a real bargain, Klymit’s uninsulated Static V air mat ($55, 1 lb. 3 oz.) has the same inflated dimensions as the insulated version and an R-value of 1.3.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking either of these links to purchase a Klymit Insulated V Ultralite SL at klymit.com or campsaver.com.

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I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

See all of my reviews of air mattresses and all of my reviews of backpacking gear at The Big Outside. See also my related articles “Pro Tips For Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

The Big Outside helps you find the best adventures. Subscribe now to read ALL stories and get a free e-guide!

On the last night of a 40-mile May backpacking trip in Utah’s Dark Canyon, a friend and I slept out under the stars and a heavy dew fell during the night. But I didn’t notice it until after waking up, seeing the droplets covering everything around me, and sticking a hand outside to feel my bag’s wet shell. Inside my REI Magma 10—which appeared to lose none of its loft, despite its shell getting soaked—I stayed warm and dry. That was a clincher moment in convincing me of what a super value REI’s men’s and women’s Magma sleeping bags represent in high-quality, water-resistant down bags.

I slept comfortably in this mummy bag for three May nights backpacking Utah’s Dark Canyon, including one night at over 8,500 feet when the low dipped into the 30s Fahrenheit and I left the rainfly off my tent and wore only underwear and a long-sleeve top. (A tent with its rainfly on is usually several degrees warmer than the outside air; but it doesn’t trap heat with the rainfly off.) The bag warmed up within a minute after I crawled inside, and I closed the bag and hood up completely.

I also used it on two nights in the 40s Fahrenheit on a 39-mile, mid-September backpacking trip in Wyoming’s Wind River Range, including a night when the bag’s shell got damp from heavy rain blowing into the tent before I woke up and closed the vestibule door (which I’d left open because it wasn’t raining when I fell asleep). And I pushed the bag’s temp rating on a night at 17° F before starting an early-March backpacking trip in The Maze District of Canyonlands National Park: I had to wear a couple of top layers and long underwear and still was only marginally warm enough to sleep well.

It was more than warm enough for the temperatures I experienced; most nights, I didn’t even have to zip it up completely or put up the hood. I think the EN (European Norm) comfort rating of 22° F and limit rating 10° F for the men’s Magma 10, and 17° F and 3° F for the women’s Magma 17, are reliable measures for people who don’t get cold too easily; those who do may prefer to use these bags in temps at least 10 to 15 degrees warmer than those ratings.

I stayed dry when the bag got wet thanks to its 17.6 ounces (500 grams) of water-resistant 850-fill goose down feathers (in the men’s regular), and a down-proof Pertex shell that let no feathers leak out and repelled moisture. The shell dried quickly in the morning sunshine, thanks in part to its black color.

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The bag’s generous dimensions—72 inches long, 60 inches of girth at the shoulders, and 57 inches at the hips (in the men’s regular)—allowed me to easily pull on pants while inside it. The warm, contoured hood’s two drawstrings let me adjust the fit as snugly as I wanted around my face, and it has space for a small, inflatable pillow, while an insulated neck yoke keeps cold air outside.

The horizontal baffles with variable spacing prevent the down from migrating, for thermal efficiency and to help minimize weight. The trapezoidal foot box provides comfortable space and keeps feet warm. The zipper moves smoothly, without snagging, thanks to a zipper cover and an internal anti-snag strip. The stuff sack measures 15×7.5 inches (eight liters), but a compression sack can squeeze this into a slightly smaller package.

REI has built a successful business model based partly on offering quality products at value prices. With the men’s Magma 10 and women’s Magma 17 sleeping bags, it has done that again.

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BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking this link to purchase any of the men’s or women’s REI Magma sleeping bags at rei.com.

See all of my reviews of sleeping bags that I like and all of my reviews of backpacking gear, and my articles “Pro Tips for Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.”

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons at right, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

You live for the outdoors. The Big Outside helps you get out there. Join now and a get free e-guide!

If you agree that a rechargeable headlamp is the way to go—as it is for any backpacker, dayhiker, climber, trail runner, backcountry skier or other user willing to foot the added up-front cost, knowing it eventually pays for itself through what you save not buying (and throwing away) batteries—then the question boils down to which rechargeable headlamp is the best for most backcountry recreationists. Numerous backpacking and other trips with Petzl’s compact, rechargeable Actik Core have convinced me that this one ranks among the best.

The Actik Core has the usual white and red modes (for night vision) and two beam patterns—a spot beam for seeing straight ahead and a proximity beam for illuminating a wider area. Its maximum brightness in white mode of 350 lumens makes it one of the brightness ultralight headlamps—and even more significantly, it delivers that much power even when using the rechargeable battery. Other rechargeable headlamps only achieve maximum brightness with standard batteries; they aren’t as bright operating on their rechargeable battery.

On a September night in the Wind River Range, I found this headlamp, with a nearly full charge, clearly lit up trees about 300 feet away across a meadow, a range consistent with Petzl’s claims for the Actik Core’s max range (95 meters). That kind of range can make a difference when navigating an off-trail route, searching for rappel anchors, or trying to find a campsite in the dark.

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Operation is simple and intuitive: Hold the power button for two seconds to switch between white and red modes. The middle white setting puts out enough light to hike a trail or see across a campsite in the dark, while the dimmest (five lumens) will light a tent interior dimly and is adequate for reading. Red has one brightness level and a blinking mode that Petzl says is visible for up to 700 meters for 350 hours.

The comfortable, reflective headband has a 100-decibel emergency whistle—a unique and useful feature on a headlamp.

The 1250 mAh Core battery charges via a standard USB port. It took about two hours to fully charge it the first time when plugged into my laptop; Petzl reports it can take up to three hours. Access the battery compartment easily by lifting a tab to open the back of the headlamp; the Core battery’s power indicator glows red while charging and green when fully charged. At the brightest setting, Petzl says the Core battery’s charge lasts two hours; between the middle and dimmest brightness settings, it ranges from seven to 160 hours.

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While with standard batteries, brightness diminishes steadily as the batteries drain, the Core battery maintains constant brightness over the duration of a charge before power drops off abruptly; you’ll appreciate that on a long slog after dark. It can also run on three standard alkaline, lithium, or Ni-MH AAA batteries. (Petzl cautions against mixing battery brands or new and used batteries.)

Its biggest shortcoming is that, unlike some headlamps (including many Black Diamond models), the Actik Core does not have a lockout switch to prevent it from accidentally turning on. But with its low-profile power button, that never happened to me.

The Verdict

Powerful, intuitive to use, and versatile, the Petzl Actik Core is a top-performing, rechargeable headlamp for backpackers, dayhikers, climbers, trail runners, bike commuters, and other outdoor recreationists.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking either of these affiliate links to purchase a Petzl Actik Core at backcountry.com or rei.com.

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons at right, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

See my “Gear Review: The 5 Best Headlamps,” (the Actik Core is one of them), and all of my reviews of headlamps, hiking gear, backpacking gear, and trail-running gear at The Big Outside.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

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Insulated Air Mattress
REI Flash Insulated Air Mattress
$100, 15 oz. (regular, 72x20x2 inches)
Sizes: regular, regular wide, long, long wide
rei.com

Spending significantly less money on gear usually means getting significantly less performance, but that’s not the case with REI’s newly updated for 2017 Flash Insulated Air Mattress, I decided after sleeping on it for several nights, on a 40-mile May backpacking trip in Utah’s Dark Canyon Wilderness and camping at Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve in June. While it doesn’t rank number one for any usual measure of air mats (like most comfortable or lightest), it just may deliver the best value, dollar for dollar, of any air mat designed for backpacking.

The Flash hits a combination of sweet spots unique among air mats: low weight and bulk and good price. At under a pound, it weighs in several ounces lighter than most air mats, and its packed size of 4×9.5 inches (for the regular) compares with, or is only slightly larger than many competitors. With two inches of thickness, it’s reasonably comfortable, though certainly not as plush as fatter air mats that are light enough for backpacking; but those are generally several ounces heavier and/or cost at least $70 more.

With separate valves for inflating and deflating, it inflates with about a dozen strong breaths, or in roughly half the time of many thicker 72×20-inch air mats. Open the deflate valve and it instantly releases most of its air, allowing you to roll it up in seconds. The weld-through construction helps decrease the inflation time while making the air mat more stable; I never felt myself rolling off an edge. REI’s proprietary dual-fiber synthetic insulation, combined with a Mylar reflective layer, give this air mat an impressive degree of insulation for its low weight and thickness: The R-value of 3.7 is a little higher than many three-season air mats. Although not warm enough for sleeping on snow or frozen ground, it gave me plenty of insulation for a night when the temperature dropped into the high 30s at around 8,500 feet in Utah’s Manti-La Sal National Forest in May.

The 30-denier ripstop polyester fabric is lightweight and reasonably durable, but I’d be careful not to test it against sharp rocks or spiky vegetation when the mat is fully inflated. While I tested the regular air mat—the lightest and cheapest of the four sizes available—the regular and long both also come in wide versions with six extra inches of width. That’s nice, but could create space problems in a compact tent.

In the final analysis, you can find air mats that are more comfortable or (slightly) lighter, but you’ll be challenged to find a better value in an air mattress for three-season backpacking than the REI Flash.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking this link to purchase an REI Flash Insulated Air Mattress at rei.com.

7/8/18 UPDATE: After several trips with this air mat, the flap inside the inflate valve that prevents air from leaking out while inflating somehow blew out, making it impossible to inflate the mat.

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

See all of my reviews of air mattresses and all of my reviews of backpacking gear at The Big Outside. See also my related articles “Pro Tips For Buying Sleeping Bags” and “10 Pro Tips: Staying Warm in a Sleeping Bag.” See more suggested stories by scrolling to the bottom of this review.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

Hi, I’m Michael Lanza, the creator of The Big Outside, recognized as a top outdoors blog by USA Today and others. I invite you to get email updates about new stories and gear giveaways by entering your email address in the box in the left sidebar, at the bottom of this post, or on my About page, and follow my adventures on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Rechargeable Headlamp
Black Diamond ReVolt
$60, 3.5 oz. (with 3 AAA batteries, included)
moosejaw.com

Updated in 2017, Black Diamond’s ReVolt rechargeable headlamp quickly became the one I grabbed from a drawer full of headlamps, for trips ranging from backpacking 40 miles in May through Utah’s Dark Canyon Wilderness, to backcountry skiing for four days in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains and camping in Idaho’s Sawtooth Valley. Beyond the convenience of running on either its USB-rechargeable NiMH batteries or standard AAA alkaline batteries, it offers a variety of modes and features not found in other headlamps—including BD’s PowerTap technology to instantly cycle between brightness settings, plus being waterproof—at a competitive price.

A single click of the power button turns on the TriplePower white LED, a focused beam with a range that I found effectively illuminates objects at a distance of at least 100 feet on a dark night in the backcountry when using the rechargeable batteries (BD claims 68 meters/223 feet on a full charge). Holding the power button depressed dims and brightens that bulb; and at the upper end of brightness, the DoublePower white LED kicks on in tandem with the TriplePower white LED. BD states that they deliver together a max brightness of 300 lumens, but that’s only with alkaline batteries; the rechargeables deliver a max brightness of 175 lumens, still plenty bright enough for most backcountry needs.

The DoublePower white LED is a proximity bulb—which can be turned on alone by double clicking the power button—that disperses light more broadly over a shorter distance, and is also dimmable. Alone, the proximity bulb illuminates a trail well enough for hiking, but I usually prefer using the TriplePower white LED and its dimming/brightening function for most purposes. When the two white bulbs are both on, at the ReVolt’s max brightness, they throw more light, of course, but the proximity bulb does not increase the maximum distance of the headlamp’s light; it simply better illuminates a wider area immediately in front of you. Still, the two white-light modes, along with the dimming function, provide more than enough range and variety for dayhikers, backpackers, climbers, trail runners, and backcountry skiers, whether you’re hiking a trail, searching for rappel anchors, or trying to follow an off-trail route in the dark.

The unique PowerTap technology is something I found myself using often: In either of the two white modes, you can dim the light, then tap the right side of the headlamp casing with a finger to instantly toggle back and forth between that dimmed level and max brightness—very helpful whether you’re in camp or on the move and need to briefly see something at a distance.

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When the headlamp’s off, holding the power button down for a couple of seconds switches between the white TriplePower LED and the DoublePower red LED—which brightens your immediate surroundings while allowing your eyes to remain adjusted to darkness. When in red mode, holding the button down dims/brightens that light, and triple clicking it activates the red strobe mode.

Like other BD lamps, the ReVolt locks off by depressing the power button for several seconds—a critical feature to prevent accidentally draining your batteries inside your pack, which I’ve seen happen with headlamps that lack a lockout feature. Depending on how you use the ReVolt’s modes, the rechargeable batteries last anywhere from six to 75 hours on a single charge, and fresh alkalines 20 to 175 hours, according to BD. Using the rechargeable batteries, I got through the three aforementioned backcountry trips with the ReVolt’s meter still showing green—meaning at least 50 percent charge remaining.

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The IPX8 rating means it’s waterproof in water more than a meter deep for 30 minutes—which effectively means in any precipitation or anyplace most backcountry users might accidentally drop it and still be able to retrieve it (like a creek or fairly shallow lake). The three-level power meter lights up green, orange, or red to give an approximation of remaining power in the batteries. The widely adjustable strap fits even the biggest skulls and helmets and is comfortable to wear for hours. Rechargeable batteries typically last for several hundred recharges before reaching the end of their lifespan, but they can also lose effectiveness over time, even if not used much.

An excellent value for its versatility and features, BD’s ReVolt headlamp is ideal for most outdoor activities and eliminates the cost and waste stream of throwaway batteries—thus, erasing over time its higher price compared to non-rechargeable headlamps.

BUY IT NOW You can support The Big Outside by clicking any of these links to purchase a Black Diamond ReVolt at moosejaw.com, ems.com, or rei.com.

Tell me what you think.

I spent a lot of time writing this story, so if you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a share using one of the buttons below, and leave a comment or question at the bottom of this story. I’d really appreciate it.

See my “Gear Review: The 5 Best Headlamps” and all of my reviews of headlamps, hiking gear, and backpacking gear at The Big Outside.

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my gear reviews at The Big Outside.

—Michael Lanza

The Big Outside helps you find the best adventures. Subscribe now to read ALL stories and get a free e-guide!

Ultralight Rechargeable Headlamp
Black Diamond Iota
$40, 2 oz.
backcountry.com

Even as backcountry headlamps continually shrink without compromising brightness—indeed, today’s ultralight models keep getting more powerful—my first impression of Black Diamond’s Iota is how darn tiny it is. Smaller than a golf ball, it’s nearly unnoticeable on your head: After turning it off, you could forget you’re wearing it. This two-ounce beacon also represents a leap forward in the affordability of rechargeable headlamps. While the Iota’s relatively short burn time on a full charge limits its versatility, it will appeal to people who want an affordable, ultralight, rechargeable headlamp for outings of up to two or three hours.

BD says the Iota’s single TriplePower LED bulb projects 150 lumens at max brightness for more than 100 feet. Testing it on fall hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the North Cascades National Park Complex, and while car-camping in Idaho’s Sawtooth Valley, I found that the oval beam of light it throws illuminates a broad area well for perhaps half that claimed distance; beyond that range, dark forest and land swallow the light because the beam expands with increasing distance. Still, it adequately lit a pitch-black, forested section of the Appalachian Trail for me to hike that steep, rocky path before dawn, and it casts enough light for trail running.

Unlike some rechargeable headlamps, the Iota does not use batteries. A full charge of its lithium ion battery lasts 40 hours at the dimmest setting—really only bright enough for tasks at hand distance or reading—or two hours on high. BD says a charge lasts an average of three hours. Thus, the Iota’s only practical for relatively short, multi-day trips, unless you’re also carrying a portable, solar-powered recharging unit and you can count on consistent sunshine. But the Iota recharges via mini-USB in three hours (during the day or overnight) from a variety of devices, making it useful for short adventures or when you’re confident of needing light for only part of your day, like an early-morning trail run or hike.

Holding the power button down controls the dimming function. The Iota’s PowerTap technology allows you to instantly switch between the most-recently set level of dimness and max brightness by simply tapping the right side of the casing (marked by a bulb icon). Click three times quickly to engage white strobe mode. There is no red mode. The Iota’s lockout feature prevents it accidentally turning on in a pack: Hold the power button down for several seconds; a blue light flashes when lockout is engaged. Hold the power button down again to turn it back on. A power meter indicates remaining battery life in three levels—imprecise, but adequate. The IPX4 rating means it can withstand splashes of water or a light drizzle, but don’t let it get soaked. Lastly, the comfortable, adjustable strap will help you forget it’s on your head after you turn it off.

For multi-day trips or activities like mountain biking and alpine climbing, you’ll need a brighter headlamp with a much longer burn time, or battery life on a full charge. But for early-morning or evening trail runs, hikes, or schlepping back to the car after getting off a climb at dusk, the Black Diamond Iota will light your way without creating more battery waste or setting you back as much as other rechargeable lights.

BUY IT NOW You can support my work on this blog by clicking this link to purchase a Black Diamond Iota headlamp at backcountry.com.