Honest, field-minded reviews of outdoor and safety gear.
The AquaQuest Defender is a heavy 70D nylon tarp with taped seams, a 20,000 mm waterproof rating and 19 tie-outs. At 3.3 pounds (1.5 kg) in the 10 x 10 it is built for car camping, canoe trips and base camps, not for counting grams.
The Wise Owl Outfitters camping hammock is a simple nylon hammock that comes with tree straps and carabiners and weighs about a pound. It is the low-cost way to find out whether you can sleep in a hammock before buying a full system.
The Kelty Discovery Trail is a lightweight, freestanding tent aimed at people getting into backpacking and weekend camping without spending a fortune. It is not the roomiest or most ventilated shelter out there — and it does not pretend to be. What it offers is a genuinely easy pitch and honest durability at a price that makes sense for first seasons and fair-weather trips.
