Honest, field-minded reviews of outdoor and safety gear.
Cold ground steals more warmth than cold air, and in winter it will end a trip fast. The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm NXT is the pad alpinists and mountaineers trust to put a thick layer of insulation between them and frozen, snow-covered ground, a 7.3 R-value in a mattress that still packs to the size of…
The Exped MegaMat is a one-person self-inflating foam mattress, 4 inches (10 cm) thick with an R-value of 8.1. Too heavy to carry far and priced at a premium, it is the pad for car campers who want to sleep the way they do at home.
The Exped MegaMat Duo is a self-inflating foam mattress for two: 4 inches (10 cm) thick, flat to the edges and warm enough for winter. It is heavy, bulky and costly, and for car camping it is the most comfortable bed we know.
Spend enough nights out and you learn that a sleeping bag is not just about a temperature number. It is about how well you actually sleep in it. The NEMO Disco is the premium down bag for hikers who have figured that out: a spoon-shaped, feature-rich bag engineered around real comfort, for people who log…
When you start backpacking in earnest, the weight and bulk of a budget synthetic bag begins to matter, and that is when most hikers make their first jump to down. The Kelty Cosmic 20 has been that first down bag for a generation of backpackers: warm, compressible, and priced so the upgrade does not hurt….
Once you start counting ounces and caring about a good night’s sleep, the sleeping pad becomes one of the most important, and most personal. Pieces of gear you carry. The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT is the pad committed backpackers keep coming back to: three inches (7.6 cm) of insulated air that packs to the size…
Sleep is safety gear. A cold, sleepless night in the backcountry saps your judgement and your body heat, and the pad under you matters as much as the bag over you. The Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol is the pad we recommend to anyone who wants something that simply will not fail — closed-cell foam, nothing to puncture.
The budget inflatable that made comfortable backcountry sleep affordable — light, packable, and a superb first pad for warm-weather trips.
Your first sleeping bag does not need to cost as much as your tent. The TETON Sports mummy bag has warmed more first-time campers and new backpackers than almost anything in its price range. An affordable, forgiving synthetic mummy that keeps you warm without emptying your wallet. Our field rating ★★★★★4.3 What it does This…
