Gear Reviews
These are the pieces of gear I actually carry on multi-day trips, scored from the miles I have put on them, including the jacket that let me down. Each review tells the trip where the gear earned or lost a place in my pack, and every item and every trip kit opens in Backpackers Friend as a gear bundle, with each weight and quantity.
My trip kits
Each kit is the full gear list from one trip. Tap a kit on your phone to open the list in Backpackers Friend as a gear bundle, ready to apply to a trip of your own.
Tahoe Rim Trail, Leg 1, July 2026
The first leg of my loop around Lake Tahoe, with the hammock as my shelter. 70 items on a 19.7-pound base weight.
Open the kit in Backpackers Friend →Solo near Mammoth Lakes, September 2024
A solo trip out of Mammoth Lakes. 80 items on a 21.5-pound base weight, including the only iPad I have ever carried.
Open the kit in Backpackers Friend →Ediza and Thousand Island Lakes, September 2024
Two nights in the Ansel Adams Wilderness with my backpacking partner. 79 items on a 20.5-pound base weight.
Open the kit in Backpackers Friend →Ostrander Lake and Buena Vista, July 2024
A Yosemite loop with a guidebook shortcut through an old burn. 75 items on a 21.2-pound base weight.
Open the kit in Backpackers Friend →Young Lakes, June 2024
One night at Young Lakes out of Tuolumne Meadows in peak mosquito season. 77 items on a 21.9-pound base weight.
Open the kit in Backpackers Friend →Chilnualna Falls, May 2024
A solo loop toward Buena Vista that ended one crossing short, carried with a tent instead of the hammock. 72 items on a 17.7-pound base weight.
Open the kit in Backpackers Friend →Point Reyes in the rain, February 2024
An overnight at Coast Camp with a close friend in steady February rain. 78 items on a 21.7-pound base weight.
Open the kit in Backpackers Friend →Lost Coast Trail, February 2022
Three nights on the King Range coast, with a tent and a bear canister. 73 items on a 30.8-pound total pack weight.
Open the kit in Backpackers Friend →Sleep system
Kammok Mantis All-In-One Hammock Tent
The Mantis is the shelter I reach for on every trip that has trees, and the hammock carried me through every night of the Tahoe Rim Trail.
41.2 oz · Owned since June 2021Firebelly Underquilt
The Firebelly keeps the underside of the hammock warm, though the down feels thin for a quilt at a $300 price point.
28.0 oz · Bought on sale for $150
Kammok Python Straps
Five years in, the Python straps are a little gnarly with sap and still strong.
7.8 oz · Five years of use
The North Face Blue Kazoo Sleeping Bag
I use the Blue Kazoo as a top quilt in the hammock, laid over me instead of zipped around me, and the bag earns five stars in that role.
34.0 oz · Used as a top quiltPack and kitchen
Granite Gear Crown2 60 Backpack
The Crown2 60 is light and does everything I need, as long as I stay organized around one big pocket.
38.7 oz · Owned since June 2021
Soto Amicus Stove Cookset Combo
The Amicus combo is a good kit, and I have since trimmed my setup within the same brand by trading the second pot for a lid.
8.5 oz · Bought June 2021, since upgradedWater and safety
Katadyn BeFree 1.0 L Water Filter
The BeFree makes filtering water frictionless, and my one wish is a better way to clean the filter.
3.08 oz each · Owned since August 2023
BearVault BV450 Bear Canister
The BV450 is a necessity I wish I could leave home, and the canister is the right size for the trips I take.
About 33 oz · Owned since November 2021Garmin inReach Messenger
The inReach Messenger keeps me in touch with my wife from places with no signal, and an emergency beacon belongs in every pack.
4.0 oz · Owned since May 2023Clothing and camp
REI Co-op Merino 185 Base Layer Top and Bottoms
The Merino 185 layers are warm, and they earned their place on the night my clothes were doused in poison oak.
16.2 oz for both · Owned since December 2021
Patagonia Down Sweater Vest
The down fill on the Down Sweater Vest is amazing, and the vest is warm enough that I carry the vest instead of a jacket.
12.0 oz · Owned since November 2021REI Co-op Trailmade Rain Jacket
The seams on the Trailmade leaked in real rain, so I replaced the jacket with one that has sealed seams.
15.0 oz · Bought 2023, since replaced
Crocs Swiftwater Fisherman
The Swiftwater Fisherman is great for river crossings, though my pair has a bend that causes blisters.
24.0 oz · Used for water crossings only