Read our guide to the best backpacking sleeping bags on the market. We chose bags from Feathered Friends, Western Mountaineering, Montbell, and REI.
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To find the best sleeping pads, we researched dozens of professional reviews and hundreds of customer reviews. Then we tested 15 pads over 1000s of miles of backpacking, bikepacking, and bicycle touring. See our top picks for best overall, 4-season, budget, foam, side-sleeper, and hybrid.
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We ran 2,000 miles in 24 of the most popular trail running shoes to find the best trail running shoes for hiking and backpacking, road-to-trail running, narrow feet, wide feet, beginner trail runners, and distance running.
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The best wool and synthetic hiking and backpacking socks — hiking socks to prevent blisters, the best socks for hiking in hot weather, compression, and more.
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We review the best men’s and women’s lightweight hiking boots for day hikes and lightweight backpacking, including the top waterproof and Gore-Tex models.
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We put in 70 hours of research and 400 days of trail testing to review the best GPS and ABC watches for hiking, backpacking, and multisport outdoor activities.
Updated for 2024, our gear list and strategy for the Appalachian Trail prepares you for a thru-hike or long distance section of the AT. As weather and ecosystems change, so should your gear. Here’s what we’ve learned from 5 thru-hikes and 11,000 AT miles of trial-and-error.
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More than just a gear list, read our comprehensive gear strategy for the Pacific Crest Trail. As weather and ecosystems change, so should your gear. Here’s what we’ve learned in 20,000 PCT miles of trial-and-error.
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We review 44 down jackets to find the 7 best puffy jackets for most outdoor activities: hiking, camping, backpacking to around town—ultralight to extreme cold
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We review sports detergents to find the best laundry detergent for workout clothes. Gym clothes require a tough sports wash that can address tough stains and odors. We tested the best-selling sports laundry detergent, the best everyday laundry detergent, and the best laundry boosters to meet your needs and budgets.
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We tested 2 dozen lightweight, midweight, and heavyweight men’s and women’s base layer tops for 4 years. We put these base layers to work, and came out with the best base layers for warmth, durability, comfort, wicking away sweat, and not retaining odor over time.
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We spent 200+ nights testing the best headlamps for brightness, battery life, comfort, and ease of use for backpacking, hiking, running, climbing, and camping.
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We review 20 of the most popular synthetic insulated jackets and tested the top models for months in conditions as diverse as mountains in Arizona to snow storms near Bend, Oregon to walking a toddler in Portland. We considered models by Patagonia, Arc’teryx, L.L.Bean, Mountain Hardwear, Rab, Outdoor Research, The North Face, and Montbell.
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Thru-hikers share what’s in their backpacking backpack. Gear lists for an ultralight, super ultralight (SUL), and comfort trail kit for AT, PCT, and JMT hikes.
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We researched, tested, and used our own experience to find the best lightweight backpacks for backpacking. We researched 18 packs to find the best overall for most people, best Dyneema (DCF), high volume, heavy loads, budget, frameless ultralight packs for multi-day trips in the backcountry.
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We tested electrolyte powders, tablets, capsules, and drops in hot and harsh conditions across thousands of miles to bring you this list of the best electrolyte supplements on the market.
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We tested the top 10 sun hats to find the best sun hats for hiking, backpacking, and other outdoor activities.
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One of few people to thru-hike the PCT northbound and southbound weighs in on the differences in gear and strategy. Here’s the gear, strategy, and plan for PCT NOBO vs. SOBO.
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We interviewed PCT hikers to consider dozens of shorts models. Then we tested them over 1000s of miles of thru-hiking to find the best pair of shorts for thru-hikers of all sizes and shapes.
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Comfort, durability, volume, and customizable options make the lightweight Six Moon Designs Swift X backpack our favorite for backpacking and thru hiking.
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