Backwoods Best Gear showcases our PREMIUM picks. The best of the best. The gear that stands out among the rest. The gear that is truly exceptional. After we’ve thoroughly tested gear, in some cases we’ll hand out this award for our elite gear pick in it’s respective category. This certainly doesn’t mean others didn’t perform extremely well, but this is what performed the best in our opinion and what we would personally take in the field.
The Argali Absaroka is our pick for the best backpacking hot tent due to it’s superior weather performance, extreme versatility, easy setup, spacious interior, no-sag material, and combatability with our favorite ultralight stove, the Argali Skyline Ti. This is the
The Durston X-Mid Pro 2 is our pick for the best ultralight 2P tent for it’s simplicity, weight, and spacious interior. Featuring 2 doors and 2 large vestibules, naturally waterproof dyneema fabric, and excellent wind and rain performance, the X-Mid
Looking for the best ultralight 3P tent? If you need or want some extra space, it’s tough to beat the Zpacks Triplex 3P Tent. This ultralight 3P tent is super easy to set up, can fit up to 3 adults
If you are going solo, the best ultralight 1P tent we’ve found is the Durston X-Mid Pro 1P to be the one we keep grabbing. It’s lightening fast setup, two door, two vestibule design and generous interior space make this
The Feathered Friends Raven and Lark sleeping bag lines are nothing short of AMAZING! If you are looking for a premium sleeping bag while still keeping the weight reasonable, this is your bag. Feature rich, super warm, and the highest
The Katabatic Flex Quilt is one that blew our socks off during testing. It performed much better than its temperature rating, has a TON of features, offers a lot of customization, and just flat out impressed. Even if you aren’t
The Exped Downmat Winter UL is flat out WARM AND COMFORTABLE. This thing is a quilt user’s dream, but pairs amazingly with a good sleeping bag as well. I’ve spent a lot of nights on this pad with both quilts
The Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Insulated pad encompasses everything you want for a comfortable night’s sleep in the backcountry without adding unneeded weight. This thing is crazy comfortably, feature-rich, ultralight, and warm. If you are looking for that
We searched long and hard before we finally settled on the Exped Down Pillow as our elite gear pick in this category. While we tried many excellent pillows, it wasn’t until we tried this one that the selection was made.
When you need a powerhouse spotting scope that does it all, the Kowa TSN 88 is our go to large spotter. It excels in every category, is lightweight for its size, and provides phenomenal optics. It’s our pick for the
Of all the lightweight boots we’ve tested, the Zamberlan Baltoro Lite are the ones we grab. Light, durable, and comfortable with the perfect amount of support and flex.