Backpacking Gear

2020 Exped Downmat UL Winter Review | Light & Warm

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Exped Downmat UL Winter - Backwoods Best

In this Exped DownMat Winter UL Pad review, we look at the Downmat UL Winter M pad from Exped. Coming in at as little as just 16.9 ounces (for the HL mummy style version and 22.2oz for the UL rectangular version), 3.5 inches thick, and an impressive 7.1 R-Value, the incredibly comfortable and extremely warm Exped Downmat UL Winter pad comes in multiple sizes so you can choose what size and shape fits your needs best. We tested the UL version, but if you want to save a few ounces, you can pick up the Downmat Winter HL version and save 5.3oz.

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Sea to Summit Escapist Tarp Review: Crazy Versatile | 2020

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Sea to Summit Escapist tarp

In this Sea to Summit Escapist Tarp review we look at the incredible versatility and details of the Escapist Tarp. If you are looking for a shelter that can conform to your needs every time in the field, the Escapist Tarp is one to look at. It offers you endless setup possibilities and flexibility in the type of place you can set it up. Whether you find yourself in heavy timber with trees everywhere that allow you to take advantage of tying off the tarp, or find yourself in the desert without a tree for miles, the Escapist has you covered.

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Detailed Exped Synmat UL Review | 2020

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Exped Synmat

The Exped Synmat UL Pad is a great option when it comes to ultralight sleeping pads. In this review we look at the Synmat UL M insulated pad from Exped and how it performed in the field in various conditions for us over the last year. Coming in at just 16.8 ounces and a super comfortable 2.8 inches thick, the Exped Synmat UL comes in multiple sizes, including both mummy and rectangular so you can choose what size and shape fits your needs best.

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Deschutes Plus Review – Unique Six Moon Designs 2020

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Six Moon Designs Deschutes Plus Tarp

In this Six Moon Designs Deschutes Plus review, we are going to look at what makes the Deschutes Plus unique. Its design features, such as the interior bug net, make this a great shelter. The netting does a great job of keeping out those pesky mosquitoes, gnats, and other flying bugs. It sets up with one trekking pole, (see our trekking pole review for an awesome ultralight 6.2oz trekking pole from S&S Archery) giving you a great combination for an ultralight shelter option. This is roomy for one, and also gives you the option to add a ground sheet if you want to keep something between you and any critters.

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Best Backpacking Pillow For Side Sleepers | 3 Elite Options

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After doing our last review on ultralight backpacking pillows, I still hadn’t found “the one.”  Several of the ones we tested like the Sea To Summit Aeros Premium and Nemo Fillo Elite are fantastic pillows,  however, in my humble opinion they just weren’t quite the best backpacking pillow for side sleepers.  So we set out to find the best backpacking pillow for side sleepers.  After putting that last review together, we received lots of feedback that many people were also struggling with the same thing, so we kept searching for just the right pillow. 

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6 Best Backpacking Water Filters

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What’s the best backpacking water filter?  That’s a question many of us ask when looking to venture into the backcountry for multiple days.  There’s no clear-cut answer to that question as the type of filter you might need differs depending on your situation. To help you decide, we tested the performance of a bunch of them and bring you the results so you can see what fits your needs the best.  Each type of filter has specific situations where it will excel as well as situations its not as well suited for.

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Sea to Summit Ether Light XT Insulated Review | 2020

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Sea to Summit Ether Light XT - Backwoods Best ultralight pad

Ether Light XT Insulated Pad Review Sea to Summit brought the new Ether Light XT Insulated Pad to the market in 2019, and we put it to the test. This impressively lightweight pad comes in at just 17.3 ounces with a super thick 4 inches. The Ether Light comes in multiple sizes: regular and large … Read more

6 Best Ultralight Backpacking Stove TEST

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Best Backpacking Stove

Are you using one of the best ultralight backpacking stove options out there?  Are you in the market for backpacking stoves but not sure what features are most important?  We put a bunch of them to the test to help you decide.  We pulled together a handful of some of the most popular (and not so popular) stoves we could find and tested them all in various conditions to find the most fuel-efficient, lightest weight, fastest boiling, and most feature-rich backpacking stove.

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NEMO Hornet 2P Review: New 2019 Updates

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Best backpacking tents for hunting - Nemo Hornet 2p

Updated 2019 Nemo Hornet 2P Review In 2019 the updated Nemo Hornet 2P tent was released.  This redesign set out to take care of some of the issues I noted my previous Nemo Hornet 2p review that plagued the previous version of the Hornet 2p.  The Nemo Hornet 2p is an ultra-light backpacking tent that … Read more

Best Food For Backpacking: 51 Meal Shootout

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51 Dinners | 14 Brands | Blind Taste Test

You read that right. A total of 51 backpacking dinners were tested and charted for this review to find the best food for backpacking out there. It was no small undertaking that took us over FIVE MONTHS of gathering, researching, and charting. One last shout out to the panel of volunteers who offered up their time (and intestines) for this review. We had a great time with this!

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