David Gray Media

The Marmot Hype is an inexpensive, lightweight, warm, comfortable, and packable down jacket. It’s ideal for cold weather shoulder season use.

I’ve tried many pants during my backpacking career. When I found the Railriders VersaTac Ultralight pants I knew they were the perfect pants.

Rain gear is something I rarely use but always carry. When needed it can save your life. Zpacks Vertice rain gear is the best I’ve ever used.

I learned the value of a tarp on my 2013 Glacier trip. Hours confined to the tent led me to buy the Zpacks tarp. It’s been a great purchase!

The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite sleeping pad is a great lightweight, 3-season sleeping pad. It is light, comfortable, and packs to a small size.

The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xtherm sleeping pad is a beast. It provides the ultimate insulation performance on extremely cold backcountry nights.

I took a long time to make the switch to trail runners. I tried many before finding the Altra Lone Peak. It is the perfect trail shoe for me.

Zpacks sleeping bags feature a high warmth to weight ratio. They are expensive but you won’t find a warmer bag that’s as light.

The Platypus GravityWorks water filter system is an effortless way to filter four liters of water. It’s a bit heavy but worth the weight.

The Black Diamond Spot headlamp packs a mighty bright punch in a small and lightweight package. It’s a great low cost headlamp.