Confession: I鈥檝e never been on a backpacking trip. As newly appointed editor of 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 all-encompassing Gear Guide, I鈥檓 hesitant to admit this. I鈥檓 a lifelong recreational day hiker. An enthusiastic backcountry explorer. Terrible sleeper. I also spend an unjustifiable amount of time thinking about where my next meal will come from (this applies whether I鈥檓 doing something active or just sitting at my desk all day). It鈥檚 the sleeping-and-food thing that has always kept me from committing to self-supported backpacking trips.
Car camping, on the other hand, speaks to me. Give me a full-size cooler聽I can fill with eggs and bacon and beer and canned cocktails; a double air mattress聽that鈥檚 four inches thick and fills the entire footprint of a two-person tent; and enough space in the car for all the other camp 鈥渆ssentials鈥濃攖he French press, frying pans (plural), my mom鈥檚 50-year-old Coleman stove, and enough Yeti tumblers to host a party al fresco, no BYO vessel required.
There are many ways to enjoy being and sleeping outdoors, and I鈥檓 not ashamed to say that I like the comfortable option.
My safe space (besides car camping) is the ski world. As a lifelong skier and former editor at SKI, I know exactly what type of ski I鈥檓 going to click into for the conditions and adventure of the day. I鈥檝e got my layering system for resort days versus backcountry ski tours versus high alpine missions down pat. But it took me years to acquire all of that know-how, and diving into a whole new universe鈥攍ike backpacking鈥攈as always seemed daunting.
Sleep and food issues aside, what has kept me from embarking on my first-ever backpacking trip is a lack of knowledge. What size pack is big enough to carry my needs on a multiday hike, but not so bulky it will weigh me down? Is there an air mattress out there that is light and packable, but also has rave reviews for how comfortable it is? Do all dehydrated meals taste like dog food?
In my new role, I鈥檝e spent the past two months reading (and rereading) every word in this issue. The gear reviews in these pages, written by the outdoor industry鈥檚 who鈥檚 who of gear junkies, offer up a wealth of information. I discovered that the solution to my backcountry-sleeping fear may just be the Rab Stratosphere 5.5, a sleeping pad that won high praise from our field of veteran testers for its comfort-to-packability ratio. And according to our lead backpacking-gear editor鈥攚ho happens to be a former professional chef and food critic鈥Stowaway Gourmet鈥檚 pouches聽are proof that dehydrated meals can be as scrumptious as anything you鈥檇 make from scratch. As for overnight packs, I鈥檓 eyeing the Osprey Eja Pro 55L, the winner this season of our Editor鈥檚 Choice award in the backpack category.
If you, like me, have been held back from doing something that excites or intrigues you鈥攂e it a backpacking trip, gravel race, mountain-biking epic, or float down a scenic river鈥攂ecause you鈥檙e not sure where to start when it comes to the equipment, read on: all the gear advice you need to make your outdoor dreams a reality this summer can be found within these pages.
I鈥檒l see you on the trail.
When it’s time to upgrade your gear, don鈥檛 let the old stuff go to waste鈥揹onate it for a good cause and divert it from the landfill. our partner, Gear Fix, will repair and resell your stuff for free! Just box up your retired items, , and send them off. We鈥檒l donate 100 percent of the proceeds to .