Water-Carrying ‘Vest’ Pack
Need to run or hike fast with water and little else? A hydration vest is a good option. In this column, Gear Junkie tests the new E-LITE vest from Hydrapak.
‘Top 10’ Gear of 2010
Drum roll. . . GearJunkie’s annual ‘Top 10’ Gear picks award the best of the best outdoors equipment after a year of use and abuse around the world. Congrats to Rab, Inov-8 Ltd., Icebug, Garmin, Ibex, Suunto. . .
Fjallraven Old-School Gear
Swedish company prides itself on classic design and a vintage look that could’ve been pulled from an LL Bean catalog page from decades back.
JanSport Tahoma Pack
Contributor T.C. Worley put a JanSport backpack to the test on Mount Rainier. The $280 Tahoma model is the company’s take on a “serious” pack for alpine pursuits.
External-Frame Backpacks
Clunky remnants of another era? Not so claim several backpack manufacturers who have brought external-frame models back to the retail floor.
Vintage Backpacks
Two major outdoors-products companies will unveil packs in 2011 that look like they were made in the 1960s. No gimmick intended.
Timbuk2 Commute 2.0
Our reviewer calls this a “messenger-style” bag for folks who plan on traveling with their laptop, but not cycling with it.
Best OfView All
TNF ‘Karma’ Pack
New pack from The North Face touted to have “good karma” as an attribute alongside a hydration pocket and compression straps. Bonus: It’s made out of wool!
Giant Waterproof Backpack
The SealLine Pro Pack is like a roll-top dry bag on steroids. It has a backpack harness and a hip belt, too. Gear Junkie puts it to the test.
Ultra-light Backpacking Tips
Gear Junkie offers a few bullet points from an ultra-light trip last summer in the Catskill Mountains of New York.
Patagonia Messenger Bag
Two former bike messengers test one of the least expensive and best bike bags on the market.
North Face Chatter Backpack
At $105, The North Face’s Chatter backpack is a good looking, functional pack — for work or play.
Hip pockets on Backpacks
Hip pockets on backpacks takes the slot for item No. 2 on my list of “Five Gear Innovations.”
Backpack Sofa
Applause to Belgian designers Quinze & Milan. A prototype couch mash-up includes zippers, labels, and straps from classic Eastpak backpacks.
Deuter Spectro 38
In an attempt to go light and keep the air moving around your back and shoulders, Deuter launched its Spectro line that contains packs ranging from 24 liters to 38 liters.
Ultra-Sil Day Pack
This strange, crinkly “siliconized” Cordura nylon backpack stuffs down to a size smaller than a baseball.
JakPak
JakPak is updating its integrated jacket/bivy product for spring 2010 to add features geared toward the avid adventurer.
TentPak
TentPak created a tent-integrated backpack designed as an emergency grab-and-go pack.
Columbia Mobex Backpack
Columbia’s lightweight Mobex packs, new this winter, are designed with the sport of adventure racing and other “fast and light” pursuits in mind.
9-Pound Pack: Ultralight on the PCT
Rod Johnson’s multi-month wilderness journey on the Pacific Crest Trail was an experiment in minimalism for the great outdoors. Bubble wrap and camp food for a pillow helped him along the way.
GoBe Solar Briefcase
While not designed for backcountry travelers, the GoBe portable solar power station can charge nearly any small electronic device.
Backpack, Wallet Made From Scraps
Nemo Equipment repurposes and upcycles its old tents and scraps to create the Ditto line, which includes a wallet and a backpack.
Aquapac Waterproof Backpack
A watertight backpack that has the right features for use as a commuter pack and an adventure-oriented waterproof bag.
Backcountry-Oriented Camera Pack
The Mountainsmith Borealis AT pack has enough room to store essential backcountry gear as well as a full camera kit.
Osprey Kode 30 Backpack
The claim has been staked: Osprey says the Kode packs are “the ultimate packs made for all snow-play activities.”
Review: Bike-Commute Briefcase
For bike commuters who want to travel sure that their computer will arrive in one piece, Arkel’s Briefcase pannier is a $215 solution.
Review: Quantum Camera Backpack
While not rigged out for pro photogs, the Mountainsmith Quantum is a camera backpack good for everyday shooters.
Recycled Bike Messenger Bags
Constructed of vinyl sheeting from old billboards, Defy Bags have a raw, artsy aesthetic. Bonus: They are sourced, cut, stitched and designed in the United States.
Camelbak Freeride Pack
At $120, Camelbak’s Don is the boss of the family of three new all-mountain freeride bike packs.
Osprey/Nalgene Backpacks
Osprey and Nalgene joined forces to make a bike-specific pack that has an exclusive Nalgene hydration bladder.
Crumpler does Hydration
Crumpler has entered the hydration pack market with its Bumper Issue messenger-style backpack. It is intended for day hikes and bike trips around town.
