I learned the hard way that not every trekking pole pulls double duty as a tent support. Three years ago, on a wet shoulder-season trip in the Sierras, I watched a buddy's ultralight carbon shaft fold like a wet noodle when he cinched his tarp in a 35 mph gust. We spent a soggy evening […]

After logging 240 trail miles across the Sierra Nevada and Rockies with eight different bivy sacks strapped to my pack, I can tell you one thing with absolute certainty: the best bivy bags for ultralight backpacking are not all created equal. Some handled a surprise hailstorm at 11,200 feet without a single drop reaching my […]