Adventure Farther with Smarter Gear Decisions

Discover research-based gear guides, ultralight backpacking tips, and carefully selected resources to help you reduce pack weight, hike more comfortably, and enjoy every mile on the trail.

Helping Backpackers Make Smarter Gear Decisions

Every guide is built around research, comfort, durability, and value—so you can choose gear that fits your trips.

From how-to gear guides to trail tips, books, and carefully selected resources, our goal is to give you the knowledge and confidence to enjoy every adventure with a lighter, more efficient pack.

Everything You Need for Your Next Adventure

Honest Gear Guides

Get clear, research-based guides on ultralight tents, backpacks, sleeping systems, cookware, and other essential gear—so you can choose with a framework, not hype.

Gear for Sale

A small, changing selection of backpacking gear from our own shop, kept separate from our research-based guides and reviews.

Backpacking Guides & Resources

Explore practical tips, expert advice, and helpful resources designed to make every backpacking trip safer, lighter, and more enjoyable.

Your Trusted Resource for Every Trail

In-Depth Gear Reviews

Read detailed reviews of weight, warmth, durability, comfort, and value, based on gear we've used on the trail or on published specs and independent testing. Each review says which.

Ultralight Backpacking Tips

Learn practical techniques to reduce pack weight, hike more efficiently, and enjoy longer adventures.

Gear From Our Shop

Our shop sells a small, changing selection of backpacking gear. It’s separate from our guides and reviews.

Outdoor Knowledge & Inspiration

Find helpful guides, books, and trail insights that inspire confidence and prepare you for your next journey.

Expand Your Outdoor Knowledge One Book at a Time

Our Books page includes Ray Jardine’s Beyond Backpacking, a well-known guide to lightweight hiking methods, and See You Down the Trail, a first-person memoir of a 2002 Appalachian Trail thru-hike. Start with the first for technique and the second for inspiration, whether you’re planning your first hike or a long trail.

Frequently asked questions

Are your gear reviews trail-tested?

Some are. We review gear two ways. Some reviews cover gear we own and have used on the trail, and others are research-based, built from the maker’s published specs, independent reviews and test results, reports from other backpackers, and standards such as EN/ISO ratings. Each review states its method on the page, as our NEMO Eclipse All-Season Sleeping Pad Review does.

How does Clever Backpacking make money?

Our only cash income comes from two places: reader donations through our Donate button, and sales from our Equipment Sales page. Our guides and planning tools are free, and no brand pays us to review its products.

What is base weight, and what counts as ultralight backpacking?

Base weight is everything in your pack except consumables: food, water, and fuel. Clothes and shoes you wear while hiking don’t count either. A base weight under about 10 pounds is commonly called ultralight, and roughly 10 to 20 pounds is lightweight, but those are community conventions, not official rules. Our ultralight base weight guide explains how to weigh and cut yours.

How much should a backpacking pack weigh?

A common rule of thumb, used by REI among others, is to keep a fully loaded backpacking pack at or under about 20 percent of your body weight, food and water included. It’s a starting check, not a safety limit, since season, trip length, and water carries all change the number. Log your kit in our free Clever Pack Builder base weight calculator to see where yours lands.

What gear do I need for my first backpacking trip?

Start with the Big Three: a shelter, a sleep system (a bag or quilt plus a pad), and a pack. Then add water treatment, a way to cook or a no-cook food plan, layers for the coldest night you expect, navigation, a headlamp, first aid, and a small repair kit. Our essential backpacking gear checklist helps you build the list before you buy anything new.

Are your backpacking planning tools free?

Yes. All four of our backpacking planning tools are free to use. Clever Gear Finder suggests a backpack, tent, sleeping bag, or pad based on your season and trip. Clever Pack Builder tracks base, worn, and consumable weight. Clever Trail Fuel Planner estimates calories and food weight, and Clever Water Trip Planner estimates how much water to carry on dry stretches.

Can I buy the gear you review from Clever Backpacking?

Usually not. Our Equipment Sales shop is separate from our reviews and sells a small, changing selection of gear. Shop listings are not a catalog of reviewed products. When we review a named product, the review links to the maker’s own product page so you can check current sizes and prices and buy from the maker or a retailer. Browse our gear reviews to see what we’ve covered so far.

Are the backpacking books on your site good for beginners?

They can be, depending on what you want. Our Books page lists two titles, each linking to Amazon. Beyond Backpacking is Ray Jardine’s guide to lightweight hiking, a fuller version of his PCT Hiker’s Handbook that explains what many hikers call the Ray Way. See You Down the Trail is a memoir of a 2002 Appalachian Trail thru-hike, better for inspiration than step-by-step instruction.