Hennessey Hammock

 The Hennessey Hammock is probably my favorite piece of backpacking equipment. After many years of graduating back pain issues, sleeping on the ground in a tent was getting increasingly more difficult over extended periods. The Hennessey is extremely comfortable and considerably lighter than the average tent. The incorporated bug net and removable rain fly make this an awesome shelter.

MSR Stove

The MSR Pocket Rocket is a really good stove at a great price.....and weighs just 3 oz (plus fuel of course). It can be a bit tricky in windy or subfreezing temperatures, but overall, it's a great product.

Gregory Palisade

The Gregory Palisade is a really sweet, comfortable and spacious pack. At almost 5,000 cubic inches, it's perfect for long duration and colder weather trips. 

Lowe Alpine Beartooth Air 45

The Beartooth is a 2700 cubic inch comfortable lightweight pack that's great for short duration and warmer weather hikes. It's a really affordable pack as well.

Nalgene Bottle

Nalgene bottles have long been a standard item for many backpackers. On warmer weather hikes, I tend to prefer a more basic bottled water container to shave a few ounces. On colder weather hikes where night time sleeping temps can be iffy, I always carry the Nalgene.......I boil up enough water to fill the Nalgene just before heading to bed, wrap the bottle with a camp towl or other available cloth item, and throw it in the sleeping bag. It's amazing how much extra warmth this provides. The water in the bottle will still be a bit warm after 8 hours or so with this technique.

MSR Miox

The MSR Miox is an efficient dependable way to purify water.  Most importantly, it doesn't add the sour chemical taste that many of the tablet treatments seem to have. The only draw back is the treatment time to kill all the bad stuff in the water, but proper water planning and rationing can take care of this problem.

Mountain Hardwear UltraLamina

After nearly 15 years of use from my Slumberjack zero degree bag, I finally broke down and bought a new cold weather sleeping bag.  I tried a couple before settling on the Mountain Hardwear UltraLamina 0. The zipper configuration has taken some getting used to, but comfort wise, the bag outperformed my expectations. It's temperature rating seemed much closer to accurate than others I've tried.

Northface Snowshoe

Bigfoot swears by his Northface Snowshoe cold weather bag.  Other than a minor zipper incident, he seems really happy with this piece of gear.

Eureka Pinnacle Pass 3XT

This tent has served us well for a number of years from Tennessee to Alaska to Colorado. It's 3 person rated, but it works perfectly for 2 people and a bit of gear.

REI Quarter Dome

I wanted a lightweight tent that would accommodate Max (the puppy) and me comfortably and settled on the REI Quarter Dome.  I was impressed by how roomy this tent is given the weight and footprint.

Insul Mat X-Lite Thermo Pad

Having moderate back issues, I found myself sleeping less comfortably on the ground on most bed rolls. I try to take my Hennessey hammock whenever possible, but when I do tent camp, this Insul Mat does a fantastic job of easing the back pains and providing a good night's sleep. The only draw back is that it's not self inflating, but it only takes a couple of minutes to blow it up. I was a bit concerned about punctures and air leakage, but this piece of gear has held up extremely well for several years of hard use.

Platypus Water Container

Platypus containers are a great lightweight, flexible, and durable option for water storage.  They fold down to almost nothing when empty but are surprisingly puncture and tear resistant. I did find out the hard way that they are not raccoon resistant and quickly learned to store my water out of the reach of critters. They are available in a number of different sizes and configurations.