Removable liner, elastic leash, chamois, goggle squeegee, iPod-wheel fingertip dots: If the Patrol had a bathroom, you could sublet it. 180s.com…

BACKCOUNTRY STANDBY Good for Backcountry Technically, the Vanquish is a “soft” shell, but it certainly didn’t behave like one in the field. Gore-Tex’s Soft Shell material is fairly breathable and virtually waterproof—we didn’t test it in driving rain, but it easily shed several hours of…

With welded seams and a water-resistant polyester shell, this insulated soft shell is ready for any winter-weather play. 1.6 lbs; patagonia.com…

OK, so they cost five times more than gas-station flip-flops. They’re worth it. The Chaco Flip uses a low-profile, ergonomic footbed that gives you just as much arch support as a good pair of running shoes. Plus, the sole is made out of 25 percent recycled rubber.

Both the Ekolab’s vegetable-based waterproof-breathable membrane and DWR finish are fluorocarbon-free and recyclable. Testers were a bit skeptical that the sustainable chemistry would perform as well as the regular stuff, but the shell easily fended off hours of rain during a wet hike in Colorado’s Indian Peaks. Although the…

Felted wool wraps the upper, while the outsole is made from natural crepe. The webbing is made from recycled plastic bottles, and water-based cements glue it all together. Of course, they’re comfy, too. simpleshoes.com…

Good for Backcountry Stretch is right. This super-soft bamboo-and-poly shirt moves like second skin. Bamboo complements the speedy wicking of polyester with natural anti-stink properties. kombisports.com…

Après Shoes Yet another travel-day dream from Patagonia, this is our pick for those rambles that take you from rain-soaked streets to sprawling airports to snow-piled sidewalks to hotel bars—and back. patagonia.com…

Versatile Hybrid Much like the Ruston, the Doublet is a soft/hard shell hybrid. While it’s not 100-percent waterproof, it offers up way more protection than your average soft shell. But don’t get hung up on classifying it. The Doublet’s hood, shoulders, arms, and body are constructed from highly water-resistant ripstop…

If you spend a lot of time doing self-rubdowns, get Trigger Point Performance’s Smrt-Core Grid, which gives a better massage than cheap foam. smrt-core.com…

Keep the sun out of your eyes with this ultralight and flexible all-mesh visor. It pairs perfectly with Smith’s PivLock sunglasses and is easy to adjust on the fly. mountainhardwear.com…

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that protection from wind, rain, and sun is important. This DWR-finished, recycled polyester windshell weighs no more than one pound and scrunches down to the size of an apple. Your pack won’t even notice. nau.com…

Testers raved about how smoothly this waterproof trench coat transitioned from hikes in the woods to art galleries. Plus it was pineapple-size in our suitcase. merrell.com…

Light as a feather and stuffed with 700-fill down, these moonboot-like waterproof-breathable pillows-for-your-feet have just enough guts for a run to the beer store, while cordlocks cinch tight to keep out snow. Though designed with winter camping and hut trips in mind, it’s really the perfect après footwear anywhere.

This is the warmest glove here. The outer is a beefy, Gore-Tex-lined and insulated glove with goatskin fingers and a full over-the-jacket-cuff gauntlet. But testers especially loved the inner glove, which has a Windstopper liner and tacky palm that make it perfect for nordic or spring skiing.

It’s not just a name. The Sonam, like 90 percent of all Sherpa apparel, is made in Nepal, with a small portion of the proceeds going to support the education of Sherpa children. The poly-and-nylon fabric wicks like a champ and, thanks to silver ions, resists odor. Slim-fitting.

The wrong knee-length parka can make you look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Not the Aria. Its 650-fill down is toasty on blustery winter days, but the close-fitting silhouette doesn’t add bulk. Plus one of the hand pockets doubles as a stuffsack. TAGS: knee-length, media pocket, packable…

Reflective highlights on your shoes don’t keep you safe—defensive running and big stripes of the shiny stuff, like those on ASICS‘s REFLECTIVE VEST, do.

This nine-footer is a high-performance board with plenty of float, so it’s Cadillac-smooth in peeling surf. Up front it’s wide, round, and inviting for toes-on-the-nose time. And the double concave hulls spill to the tail in a slight V, which gives the board a shot of high-octane get-up-and-go. Pair…

A wide chest band and ample cups suit a range of sizes and hold everything securely in place for pickup volleyball. $72; www.watergirlusa.com…

SUMMER RUNABOUT The oversize cockpit makes for easy entry, the desk-chair-style high backrest is ergonomic and supportive, and the front deck net holds a water bottle, sunscreen, or a map. In other words, it was easily the most comfortable boat for cruising on calm days. Plus it’s easy to tailor…

SMOOTH AND STEADY Liquid Logic consulted a flotilla’s worth of southeastern kayak instructors when designing the river-running Remix. The result is a boat that’s about as user-friendly as they come: No edginess, no surprises, and easy to keep upright in squirrely water. And if you do flip? “It’ll literally roll…

Water Runner Several two-year-old pairs of 920s are still in rotation among our staff—and this updated version proved to be just as popular. The reason is simple: The 921 is a well-built water-and-land shoe with aggressive off-road tread, rigid rubber overlays for lateral support, and generous (and well-protected) drain holes…

Light and Tough The 13-foot Revolution is part of NRS's new series of urethane boats. With ample rocker and sporty tubes, the Revolution doubles as a high-performance whitewater paddle raft and, as an oar rig, a stable deck for fishing and lounging. We put the 13-footer pictured here to the…

In a sport where rock can fall like hail, every gear list should start with a helmet. The comfy Wild Country Rock Lite helmet is available with an optional polycarbonate covering ($15) that can be affixed for extra rockfall and weather protection. wildcountry.co.uk…

GRIVEL‘s G20 CRAMPONS act like rigid crampons when you kick but articulate to fit rockered boots like the Mamook Thermos.

Before you start looking, know exactly what you’ll use your shades for: Generalist sporty street designs get you around town and through low-impact pursuits; bigger challenges call for sports-specific numbers. When it comes to superfine optics, glass is unparalleled, but chances are you’ll want lighter polycarbonate (plastic) lenses if…

Why It RulesThe first effort from a scrappy New England startup, the Jetboil represents a total rethink of backcountry cookery. A tall one-liter pot—aluminum, with a hard anodized cooking surface and insulating neoprene cozy—docks (and locks) to the stove’s burner. A ring of heat-conducting baffles attached to the pot’s base…

Basic navigation is available in everything from cars to phones these days, but Garmin’s palm-size powerhouse GPSmap 60CSx takes a sophisticated GPS—once found only in the hands of explorer-engineers—and puts it in every traveler’s pocket. With the unit’s intuitive interface, Garmin has simplified use for beginners while simultaneously incorporating…

The killer app of the digital music revolution leapfrogs the pack by inviting your camera to the party. This 40-gig Gear of the Year champ easily organizes and pumps out 10,000 songs—or up to 25,000 photos, which you can spin through about as quickly as you can shuffle a deck…

Why It’s CoolOn a weeklong canyoneering schlep, the Delta handled crazy wind, three days of driving rain, and, um, an inebriated schlepper who bulldozed the tent after swilling some Bacardi 151. » Our team was all smiles in this palace, with its opulent 37-square-foot floor and 39-inch ceiling extending from…

1. Eliminate extra gadgets: The Crossover is the first unit on the market with outdoor, marine, and advanced vehicle capabilities all crammed into a single lightweight unit. Even with the broad functions, the Crossover is simple to use, thanks to an intuitive, icon-based menu system paired with one of…

Make your summer bag a cozy nook for two with the 12-ounce Functional Design Bag Doubler.

1. Developed by five-time Olympian and world champion Grayson Bourne, the Nemo is the ultimate fusion of race and touring readiness. After weeks on the water, testers found it has the optimum mix of speed and comfort for everything from high-intensity training to all-day touring. 2. Unlike most…

The Mercedes of the bunch is the eight-ounce BRUNTON LIBERTY, a little beauty of engineering with a price tag to match. A built-in igniter and permanent platinum mantle update the match-and-cloth-mantle setup of yore. Wing-like reflectors efficiently direct 80 watts of light where you want it; Proust was still quite…

1. Lots of support, very little weight—that’s the Vert Light’s recipe in a nutshell. Built on the same last as the company’s much burlier Vertigo High, the 20-ounce Vert Light actually weighs less than some of the low-cut hiking shoes we tested. But it’s much sturdier than all of…

Behold a world-record holder: In wind-tunnel testing, the ultralight Spectrum withstood 130-mph-plus winds, says The North Face, thanks to a new design that funnels air through the tent via a front-awning scoop. While we never found a ridge where a Katrina-level blow was brewing, we assembled the fast-pitching Spectrum…

If comfort is more important to you than weight, go ahead and buy a three-person tent for yourself and your mate. But consider this first: New pole connectors, like plastic hubs and sockets, have made tent walls more vertical, which creates more usable space in a two-person model without…

You’ll change batteries less frequently with the waterproof (to one meter), three-watt Apex Pro, which is powered by two long-lasting CR123 lithiums. Of course, that’s another type of battery to pack. 6.1 oz; princetontec.com…

A LUXE BAG FOR BIG DUDES Norway-based Ajungilak (now owned by Mammut) started making sleeping bags nearly 120 years ago, and the accumulated experience shows in this deluxe, full-featured sack. For starters, the Altitude is made with top-shelf materials, like 780-fill down and a burly, highly water-resistant nylon shell. Plus…

One of the best weekend packs you can buy

FOUR-SEASON CHAMPION If you’re looking for a lightweight shelter that can handle high winds and heavy snow, single-wall tents like the Valhalla are tough to beat. Thanks to an interior-pole structure, two testers were able to quickly and easily set up the Valhalla in 50-mph winter winds. To combat condensation…

Synthetic bags tend to have worse weight-to-warmth ratios than down. But the 25-degree Kira comes much closer than most, thanks in large part to the bag’s unusual internal-collar design, which snaps around the neck but still leaves plenty of space for claustro­phobes. 25°F, 4.1 lbs; mam­mutusa.com…

The ribs really do make it easier to hold on to. But our favorite thing about this old-school-looking aluminum bottle is its proprietary liner that fights off gunk build-up and other unwanted nasties. 5.6 oz; mysigg.com…

The svelte, 2,150-cubic-inch Koa 35 was ideal for light, fast overnight trips. Testers loved the breezy mesh back panel and the cram-friendly roll-top closure. And although it looks minimalist, the Koa is actually bedecked with a bunch of clever features. There’s a stretchy zip-away pocket on the front of the…

Lightweight Luxe This classic two-door, two-man, two-vestibule backpacking tent has been rebuilt with lighter fabrics to weigh in at less than most single-door ultralights. The Skyledge 2.1 shaves ounces by eliminating the tent’s corners; instead, nylon webbing connects the body to the tent poles. The 20-denier fly fabric needs to…

Tough Guy It’s a little bit shorter-lived than similarly bright headlamps (1.5 hours at its 100-lumen max), but it’s also much more durable. That’s because, while most lights are housed in plastic, the Saint Minimus is made of hard-anodized aluminum. It’s also waterproof, and the light setting is easy to…

JETBOIL‘s ultra-efficient GROUP COOKING SYSTEM has a 1.5-liter pot for melting snow.

Hate cold toes? This is one of the first boots with an integrated, rechargeable heating system in the liner—crank it to a cozy 104 degrees for up to six hours. Caveat: The liner lacing always seemed to loosen by midday. burton.com      …

POWDER KING The Gyrator strikes a nostalgic chord with its graphics, but there’s nothing retro about the ride. Reverse-camber construction (the deck has a concave bow) enables the Gyrator to float atop powder with the ease of bigger, wider boards. But it can also tackle groomers thanks to its progressive…

Basically a stripped-down and lighter version of Rossi’s Bandit B94 alpine ski, the Respect was the perfect ski for a day at Silverton that involved hiking, skinning, and skiing everything from untouched powder to windblown mank. It also impressed testers with its grip on firm snow. 122/94/112, 8.4 lbs;…

There's a reason Scarpa hasn't made many changes to the T2X over the past few years: It's solid just the way it is. A three-buckle lightweight that comes in at a pound less than Scarpa's bulkier boots, it's most at home far from $12 hamburgers. 6.5 lbs; scarpa.com   Bonus:…

Want an AT boot that can hold its own when you stay inbounds? Try the new Diva, which has rigid dual-density plastic that makes it beefy where it needs to be, plus a hinged tongue for easy touring. 6.7 lbs; scarpa.com      …

RIDE THE RAILS Good for Groomed RunsEquipped with a race-worthy binding plate and wrapped in the classic sandwich construction, the Cool Heat penetrates the hardest snow with minimal ankle flexion. “You can feel Fischer’s racing heritage when you bring these up to speed,” said one tester. The Cool Heat…

What’s unique about the Kamaleon is that you swap out just the outer lens; the clear inner lens (perfect by itself for night skiing) stays fixed. Use the mirrored gray on bright days and switch to vermilion for flat light. markerusa.com…

Good for All Mountain Don't let the new costume fool you. El Hombre's guts are unchanged, and he still controls all corners of the ring–er, mountain. “It has good western all-mountain dimensions,” said one tester, “and enough shape and torsional stiffness to rail on variable snow.” It can be…

This teardrop-shaped shoe is designed for speed: The binding cinches tight with a single strap across your feet. And the heel strap, which is fixed on one side and ratchets down on the other, was praised by testers for both its glove-friendly operation and snug fit. 24.5″;…

FAST AND LIGHT Hailed as the lightest snowboard on the market, this all-mountain model’s superior float in the soft stuff made it a tester favorite. But lightness doesn’t equal weakness. Thanks to a synthetic polymer placed beneath the binding inserts—K2 calls the stuff Harshmellow—this setback twin has guts, silencing chatter…

Dialing in the perfect fit is a cinch. A tug on the right pull tightens the upper and toe zones, while the left controls the ankle, the most sensitive pressure point. Then you can tuck both away in between the liner and shell. forumsnowboards.com…

Simple, easy to use, and time-tested, the durable Freeride remains as comfortable inbounds as it is on the Haute Route. Its 6–12 DIN accommodates a wide range of skiing styles and abilities, making this one of the most versatile AT bindings around.4.5 lbs; blackdiamondequipment.com      …

Good for All Mountain Hands down the most powerful ski in this category, the Magnum IQ sports race-worthy edge grip. “This is an all-mountain ski for East Coast hardpack skiers,” said one tester. Featuring a full wood core that’s overbuilt at the edges for still more bite,…

Good for Resort Salomon adapted the technology usually reserved for custom-boot makers for the rest of us. With some heat and the help of a professional fitter, two sections of special plastic on this all-mountain boot mold to your foot for a precise fit.

ALPINE TOURING Good for All Mountain Reengineered for 2010 with an early-rise, rockered tip that sucks up crud, the Overlord wowed testers with its take-no-prisoners, high-speed onslaught through choppy conditions. “The rocker, width, and length absorb every bump on the mountain,” reported one tester. Meanwhile, the squared-off pintail allows…

Fits Any Foot With most snowshoes, it’s just strap ’em on and go. That’s fine, unless you’re a bit duckfooted or pigeon-toed, in which case you’ll likely step on your tails, trip on your tips, and generally stumble around in misery. There’s another way: With the pull of a pin,…

Fast and Light With its paulownia-wood-and-carbon-reinforced core, the Aspect’s surface-area-to-weight ratio is tough to match, so it’s a natural choice for longer tours. And with a bit of tip rocker, the Aspect planes quickly and smoothly without affecting hard-snow edge hold, which multiple testers called “tenacious.” Add some extras, like…

Zeal has carved out a niche for itself in the ultra-high end of the market, and the SPPX Eclipse fits right in. Not only did the lenses get the highest score for optical clarity; they’re also polarized and photochromic. It’s the latter feature that will really blow you away,…

FREERIDER’S DELIGHT It’s tough to find a backcountry pack that carries skis as well as a snowboard, but the 1,600-cubic-inch Pro 2 excels at both. An easy-to-use retract­able-cable system can handle even the fattest of powder skis, and it can accommodate snowboards horizontally or vertically, making it the best board-hauling…

THE WORKHORSE Line is best known as a jib-inspired freeski company, but the Prophet 90 is one of the most versatile all-mountain skis we’ve tested. It’s traditionally cambered and as forgiving in powder as it is damp and predictable on hard snow. Plus it’s quick enough for bumps, trees, and…

Why It’s CoolThe contents of your pack, rather than a framesheet or stays, create the Body Wrap’s load-transferring structure. Your sleeping bag and spare clothes form the hipbelt padding, by way of three form-fitting stuffsacks (included) that wrap the waist. A center baffle forces you to load gear as two…

Testers loved how this intermediate/advanced boot combined a great out-of-the-box fit with a smooth and predictable flex in all conditions. “Great feel without sacrificing ankle flex,” said one tester. Also available in a much stiffer 130 flex with a steel frame for more torsional rigidity. TAGS: intermediate,…

We would never suggest you limit yourself to just one pack. But if you can’t fit more than one in your tiny Manhattan flat, the folks at Osprey feel your pain—and have the solution. The Aether is light enough—and its ventilated back panel cool enough—for a quick summer weekend…

This lightweight binding is anything but wimpy when it comes to performance. Testers felt stable on steeps and plowing through chewed-up crud in the sidecountry. Plus the redesigned straps, with a cored-out toe strap to cut weight, are more comfortable than last year’s version. TAGS: lightweight, durable…

At 2.4 pounds per pair, this scrappy boot performs above its weight class. Made with super-sturdy nubuck and full-grain leather, the Skamania was still standing after going 12 rounds with a full pack on my back. The key is the midsole’s rigid nylon shank and molded EVA cushion, which together…

  Telescope this carbon-and-Kevlar pole out for more leverage and better balance while skinning or hiking in the backcountry, and don’t worry about snagging it on a tree (and dislocating your shoulder) on the way down: A new mechanism allows the strap to release under pressure. leki.com      …

PRECISION LACING ON DEMAND Fine-tune the fit as easily as you dial up the volume on your stereo. The Vaporate’s Boa system—49 thin steel cables integrated in the shoe’s upper—bear-hugs your foot with wraparound pressure at the twist of a knob (located at the back of the heel, safe from…

POWDER KING A 102-millimeter waist allows the Coomba to float easily in powder. But unlike some big-mountain skis, it’s also torsionally stiff enough to dice high-speed, large-radius turns with ease. Credit K2’s proprietary construction—namely, a shock-absorbing wood core with interlocking strands of fiberglass in the topsheet. 135/102/121; k2skis.com   Bonus:…

The Phenom’s rubber outsole stuck to anything we dared to climb, and the midcut collar delivered solid ankle support without a stiff or clunky feel. And, in wet weather, a waterproof-breathable eVent liner kept our feet dry. fiveten.com…

Consider this eVent-lined four-wheel-drive boot the Subaru of hikers; it has superb ankle support with a deeply contoured Achilles to cut out calf rub. kaylandusa.com…

TAKE IT OFF-TRAIL Like a souped-up Jeep, the Triconi begs to be taken off-trail and over jumbly passes. The reason: The hipbelt and shoulder straps are built into the pack frame with auto-adjusting pivot points. It’s a smart system. The pivots adapt to individual hip curvature and shoulder/torso size, allowing…