Monsoon season in the West and intense heat waves throughout the East Coast didn’t stop our editors and contributors from getting outside. Here’s the gear that kept us cool, dry, and comfortable this July.
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Matador Freerain22 Waterproof Packable Backpack
The Freerain22 has been in my gear quiver for several years now, but I continue to be amazed by the utility of this packable day pack. It holds 22 liters of gear in an ultralight package that weighs just 10 ounces, but still has all of the bells and whistles I need from a daypack—separate pocket for phone and snacks, external gear loops, et cetera. It’s comfortable on my back, even when it’s loaded with extra layers and food thanks to the wide shoulder straps and hip belt, which help disperse the weight.
All of that is great, but I reach for the Freerain22 over and over because it packs into a tiny ball inside its own stuff sack, which means I can bring it on trips when space is tight. It’s not a dry bag (you shouldn’t submerge it) but it is waterproof and has kept my gear dry as I’ve hiked through rainstorms multiple times. I’m headed to Mexico for a quick weekend trip, and the Freerain22 was the first thing I put in my luggage because I know it will come in handy whether I’m hiking in the desert, exploring a beach, or wandering around town. —Graham Averill, gear and travel columnist
Osprey Poco LT Child Carrier
Last year, when using a child carrier pack that will remain nameless, my husband experienced an extended moment of pure terror: one of the straps on the pack snapped, sending him (and my daughter) off balance, which then sent them careening down a steep, rocky trail. My husband had to throw his body to the ground to stop the motion. He and my daughter both blessedly sustained only a few scratches from the episode, but we agreed that since she was getting bigger, we didn’t want to take a risk with a child carrier pack again. Then we quickly found out that our resolution would severely limit the distances we could cover on day hikes.
Earlier this summer, we got back on the horse with Osprey’s Poco LT Child Carrier, and I’m so glad we did. It has a max weight limit of 48 pounds and a built-in sunshade that you can easily tuck away when you don’t need it. It’s good for long hikes in the wilderness and for urban vacations alike—something we just discovered when we took it on a weeklong trip to Portland, Maine, and used it for hikes on islands in Casco Bay as well as jaunts around the city. It’s comfortable for the carrier and the carried alike. —Ryleigh Nucilli, digital managing editor
Vacation Classic Spray Sunscreen SPF 50
I’m usually not one to jump on a viral product, and I’m especially hesitant to try anything I see on TikTok. However, I tried the exceedingly viral Vacation Classic Spray over the Fourth of July and it did in fact live up to the hype. This spray was an instant favorite amongst my cousins and I because it was super lightweight and did not feel sticky at all. The spray left no residue which is important when you’re on a boat and want to decrease slippery spots.
I’m fairly confident half of the product’s viral fame comes from its joyful scent which is the perfect mixture of summertime nostalgia: nutty pistachio and coconut. These days I don’t leave my house without sunscreen and since I go through a lot of it, I’m so glad I tried the Vacation spray. —Jamie Aranoff, digital editor, Ski
NW Alpine Fortis 115 Short Sleeve Performance Tee
If you’re anything like me, you’ve got half a dozen or so lightweight Merino t-shirts sitting in a drawer somewhere, because they’re all full of holes after being washed regularly. But it’s hot out, and I need a fabric that stays cool, without soaking up sweat like cotton. Enter NW Alpine’s new Fortis series of synthetic tech fabrics. They wick moisture just like merino, but these ones stay perfectly dry (Merino can hold on to 30 percent of its weight in sweat). The big innovation is a proprietary, made-in-America blend of nylon and virtually indestructible Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers that’s incredibly lightweight, yet extremely durable. At 115 grams per square-meter, this is the lightest piece in the range, making it ideal for summertime exertion. —Wes Siler, contributing editor
Old Town Discovery Canoe
On hot July weekends I can think of few things better than throwing my canoe on top of my 14-year-old Tacoma and heading to one of the lakes close to my home. A canoe is an unusual choice in western Nebraska, where I now live, but my love affair with the simple boats dates back to my childhood in Maine. Some of my fondest memories are of canoeing on the lakes and rivers of the Pine Tree State, including an epic (for the youthful me) four-day camping trip on a river loop in the northern woods. My options are more limited out west, man-made lakes in widely separated state parks, but the peaceful escape as I glide over the water is unchanged.
I love my Old Town 16-foot canoe (made in Maine near where I grew up) for the ease with which I can load and unload it myself, put the wooden yoke on my shoulders and carry it as easy as a backpack to wherever we’re putting in. I love how it comfortably holds my wife and I, and rides, smooth and true, over the waves as I j-stroke us along the shore (none of this kayak fishtailing). I love the shallow draft that lets us explore coves and secret channels, and the quiet of our passing as we sneak up on pelicans and egrets.
The canoe’s triple-layer polyethylene hull shows no wear but a few scratches after a decade of use, and the wood thwarts and nylon web seats seem like new. I’ve taken to leaving it on the pickup, where it doesn’t get in the way during the week and beckons us to paddle away from worries on Friday afternoons. —Jonathan Beverly, senior running gear editor
Norda 001 Shoes
Last week I had my most ambitious second date of all time. After a breezy four-mile forest run on a smooth single track, I asked the Norda 001 to accompany me with the rest of my gear on the infamous Canmore Quad: a four-summit linkup gaining 15,000 feet of vert over 34 miles in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Why did I rush our relationship? I had a good feeling, as hopeless romantics do. And after 14 hours of mind-numbing running, scrambling, and power hiking, I was smitten. Here’s my route below:
Norda’s 001 is most at home on long runs over punishing, rough terrain. Where most airy mesh uppers would shred after just one 3,000-foot scree-ski, the 001’s seamless, bio-Dyneema uppers—a revolutionary material 15 times stronger than steel at its relative weight, and sourced from the wasted pulp of the timber industry—hung tough while I (attempted) to run through boulder fields, bashed off-trail through gnarled scrub, and stumbled through hour 11’s come-to-god bonk. The 001 has a Vibram mid-sole with “SLE Technology,” the Italian-rubber brand’s lightest and toughest compound, which I found delightfully responsive on Mount Lady MacDonald’s knife-edge summit traverse, but cushioned enough to endure the mindless trail miles that ultras typically entail.
The drop of 5 millimeters (26mm heel; 21mm forefoot) was perfect for me. A super-light Vibram Litebase sole and Megagrip outsole complete the ensemble; its angular 5-millimeter lugs dug into mud and loose dirt with aplomb. Norda’s burly choice of materials surely offset the lofty price—they may be 30 percent more expensive than my other pairs of trainers, but I expect them to last at least 1.5 times as long.
My one ding against the 001’s is its zero-padding tongue. They were comfortable while running down forgiving scree and graded trails, but on steep hardpack sections I noticed the Dyneema-infused laces wearing into my midfoot. A heavily cushioned sock might mitigate this, or a careful lacing strategy. Or maybe I should just take it slower on our third date. —Anthony Walsh, digital editor, Climbing
Jungmaven sporty tank
The only time I subject myself to bras these days is during athletic activities—otherwise, I prefer to keep things loose, free, and comfy. But there’s such a thing as too loose; my C/D cup chest usually still requires a little bit of support to keep everything in place. Enter Jungmaven’s Sporty Tank. I own three of these tanks in neutral colors, and wear one, sans bra, basically every day.
The hemp/cotton/spandex-jersey blend fabric is stretchy and on the thicker side, which adds just enough structure and compression to keep everything in place and—as my mother would say—appropriately modest in appearance. The basic cut and slightly cropped length goes with everything, and the sturdy material hasn’t lost its shape despite heavy use. Bottom line: If I had to choose between these tanks and a bra or bralette, I’d choose the tank top every time. —Miyo McGinn, assistant editor
MSR Hubba Hubba NX tent
Each time I pitch my Hubba Hubba—which has been most weekends for the last couple months—I think to myself, “Wow, I love this tent.” It’s not particularly revolutionary or cutting edge—I’m pretty sure a few other gear brands offer tents with nearly identical designs. But there’s a reason that multiple outdoor gear developers landed on this layout and structure. It just works, really well.
The freestanding, one-pole structure is quick and intuitive to set up and take down, and the horizontal-opening carry sack (quite possibly my favorite part of the whole thing) eliminates the hassle of stuffing poles, the fly, and tent into a tight, narrow bag. It’s plenty light enough to use as a backpacking tent if you’re not sweating every gram, and the spacious but compact layout has kept me reaching for it over my larger, more elaborate frontcountry tents, too. —M.M.
Peak Design Rugged Case and Out Front Bike Mount V2
$65 at Peak Design $70 at Peak Design
I just spent 45 days riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route from Antelope Wells, New Mexico to Banff, and used Peak Design’s new Rugged Case for my iPhone along with the latest version of their Out Front Bike Mount. Prior to this trip, I’d never found a phone mount for a mountain bike that I liked—most rely on some sort of weak rubber band situation for attaching to the handlebars, don’t allow you to quickly remove your phone, and don’t hold up well to mountain biking.
The new Rugged Case is a collaboration with Nomad that provides significantly more protection and weatherproofing than the brand’s everyday case, and uses their SlimLink attachment system to integrate seamlessly with the Out Front Bike Mount. Having my phone mounted somewhere I could see it was paramount since I used it for navigation, but I also constantly shot photos and videos with it—the SlimLink system, which is both magnetic and mechanical, let me effortlessly remove the phone when I needed to, but was absolutely bombproof throughout the ride. I didn’t have a single issue with the mount or phone case in over 2,700 miles of riding, most of which was on dirt roads. I’ll never use another phone case or mount again. —Bryan Rogala, contributor
Cotopaxi Sombra Sun Hoody
Bikepacking trips are the perfect way to test gear because they’re usually very tough on equipment, and since you have limited space, everything you bring has to really work. I lived in Cotopaxi’s Sombra Sun Hoody for nearly six weeks, and it has become my go-to layer for pretty much any outdoor activity when it’s sunny. Other sun hoodies I’ve tried have been too warm to wear cycling, but the Sombra somehow proved to be the perfect layer whether it was pushing 100 degrees in Southern New Mexico or hailing on me in Montana.
It’s breathable enough for vigorous exercise in hot weather, the hood is roomy enough to fit over a bike helmet, and because the fabric is a recycled polyester blend it also dried out quickly when it got wet. The Polygiene finish helped with stink, and more than anything the fact that it came home without any tears or abrasions speaks volumes to the durability. —B.R.