High Camp

Clay Ellis

* Problem: Your tenderhearted, 105-pound gal and your muddy, 150-pound Newfoundland are both unaccustomed to sleeping outside. No worries. The three-season Marmot Loft tent ($299) offers 38 square feet of floor space along with two eight-square-foot vestibules—plenty big for Bowser. Adjustable ceiling ventilators let you control the airflow, while a window on the fly makes it feel less like you're in the doghouse. And thanks to the second entrance at the rear, you don't have to crawl over wet fur to get out.

* Used to be you needed one pack for two-week treks and another for weekend overnights. No more. Downsize your closet with the Osprey Xenith Pro ($449), a backpack that expands and contracts, thanks to adjustable side panels. Result: an internal volume that varies from 5,700 cubic inches to 7,200 cubic inches, making it your every-trip pack.

* Overheat while sleeping at home and you kick off the down comforter. But when you're camping, it's either sweat or shiver. The Sierra Designs Buddy Rad sleeping bag ($475) solves all that with a unique zip-off top layer. The Buddy is rated at zero degrees and 20 degrees. It's like having a bag with a thermostat on it.

* Cloudveil's Cody Bowl jacket ($275) and Nike ACG's knit cap ($24, left) * Mountain Hardwear's Transition Zip T ($140, middle) * Jagged Edge's Cold Mountain windblock jacket ($149) and Nike ACG's long-sleeved half-zip base layer ($49, right).

Photos: Sam Yocum (3)