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Ultimate Camping Gear
Outside's guide to the best gear for your next backcountry adventure.


	Photos: Clay Ellis

The Ultimate Backpack
If you think Mystery Ranch packs look a bit different, you're right. The Wrap frame is detachable, meaning you can select from an array of bag sizes to fit your specific demands. Try the 4,200-cubic-inch Blues ($289, with frame) for a long weekend, or the 5,600 ci Alpacka ($365) for marathon through-hikes. Even better, the frame's convenient shoulder and waist straps allow for all the fussy micro-adjustments required to achieve an impeccable fit.

The Ultimate Tent
The North Face's seven-pound, eight-ounce Roadrunner 3 ($350) is a three-person, three-season tent designed to guarantee repeated use: easy setup (instead of sleeves, the poles slip into pockets), a giant mesh-paneled ceiling to allow stargazing, and, in wet weather, a sturdy nylon rain fly that provides an extra 22 square feet of vestibule space to keep your gear dry and out of the way.

The Ultimate Sleeping Bag
Most mummy bags are true to their namesake‹once inside, you feel like you'll be stuck there for the next three millennia. But the shapely curves of Marmot's Pinnacle ($300, $400 with Dryloft) give you plenty of wiggle room for less constricted slumber. And at 2 pounds, 7 ounces, the three-season, 15-degree down bag stuffs into a bread-loaf-size sack, perfect for the backcountry.

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