Lightweight Backpacking Apparel
The Patagonia Quandary pant has the best blend of durability and breathability. Tough enough to fend off bushes, wind, and light rain but breathable enough to be your only pant for any adventure. Choose the Sprint LS for our best-tested merino wool baselayer or the Rab Sonic Ultra tee for maximum breathability.
M Quandary Pant
"I have been hiking in the Patagonia Quandary pant for over a decade. I love it! The fit is tapered to avoid snags but relaxed enough for all-day comfort. The fabric has a soft handfeel, is super breathable, and durable enough for off-trail rambling. Don't miss the same technical fabrics in the Quandary short."
- Alpenglow Educator, Max
Pickup available at 415 North Lake Boulevard
Usually ready in 24 hours
M Quandary Pant
Forge Grey / 33
415 North Lake Boulevard
415 North Lake Boulevard
Tahoe City CA 96145
United States
Ready for the gear?
Optimize the Big Three
Your tent, sleep system, and backpack are the heaviest and most important items in your kit. Start by optimizing your sleep system (pillow, bag, and pad) and your tent before you choose a backpack. Our best selling summer-weight sleeping bag is the Western Mountaineering Summerlite. I pair that with a Zoom UL pad and Boundary Deluxe Pillow for side sleeping comfort.
SummerLite
"I love long days and nights in the mountains but I don’t love carrying a heavy pack. So I try to make my big three (shelter, sleep and pack) as light as possible. Western Mountaineering makes exceptional bags with their attention to detail and high quality 850+ ethically sourced (gathered from nests) goose down. The Summerlite Mummy Bag is rated as comfortable to 32F and with a well insulated sleeping pad and a liner or down jacket I have slept comfortably down to 25F. I use a lightweight compression sack to squish the bag down to the size of a grapefruit - I am 5’7” and I use the 6 ft bag — the weight is only 1 lb 3 oz! This bag has been perfect for summer and fall trips in the Sierra."
- Alpenglow Educator Janice
Pickup available at 415 North Lake Boulevard
Usually ready in 24 hours
SummerLite
LZ / 5'6
415 North Lake Boulevard
415 North Lake Boulevard
Tahoe City CA 96145
United States
Choose a Tent
Tents are either freestanding (Tiger Wall UL1) , semi-freestanding (Hornet OSMO 1P), or trekking pole tents (String Ridge VST 1.5). Freestanding tents are the heaviest but also the most comfortable and easiest to set up. Often a half-pound lighter, semi-freestanding tents require the use of stakes and guylines which can complicate setup. The choice is yours!
String Ridge VST 1.5 UL Tent
"The String Ridge VST 1.5 is fantastically light and offers a secure feeling inside the tent. Unlike a tarp shelter or other ultralight options, it has a full "bathtub" floor and bug netting. It's full-featured nature made it an easy transition from freestanding tents and I unlocked profound weight savings."
- Alpenglow Educator, Max.
Pickup available at 415 North Lake Boulevard
Usually ready in 24 hours
String Ridge VST 1.5 UL Tent
415 North Lake Boulevard
415 North Lake Boulevard
Tahoe City CA 96145
United States
Two-Person Tents
Choose the Hornet tents for lighter, semi-freestanding options. The Copper Spur and Dragonfly are fantastic freestanding options. Click "View all" for three-person and family tents.
Copper Spur UL2 Tangelo
"My first choice for a freestanding tent. You pay a small weight penalty when choosing a freestanding tent, but the comfort and ease is well worth it. The Copper Spur has vertical tent walls that offer great headroom and keep dew off your gear when tent walls are wet. You'll love the easy setup with no guylines."
- Alpenglow Educator, Max.
Pickup currently unavailable at 415 North Lake Boulevard
Copper Spur UL2 Tangelo
415 North Lake Boulevard
415 North Lake Boulevard
Tahoe City CA 96145
United States
Match your Backpack to Your Base Weight
Hyperlite packs are our first choice once you get your base weight below ~13lbs. Choose the Unbound 55 for the most thoughtful feature set we've seen. The new Beta Lite uses a suspension system inspired by running vests and also works great at a 12-13lb base weight. Explore packs for all base weights by clicking, "More Options"
Unbound 55 Pack
"Hyperlite's newest pack is full of thoughtful choices that work great. They saved weight by using narrower webbing throughout and focused the design on external storage. It's genius how they flipped the seams insinde out which actually improves the water-resistance and durability. It's a cool look, too."
- Alpenglow Educator, Max.
Pickup available at 415 North Lake Boulevard
Usually ready in 24 hours
Unbound 55 Pack
Black / S
415 North Lake Boulevard
415 North Lake Boulevard
Tahoe City CA 96145
United States
Emergency Gear
Staff Pick Kitchen Accessories
Essentials
Cairn Evo 3D Pro Sandal
"The best camp shoes and worth the weight. I have been living in these sandals for a few years now (yes, 365). The support, protection and secure foothold is unmatched in the sandal world".
-Hardgoods Buyer, and Phacilitator of Phun, Jeff
Pickup available at 415 North Lake Boulevard
Usually ready in 24 hours
Cairn Evo 3D Pro Sandal
Yellow Ochre / M5/W6
415 North Lake Boulevard
415 North Lake Boulevard
Tahoe City CA 96145
United States
Learn More
Properly fitting your multi-day backpacking pack is crucial for comfort and efficiency on the trail. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you achieve the perfect fit for your backpacking pack.
Base weight is the combined weight of your backpacking gear minus all consumables, like food, water, and fuel. Understanding your base weight helps you plan for how far you can go, how fast you can...
How to Choose an Ultralight Tent
This quick guide has everything you need to make the right choice on what is often the single heaviest thing you will carry with you: your tent. Learn the difference between freestanding and semi f...
Want to go faster?
Shop the Men's Fastpacking Kit
Curated with trail running apparel and ultralight backpacking gear to help you get up and run!