Backpacker

lightweightdouble pad``````Klymit Double V``````Age-old dilemma forwannabe backcoun-try snugglers: The gapbetween sleeping padscan feel like the MarianaTrench, but double-wides are usually tooheavy for the trail. Notso with Klymit’s cou-ple-friendly offering.The Double V weighsjust 2.5 pounds (thereare lighter doubles outthere, but they’re morethan twice the price)and packs down tothe size of a football.It's also a spacious 47inches wide and has a1.6 R-value. “My partnerand I had ample room tomove around and fi ndthe perfect sleepingpositions without fallingoff,” our tester says.He praised the pad’sV-shaped baffl es, whichlimit slippage. “Withmost ultralight pads,you bounce around likea rubber ball at maxinfl ation,” he says. “I``````stayed put all night onthe Double V no matterhow much air I blew in.”Tradeoff: Its size meansit’s tough to origamiback into its stuffsack.$130; 2 lbs. 8 oz.;klymit.com``````burly barefoots``````VivobarefootPrimus Trail FG``````Minimalist shoes don’thave to mean minimal-ist protection. Our testerpraised the PrimusTrail FG’s streamlined,zero-drop feel com-bined with featuresthat shielded her feetfrom rocks and roots.“They're the tank ofminimalist trail shoes,”she reported aft er athree-day trek along theElwha River in OlympicNational Park. “A rein-forced rand around theinstep, toes, and heelshielded me from harmwithout sacrifi cing fl ex-ibility or ground feel.”The trident-shapedlugs are deeper thannormal for this style ofshoe, and they held fastwhen she traversed longstretches of low-anglesnow. Mesh uppers kepther feet sweat-free on90°F dayhikes aroundArches National Park.Drawback: The extraprotection resulted ina break-in period of a``````couple weeks—rare fora minimalist shoe.$150; 1 lb. 3 oz. (pair m’s9); m’s 7-13, w’s 5.5-11.5;vivobarefoot.com/us``````breathable midlayer``````Icebreaker MerinoLOFTEllipse Long SleeveHalf Zip Hood``````This hoodie mastersthe art of addition bysubtraction, remov-ing excess fi ll for bettertemp control. Themajority of the Ellipseis made of a midweightmerino/poly blend,while the chest andhood have panels fi lledwith merino. “I neverbecame too hot duringhigh-output activities,”says one tester whowore it for ski tours inthe Arctic Circle andshoulder-season hikingin the Swiss Alps. Theinsulation kept his corewarm during 30°F alpinestarts, while the unin-sulated back and armsprevented overheatingwhile wearing a pack. Asternum-length zipperadds extra ventilation.Our tester also enjoyedthe thumb loops andlong, stretchy sleeveswhen reaching over-head. Ding: price.$230; 1 lb. 1 oz. (m’s M);m’s S-XXL, w’s XS-XL;icebreaker.com``````gearThe latestword fromour testersPHOTOS BY COURTESY. TEXT BY THE EDITORSALL ABOUT THE HIMALAYAS^4WHY TRAVEL WITH US^6trips in Nepal. THE TRIPS 10``````Get your FREE BROCHUREat: activehimalayas.com