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When hitting the store for a backpacking water bottle we may be inclined to at first reach for our favorite color bottle or the bottle featuring the most appealing printed design on the side. While there’s nothing wrong with that when it comes to having a water bottle around the house or at work, when it comes to choosing a hiking or backpacking water bottle other performance factors should be considered. With weight being paramount in the backcountry, the prototypical standard, Tritan Nalgene bottle may not necessarily weigh you down, but there’s a better option in the same company’s lineup.

Wide-mouth (left) and narrow-mouth HDPE Nalgene bottles
The Ultralite HDPE Nalgene
The Ultralite HDPE Nalgene bottle – the old school, slightly opaque white bottle that was par for the course several decades ago when backpackers wore fluorescent jackets and shorts with rag wool fingerless gloves, may just be the best water bottle of all time. While this bottle is not as ubiquitous as in years past, the HDPE / Ultralite Nalgene – made from food grade high density polyethylene plastic, is much lighter than its Tritan cousin (both are BPA-free, as you’d expect these days).
At 6.3 ounces the Tritan adds nearly half a pound (each) to your pack, while the Ultralite adds a much more respectable 3.9 ounces. While nearly a quarter pound is still significant for ounce counters like myself, it’s worth the weight. As opposed to reusable bottles, some backpackers may opt to take soda or bottled water bottles to save weight. Re-used plastic water bottles are a decidedly lighter weight option weighing a couple ounces, instead of a few.
However and as soda bottles, etc. are not designed to be reusable water bottles, disposable water bottles can’t take boiling hot liquids – and having a bottle that does allows you to make anything from hot coffee or tea for example, and also allows for throwing a hot water bottle inside your sleeping bag on chilly nights. Plastic bottles of this type also break, as I can attest to, and when one breaks a few days into a 10 day stretch, it’s inconvenient to say the least. Collapsible bottles will beat the Nalgene Ultralite in weight as well, but not longevity, usability, or durability.

The Nalgene Ultralite HDPE has been a mainstay in the outdoor water bottle market for decades.
Nalgene Ultralite vs. Tritan Water Bottles
As we previously discussed, the HDPE is lighter than the Tritan, a big selling point and being softer than a Tritan Nalgene, the Ultralite HDPE handles drops better in my experience. The HDPE is equally suited for hot and cold beverages, and although both the Ultralite and Tritan can handle boiling water, the HDPE offers a little more peace of mind I suppose – the HDPE can handle water or hot beverages up to 248 degrees Fahrenheit (good for boiling water on below-sea-level backpacking trips I suppose). The Tritan on the other hand, tops out at 212F. And, when it comes to figuring out how much water to boil for dinner, any Nalgene bottle features graduated measurements in ounces or ml on the side of the bottle, which helps to get that meal dialed-in. To top it off, you won’t lose the tethered lid, and the bottles are especially secure in the leak department.

Then venerable Nalgene Ultralite in the narrow-mouth version
While the more modern Tritan Nalgene may admittedly, win in style factor and is the more popular option – found everywhere in stores, on the trail, and in coffee shops and schools, I’d argue that its more plain cousin is by far the best choice for hikers and backpackers. Most importantly – it’s lighter in weight. The Tritan Nalgene is a downright heavy water bottle approaching half a pound empty and even approaches the weight of some stainless steel bottles.
The HDPE Ultralite Nalgene is not necessarily what I’d term “ultralight” (although compared to insulated water bottles on the market, it might just be), but it strikes the perfect balance between durability and weight. Sometimes, old school just can’t be beat. Perhaps the only con to this bottle is that it might be a tight fit in your car cup holder, but I might ask, is that an issue with the bottle, or the car?

The narrow-mouth is easier to drink from, but the wide-mouth is easier to fill.
Final Thoughts
I'll still grab my stainless steel vacuum insulated bottle for coffee on the way to the trailhead or in addition to the Nalgene Ultralite on trips in the middle of winter, and stainless steel water bottles are great when weight isn't a concern. However on 3-season trips the Nalgene Ultralite is the only water bottle I pack along on every backpacking trip, hitting the sweet spot between a disposable plastic bottle and heavier options on the market.
The Nalgene Ultralite HDPE bottle is available in a wide-mouth bottle (easier filling) and a narrow-mouth bottle (easier drinking) in the standard 1 liter size that fits in the side water bottle pocket of any backpack on the market worth its weight. The bottle can also be found in 16 ounce and jumbo 48 ounce options. You can find the normal and most popular wide-mouth option here at REI and here at Amazon.

Lumens are a unit of measurement used to determine the total amount of visible light emitted from a source. In the backpacking and hiking world, you can use the lumen value to compare the amount of lighting you’ll get from various nighttime illumination sources such as a headlamp.
Lumen Considerations / How Many Lumens
Higher lumen values typically come at the cost of shorter runtimes and decreased battery life. Brighter lights are also generally heavier and more expensive. For general nighttime trail navigation, I’ve found that at least 30-50 or more lumens are needed to follow good trails with relative ease, with around 50-100 being preferred for more vague and / or unfamiliar trails.

However, lights that have the flexibility to switch between several modes of brightness can be especially helpful while backpacking. While in camp very low levels of lighting of just a single lumen or less can be great for reading or finding a tent zipper without disturbing fellow campers. However, this all comes down to personal preference.
Additionally, very low levels of light will allow you to keep your own night vision somewhat intact. On the other hand, there will be times where you may need to briefly light up an area to make it through a particularly difficult section of trail or to check out an unfamiliar noise in the night. For these circumstances a higher level of lighting in the 200+ lumen range can be especially welcome.

Many headlamps feature separate spot and flood LEDs, and in many cases one or the other can be selected by the user, or in this case (the Black Diamond Spot) both can be selected simultaneously.
Beam Pattern
Don’t forget to consider the beam pattern. A light with a flood beam is great for close up work, but won’t project very far into the distance. A spot beam projects far, but only illuminates a small area. Consider a light that allows you to switch between flood and spot using a diffuser or a light that compromises and has a flood beam with a center hotspot – my choice for the best of both worlds.
More Lumen Related & Headlamp Information
See our full article on How to Choose the Best Backpacking & Hiking Headlamp for more on headlamp selection. For a list of backpacking and hiking-ready headlamps on the market, see this page at REI Co-op.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Issue 6 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here.

After an introduction to lightweight backpacking chairs a few years ago, my philosophy on this admittedly somewhat superfluous (but many times well worth the weight) camp comfort item has generally remained unchanged; on longer trips where I’m moving daily and pack weight is of more concern the chair stays behind and any rock or log will do. For the amount of time that you’re actually in camp – and not inside your tent – carrying the weight is simply not worth it. But mental and physical comfort levels on when the extra comfort is worth the weight of course, will vary.

The Helinox Chair Zero is light enough – for most trips.
How Light Does a Backpacking Chair Need to Be?
On shorter less ambitious trips, winter trips with extra time in camp and long nights, or those trips where I’ll be setting up camp for more than just one night in the same place, I’ve found various chairs like the Monarch Chair from Alite Designs (review) and more recently the Helinox Ground Chair to add a substantial amount of comfort to the backcountry camping experience. But even on these trips, the weight of these chairs is still cause for pause when getting your pack ready the night before. The Helinox Chair Zero is a recent release from Helinox that focuses on reducing that weight concern further, along with increasing comfort and packability when you do decide to take a chair backpacking.

The Chair Zero packs to a reasonable size, and assembles quickly.
The Helinox Chair Zero
Overall Design
Like the Helinox Ground Chair, the Chair Zero has 4 legs for stability, but unlike the appropriately named Ground Chair the Chair Zero is designed for a higher, more upright sitting position (closer to a real chair) and through the use of a lighter weight, Dyneema gridstop fabric has managed to achieve a lighter weight all at the same time. Helinox specs the chair at 490 grams (17.3 ounces) without the stuff sack although many merchants list the chair as lighter. This weight range very much makes this a backpackable chair (and suitable for other outdoor activities in between backpacking trips for that matter, as well).
On my scale I measured 17.2 ounces for the chair (4.4 for the fabric and 12.8 for the poles) and add another .7 ounces if you want to bring along the stuff sack (the stuff sack features one handed cord lock operation and even glow in the dark hardware). No backpacking chair is super lightweight (not taking a chair is the only option here), but the Chair Zero is quite light as far as backpacking chairs are concerned. To save a little weight, I don't take the stuff sack.

The feet of the Helinox Chair Zero can be prone to sinking on soft ground.
Pole Structure
The shock-corded DAC aluminum pole frame of the chair assembles quickly, with the fabric seat attaching via pockets in 4 places (color coded – silver sides up, making the fabric of the chair easy to orient) with a slight amount of effort, while all breaking down into a compact unit to easily fit in a backpack. Wrapped up the chair easily fits in a random available spot towards the top of my ULA Circuit in the main compartment, although it's small enough for something like a side pocket. The chair will support up to 265 pounds – quite impressive for something collapsible and weighing in around just a pound, and the chair overall gives the impression of quality construction and feels solid in use.

Compared to some other lightweight backpacking chair options, the seating position is more upright.
Seating Position and Comfort
I did find that there are pros and cons to the upright design of the chair and the support system that’s used compared to the Ground Chair that I’ve been using for the past couple years. With the higher sitting height (the seat is 11 inches off the ground), the new Chair Zero is much, much easier to get in and out of, so if the hiking miles have been taking a toll on your knees it would be an excellent choice, and even either way it takes less of a “technique” to use with the bonus sitting height. I do find the sitting position a bit less comfortable however – once you are there – it’s more of an upright place to sit compared to more of a lounger like the Ground Chair.
Other Design Considerations
Additionally the small surface area on the feet of the Zero, combined with the fact that most of the weight seems to be balanced on the rear legs, makes this chair more prone to sink into soft ground. Rocky and firm ground and / or lighter weight users might be ideal, but an available accessory, the Helinox Ground Sheet for the Zero can be used with a weight penalty. It should be noted that the lighter fabric seat of the Zero could, if you somehow ended up with both chairs, be used with the Ground Chair's support structure to save 3.3 ounces off the normal 21.75 ounce weight of the Helinox Ground Chair.

The seat height is relatively high, which makes it easier to get in and out of the Chair Zero.
Helinox Chair Zero: Conclusion & Final Thoughts
With the pros and cons that are involved, it all obviously comes down to personal preference and without a doubt, where the Chair Zero excels most is in the all-important weight and packability departments – perhaps the most important part considering we are talking about taking a chair with us while hiking and backpacking, after all. In the end, the Zero turns out to be a very pack-friendly chair that will only add about a pound to your hikes, or to those backpacking trips where you think the extra ~pound is worth a comfortable place to sit at the end of the day.
The Helinox Chair Zero retails for $140, but you can often find a deal here at REI, at Backcountry.com, and over on Amazon.com. The chair is also offered in highback and large versions – you can view all Helinox chairs here at REI.com.

A piezo igniter is a push-button stove ignition system that is often integrated directly onto upright canister stoves for convenience and ease of use. The system works via use of a striker that hits a piezo-electric crystal, which generates electricity even when slightly deformed. When the ignition button is pushed the resulting electrical charge generates a spark.

With the integrated ignition system there’s no need to hunt down your lighter or use matches – simply open your stove’s gas valve slightly and push the button to start your stove.
This is especially beneficial on early morning wake up calls when a cup of coffee – and as fast as possible – is in order. With moving parts and a mechanism that can simply wear out however, piezo ignition systems can and do fail in the field on occasion (I subsequently always take backup methods); whether the convenience and slight extra weight is worth it is up to each one of us.

On this example (MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe) the piezo igniter is integrated directly on the side of the stove, and simply pushing the lever will light the stove with the valve simultaneously slightly open.
Forms of Piezo Igniters for Backpacking
Piezo igniters come in two forms – those attached and integrated into the stove and those that are a separate all in one item like the MSR handheld piezo igniter. Separate igniters have limited use; they can’t for example start a fire and are only designed to work with lighting stoves or items utilizing canister fuel. They can however be convenient, and don’t result in a singed thumb like you can sometimes get with a lighter.
Editor's Note: This Jargon installment originally appeared in Issue 38 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here.

Finding a great backpacking sleeping pad is the next logical step in getting your backpacking gear all set once you’ve decided on the big 3 (tent, sleeping bag, backpack). The sleeping pad rounds out what’s known as the big 4 in backpacking – and this list makes up some of the most important gear you’ll carry, both in regards to its importance on the trail, and includes the most expensive and usually heaviest items where the most weight can be saved.

In this guide, we’ll look at the best backpacking sleeping pads that you can find on the market today. Note that in this guide, we’ll list the specs for the regular size if possible (generally 72x20 inches) and list the r-value as well – the higher the value the warmer the pad.
Best Summer & Ultralight Backpacking Sleeping Pads
For those that are looking to focus on a summer season specific sleeping pad and / or are looking for an ultralight solution for warmer seasons, there are a few standout choices on the market that weigh less than a pound.
First, if you’re a backpacker just looking for set and forget type reliability and if you’re the type of sleeper that can find comfort in just about any flat place, the venerable closed cell foam sleeping pad could work, and will save some cash as well. The Therm-a-Rest Z Lite SOL (14 ounces, $60, 2.0 r-value), is a folding foam pad that makes packing easier (but as a foam pad, still bulky). This pad is a little light on the r-value, but would be sufficient for summer trips with moderate lows well above freezing.

The NEMO Switchback folding pad (15 ounces, $60, 2.0 r-value) is a competing option in this regard and worth equal consideration. For more, see our review of the NEMO Switchback. These foam pads are also great as a sit pad outside the tent and on breaks during the hiking day.
Most backpackers will want more sleeping comfort than a foam pad can offer however. For the lightest of the ultralight insulated inflatable sleeping pads, look no further than to the NEMO Tensor Elite (9 ounces, $230, 2.4 r-value). This new for 2025 pad will offer warmth for summer trips above freezing for most people and offers inflatable comfort, albeit in a mummy shape – this pad is all about saving weight. It should be noted that this pad utilizes 10 denier shell fabrics; extra care will need to be exercised.
NEMO also offers their Tensor Trail Ultralight (14 ounces, $180, 2.8 r-value) that doesn’t quite have the warmth to weight of some of their other pads that we’ll discuss later, but this pad is a bit lighter and makes this category.

The NEMO valve system allows for easy inflation, deflation, and fine-tuning of comfort level.
Exped has offered some of our favorite sleeping pads over the years, and in this category they offer their 1R and 3R pads, with both coming in either mummy or rectangular designs. The Exped Ultra 1R mummy sleeping pad (11 ounces, $120, 1.3 r-value) isn’t insulated, and with this low of an r-value this will only be suitable for the warmest of summer trips. The rectangular version hits the scales a couple ounces heavier.

Ever since the Synmat series, Exped has offered value and all-around sleeping pad performance.
To me, the Exped Ultra 3R insulated pad (13 ounces, 2.9 r-value, $140) is a much more interesting pad. I’ve taken predecessors of this pad down to freezing or just a bit below, and lower than that combined with a thin ultralight foam pad (1/8" CCF foam). Again, Exped makes a rectangular 3R as well, but at a pound we are perhaps delving into the category to follow.

However for me the leader in this category would be the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT (13 ounces, $210, 4.5 r-value) and this is an interesting pad because it’s also a leader in our next category as well. This pad has the ultralight weight that puts it in this category, and with the 4.5 r-value you likely won’t need to worry about warmth on summer trips. Looking for an ultralight pad for fast and light summer trips but that also packs warmth for the shoulder seasons? It’s a tall task to beat this pad for that type of use case.
Summary: Best Summer & Ultralight Backpacking Sleeping Pads
Therm-a-Rest Z Lite SOL
NEMO Switchback
NEMO Tensor Elite
NEMO Tensor Trail Ultralight
Exped Ultra 1R
Exped Ultra 3R
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT
Best 3-Season and All-Around Sleeping Pads
This is your all-around, bread and butter sleeping pad category. While weights may not be the most ultralight due to the needed increase of r-value for 3-season and shoulder season temperatures, recent advances in sleeping pad technology (it all started with the original Therm-a-Rest NeoAir) have allowed for some very intriguing options to hit the market. Weights here are generally around a pound or just a little more, with insulation that should be good to freezing or a bit below.

Choices in this category can be quickly narrowed down to just a few options. The best options include the NEMO Tensor All Season sleeping pad (around $200, 1lb) which is an excellent choice for 3-season use where warmth is appreciated, but it still might get chilly to below freezing at night with a possible cold snap taking things down to the 20s or below, or for cold sleepers any time of the year. With a 5.4 r-value and a rectangular sleeping shape, this pad has a warmth to weight to sleeping and packing space ratio that would have seemed impossible a decade ago. The NEMO Tensor All Season is my pick as the top overall sleeping pad currently on the market.

For those looking to save more weight, the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT ($210, 13 ounces in the regular mummy, 4.5 r-value) again gets the weight down to an even more ultralight level with sufficient warmth for 3-season trips, and will save some space in the tent and pack if needed. This pad is also available in a rectangular shape – the NeoAir NXT MAX, which would be my choice if going with the NeoAir in this category, for the additional comfort. While the NeoAir line comes with an inflation bag that works well, it’s unfortunately not adequate to utilize as a dry sack for gear, as can be found in the Exped Schnozzel. That said it is included, and any inflatable pad these days should come with some type of inflation bag / solution.

Inflation bag included with NEMO sleeping pads
The great thing about these two pads is that they are light enough to be very justifiable for summer trips, have the warmth needed for shoulder season use, and can even be used for winter backpacking if you add in a foam pad to your system to boost the total r-value.
Summary: Best 3-Season and All-Around Sleeping Pads
NEMO Tensor All Season
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT
Therm-a-Rest NeoAir NXT MAX
Best Winter Backpacking Sleeping Pads
If you’re looking for a dedicated winter backpacking sleeping pad however, pads from NEMO and Therm-a-Rest again rise to the top. The NEMO Tensor Extreme Conditions Ultralight Insulated sleeping pad (18 ounces, $250, 8.5 r-value) isn’t the most lightweight in length of name but offers a very impressive weight to r-value specification and comes in multiple shapes and sizes.
The NeoAir XTherm NXT sleeping pad (16 ounces, $240, 7.3 r-value in the regular mummy) from Therm-a-Rest is available in either a weight saving mummy shape (previous link) or in their XTherm MAX version in a larger, more comfortable rectangular version.

These pads are very impressive on the spec sheet and in regards to warmth to weight ratio, achieving a warmth to weight to bulk combo that would have seemed impossible to achieve a couple decades ago. However, I prefer to use my all-around 3-season type sleeping pads combined with foam pads (Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest, etc.) for winter backpacking. The r-values add up, and the foam pad offers some redundancy in extremely cold conditions.
Summary: Best Winter Backpacking Sleeping Pads
Tensor Extreme Conditions UL Insulated
NeoAir XTherm NXT
XTherm MAX
Add-on Closed Cell Foam Pads
Most Comfortable Backpacking Sleeping Pads & Best Wide / Long Options
When comfort is the most important consideration (although keep in mind no matter how cushy, you won’t be comfortable if you’re cold), the Therma-a-Rest NeoLoft sleeping pad ($240) will be hard to beat. This larger air mattress has nearly 5” of height, but is still reasonably backpackable at 25 ounces. With a 4.7 r-value this pad should still keep you warm in 3-season type conditions. If you’re backpacking in, but will then be setting up a basecamp for a few days, this pad might be up your alley.
For me however, I don’t quite need to go up to NeoLoft level to find comfort on the trail and thus can save a bit of weight. I like to look for a pad long enough so my feet don’t hang off the end, and wide enough that as a toss and turn side-sleeper I don’t have to worry about falling off the side. The previously mentioned NEMO Tensor All Season sleeping pad – but in the long wide version, or the NeoAir XLite NXT MAX (in the large) are leading backpacking sleeping pad comfort contenders here. 25” wide pads are appreciated in this regard, along with a pad that is slightly longer than your height combined with a good backpacking pillow.

Note that any inflatable sleeping pad will be made warmer and more comfortable if you add a closed cell foam pad underneath. If you’re only using an air pad, you’ll usually want to inflate fairly firmly for more warmth, but if using a foam pad under it you can deflate the pad to a softer firmness while still having sufficient warmth in typical conditions. And, if you toss and turn at night – instead of bottoming out the pad on hard ground, even a thin foam pad will add a surprising amount of cushion for your hips.
It should also be noted that while a very niche item, if you’re looking for a 2 person backpacking sleeping pad the Exped Ultra 3R Duo (29-41 ounces, $250, 2.9 r-value) is an intriguing choice with separate inflation chambers for each person and in Exped fashion, is a compelling choice across the board.
Summary: Most Comfortable Backpacking Sleeping Pads
Therma-a-Rest NeoLoft
NEMO Tensor All Season (in larger sizes)
NeoAir XLite NXT MAX (size large)
Add-on Closed Cell Foam Pads
Exped Ultra 3R Duo (for two)
Best Budget Backpacking Sleeping Pads
If the latest greatest technology and spreadsheet leaders aren’t your thing, more budget-oriented sleeping pads in the $150 or less range are without a doubt quite workable. A venerable choice has been the Exped line – this line has a great valve system, vertical baffles that I find help keep you on the pad, and larger outer baffles to keep you centered. The Exped Ultra 3R insulated sleeping pad (16 ounces, $140, 2.9 r-value) is my choice in this category. This pad is warm enough for 3-season backpacking, can be used as part of a system with additional foam pads in winter, and won’t break the bank. The Ultra line from Exped and their predecessor from Exped (Synmat series) have been part of my backpacking gear repertoire for years, as they offer a nice blend of warmth, weight, comfort, ease of use, and price.

If price however is of paramount importance, look to the Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest, the Therm-a-Rest Z Lite SOL, or the NEMO Switchback. These foam pads will not be the most comfortable, and depending on the sleeper may only be barely better than nothing in the comfort department, but they do add 3-season warmth and will get the job done for around $60 or less. That said, for deals on usually more expensive inflatable pads from time to time, it’s worth checking at the REI Co-op Outlet.
Summary: Best Budget Backpacking Sleeping Pads
Exped Ultra 3R
Therm-a-Rest RidgeRest
Therm-a-Rest Z Lite SOL
NEMO Switchback
REI Co-op Outlet Sleeping Pads
In Conclusion
Finding the right sleeping pad is important on the trail, both for warmth and for comfort. To some extent this all goes hand in hand – while comfort is more than just warmth, you can’t be comfortable no matter how cushy the sleeping pad if you’re cold. When I look for a sleeping pad I look for the lightest weight sleeping pad that will keep me comfortable and warm on backpacking trips, and one that is also sufficiently durable while meeting the budget while also being easy to use.
You can find a complete selection of backpacking sleeping pads mentioned in this article along with additional choices here at REI Co-op. For more on sleeping pads take a look at our article: Choosing the Best Backpacking Sleeping Pad. For more on the “Big 3” of backpacking gear, see our articles: Best Backpacking Tents by Application and Budget and Best Backpacking Sleeping Bags, as well as our Best Backpacking Backpacks Guide.