It is practically summer time. The flowers are in full bloom, the birds are effectively north, and REI is kicking off its annual anniversary sale, the outside firm’s largest sale of the 12 months. This 12 months’s REI sale begins Could 16 and runs via Memorial Day, Could 26. Many objects are as much as 30 p.c off, however REI Co-op members save as much as 20 p.c off any full-price merchandise of their selection and an additional 20 p.c off any REI Outlet merchandise. To get the low cost, add the promo code ANNIV2025 at checkout.
A number of different retailers have additionally launched early Memorial Day gross sales, together with Backcountry and Public Lands, plus a few of our favourite smaller retailers like Sea to Summit and Zenbivy, together with many others you will discover on Garage Grown Gear. We’ve highlighted some offers on gear we’ve beloved over our years of testing. There’s one thing for practically all our favourite summer time actions—tents, stoves, sleeping luggage, and loads of outside attire. Make sure to take a look at our guides to outside gear, just like the Best Day-Hiking Packs, Best Tents, Best Sleeping Bags, Best Backpacking Sleeping Pads, Best Rain Jackets, Best Backpacking Water Filters, Best Merino Wool, and Best Binoculars.
Up to date Monday, Could 19, 2025: We have added offers from different gross sales, like Sea to Summit, Roark, Altra, and Six Moon Designs, together with some new REI offers on camp cookware and mountain climbing attire.
WIRED Featured Offers
Backpack Offers
Remember to take a look at our information to the Best Day-Hiking Backpacks and the Best Travel Bags.
{Photograph}: REI
The Flash 22 is probably the best-value day pack on the market, particularly on sale. I used to be shocked by how snug this factor is, regardless of the light-weight straps and minimal padding. It carries masses as much as 15 kilos with out straining the shoulders, and the aspect stash pockets are fabulously giant—large enough for a Nalgene bottle or rain jacket. The Flash 22 is manufactured from 70-denier recycled ripstop nylon, which is on the lighter aspect, however mine has held up effectively, even coming via some tough canyon hikes in Utah with none greater than mud stains.
The ultralight cousin to the Flash 22, the Flash 18 lacks the hip belt, aspect stash pockets, and floating lid. What you are left with is a stripped-down, bare-bones pack that is nice for touring, since you possibly can stuff it right down to nearly nothing, stash it in your carry-on, and have a pleasant backpack everytime you want it. Do not load it up with greater than 8 kilos of drugs although, and keep away from something with pointy bits, as there isn’t any padding right here.
One in all our favorite day-hiking packs, This Thriller Rack pack was my introduction to wider shoulder straps, which give extra consolation with out the majority of additional padding. The result’s a snug pack that is gentle (1 lb, 6 oz) and packable, making it an incredible additional pack when touring. The aspect pockets are large enough for a Nalgene water bottle and the 25-L capability carries every thing you want for a day. It additionally matches beneath the seat of even small planes. It is a nice little pack for hitting the path or simply strolling round city.
Our favourite day-hiking pack for the eco-conscious trying to journey gentle, Nemo’s Resolve pack is one hundred pc recycled, infinitely adjustable, and repairable, and as soon as it’s reached the tip of its life, it may be despatched again to Nemo for whole recycling. The Resolve has a considerably unusual system of bungees and pull-tabs, as a substitute of straps or webbing, nevertheless it’s snug, sitting good and excessive in your again. At 1 lb, 15 oz it is fairly gentle, contemplating all of the {hardware} that it has on it.
Path Working and Highway Working Offers
That is final 12 months’s model of my favourite Salomon X Extremely 5 mountain climbing boots, which I simply examined over the weekend within the Columbia River Gorge. Salomon makes our favorite hiking boots—the corporate gives spectacular ranges of safety and traction, whereas being light-weight and remarkably simple to take off and placed on. I like how the heel grips so I do not smash my toes whereas going downhill, and it is so sticky that I can climb up rocks like an ant. —Adrienne So
I’ve worn the ladies’s model of this shoe for years and years. Altra is the best running shoe if you would like a shoe that has a barefoot really feel (zero heel to toe drop, massive toebox) however retains traction and safety in opposition to rocks and prickers. —Adrienne So
These are Altra’s model of the Brooks Glycerin Max—a super-plush, cozy highway working shoe. If you would like a really cushioned shoe however are hooked on Altra’s massive toe field (no should be embarrassed, I’m too), these are the footwear to get. Additionally, remember to take a look at our information to the Best Barefoot Shoes. —Adrienne So
Sleeping Bag and Sleeping Pad Offers
Confused by the choices? Take a look at our guides to the Best Sleeping Bags and the Best Backpacking Sleeping Pads.
{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson
REI Co-op’s Magma 15 is our favorite bag for shoulder-season trips when the temps may drop greater than anticipated. It has a wonderful draft collar that’s excellent at holding out the chilliness. The skin is a 15-denier nylon ripstop (Bluesign-approved, with a non-fluorinated DWR coating to maintain moisture at bay). Baffles are variably spaced and never stitched via, which helps the fill keep put and minimizes chilly spots. The Magma would not have lots of frills; it simply will get the job finished.
Our favourite summertime car-camping sleeping bag, the REI Siesta Hooded 20, is a lot heat and inexpensive. It is also not a mummy bag, since you’re not climbing Denali; why cramp your self if you do not have to? The Siesta’s rectangular minimize makes for a a lot roomier, extra snug bag. The Siesta’s 20-degree score makes it sufficient for three-season journeys, and in contrast to most rectangular luggage, the Siesta has a hood, which helps on these chilly nights.
Nemo’s Forte 20 is a 20-degree synthetic-fill sleeping bag, however the consolation score is 30 levels. In my testing, this feels extra like the place you’d wish to keep temperature-wise with this bag. The outer shell makes use of a 30-denier recycled polyester ripstop with an inside liner constituted of 20-denier recycled polyester taffeta. It does job of holding again the moisture that usually types inside a tent, which I found after one very soggy night time of testing. The fill is what Nemo calls Zerofiber insulation, which is constituted of one hundred pc postconsumer recycled content material fibers. The Zerofiber packs down remarkably small—that is probably the most compact synthetic-fill bag I’ve examined on this temp vary—and it retains its capability to entice heat even when moist.
{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson
Our favourite backpacking sleeping bag, the Bishop Go 30 gives the most effective warmth-to-weight ratio whereas additionally managing to pack down small and never be too costly. It is not good, nevertheless it strikes the most effective compromise for many backpackers. I’ve slept on this bag for greater than two weeks, with nighttime temps starting from 28 to 65 levels Fahrenheit, and, sure, it was an excessive amount of within the warmth, however on these hotter nights, I unzipped it and lined myself like a heat blanket. It is a versatile bag. Notice that for the lads’s bag, solely the lengthy model is on sale. Each the lengthy and common dimension ladies’s 30 luggage are on sale.
I have never had an opportunity to write down about it but, however I examined the Bishop Go 0 over the winter and was pleasantly shocked at how heat it was. I took it out on a number of nights the place temps dipped into the one digits (under the consolation score of 13 Fahrenheit) and stayed heat. I did put on some merino base layers and a wool hat, however sleeping bag consolation rankings assume this. For those who want a colder-weather bag, with out dipping into excessive temps (and intensely dear sleeping luggage), it is a good choice.
The Zenbivy Mattress 25 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is hands-down probably the most snug backcountry sleeping expertise I’ve ever had. It would not be my prime choose for excessive conditions, however as long as your anticipated temperatures slot in Zenbivy’s vary (the consolation score is 35 levels Fahrenheit), it would not get extra snug than this. The Zenbivy is not only a sleeping bag. It is a sheet, hood, and quilt-style bag that may be mixed in varied methods.
Zenbivy’s Mild Mattress is a brand-new choice that takes the fundamental clip design of different Zenbivy beds and lightens up the load. I have been testing this bag for a number of months, and it’s every thing I beloved concerning the authentic above, however lighter weight. I will have a full assessment very quickly, however in the event you’ve been tempted by the Zenbivy, however wished to maintain your base gear weight down, that is the choice you’ve got been search for. The value I’ve put right here contains each the mattress/sheet portion and the quilt. Notice that Zenbivy is having a 25 percent off sale on nearly every thing on its website proper now.
Nemo’s new 2024 Tensor-insulated sleeping pads (8/10, WIRED Recommends) have the most effective R-value-to-weight ratio of something I’ve examined, and the All-Season is our top pick for backpacking trips. It has an R-value of 5.4 and weighs 18.2 ounces. That alone is spectacular, however what I really like concerning the Tensor is that it is thick, snug, and most significantly, practically silent. The marginally lighter Trail model is also on sale, as is the Extreme Conditions pad, which is the lightest, warmest sleeping pad in the marketplace.
The darling of ultralight hikers all over the place, the XLite NXT is our pick for backpackers looking to shed pack weight, however protect some margin of consolation. The XLite delivers a snug night time’s sleep whereas remaining effectively beneath 1 pound for the common dimension. At 3 inches thick, it is loads of safety from the bottom, and the R-Worth of 4.5 means it will be a lot heat in most three-season situations.
Sea to Summit’s Ether Mild XT is simply marginally heavier than the Therm-a-Relaxation above. The additional 4 ounces for the Sea to Summit pad will get you fairly a bit extra cushion too—it is a 4-inch thick pad, in comparison with the three inches of the Therm-a-rest X-Lite, which makes this a greater ultralight choice for aspect sleepers. I additionally occur to love the baffle design higher too, and it appears to be just a little extra sturdy, making this a wonderful various ultralight pad. Notice that this one is an REI Outlet deal, the XT has been changed by a more moderen mannequin.
Tent Offers
Take a look at our Best Tents guide for extra WIRED-tested suggestions.
Our choose for Best Two-Person Backpacking Tent, REI’s Half Dome is rugged and light-weight (4 kilos), and gives beneficiant dwelling area for 2 with gear. The tent physique is manufactured from 40-denier ripstop nylon for sturdiness on the base and on the ground, with 20-denier nylon mesh for the physique. The Half Dome comes with a footprint, which is a rarity as of late, and good to have. The tent poles are aluminum and interchangeable, which makes them simple to arrange and take down.
Sea to Summit’s ultralight Alto (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is designed to maintain weight down in your solo adventures. At simply 33 ounces for a semi-freestanding tent, it stays one of many lighter choices in the marketplace and at this worth it is laborious to move up. The mesh netting helps preserve weight down, although for one thing hotter, the Plus model, which has much less mesh, can also be on sale for $275 ($275 off), an equally excellent deal.
Sea and Summit’s “3-plus season” tents are succesful sufficient in nearly any climate whereas staying loopy gentle—simply 3 kilos and 12 ounces for this three-person mannequin. I used it on a five-day journey to Loon Lake in northern California in early October, a real “shoulder season” journey with daytime highs within the 80s, nighttime lows within the 40s, and in a single day winds of as much as 60 mph. My favourite design element is that the pole bag is saved inflexible by an insert of opaque white plastic. Clip it to the tent’s ceiling, pop in your headlamp, and illuminate your abode. —Michael Calore
Nemo’s Dagger Osmo (8/10, WIRED Recommends) line of tents are fairly gentle with roomy interiors. The three-person model (also on sale) has lengthy been my tent of selection for journeys with my youngsters. Setup is easy due to the one fundamental pole design (which forks at every finish) with a cross pole within the center. There are two spacious vestibules for storing gear and in the event you depart the rain fly off the mesh room is great for stargazing.
{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson
The Nemo Mayfly (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is a three-season backpacking tent with a path weight of three kilos, 8 ounces for the two-person model I examined. Break up between two folks, every is carrying beneath 2 kilos. The Mayfly saves on weight by utilizing a semi-freestanding design, which suggests you must partly stake it out. It is on the small aspect as effectively, at 27.9 sq. toes of dwelling area, with two 7-square-foot vestibule areas. I discover it a lot livable for 2, and the cross pole offers you a wider roof space than most tents this dimension. I really like the white mesh (as a substitute of black) and the tremendous easy clips that preserve the rain fly secured.
That is my favourite single wall ultralight solo tent. I’ve a full assessment coming later this month, however after spending fairly some time with this tent I am one thing of a convert, a minimum of for summer time tenting. The Lunar Solo makes it simple to fight the primary drawback with single wall tents: condensation. Because of loads of mesh, and a prime vent within the vestibule (ala my all-time favourite backcountry shelter, the Hilleberg Akto (10/10, WIRED Recommends)), I have never had a lot problem with condensation within the Lunar Solo. It isn’t with out its quirks (read the pitching tips), however if you would like one thing greater than tarp, that also weighs simply 26 ounces (740 grams), this one is tough to beat.
Climbing Attire Offers
Yearly, I repurchase considered one of these rain jackets for every of my youngsters. It is laborious to seek out rain jackets which are higher worth than REI’s. The child’s model is a 2.5-layer shell with a non-fluorinated (read: PFAS-free) sturdy water-repellent (DWR) coating, taped seams, and an adjustable hood. These will final all 12 months (a minimum of, so long as your child would not lose theirs). —Adrienne So
I purchased my father, father-in-law, brother-in-law, and husband every considered one of these shirts final 12 months. Roark Clothing is a small firm that makes a few of my favourite energetic attire, and the Bless Up shirt is the right summer time shirt. It is perforated and constituted of artificial fibers, so it is good for super-humid seaside days when the temperatures are above 90 levels Fahrenheit.—Adrienne So
I have never had an opportunity so as to add them to my Best Merino Wool Clothing Guide, however these are the most effective merino ankle working socks I’ve tried. They are not the best merino content material (54 p.c, the rest is nylon and elastane), however they’re skinny, gentle, and work effectively with barefoot shoes (and different footwear). Additionally they resist odor surprisingly effectively for under about half merino. —Adrienne So
I nonetheless desire Darn Tough’s lightweight hiking socks, however these Smartwool socks are a detailed second, and effectively price shopping for at this worth. Are you able to ever have too many wool mountain climbing socks? I would say no. These are 56 p.c merino wool so there is a good little bit of stretchiness, but they keep fairly odor-free even after a pair days on the path. Seize two pair and rotate them to maintain your toes dry and completely satisfied.
That is wildly inexpensive in comparison with the opposite solar hoodies we examined for our Best Sun Protection Clothing guide. WIRED reviewer Jaina Gray discovered it tremendous smooth and breathable, with thumb holes to guard the again of your palms. It is UPF 50, and it could be so much simpler to get your youngsters or delicate relations to put on clothes as a substitute of smearing sticky sunscreen throughout their our bodies. —Adrienne So
Tenting Offers
{Photograph}: MSR
We’re within the last stage of testing for a backpacking range information that will likely be up very quickly, and the MSR PocketRocket 2 will likely be our prime choose for propane canister stoves. It is easy to make use of and boils water rapidly (about 3.5 minutes for 1L at sea degree). It is also extra sturdy and subsequently extra dependable than the opposite ultralight stoves I’ve examined. And it weighs simply 2.6 ounces.
I’ve but to do a visit with a satellite tv for pc communicator, however I do perceive why folks use them. If I had been to carry one alongside, that is the one I would get. It is tiny, gentle (3.5 ounces), and simply stashable. It makes use of the super-fast Iridium satellite tv for pc community, so you possibly can ship a fast SOS from just about wherever. There are additional options like waypoints and interval monitoring, and it performs good with compatible Garmin watches.
That is my very own private REI buy for this 12 months, which is a life jacket for my 1-year-old pet. We do lots of boating through the summer time and whereas my partner insists that canines can swim, I’m not fairly positive I belief her. On the very least, it offers my canine a number of handles for me to seize if she will get swept away.—Adrienne So
Do you crave a chair once you’re backpacking? If that’s the case, that is one to get. It is simply concerning the lightest in the marketplace at 18 ounces, packs down very small, and solves the primary drawback with all pole chairs: the included base pad retains it from sinking in smooth floor.
Nalgene water bottles for half off, what’s to not love? I’ve all the time most well-liked the timeless traditional to the most recent model, which is likely to be a part of why I’ve by no means used one other water bottle (effectively, not counting reusing Smartwater bottles when backpacking). Nalgenes are lighter than stainless-steel and, frankly, the one sane choice for mountain climbing. Seize two of the big 48 ounce bottles, stick them within the sides of your Thriller Ranch Coulee 30 and your loved ones won’t ever be thirsty once more.
That is the flowery model of our favorite camp stove. Right here you get digital ignition and a pleasant pale inexperienced paint job. Is it price the additional $30? That is as much as you. If it isn’t, snag the much less fancy model for $59 at Walmart.
I am undecided this actually qualifies for the “ultralight” moniker, and these pots are sadly marred by having a ton of faux influencer opinions on the market, however they’re truly fairly good. And in the event you’re cooking for a gaggle, this 3 liter pot is about as gentle because it will get. That is my go-to pot for household backpacking journeys. The hard-anodized aluminum is sturdy and supplies good warmth switch. The ceramic nonstick coating makes for simple clear up (esp paired with the GSI scrapper under). It’s also possible to nest the 2L version ($49) inside this one for extra cooking choices on the path. If you wish to go nuts with it, I have never tried it, however you possibly can theoretically additionally nest the 1.3L version ($49) contained in the 2L.
Sea to Summit’s Frontier pan is my all time favourite backcountry cooking vessel. It isn’t ultralight to carry an 8-inch frying pan backpacking, however once you’re prepared to maneuver past boil in a bag meals and no matter these disgust gel tubes are, the Frontier pan is the best way to do it. Once you wish to construct a cream sauce from dried milk (it may be finished!) or must sauté these brook trout, pan that distributes warmth fairly evenly is indispensable. The Frontier manages to to that and it has a pleasant curved edge, making it simple to work with and straightforward to cleans up. The Frontier pan checks all of the containers due to its nice design and ceramic coating, and it in some way manages to weigh simply 13 ounces.
No, it isn’t an earth shattering deal, however that is probably the most effective piece backpacking gear I personal. GSI’s pot scrapper is the unsung hero of backcountry cooking, turning cleanup from a tedious chore to a few seconds work. Now in the event you critically burn one thing, this factor won’t prevent (boil water within the pan to loosen the burnt bits), however for each different scenario scrapping down your pot with this software will get you 99 p.c of the best way to a clear pot. I take into account this one indispensable, may as effectively seize one whereas it is a couple bucks cheaper.
