I first encountered the ideas of ultralight backpacking in 1994, in an article in now-defunct (and much-missed) Backpacker magazine. It was titled “Less is More,” by Mark Jenkins. (I still have a PDF copy I scanned years ago.) Jenkins wrote about a long trip across Europe and Africa. By the end, he and his traveling partner shed all the gear they thought they needed, save what they were wearing, their down jackets, and some spoons.
While I had no desire to have all my gear stolen as Jenkins does as at one point in Africa, the idea of carrying less to travel farther, faster, and lighter, struck a chord. Not just with me, but with loads of other people. Jenkins’ article is widely credited with starting the ultralight backpacking movement.
At the time, there wasn’t much lightweight gear available. Much of the early ultralight movement was driven by a DIY ethos. I built my own alcohol stoves out of discarded tuna cans, made pot cozies out of Reflectix, and fashioned windscreens from heavy aluminum foil. As a result, my cook kit weight dropped by 14 ounces.
Today, ultralight backpackers are more common than traditionalists, at least judging from the people I meet on the trail. But exactly what is ultralight backpacking? And how do you shed all that weight without giving up the comfort?
Ultralight Backpacking, Defined
For the sake of all being on the same page, I will define “ultralight” backpacking as a base weight of 10 pounds or less. That means all your gear, minus what you’re wearing on the trail, minus consumables (primarily food), weighs at most 10 pounds.
If that sounds daunting, consider that there are some who travel under the moniker “super ultralight” who shoot for a base weight of 5 pounds or less. At the other end, there is what I would call lightweight, which would be 15 pounds or less. I have never attempted a super-ultralight trip, but I have spent more than a decade with a base weight of 10 pounds and have never felt like I was doing without or suffering in any way. Quite the opposite. It’s a revelation, and you’ll never want to go back.
Now that we have our terms defined, how does one get to an ultralight base weight of 10 pounds or less?
Before we get into details of gear, know that the most important thing you can do to make your pack weigh less is to bring less stuff. For most people the biggest gains (er, losses) will be in what you don’t bring rather than what you do.
When you’re considering what to bring, make sure you need it rather than just wanting it. I love making coffee on a moka pot but not enough to lug one into the backcountry. I don’t need it, so I leave it at home and make Turkish coffee on the trail. Go through everything you ever bring on the trail and honestly ask yourself: Is this something I need?
Spend any time at all researching outdoor gear, whether it’s a new tent or a new rain jacket, and you’ll quickly find yourself awash in a confusing array of jargon. Silnylon, polyurethane, X-Pac, cuben fiber, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)—what are these things?
What none of them are is perfect. Each has its own weight, cost, benefits, and drawbacks. But there is a fabric that’s perfect for you and your particular use case. We put this guide together to help you strip away the marketing and better understand what each fabric does, what it’s best used for, and where it struggles.
Table of Contents
Outdoor Fabric Types
Let’s start by breaking this down into the various fibers and materials used in outdoor gear. We’ll skip some of the older things, like waxed canvas, since most people are familiar with it. Here are the most commonly used fabrics in the outdoor industry today.
What’s the Difference Between Dyneema and Cuben Fiber?
This causes an endless amount of confusion in online backpacking forums, but there is no difference. They are the same thing. Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF) used to be called cuben fiber (and also sometimes “non-woven Dyneema”). It was originally developed to make sails for racing yachts (where it’s still used, in addition to dozens of other uses).
The company that first brought it to market was called Cubic Tech, which was then acquired by a Dutch company, Koninklijke DSM, which renamed cuben fiber “Dyneema Composite Fabric.” (Koninklijke was then bought by the Swiss company Firmenich AG and the acronym DSM now refers to the company DSM-Firmenich AG.)
Silnylon
The oldest of the bunch, this term refers to silicone-coated ripstop nylon. This versatile fabric is widely used in tents, some (nonbreathable) rain gear, stuff sacks, and many other pieces of gear. Its strengths are durability, high tear strength, and waterproofing. The downside to nylon is that it absorbs water—even, unfortunately, when coated with silicone. Hence the DWR treatments, but even with those, at some point nylon will wet out and start absorbing water. This is why your tent’s rainfly sags when it gets soaked. Nylon is also slow to dry.
Polyester
This is another very versatile, widely used fabric with one huge advantage over nylon: It doesn’t absorb nearly as much water. This means it doesn’t sag as much. This is particularly important in ultralight backpacking tents that pitch with trekking poles. Sag isn’t just annoying, it’s a loss of structural integrity and can collapse your tent. The downside to polyester is that it’s not as strong as silnylon in many cases (it especially tends to tear), and possibly not as durable over the long run. That said, I personally find this downside to be overstated. I have two tents with polyester rain flies that have help up well over the course of nearly 20 years of use.
Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
Nemo Osmo
What if you could blend the best qualities of nylon (durable, strong) with the best qualities of polyester (hydrophobic, less stretching)? That’s the question that led Nemo Equipment to develop its Osmo fabric, a proprietary blend of nylon and polyester. I’ve been testing Nemo’s Osmo line of tents since they debuted in 2022 and have found that Osmo does indeed manage to sag less that straight nylon rainflies.
X-Pac
This is a laminated fabric that starts with a nylon face, lays in a polyester grid, then a PET plastic layer to provide waterproofing, and finally, a nylon backing to protect the more fragile inner layers. The advantage over ripstop nylon is the waterproof layer, which is better in most cases than even silnylon. X-Pac comes in various weights, but the most common in packs (which is where I’ve found X-Pac really excels) are VX21 and VX42. These thicker, heavier, versions of X-Pac are more abrasion-resistant and still remain about 20 percent lighter than silnylon in a similar denier. The downside for X-Pac is that it can be a little fragile, especially when it come to abrasion.
Dyneema Composite Fabric
In the outdoor industry, Dyneema is the most recognized brand name of a composite material made of woven ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). UHMWPE is widely used in many industries for many things (including bulletproof vests), but the version that shows up in tents and packs is, like Dyneema, fibers that have been spun together and then layered into a fabric. Hence, the name Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF).
The resulting fabric is 15 times stronger than steel per weight. That fabric is then sandwiched between outer layers (usually polyester) so that a waterproof coating can be applied (it won’t stick to the DCF directly).
Dyneema is incredibly strong, like off-the-charts strong compared to nylon and polyester. It’s also very light and waterproof, all of which have made it a favorite among ultralight hikers and backpackers looking to shave off the ounces. Dyneema’s weakness is abrasion. I have seen the corner of a Dyneema rainfly beaten to shreds by wind in a single night of flapping against sandstone. It’s easy to repair, but also very expensive relative to nylon and polyester, and it doesn’t pack down as small. However, properly used and cared for, Dyneema is unquestionably the strongest, lightest fabric in this list, making it excellent for packs, stuff sacks, and tents.
Ecopak/Ultra
Ecopack is another fabric that comes to ultralight hiking from the world of sailing, where it was originally used for, well, sails. This is another UHMWPE face fabric, laminated to a waterproof lining. You’ll see this fabric under brand names like EPL Ultra, Ultra 100, Ultra 200, and Ecopak Ultra, among others. The numbers generally correspond to the denier, so Ultra 200 uses a 210 denier face fabric. But that fabric is also woven UHMWPE fibers (about 70 percent for Ultra 200), making it much more abrasion resistant than Dyneema Composite.
Courtesy of Dyneema
Dyneema Woven Composite
Dyneema recently introduced a new fabric, Dyneema Woven Composite (DWC), which marries a fully woven Dyneema face fabric to DCF. Right now, only Hyperlite Mountain Gear packs use this new fabric, but we expect to see others adopt it going forward as it improves Dyneema’s abrasion resistance. It will be interesting to compare DWC to Ultra since DWC is essentially DSM’s answer to Ultra. We’ll update this guide when we have more time to test DWC packs.
Other Fabric Factors
If you look at the above and judged solely on what I laid out, you’d probably by a huge fan of Dyneema and Ultra, especially if you’re into ultralight backpacking and you’re aiming for base gear weight (before food and water) of less than 10 pounds. Unfortunately, other factors within each fabric also affect how well it performs, so it’s hard to make apples to apples comparisons.
For instance, there is a huge difference between ripstop nylons used across the industry. Grab a cheapo nylon tent off Amazon and compare it to a Hilleberg tent and you’ll quickly realize that, aside from both being made of the same base material (nylon) they have nothing in common. This is where factors like thread count, calendaring, denier, weave type, and more come into play.
What Is Denier?
Denier is probably the strangest unit of measurement you’ll ever encounter. Denier is the weight in grams for 9 km of thread. So 9 km of Hilleberg’s Kerlon 1800 weighs 40 grams. What does that tell you? Pretty much nothing, but it’s a useful way to compare fabrics and know, for instance, that Hilleberg’s Red Label tents, which only use 30D ripstop nylon are not as strong as the models made with 40D.
The reason Hilleberg tents are so well made, and last for decades, is that the custom nylon blend and weave the company uses are better than what you’ll find on other “nylon” tents. Hilleberg’s nylon, which the company calls Kerlon, is 40D high-tenacity ripstop nylon, which is made for high-strength expedition tents.
Denier is useful to make comparisons across manufacturers as well, so you can know that your cheapo Amazon tent with its 8D nylon won’t last nearly as long as a 30D model from more reputable brands. At the same time, denier is not the end of the story either. There are also varying levels of coatings. Remember that nylon absorbs water, so you have to apply a coating to slow that process down.
What Is Hydrostatic Head?
Another unit of measurement that you might see is hydrostatic head, which is an industry standard unit of measurement used to determine the waterproofness of a fabric. Technically speaking, it is the height in millimeters of a column of water that a fabric can withstand before liquid begins to move through the weave. Hilleberg’s Kerlon fabrics also coat both sides with a 3-layer application of 100 percent silicon, which gives the nylon an HH rating of 5500 mm and makes the fabric much stronger.
Weaves and Coatings
To showcase another way in which all these rating and measurements are not the end of the story, we’ll consider one more tent maker, Durston, which recently dropped the denier of its polyester fabric X-mid tents from 20D to 15D. That sounds like Durston made a weaker tent, but according to the company, the new high-strength 15D polyester offers “96 percent of the strength of the 20D while being lighter.” The company simply changed the weave and the coating.
The coatings are also different. Unlike Hilleberg, Durston uses a silicone coating on the outside of its rainfly and a polyether coating on the inside. The hydrostatic head for the X-mid is 3500, which is plenty to keep you dry. Having spent rainy nights in both the new Durston X-mid and a Hilleberg Akto, I can assure you that, while each company has taken a different path to the finished product, both tents are strong, well-made, and waterproof. The result is same—you stay dry.
A Word on Dyneema
Dyneema and other UHMWPE fabrics like Ultra are definitely the most exciting fabrics in outdoor gear right now. They overcome two major downsides of nylon and polyester: They’re lighter and they don’t absorb water. Much of the push into outdoor gear made of Dyneema has come from ultralight backpackers trying to reduce their pack weight.
As noted above, Dyneema’s strength is its resistance to tearing, which makes it a great option for tents, packs, and everyday items like stuff sacks. While many larger brands have now embraced Dyneema, it was really the small, cottage industry brands that have driven innovation.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced the application results Tuesday for the state’s first black bear hunt in a decade: 163,459 applications were submitted for 172 permits.
That means hunters who applied for a bear hunting permit have around a 0.1% chance, on average, of actually getting one.
What You Need To Know
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced the results of the 2025 Florida Black Bear Hunt application period on Tuesday
According to FWC, 163,459 people applied for 172 permits, meaning each hunter has a 0.23% chance, on average, of getting a permit
Hunters selected in the lottery will have until Oct. 6 to claim their permit, or it will go to the next person in the lottery queue
Permit allocations will be split across four bear hunting zones, and depending on the zone, odds of getting a permit can be slightly better, or much worse than the average.
The East Panhandle Zone will have a total of 68 bear hunting permits issued. That zone received 28,966 applications, meaning hunters have a 0.23% chance of being awarded the chance to purchase one in the lottery.
The North Zone will only have 31 permits — meaning the 34,120 applicants will have a 0.09% chance of getting one.
The South Zone received 50,724 applicants for 55 permits, which means each hunter has a 0.1% chance of being selected in the lottery.
It is the Central Zone where the odds are worst for hunters hoping to be selected in the permit lottery. The zone has the smallest number of permits available at 18, but was a close second for the number of permit applications received (49,649). That means hunters in the Central Zone will have just a 0.03% chance of actually being selected in the lottery.
Each application cost $5, so the bear hunt application process netted the state $817,295 — which, according to the FWC, will be used for conservation in the state.
If a Florida resident is chosen in the permit lottery, the permit itself will cost $100. For out-of-state hunters, the cost will be $300.
A statement from FWC did not say when the lottery itself will take place, but hunters will be notified by email if they have been selected and will have until Oct. 6 to claim their permit.
“Any unclaimed permits after the deadline will be available to the next person ‘waiting in line,’” the FWC statement said.
The Florida black bear hunting season in the four zones will run from Dec. 6-28.
OHIO — Monday marked the first day of fall, which means many Ohioans may be starting to set up their Halloween decor.
Among the fake cobwebs, giant skeletons and hauntingly colorful lights is a decoration that is issuing a warning from wildlife officials: plastic pumpkins.
These are the same kind of pumpkins that trick-or-treaters may use with the plastic black handle. The Ohio Division of Wildlife said animals, such as deer, could end up getting stuck if they get too curious as to what’s inside the bucket.
“Without fail, every year, we see a scene like this: a deer with a plastic Halloween pumpkin on its head,” the Ohio Division of Wildlife wrote in a Facebook post. “We’d appreciate it if you kept these pumpkins indoors, but if they are part of your outdoor decor, please cut the thin plastic handle from them.”
OHIO — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is issuing a challenge to outdoor lovers with a new digital passport.
ODNR’s Ohio State Parks Passport Challenge on OhioTrails+, powered by the OuterSpatial app, allows visitors to check in at each park and unlock a unique digital badge to record their visit at the parks.
What You Need To Know
ODNR’s Ohio State Parks Passport Challenge on OhioTrails+ is powered by the OuterSpatial app
Outdoor lovers can use the app to check in at all 76 Ohio state parks, plus the Natural Resources Park at the Ohio State Fairgrounds
A live leaderboard will help keep track of users’ adventures
Outdoor lovers can use the app to check in at all 76 Ohio state parks, plus the Natural Resources Park at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. Each check-in is saved to the user’s profile, helping to keep track of where they have explored. Users will be ranked on a live leaderboard to show how they stack up against each other while exploring Ohio. ODNR said visitors can also upload photos of their experiences.
“Ohio’s 76 state parks are the best in the nation,” said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. “Now, Ohioans have a new way to visit and explore our many beautiful state parks and track their adventures.”
“Ohio’s state parks are some of the most beautiful and accessible in the country,” said ODNR Director Mary Mertz. “This new digital passport makes exploring them even more fun, while encouraging families, friends and outdoor lovers to see everything our parks have to offer.”
ODNR said the program was made possible through a partnership with OuterSpatial, a platform that connects people with the outdoors and the official trail map for ODNR and Ohio state parks. Users can explore Ohio Trails+ by joining the “Ohio Community” tab on the app, which gives a library of trails, maps and points of interest.
“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Ohio State Parks through this exciting new digital passport program,” said Ryan Branciforte, CEO of OuterSpatial. “Visitors can now use the OuterSpatial app to check in and collect unique, park-specific badges that can’t be earned anywhere else. Along the way, they’ll discover curated outings, featured trails, and hidden gems across all 76 state parks — helping visitors explore even more of Ohio’s incredible outdoors.”
OuterSpatial can be downloaded on both iOS and Android devices. For more information, click here.
Take a trip to your local big-box home improvement store and you’ll see dozens of grill models not mentioned here. Are they any good? Most of them are probably fine, but we suggest sticking with brands you recognize.
The nice thing about shopping in person is you can get a better sense of the grill’s sturdiness. Give it a good shake, and make sure it seems well put together. If it’s a brand you haven’t heard of before, check the aisles nearby and see whether there are replacement parts available. This is especially important with gas, but it can be an issue with any type of grill. The burners on gas grills don’t last more than a few years, but they’re easy to replace—if you can get the parts.
Other things to look for include a good temperature range (the dials turn smoothly and are big enough that you won’t be fiddling with them to find the midpoint between low and high). While it may be tempting to go for the biggest grill you can afford, that isn’t always the smart choice. There’s no need to heat 660 square inches of the grill to cook two burgers. All that does is waste fuel. Finally, avoid anything that says infrared. Our experience is that infrared doesn’t sear anything better than regular flames. All it does is add a useless feature that ups the price.
It’s also worth considering the warranty. Grills often live a hard life, being stored outdoors in the rain, sleet, snow, and baking heat. I’ve seen covers reduced to shreds in a year (they’re still worth the investment—better the cover than your grill). A warranty won’t cover normal wear and tear, but more reputable companies like Weber offer warranties for anywhere from five to 15 years (depending on the grill). Look for something similar when shopping the big box store grills.
What Grilling Accessories Do I Need?
Here are a few things that will make your grilling life easier.
A good cover: Which one you need depends on your grill, but a cover is worth the investment. Even if your grill isn’t exposed directly to the rain, it’s still going to get wet from dew and will eventually rust. A good cover can keep the worst of the rust at bay and will offer you many additional years of use.
Instant-read thermometer: After the actual cooker, nothing will improve your grilling like an instant-read thermometer. Stick it in and know your food’s internal temp instantly. For newbies, this cheap thermometer ($20) will work. The gold standard is the ThermoWorks Thermapen Mk4 ($109). It is not cheap, but its automatic backlight and rotating display are nice to have. The feature I’ve come to appreciate the most is that it automatically shuts off when not in use and turns back on the minute you extend the probe. (It’s powered by one AAA battery.)
A good cleaning tool: We don’t recommend using a grill brush. A stainless steel or brass wire brush can leave behind small bristles that get stuck in your grill and end up in your food. It happens more often than you think. Most grill makers don’t recommend these wire scrapers anyway. If you have cast-iron grates, I like Proud Grill’s Q Cleaner ($19), which combines a wire-free scrubber, stainless steel scraper, and disposable wipes to clean your grill without leaving your brush a mess.
A charcoal chimney: For charcoal grills, get a chimney starter—I like this Weber ($25), but anything similar will do. It’s faster and it saves your food from tasting like lighter fluid fumes. I have tested a charcoal chimney against our top-pick Weber gas grill and found that the gas was ready seven minutes faster, which is to say, not much.
Use high-quality charcoal: You don’t need artisanal briquettes handcrafted by elves, but don’t buy the super cheap stuff. In my testing it doesn’t burn as hot or last as long. Almost all the charcoal grill testing I’ve done has been using Kingsford briquettes.
Try lump charcoal: I’ve had good luck with Jealous Devil All Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal. If you’re doing high-heat cooking or want to have higher indirect heat, lump charcoal is a good choice. It burns much hotter and faster. I prefer lump for searing, but I don’t like it for smoking or slower cooking. If you’re worried about additives, lump usually doesn’t have any. —Scott Gilbertson
Other Grills We Recommend
Courtesy of Masterbuilt
Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 for $899: This spacious Masterbuilt offers a nice combination, noted WIRED reviewer Chris Smith: charcoal flavor with the temperature precision of gas or electricity. The large, top-loading charcoal hopper uses gravity (hence the name) to feed heat into an internal housing, and an integrated fan enables precise digital temperature control—on the device or via the app. You’ll reach 700 degrees Fahrenheit within 15 minutes. Temperatures are remarkably consistent once stabilized, and if you want to add smoke flavor, just throw wood chunks into the ash bin and let falling charcoal embers do the rest. But the versatility comes with caveats. You may miss the ability to sear directly over a flame, and you’ll need to change out the internal housing before switching to the flat-top grill.
Courtesy of Yoder
Yoder YS640S Pellet Smoker for $2,600: Most grills do one thing well and several other things poorly or not at all. Yoder’s YS640S is a more versatile tool, thanks to a design that allows easy access to the autofeed firebox. Like Traegers that are half the price, this Kansas-made grill uses an electric fan and an auger to feed wood pellets in for a slow smoke session. It’s all driven by a control board that sends temp alerts and allows you to adjust the temperature via Wi-Fi.As a smoker, it easily handled ribs and a chuck roast, holding the temperature better than most, thanks to its bomb-proof 10-gauge steel construction, which means this grill weighs as much as a refrigerator. Where the Yoder really stands out, though, is as a grill and possible pizza oven. By removing a steel plate positioned over the fire pit, you can sear burgers directly over the flame or remove the grills and plop on a hefty pizza oven attachment ($489), which uses the pellet feed system to maintain a constant 900-plus degrees Fahrenheit.
Courtesy of Nomad
Nomad Portable Grill for $695: The suitcase-style Nomad Portable Grill sells for a price that makes it a luxury. But if you have money to spare, this is the best portable grill you can buy. It’s well built, sturdy, and easy to carry. It is heavier than our top pick Jumbo Joe at 28 pounds, but the shape and large handle actually make it easier to carry. Like the Jumbo Joe, the Nomad uses a dual venting system to achieve good airflow even when the lid is closed. The vents, combined with the raised fins on the bottom of the grill (which elevate your charcoal, allowing air to flow under it), allow for very precise control of both high and low temperatures.
A Grill to Avoid
Courtesy of Ace
Kamado Joe Konnected Joe for $2,000: There’s a lot to like about this kamado-style grill. Indeed, we previously recommended it for its electric ignition and Wi-Fi connectivity that allows you to measure the temperature of the interior and the meat via two probes. But over long-term use, WIRED reviewer Martin Cizmar has had constant problems with the electric grill tripping the 2-year-old GFCI outlets on his patio. Once it even tripped the breaker. A Reddit thread reveals this is a common problem. Like the Redditors, Cizmar found temporary relief by running an extension cord into an outlet in his kitchen, but even that has failed him a few times during testing. Unfortunately, this grill is a hard pass until the issue is resolved.
OHIO — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is issuing a new award for water conservation to organizations across the Buckeye State.
What You Need To Know
Four Ohio organizations were recgnized for water conservation efforts
The Ohio Water Conservation Excellence Awards are a new award from ODNR
Organizations were named across the state
ODNR’s Division of Water Resources is rewarding water withdrawal facilities for their conservation practices with the new Ohio Water Conservation Excellence Awards. Recipients were named for their effiency in using water while protecting Ohio’s water resources by promoting sustainability.
“These award recipients represent Ohio’s innovation and dedication to responsible water use,” said ODNR Director Mary Mertz. “Their efforts help safeguard Ohio’s water resources for future generations while demonstrating that environmental responsibility and operational success can work in tandem.”
Recipients were named across the state, including:
Blacklick Woods Golf Course, Columbus & Franklin County Metro Parks: For its establishment of Zoysia grass on two courses and on other areas of the property. This type of grass thrives during hot summers with little to no watering
Turpin Farms, Cincinnati: For the development of 1785 Low Impact Turf, a sustainable turfgrass variety that, once established, requires no watering, fertilization or mowing.
PepsiCo Foods U.S., Wooster: ODNR said this location is receiving recognition for installing an advanced water filtration system which enables water reuse
Avon Lake Regional Water, Avon Lake: This award is for the installation of a large-scale wash water recycling system at the Avon Lake Water Filtration Plant which has conserved over 1.9 billion gallons of Lake Erie water since 2016, approximately 215 million gallons a year
If the cooler weather last week seemed too good to be true, that’s because it kind of was. To no surprise, the unpredictable weather of Dallas-Fort Worth lived up to its reputation — seemingly as quickly as the temperatures dropped, they rose to the 90s again…
WIRED Editor Amit Katwala has traveled far and wide for a hands-on look at the future of robotic artificial limbs, and the technological progress he witnessed is beyond impressive. But in truth, his quest to become Superhuman is still stuck in the prototype phase. I, on the other hand, have been galavanting around the English countryside wearing the Hypershell Pro X, the first readily available leg-boosting, mile-eating, powered exoskeleton.
As a broader product category, exoskeletons have the potential to enhance mobility for those with disabilities, helping them regain independence and improve their quality of life. They can also reduce physical strain in the workplace, minimizing the chances of injury and boosting productivity. But the likes of Hypershell produces nonmedical, wearable exoskeletons that promise muscle-boosting power for us average Joes.
The majority of these designs, however, seem to be permanently on preorder, or ambitiously chasing the big bucks on Kickstarter, so it’s refreshing to be able to test something that’s available on Amazon.
Last year I reviewed a prelaunch version of the similar DNSYS X1 (WIRED 5/10) and found it to be glitchy, heavy, and generally disappointing, but it did show promise. It remains stuck in preorder however, as does the much-publicized pair of $5,000 Arc’teryx MO/GO powered pants.
So can Hypershell do it better? There are currently three versions of the Hypershell exoskeleton: the basic 400-watt, $900 Hypershell Go X, the $1,199 Pro X which has a 800-watt output, 10.8-mile range, and enhanced capabilities for running and even cycling assistance. And then there’s the Hypershell Carbon X, which uses a titanium alloy instead of carbon fiber and costs $1,500.
The Go X offers 7.5 miles per hour maximum speed assistance while the Pro X’s 800-watt motor can help up to speeds of 12.4 miles per hour. Each model collapses down to 16.9 × 10.2 × 4.9 inches, and the Go and Pro X weigh 4.41 pounds, while the Carbon version is 7 ounces lighter.
My Hypershell Pro X sample has a 5000-mAh 72-Wh battery, with quoted assisted range of 10.8 miles (17.5 kilometers) and 10 modes, including up and down stairs, down and uphill, cycling, running, race walking, and regular walking. I’ve been wearing the exoskeleton for the past few months while testing various outdoor gear, including hiking boots and rain jackets, and within seconds of turning it on I knew it was significantly more useful than the DNSYS X1, giving my legs a nice power-up on trails. Did I feel like a fool wearing it in public? Absolutely. Did my wife ask me “Why are you walking like Woody from Toy Story?” Yes. But for many people in need, the benefit of the assistance should outweigh the mild embarrassment.
Fit and Features
Photograph: Chris Haslam
Strapping myself in for the first time, I’m impressed by the build quality, the ergonomic fit, and adjustability. The lower back and hip cushioning is particularly good. I’m 5′ 11′′ tall, and most adults—Hypershell estimates 80 percent—will have no fitting issues. The excellent app takes you through the whole process, with step-by-step video instructions on adjusting to fit, and then once you’re corseted in, it demos the various power modes and controls. When you first power on, the inert machine springs to life and tightens up, and once you’ve chosen a power mode, it instantly starts to work as you walk.
If I were buying a camera today, this is the body I would get, travel or otherwise. The A7C R is one of the smallest full-frame, interchangeable-lens cameras on the market. This is why it’s our top pick for travelers in our guide to the Best Mirrorless Cameras. The 61-MP sensor offers amazing detail and very good dynamic range (14.7 EV). The autofocus is among the best you’ll find in mirrorless cameras, and there’s great subject tracking as well, making it perfect for shooting fast-moving scenes on the go.
The video specs here are top-notch as well, with support for 4K/60 fps video in full-frame mode (1.2X crop) or oversampled 4K/30 fps video. Both support 10-bit 4:2 color depth, various Log formats, and even 16-bit RAW output to an external recorder. My main gripe about the A7C R is the same as it was in my initial review. The viewfinder is cramped and low-resolution (2.36 million dots). It’s not a deal breaker for me, but it’s something to keep in mind and good reason to rent a camera before you invest.
The big question with this camera is, which lens do you pair it with for travel? There’s a compelling argument to be made for the Sony FE 24-105-mm f/4 G ($1,300), which gives you everything from wide to portrait with a little bit of extra reach as well. Another great option if you like primes is the Sony 40-mm f2.5 G ($748), which makes for a compact kit, and 40-mm is a surprisingly great focal length for travel in my experience.
★ Alternatives: At $2,198, Sony’s A7C II (note, no R) is a bit cheaper. It uses Sony’s smaller 33-MP sensor but is otherwise very close in size and capabilities.
Don’t let the cooler weather of the past couple of days fool you, because the 90-degree weather is set to return this week — this is Texas, after all. If you find yourself chasing this brief respite from the heat, you might want to look north. Another short jaunt out of state is waiting to be discovered, just a few hours from Dallas…
A Colorado jury on Friday awarded $21 million to a woman who was paralyzed when she fell from a ski lift at Crested Butte Mountain Resort three years ago.
The jury verdict comes just over a year after the Colorado Supreme Court considered the woman’s case and ruled that liability waivers do not protect ski resorts when resorts violate state laws or regulations. That ruling allowed the lawsuit to go forward and likely ended a push by ski resorts to use such waivers to shield themselves from almost all lawsuits.
The case and its $21 million verdict may open up new avenues for skiers to sue ski operators, particularly over incidents involving chairlifts, said Brian Aleinikoff, an attorney for Annie Miller, the woman who fell in 2022.
“For the longest time, ski areas have been so insulated from lawsuits,” he said. “…At the end of the day the ‘inherent dangers’ and risks of skiing aren’t going to change. If you are skiing and you hit a rock or a bare patch or some ice or you go over a cliff, that is on you. But I think how some of the ski lifts operate — that is really where this will have the biggest impact moving forward.”
Jurors on Friday awarded the family $5.3 million in non-economic damages, $10.5 million in economic damages and $5.3 million in damages for physical impairment and disfigurement, according to an order from 17th Judicial District Court Judge Jeffrey Smith.
The jury assigned 25% of the fault for the incident to Miller and 75% of the fault to Vail Resorts, which owns Crested Butte Mountain Resort. Vail Resorts expects to pay a total of $12.4 million in damages both because of the jury’s assignment of fault and a statutory cap on non-economic damages.
“We disagree with the decision and believe that it was inconsistent with Colorado law,” Katie Lyons, communications manager for Vail Resorts, said in an email. “Still, we recognize the personal toll this accident has taken on Ms. Miller and her family, and we wish her continued strength in her recovery. We remain committed to the highest safety standards in our operations.”
Miller, now 20, was 16 when she fell 30 feet from a four-seat, high-speed chairlift at Crested Butte on March 16, 2022. Miller boarded the Paradise Express lift with her father, but couldn’t get properly seated, and grabbed the chairlift to keep from falling.
Her father and others began to yell for the lift to be stopped as she was dragged forward, but the lift continued with Miller hanging from the chair and her father trying to pull her back to safety.
Eventually, Miller fell and landed on her back. Even then, the lift did not stop, and her father, Michael Miller, was forced to ride to the top and ski down to his daughter, who suffered severe injuries and was paralyzed after the fall.
Michael Miller brought a negligence lawsuit against Crested Butte, arguing that the resort employees should have stopped the lift before his daughter fell.
Annie Miller is now a junior at the University of Tulsa, where she is studying music and psychology, Aleinikoff said.
“We are trying to hold ski areas accountable to ensure they are following the safety rules and violations they have agreed to follow, in order to protect folks like Annie Miller who come out and want to ski,” he said. “To me it is not asking that much of them.”
On newer Apple iPhones (and Apple Watches,) the Emergency SOS safety net can still connect you to rescue crews even when you’re out of cellular service, though it’s limited to transmitting key information when you’re in a sticky situation: where you are, what condition you’re in, and what you need help with. Unlike a satellite messenger, it won’t offer live tracking or two-way messaging where there’s no 4G/5G.
Pro tip: You’ll need to check the region to make sure cell SOS services are available. Some have only been deployed in the United States.
Why Pack a Satellite Messenger?
Photograph: Kieran Alger
If you’re firing up Expedition Mode and embarking on remote travel or outdoor adventures where cellular coverage and proximity to civilization is scarce, a good satellite messenger can be an important additional insurance policy to your smartphone.
“A satellite messenger is essential any time I head into remote areas where cell service is unreliable or simply doesn’t exist,’ says Manners. “In the Himalayas, for example, mountains, cliffs, and ridgelines block any signal between my phone and the nearest tower. In many high-altitude regions, towers don’t exist at all because they are too difficult to build and maintain, or the distance is simply too great for a phone to connect.
“A satellite messenger removes all of those limitations,” Manners continues. “Instead of relying on ground towers, it connects directly to satellites orbiting the Earth, allowing me to send messages, share my location, or trigger an SOS no matter how isolated I am.”
You want a satellite messenger when you’re thinking: Multiday hikes, ultra runs, thru-hikes, or backcountry skiing, as well as excursions into high-risk, low-signal environments like deserts, mountain ranges, dense forests, or offshore trips.
These mainly handheld devices use the Iridium and Globalstar low-Earth-orbit satellite networks, which are generally used for communication because they take less energy and have far less lag time than GPS. Most have basic screens to save power and long multiday battery life. Some endure as long as 200 hours.
“These devices are built for purpose,” says Kevin Stamps, Garmin Response senior manager. “Specialist battery life capabilities mean it will not run out like your smartphone does, and reliable, durable and rugged designs are military-grade to suit challenging environments.”
“When I’m climbing in the Khumbu Valley and moving above 5,500 meters, the temperatures drop so low that a smartphone battery quickly drains or shuts down altogether,” says Manners. “A satellite messenger, however, is built to keep working in sub-zero conditions, at altitude, and even after being knocked around in a pack. That level of durability makes it a far more reliable safety tool in the high mountains.”
That old saying “no news is good news” doesn’t quite stand up when you’re heading into high-risk environments. Devices like the Garmin InReach Mini 2 beam your location onto sharable maps for real-time tracking. Some can also be programmed to activate tracking when you reach or depart from specific locations, sending automated alerts to loved ones when you hit milestones on your adventure.
PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — On the heels of Florida’s Back to School Sales Tax Holiday that just ended in August, a new sales tax holiday will take effect next week with hunters, campers and fishermen in mind.
What You Need To Know
Florida’s new sales tax holiday that targets outdoor enthusiasts runs from Sept. 8 to Dec. 31
Firearms, ammunition, and outdoor gear will be tax exempt for the first time
Floridians are expected to save $44.8 million during this period
It’ll be the first time firearms, ammunition and related accessories are tax exempt in the state of Florida.
Nearly 100 customers of the gun shop at Bill Jackson’s Shop for Adventure in Pinellas Park got creative and took early steps to secure their items, according to supervisor Russ Abston.
“We’ve had customers come in looking for particular products knowing that the tax free holiday is going to start on Sept. 8, and they’ve been putting things on layaway to actually lock down that item, so they can get it tax free when the holiday starts,” said Abston.
“For example, if you’re buying a $1,000 handgun, rifle or shotgun, which is the average firearm purchase in our shop, you would save $70, and that’s money that can be spent on something else to help stimulate the economy in other places,” Abston added.
There’s a strong chance you’ll find 74-year-old Charlie Kent, along with his 79-year-old brother Howard, on the gun range at Bill Jackson’s most days of the week.
“We come with one of the guys from Seminole First Baptist Church, and we come down as a group to have the chance to get together and socialize and have good thoughts together,” said Charlie Kent, a retired firearms instructor and law enforcement officer who served nearly 30-years at the Indian Shores Police Department.
“I think a bunch of us are waiting to buy ammo,” he continued.
There’s a wide range of hunting, fishing and camping items that are tax exempt, including rods and reels under $75, sleeping bags under $50 and tents under $200.
There is no spending cap for most items you would find in a gun shop.
“We live in the state of Florida with a lot of sportsmen, so this is going to be a great thing. It’s going to be huge. It’s going to increase business, and it’s going to save people a lot of money,” said Abston.
For the full list of exempt items during the sales tax holiday, effective Sept. 8 through Dec. 31, click here.
Although Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, don’t expect the North Texas weather to abide by that idea. So, we’re mapping out easy getaways to escape the lingering Texas heat…
How time flies. I first reviewed the original Urban Arrow in 2020, when my kids were 3 and 5. Back then, nothing delighted a couple of preschoolers more than strapping into a big, motorized cargo bike and scooting around town, shrieking, with the wind blowing in their tiny faces. Alas, they are now 8 and 10. When I picked up my 8-year-old two days ago, he crouched down in the box while sitting on the padded seats (with seat belts!) so that none of his friends would see him.
All this to say: My Tern GSD and I are great friends, but I wish my kids were five years younger so I could’ve bought the FamilyNext Pro instead. Urban Arrow’s new electric cargo bike has a lot of great upgrades, is easier to ride than ever, and is even more useful as my kids have gotten older.
Bounce House
To the naked eye, the two biggest upgrades to the FamilyNext Pro are a newly redesigned cargo box and suspension on the front fork. (It also comes in a very classy, new sage green, but unfortunately, my demo bike was in black.)
The box looks totally different—my friend asked if my bike had gotten longer somehow. It’s longer and slimmer, with rounded corners instead of square ones, and there are now headlights on the bike. It has shorter sides, so it’s easier to get in and out. Unlike other bakfiets, or box bikes, that I’ve tried, the box sits much lower to the ground. I can confirm that in my testing, both adults and kids had an easy time climbing in and out.
The box is made from expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam, which is initially disconcerting—it shows dings and bumps very easily. However, Urban Arrow describes it as “an upside-down helmet,” and the foam cushioning did reassure me that even if I let the bike tip over, my kids or friends wouldn’t just immediately hit the pavement. You can also replace the foam easily in the event of a crash or some other unsightly event.
The front cargo box now has a front fork with 60 millimeters of travel. I truly love this. It really is a safety issue when you’re going fast with 60 to 150 pounds in the front box. I was cruising along at 20 mph and hit a pothole, and I just boinged right out of it.
MENTOR, Ohio — While it may seem hard to believe, fall is emerging already in the Buckeye State.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is preparing to celebrate, but not with the traditional pumpkin patch or pumpkin-flavored drink. Instead, Ohioans are invited to celebrate the fall migration of hundreds of birds at the annual Headlands Birding Festival.
What You Need To Know
The Headlands Birding Festival is returning this month
It runs from Sept. 19 to Sept. 21 in northeast Ohio
Attendees can join field trips to some of the migratory hotspots
“Every fall, Ohioans are treated to one of nature’s most incredible journeys as thousands of birds pass through our state,” said ODNR Director Mary Mertz. “The Headlands Birding Festival is the perfect way to celebrate this migration while connecting people with the wonder of our natural world.”
The festival is set for Friday, Sept. 19 through Sunday, Sept. 21 at Headlands Beach State Park and other nearby locations.
Headlands/Mentor Marsh region is one of the state’s top birding areas, with Lake County documenting 352 species of birds alone.
Attendees can join field trips to some of the migratory hotspots, including a boating experience on Lake Erie. Presentations will be held throughout the festival on bird identification, migration and other related topics.
The festival is open to all, regardless of experience levels, but registration in advance is encouraged to secure spots for field trips and presentations.
Buying a direct-to-consumer bike can be almost as big a gamble as investing in cryptocurrency. While a customer is not likely to lose their shirt investing in a new electric bike, buying a poorly made one may result in a serious crash or catch the garage on fire. For these reasons and more, it’s wise to do some research before clicking on the Add to Cart button.
The highest-end legacy-brand e-MTBs retail for upwards of $14,000. So what do you get for $2,095, the price of Ride1Up’s first-ever electric mountain bike, the TrailRush? At first glance, quite a lot. The California-based company has been around since 2018 and differentiates itself from other direct-to-consumer brands by speccing its bikes with solid components, providing a quality-to-price ratio that it promises “can’t be beat.”
Solid Parts
Photograph: Stephanie Pearson
The TrailRush is a Class III ebike, which means that it doesn’t have a throttle, and the motor maxes out at 28 mph. It’s an aluminum-framed hardtail with a Shimano Deore 10-speed drivetrain, a 120-mm RockShox Judy Silver TK Air Fork, and Tektro Orion Quad Piston brakes—all products with track records that promise solid performance.
It also comes with nice extras, like a 150-mm Exaform dropper seat post and chunky Maxxis Minion tubeless-ready tires that are 29 inches in the front and back—a reasonably priced, high-performance set of tires often preferred by enduro or downhill riders. Interestingly, instead of Presta valves, the tires come with Schrader valves, which is a nice feature if you plan on filling up on air at a gas station.
For e-components, the mid-drive TF Sprinter motor is made by the Brose, the German company that Specialized uses for most of its drive technology. With 90 nm of torque and 250 watts of sustained power, it’s on the low end of force for an electric mountain bike. The 36-volt, 504-watt-hour removable battery runs the length of the down tube and promises 30 to 50 hours of range.
The bike’s front shock has a very big 120 mm of travel, which is common on a cross-country bike, but the frame is overall more relaxed. For example, the size medium frame has a more relaxed riding geometry, with a very long 1,216-mm wheelbase, which gives it more stability. Overall, the TrailRush was built to handle a little bit of everything a trail can throw your way.
Smooth, Quiet Ride
Photograph: Stephanie Pearson
At 57 pounds, the TrailRush is 2 to 12 pounds heavier than the other e-mountain bikes I’ve tested and more than twice the weight of my non-electric cross-country mountain bike. Whether you’re entirely new to mountain biking or amping up your ride from an analog version, it’s imperative to understand that e-MTBs bring great joy, until they run out of battery and you have to push them home. Or, worse, they end up on top of you in a fall, which can be lethal.
