Mountaineering Gear Reviews
We tested the latest and the greatest from Black Diamond, La Sportiva, Garmin, MSR, Gregory and The North Face.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
When you are in the mountains, the right gear is often the difference between a sufferfest and something you'd like to do again. Ensuring you have the best down sleeping bag for your budget is a game changer. Lucky you, our dedicated team of testers has bought, tested and compared the rest of the mountainista essentials: from mountaineering backpacks, top mountaineering boots and ice axes. Last but not least, don't forget about our comparative altimeter watch reviews.
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Best Picks in Mountaineering Gear Reviews
Gaiters
Over the years, we've tested a dozen pairs of the top gaiters on the market to help you choose which ones to take on...
Four Season Tents
Looking for a 4-season tent? Let us help. We've researched hundreds of the most popular tents on the market and put...
Mountaineering Backpacks
For this review, our seasoned field testers took out a collection of the industry's leading mountaineering backpacks...
Mountaineering Boots for Men
Trying to find the best mountaineering boot? We've got you covered. Our testers reviewed 9 of the top products on the...
Mountaineering Boots for Women
Are you a woman in search of a mountaineering boot? We tested some of the best mountaineering boots for women...
Ice Axes
What's the best ice axe for mountaineering? We tested the best products and compared them head-to-head across a series...Mountaineering Gear Reviews Learning Center
How to Choose the Right Ice Axe
How do you choose an ice axe? Here are some key factors to consider when buying an ice axe for mountaineering....
How to Choose a Mountaineering and Alpine Climbing Backpack
If the ice axe is the posterchild of mountaineering, the backpack is our unsung hero. Mountaineering backpacks must...
4-Season Tents - How to Choose
We tested both single and double-walled tents. Single-walled shelters have one layer of wind and water resistant or...
How to Choose the Best Mountaineering Boots for Men
Mountaineering boots are an incredibly important piece of gear for the mountaineer, alpine climber, and ice or mixed...
How to Choose Gaiters
Love 'em or not, there is a lot to know about this simple outdoor accessory. If you are thinking about trying them for...Recent Product Reviews in Mountaineering Gear Reviews
Top Pick
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2 Review
The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2 is an extremely lightweight option for camping in all four seasons. It's made...
Top Pick
Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 Review
From Antarctica to Mt. Everest, the Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 has been used on remote expeditions worldwide and taken...
Lowa Alpine Expert GTX Review
The Lowa Alpine Expert GTX looks like a traditional mountaineering boot and generally performs like one. Though it...
Lowa Alpine Ice GTX Review
The Lowa Alpine Ice GTX is a no-nonsense cold weather mountaineering boot. The two main benefits of a supergaiter boot...
Top Pick
Black Diamond Speed 40 Review
The Black Diamond Speed series is an excellent range of reliable backpacks optimized for climbing, mountaineering, and...
Gregory Alpinisto LT 38 Review
The Gregory Alpinisto LT 38 is a reasonable pack for technical climbs with lighter loads. It is not well suited to...
Black Diamond Swift Review
The Black Diamond Swift is built with challenging glacier routes and steep snow climbs in mind. It is the only...
Top Pick
Petzl Ride Review
As one of the lightest in the fleet, the Petzl Ride is surprisingly versatile for its weight and features a 100% steel...
Top Pick
La Sportiva Trango Alp Evo GTX for Women Review
The La Sportiva Trango Alp is a longtime favorite among our avid mountain athletes. It is not the lightest summer...
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La Sportiva Spantik Review
The La Sportiva Spantik is a warm, double synthetic boot for high altitude alpine climbing and expeditions. It is very...
Best Buy
The North Face Mountain 25 Review
The North Face Mountain 25 remains a staple in mountaineering circles and has been a popular choice for many climbers...
Editors' Choice
Hilleberg Jannu Review
The Hilleberg Jannu is a versatile mountaineering and alpine shelter. It can be used on expeditions yet is still light...
Editors' Choice
Samaya2.0 Review
The Samaya 2.0 performed better than any other single-wall, 4-season tent in our review. The wait for completely...
Top Pick
MSR Remote 2 Review
The MSR Remote 2 is a great all-around 4-season tent that is burly enough for expedition use but still light enough...
Scarpa Mont Blanc Pro Review
The single leather mountain boot design has been around forever, and the Mont Blanc Pro is Scarpa's version of it...
La Sportiva Nepal Cube GTX Review
La Sportiva's Nepal line has set the standard for single leather mountain boots for many years. The La Sportiva Nepal...
Scarpa Phantom Tech Review
The Scarpa Phantom Tech is impressively light yet still kept our testers' feet warm. When it comes to climbing, this...
La Sportiva G5 Evo Review
The La Sportiva G5 Evo is an almost perfect mountain boot for cold weather ascents. It's one of our favorite boots for...
Best Buy
La Sportiva Trango Tower Extreme GTX Review
The La Sportiva Trango Tower Extreme GTX is our Best Buy Award winner. What makes this boot a good value isn't just...
Editors' Choice
Asolo Eiger XT GV Evo Review
The Asolo Eiger XT Evo GV is our favorite mountaineering boot and takes home the Editors' Choice Award. Their...
Patagonia Ascensionist 55 Review
The Patagonia Ascensionist series has long been a favorite among climbers for fast-and-light ascents and short...
Top Pick
Hyperlite Prism Review
The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Prism is an excellent all-around mountaineering backpack. It hauls heavy loads to basecamp...
Editors' Choice
Osprey Mutant 38 Review
The Osprey Mutant 38 earns top marks again and retains our Editors' Choice Award. This pack defies limits, shifting...
Top Pick
Gregory Denali 100 Review
The Gregory Denali 100 is an excellent pack for, you guessed it, Denali! This is an expedition-sized and...
Ortovox Peak Light 32L Review
The Ortovox Peak Light 32 is an excellent backpack for ski mountaineering. It is comfortable and compact with a slim...
Best Buy
Black Diamond Blitz 28L Review
The Black Diamond Blitz 28 is ready for your next fast-and-light charge to the summit of your dreams. This lightweight...
Osprey Mutant 52L Review
The Osprey Mutant 52 is the largest in the Mutant pack series and a celebrated edition. Industry-wide, the 50-liter...
Petzl Gully Review
The Petzl Gully is a true hybrid of an ice tool and an ultralight axe. While certainly not your classic all-arounder...
Top Pick
Arc'teryx Acrux AR Review
In the past, if you needed a mountaineering boot with a removable liner (for drying out in your sleeping bag on...
Black Diamond Raven Pro Review
The Black Diamond Raven Pro is the lighter cousin of the mega-popular Raven. The Raven Pro has all the same features...
Black Diamond Raven Ultra Review
The Black Diamond Raven Ultra is an average ice axe that is exceptionally comfortable to carry for long periods of...
Top Pick
Petzl Glacier Literide Review
The Petzl Glacier Literide is a surprisingly versatile axe for ski touring, general mountaineering, or moderate snow...
Petzl Glacier Review
The Petzl Glacier is a fantastic ice axe for an excellent price and was nearly the winner of our OutdoorGearLab Best...
Editors' Choice
Petzl Summit Evo Review
If we could only have one ice axe to use for everything from alpine rock climbing to complex glacier routes, the Petzl...
Petzl Summit Review
The Petzl Summit is a former winner of our Editors' Choice award and remains one of the best all-around models in our...
Best Buy
Black Diamond Raven Review
The Black Diamond Raven is one of the most popular models on the market today. It's a solid all-around mountaineering...
Top Pick
CAMP Corsa Review
The CAMP Corsa is the lightest CEN-B/Type 1 rated ice axe on the market. CAMP was able to do this by shaving off...
CAMP Corsa Nanotech Review
The CAMP Corsa Nanotech is a unique ice axe unlike almost any other on the market. Its design makes it one of the...
Top Pick
Petzl Sum'Tec Review
The Petzl Sum'Tec is a true hybrid of a traditional ice axe and an ice tool. It's the brainchild of the late Uli Steck...
Black Diamond Venom Review
The Black Diamond Venom is a modular ice axe that is geared towards steep snow climbs, moderate water ice, and complex...
CAMP Neve Review
The CAMP Neve is a solid general mountaineering ice axe for a great price. It comes with a built-in (and removable)...
Grivel Air Tech Evolution Review
The Grivel Air Tech Evolution (often shortened to Grivel Evo) is a former Editors' Choice winner, and it remains an...
Top Pick
La Sportiva Trango Cube GTX for Women Review
The La Sportiva Trango Cube GTX is a boot that could be absolutely perfect or absolutely rubbish, depending on your...
Scarpa Mont Blanc Pro GTX for Women Review
The Scarpa Mont Blanc Pro GTX - Women's is a sturdy product which is both warm and waterproof. It looks and acts...
Editors' Choice
La Sportiva Nepal Cube GTX for Women Review
If you're looking for a high caliber boot that performs well across the board, look no further than the La Sportiva...