Gear

Size the pack to the trip, let the hip belt do the carrying, and never let total weight pass 25% of your body weight.

Dome, tunnel, pyramid, or ridge — pick the structure for your terrain, then hold the line on three specs: fly coating, floor rating, and weight.

Trail runners to mountaineering boots — match the shoe to the load, fit them in the afternoon, and give a new pair 2–4 weeks before the trail.

Ninety degrees on flat ground, shorter going up, longer going down — and let the wrist straps carry the load instead of your grip.

Three numbers, three meanings — and two of them are not the one you should buy against. Here is what the standard ratings actually measure.

A well-packed pack carries itself. The order you load it changes how much work your shoulders do for the next eight hours.

The bag insulates from the air, the pad insulates from the ground, the liner adds warmth and keeps the bag clean — buy on the comfort rating, never the extreme.