BACKPACKING GEAR AWARDS 2023

As much as I tried to be thorough, in typical Dan Becker fashion, I forgot a couple things.. Battery Bank... Trowel.. Pants.. 🤦🏻‍♂ So they are listed in the description. Probably forgot more but I'm sure keyboard warriors will let us all know

I'm gonna make a video called " gear I cussed at this yr".

Put the fuel canister valve side down in your pot. The concave bottom will give you a little more room on top to fit more in the stove pot.

Thanks for talking up Sawyer again...they are a wonderful company with great products. Using both a BFree and a Squeeze on the Florida Trail I can now say with confidence that the Sawyer will always be my primary from now on. I went through 3 BFree filters during the 1100 mile hike (Florida water is hard on filters), but my Sawyer is still working just great...besides, after looking at the BFree I came to realize that most of the filtering is done by only the section of the filter closest to the mouth piece whereas the Sawyer forces all of the water to travel the full length of the filter.

And the Award for Best Backpacking Gear And Tips Channel goes to you Dan! Love your style and dry humor!

Hey Dan, I appreciate and respect your equip reviews because they are based on real world testing. So many sites on YouTube do these top ten list, often with some kind of cheesy computer generated voice. How they base their ratings is a big mystery. A lot of amazing gear in this one. Being a gear junky it’s really useful to have this kind of real life feedback. It helps minimize the amount of stuff I want to buy a test for myself. You’ve made a supporter out of me for the Sawyer products. I find their humanitarian efforts really incredible. Keep up the good work. Love all your videos. 👍 Big thank you to you and your team. ❤️

Another plug for the Cumulus Panyam 600 - when you order a bag from Poland, they will customise it for you. I am a side sleeper so I ordered more down in the back of the sleeping bag. And it’s amazing that it only cost $19 to ship from Poland! And it’s RDS down.

Dan thanks for an awesome gear review! Thanks for sharing what Sawyer is doing, Ive always been a fan of Sawyer now I am for life! God Bless you

I took the Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra all through 2 Hawaiian Island trails (incl Na'pali) and it was by far the easiest pack i've ever hiked difficult mountain trails. Its pretty durable too as i abused it all the way and it also endured sea water and lots of rain. Great pack!

Sweet we made the list!

Fantastic list! Keep the great videos coming Dan! Very helpful… for me I think the Soto Windmaster as opposed to the Amicus would have closed the gap for best stove because it also closes the gap between the burner and pot 😉.

Thank you Dan. Your transparency and integrity are inspiring. Not to mention the top notch quality you and your Team have produced so far. Long live to your channel and please continue sharing your passion!

Epic list - I can second (or third) the praise of the budget-friendly Paria Outdoors Bryce series of tents. Bulletproof and dirt cheap for the high value they provide.

Hey Dan, just wanted to say you have really inspired me and educated me on backpacking. I am also from SE Wisconsin and you have shown me what I have available around me to go backpacking! Thanks!

You're absolutely right about the Sawyer Squeeze - Nothing, literally, nothing beats it when all things are considered. And paired with a 3L 'Browns Bushcraft Millbank Bag' for pre-filtering, you won't even need to backwash your Sawyer...

Absolutely great vid! I prefer the Helinox Ground Chair as it’s more stable and doesn’t sink in the ground. Also I use the same Toaks 750/MSR pocket rocket setup and therefore I cook on the ground. The ground chair makes this for me more comfortable as I don’t have to bent over

Thanks Dan, I watch all your videos but this end of year list I personally like the best! We all as backpackers, campers and outdoor enthusiasts love your content!! Great job, keep it coming. "I would like to see Western Mountaineering develop more options into their bags. I like allot of the options and the dimensions on my Sea to Summit ACIII I only wish it was 950 down rather than 750 and a real pocket internal or external for something big enough for a cell phone. That way the same space can fit my water filter, chap-stick, headlamp etc. " Thank you again! See you on the trail one day.

I really enjoyed this video and I love your honesty when something doesn’t work well. I also love that you don’t discount a manufacturer just because one of their items didn’t work well. ie Big Agnes. Keep your integrity and God will continue to bless your channel. Tell your lovely wife we miss seeing her😊

Absolutely love the Nitecore headlamp ... by far one of my most used pieces of gear (on and off the trail!). My next favorite is the Toaks Titanium Long Handled Spoon with polished bowl ... absolutely the best eating utensil I've tried/used backpacking. Great video!

I love watching your reviews specially when you mention the space and how it would do with tall people or people over 200lbs my husband is 6’5” and it’s hard to find good reviews for products that are comfy for tall people 😊