Peak Performance: 8 Mountain Gear Essentials
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Whether biking or hiking, camping or climbing, this mountain gear will have you covered from base to summit
By Dina Mishev
Guiding Light
The SEO 7R headlamp by LED Lenser senses the light level and adjusts accordingly — no hands necessary — putting out from 20 to 220 lumens. Its red LED light, a help with night vision, is just showing off. $90, ledlenserusa.com
Fruits for Your Labor
Skratch Labs makes its sports drinks and gummies using real ingredients, with flavors — orange, raspberry — that come from actual dried fruits. From $1.95, skratchlabs.com
Warm on the Range
NEMO Equipment’s Sonic series of down sleeping bags have stretchy baffles around the knees for side sleepers and Thermo Gills that cool the bag’s internal temperature by as much as 20 degrees. $529, nemoequipment.com
Show, Don’t Tell
Being tough doesn’t have to be rough. Make every day a mountain day with Look Human’s supersoft crew neck tee. $28, lookhuman.com
Action Packed
Made from ripstop, waterproof nylon, Salomon’s slim-fitting Skin Pro 15 Set carries a full day’s supplies and hiking poles or a biking helmet — even an ice ax — with ease. $150, salomon.com
Pump It Up, Or Not
Pump filters are a thing of the past thanks to the ease and efficacy of Katadyn’s new, collapsible 0.6 liter BeFree flask. Its built-in microfilter protects against bacteria and cysts. $39.95, katadyn.com
Metal Locker
The compact, lightweight screw-locking Petzl Spirit is the first carabiner we pull out at the belay station. Ropes glide through it like butter. $15.95, petzl.com
Easy Rider
Niner’s RKT 9 RDO flies through the toughest conditions with ease and speed while tackling tight switchbacks with ninja-like agility. $4,500, ninerbikes.com