Gear that earns its place in your pack.

Hand-picked tents, packs, boots, and essentials for every trail — researched in depth and recommended on merit.

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Tents

Tree tents, bell tents, backpacking shelters, and rooftop setups.

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Backpacks

Daypacks, thru-hike packs, and hydration systems for every distance.

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Hiking Shoes

Boots, trail runners, and approach shoes chosen for real terrain.

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Hammocks

Camping hammocks, underquilts, and suspension systems.

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Gear & Essentials

Stoves, filters, headlamps, and the small stuff that matters most.

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Clothing

Layers, rain shells, base layers, and trail-ready apparel.

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Recent Finds

Hand-picked and deeply researched

Editor's Pick LIVEOUTSIDE10
Tree Tents

Tentsile Flite 2-Person Tree Tent

The Flite is Tentsile's lightweight two-person tree tent: compact enough to carry on a backpacking trip, quick to pitch once you find three anchor points, and comfortable enough for a real night's sleep off the ground. Tentsile gives it a 5,000 HH waterproof rating and a 2,500-hour UV rating, so it is built for rain and sun alike. Two people sleep clear of rocks, roots, and wet soil, which makes it a natural first tree tent.

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Editor's Pick LiveOutside10
Canvas Bell Tents

Stout Bell Tent — PRO Series 5M

Hand-sewn from premium USA-sourced cotton canvas, the PRO Series bell tent is built for decades of use. The single center-pole design creates standing room throughout, and the natural canvas breathes in summer heat while insulating with a wood stove in winter. A lifetime warranty backs the craftsmanship.

Use code LiveOutside10 for 10% off Shop Stout Tent
Travel Packs

Cotopaxi Allpa 28L Travel Pack

The Allpa is the rare pack that works equally well on a plane and on a trail. The full clamshell opening lets you pack and access gear like a suitcase, while the padded laptop sleeve and internal organization keep everything sorted. Each Del Dia colorway is unique, made from remnant fabrics. At 28 liters it fits under most airline seats and holds enough for a long weekend. Not built for serious hiking loads, but for travel with day hike capability it is hard to beat.

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Water Filtration

LifeStraw Peak Series Water Filter

The Peak Series is LifeStraw's re-engineered personal straw: 2.3 ounces, with a 0.2-micron membrane that removes 99.999999% of bacteria and 99.999% of parasites and microplastics. Drink straight from a lake or stream, or thread it onto a standard water bottle or a gravity hose when you want filtered water to carry. One straw is good for up to 4,000 liters, and an unused one keeps indefinitely in a pack or an emergency kit. It does not remove chemicals or heavy metals, so choose your source with care.

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Mountaineering Boots

La Sportiva Makalu Mountaineering Boot

The Makalu is a full-grain Idro-Perwanger leather boot built for alpine terrain, glacier travel, and heavy pack loads. The Vibram sole accepts semi-automatic crampons, and the 3mm leather upper shrugs off rock abrasion that would shred synthetic boots. It requires a proper break-in period, but once formed to your foot it will last for years of hard mountain use. La Sportiva makes it as one model, in EU sizes 38 to 48 with half sizes.

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Hydration Packs

12L Day Hiking Hydration Pack with 2L Bladder

With a 2-liter bladder included, this is the simplest way to stay hydrated on day hikes without carrying a full daypack. The 12-liter capacity holds the bladder plus a few essentials like snacks, a phone, and a light layer. No brand-name suspension or fancy features, just straightforward hydration for short outings. If you hike in hot weather and water is your primary concern, this gets the job done at a fraction of what name brands charge.

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Why Live Outside

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Three Decades of Gear Experience

Our founder has worked in outdoor gear since the '90s — importing tents from Italy and selling camping gear online before most stores had websites.

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Brands can't buy a spot in our guides—we recommend gear on merit and clearly disclose every affiliate relationship.

Curated, Not Aggregated

90+ hand-picked items across 6 categories—because more isn't better, better is better.

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Six Questions

What's your Hiker ID?

Our sister site HikeID sorts you into one of six Hiker IDs, each with three starter picks from these guides.

  • The Tree Sleeper
  • The Gram Counter
  • The Dawn Patrol
  • The Scrambler
  • The Rain-or-Shine
  • The Base Camper
Find Your Hiker ID
Questions

Common Questions

Click our exclusive affiliate link and a 5% discount applies to your Tentsile order automatically. Enter code LIVEOUTSIDE10 at checkout as a backup to make sure the discount registers — the link and the code give the same 5% savings, so you are covered either way.
Enter our exclusive code LiveOutside10 at checkout on stouttent.com for 10% off everything except stoves. The code came with Stout Tent's relaunched 2026 affiliate program and is specific to Live Outside, so it is current and verified. Our Stout Tent coupon page has the details and the full bell tent lineup.
Tree tents like Tentsile suspend between trees, keeping you off the ground for a hammock-meets-tent experience — perfect for uneven terrain and a truly unique night outdoors. Bell tents like Stout Tent are spacious canvas structures that sit on the ground, ideal for glamping, family camping, and events. Both are excellent; it depends on your camping style.
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