Best Camping Gear for Climbers

Feb 26, 2024

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Photo: Suzanne Stroeer/Aurora Photos/Getty

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Camping is a mandatory part of climbing. Whether you’re tucked into El Cap Tower or on Denali’s Cassin Ledge, camping enables us to climb at the world-class areas beyond our local zones.

But camping—or bivouacs/bivys in climbing parlance—is a thoughtful and expensive game. A bad night’s sleep can kill your climbing performance the next day, but so will a cripplingly heavy backpack loaded with a cot and thick duvet. That’s why the editors at Climbing follow a three-pronged approach when choosing any piece of camping gear: (1) Is it unnecessarily heavy? (2) Will it keep me warm and dry? (3) Is it worth the price tag?

Depending on your objective, your environment, and how much you prioritize sleep/are willing to suffer, one of these three prongs will hold more weight than the others. But we’d encourage you to strike a balance as much as you can: a heavy pack sucks, but so does a bad night’s sleep.

Below, find our editors’ favorite camping gear when we’re climbing far from the road.

Anthony is a digital editor at Climbing and avoids sleeping in his bed as much as he can. Based in the Canadian Rockies, Anthony is within firing distance of many serious ranges for his smash-n-grab weekend missions, including the Bugaboos, Rogers Pass, and the Icefields Parkway. He logged many nights bivied below routes for this article, in temps as low as -40.

Basics: This is a lightweight (3lb 6oz/1,545g) four-season tent. It has steep walls to optimize headroom and two small inner mesh pockets to organize key gear like your headlamps and radio. The tent can be set up from the inside, using two equal-length poles, and the door and a rear window are covered in no-see-um mesh to provide a mosquito-proof source of cross ventilation.

Our thoughts: The Firstlight is a stalwart alpine-climbing tent, fit to withstand the harshest winds. One tester, while camped in the Bugaboos, weathered a brutal windstorm that ripped tied-down tents from their guy lines and sent ice axes pin-wheeling through space. After the storm passed and he emerged from his intact Firstlight, the tester noticed that of the 20-odd tents in camp, only a handful were still standing, and four of them were Firstlights.

There are many strong tents on the market (especially those included in this article) but the Firstlight remains popular for three solid reasons: it is strong, it is light, and, unlike other high-end tents, it is relatively inexpensive. What’s the catch? There is some assembly required with the Firstlight, namely the seams that you have to seal yourself, and, even then, the tent’s single-wall fabric is absolutely not waterproof. This is not typically an issue in dry alpine environments—and the tent can reasonably be called “water resistant”—but don’t expect this tent to keep you dry during a PNW rainstorm.

Price: $450

Basics: The Assaut2 Ultra is the lightest fully functioning climbing tent around, clocking in at just 2lb 3oz (980g). It is legitimately waterproof (20,000 mm in a water-column test), extremely breathable (40,000 g/m²/24h), and its Dyneema walls and floor make it one the strongest tents we’ve ever tested. Under the hood, the Assaut2 Ultra has two head-to-toe mesh side pockets and one ceiling pocket for gear organization. It also has a fully rated Blue Ice climbing sling embedded in the ceiling, allowing you to easily clip in at exposed bivies once you’ve secured the tent.

Our thoughts: The Assaut2 Ultra is realistically the highest-performing climbing tent on the market right now. It has a level of waterproofness that would make a fly fisher envious, and it is vastly more ventilating than this industry’s most high tech “waterproof breathables”—a real plus when you’re stuck in the tent for days and your partner’s mouth-breathing threatens to steam you out. Not to mention the tent’s robust face fabric is made of Dyneema, which is also hydrophobic, and is famously 15 times stronger than steel, gram for gram. Carbon poles keep the tent’s weight low and strength high, and are easy to set up by headlamp or mid-storm. For such a light tent we found the interior to be surprisingly livable, owing to the three generously sized mesh pockets and rated clip-in sling. A spacious vestibule, sold separately, adds four square feet of living space for just 14oz (405g).

Is there a catch with this tent? (There’s always a catch.) It costs pretty penny to buy the best in class.

Price: $2,070

Basics: The UltaMid 2 is a 1lb 3oz (541g) floorless pyramid-shaped tent. Its walls are Dyneema, providing unmatched strength and weatherproof-ness, and its lofty ceiling is vented with no-see-um mesh. The floorless design allows you to leave task-specific items like tent poles at home, and erect the structure with your trekking poles or skis instead.

Our thoughts: Don’t let the UltaMid 2’s floorless design fool you into thinking it’s some weak, single-use structure—the folks at Hyperlite Mountain Gear are well known for their bomb-proof products and the pyramid tent is no exception. Our testers were seriously impressed with the UltaMid 2’s strength while waiting out a thunderstorm that pounded their glacier-bound camp. With just ski-strapped trekking poles propping up the shelter, the UltaMid 2 held fast—and shed the downpour with ease—allowing them to attack their alpine-rock objectives with high spirits later that day.

The UltaMid 2’s greatest asset is its versatility; an insert with mesh walls and a waterproof floor can be purchased separately, providing top-tier protection from mosquitoes and downpours alike.

As a result, the UltaMid 2 is equally at home in buggy, valley-bottom campsites and remote alpine glaciers—and everywhere in between.

Price: $825

Basics: The Nemo Chogori is a four-season tent that comes in both two- and three-person sizes. The Chogori’s big innovation is the built-in tent-fly—that is, the tent itself and the rainfly are not two component pieces but come pre-attached.

Our thoughts: The innovation of the integrated fly in the Chogori is a game-changer in terms of assembly. Combined with the external-pole structure, this makes set up lightning fast—and every minute saved can be crucial on wind-scoured glaciers. The two-person model could fit three people in a pinch, and its burly materials all add up to a good balance of weight, breathability, and durability, making the tent well suited for cold basecamps in Alaska, the Andes, or the Himalaya. The biggest drawback is related to its biggest asset: The built-in fly can be limiting in terms of portability, packability, repairs, and drying.

Price: $750

Read our full review here.

Basics: The Sea To Summit Ether Light XT Extreme is a robust and incredibly warm (R-value of 6.2) sleeping pad designed for winter camping, climbing expeditions, and cold sleepers. The pad is constructed with a layer of Thermolite insulation and has four inches of loft.

Our thoughts: This is a worthy sleeping pad for climbing missions that prioritize warmth and a good night’s sleep over weight and packability. The pad isn’t a behemoth, to be sure; it packs down to a third of the size of a closed-cell foam pad, and much lighter than a car-camping one. However, compared to ultralight options (with admittedly lower R-values), there is a weight penalty for making this pad part of your luxurious snow-cave bivy. Regardless, the Ether Light XT Extreme’s warmth and four inches of comfort should not be hastily dismissed: for done-in-a-day climbs that require a bivy below the route, multiple days at the same camp, or even cold sleepers who crave crisp sending temps, this pad will deliver.

Price: $219-$239

Read our full review here.

Basics: The Nemo Tensor is a featherlight blow-up sleeping pad, available in eight iterations to best suit your size and warmth preferences (insulated and non-insulated, from “regular mummy” to “long wide”). The insulated regular mummy, which Climbing tested, weighs 1lb 1oz (490g), has an R-value of 4.2, and is three inches thick.

Our thoughts: The Tensor has quickly become our editors’ go-to sleeping pad for year-round adventures. At an R-value of 4.2 the pad is insulated enough for winter bivies and glacial tent sites, yet it lacks the heft of most similarly warm competitors thanks to two thin layers of “metallized film” to reflect your body’s heat. Aside from its impressive warmth-to-weight ratio, the Tensor also serves up a great sleep: its baffle construction is supportive and sturdy, and its face fabric is mercifully quiet. (No crinkling as you roll in your sleep.) We had no qualms about bringing the Tensor up summer alpine climbs, across ski-mo traverses, or into the backcountry midwinter. It happily did it all.

Price: $180-$230

Basics: The Therm-a-Rest Z Lite SOL is a simple and affordable closed-cell summer sleeping pad. It has an R-value of 2.0, weighs just 14oz (410g), and comes in two lengths.

Our thoughts: The Z Lite SOL is a favorite among fast-and-light rock climbers and hardcore winter alpinists alike. Though it isn’t the most plush sleeping pad around, nor the warmest, its close-cell structure has one undeniable benefit: it cannot be punctured. (A second benefit: it’s cheap!) If you tend to sleep in rocky areas where popping your pad is a real concern, the Z Lite SOL lays those concerns to rest—and can be used as a first layer to protect a blow-up mat, too.

Price: $49-$59

Basics: This bag is stuffed with 800-fill Nikwax Hydrophobic Down; has heat-mapped zone insulation combined with a boxed-baffle construction to optimize weight and warmth; a side-zippered pocket; and removable straps to secure the bag to a pad.

Our thoughts: One reviewer called it “the nicest bag I’ve ever owned.” Filled with a highly compressible Hydrophobic Down, the Parsec absorbs 90 percent less water and dries three times faster than untreated down. On more than one occasion our tester’s bag got wet while camped in a heavy rainstorm, and yet she stayed warm and dry, while her partner, in his lesser bag, did not.

And good news for side sleepers: The bag’s two sets of lightweight, stretchy straps located in the top and bottom halves of the bag securely fix it to your sleeping pad. Roll around all you’d like—this thing is staying put.

Price: $530

Read our full review here.

Basics: This bag is stuffed with high-quality 850-fill down; has an interchangeable draft collar; a one-handed hood-and collar-cinch system; zipper interior pocket; and is available in three sizes.

Our thoughts: The Bloody Mary is perhaps one of the most versatile sleeping bags our lead tester has ever owned, thanks to its three choices of draft collar, a full-length zipper, and adjustable mummy hood. If, like him, you tend to adjust and re-adjust throughout the night, you’ve surely felt hard-won warmth escape through your bag’s collar as you flip again onto your shoulder to block out your partner’s chainsaw snores. In the Bloody Mary, its “Marie Antoinette collar” zips into the back of the bag at neck-height and sticks to Velcro on the front, providing a comfortable, neck-wrapping tube of down to eliminate heat loss. For warmer nights, you can swap in a half collar—or, in summer, go with no collar at all. Speaking of which, a head-to-toe zipper provides much-needed ventilation for warm-weather bivies, yet can be quickly zipped up (read: snag-free) and is lined with a generous draft tube once the night wears on, clear and cold.

Price: $520

Read our full review here.

Basics: This bag is filled with ethically sourced 800-fill down; has a full-length center zip; a roomy toe box; and a zipped interior pocket.

Our thoughts: The Fitz Roy 30F (and, for that matter, its cold-weather sibling, the 20F) is a simple and featherlight no-B.S. bag. The down is organized with horizontal baffles on the head, shoulders, and feet to control migration, and vertical baffling in the middle to keep the weight as low as possible. Another feature that sets this bag apart from other top-end mummies? For our sibling publication Outside, it was the hood. That’s not surprising, considering Patagonia’s reputation for perfecting jacket hoods, like on the much-loved Grade VII Belay Parka. Uncinched, the Fitz Roy’s hood holds enough structure to feel protective, yet opens wide enough to view the entire Milky Way. When cinched into a tight crescent with the two drawstrings at the neck, the baffling around the hood keeps out the cold, but the exposed area is still wide enough to avoid claustrophobia and, best of all, field-of-view is still unimpeded.

Price: $400

Basics: Good To-Go’s dehydrated meals are flavorful, lightweight, and nourishing, with easy-to-pronounce ingredients. All of their meals are gluten-free and are primarily vegan and vegetarian. The meals have a maximum five-year lifespan, are packaged in a durable plastic bag, and require boiling water to prepare.

Our thoughts: Good To-Go is a worthy option for overnight climbers and campers who want to eat real food with a finite lifespan. The company’s celebrated chefs are on display at each meal, with offerings ranging from spicy Korean bibimbap to hearty Mexican quinoa bowls (a favorite is the new “breakfast hash” with butternut squash, feta, and rosemary), providing 13 different entrées that accommodate a range of ethnicities, taste preferences, and dietary restrictions.

Read our full review here.

Price: $7-$15

Basics: Backpacker’s Pantry is a cornerstone of the just-add-water food industry, and for good reason: they’ve been making lightweight camping food since the ‘50s. Their offerings have evolved to serve most any diet—whether you’re vegan or soy-free—and have a respectable calorie-to-weight ratio.

Our Thoughts: Backpacker’s Pantry has a long menu (44 at last count), making it a great one-stop-shop when purchasing meals for a big group or a long trip. We loved digging into the Pad Thai and Blueberry Peach Crisp after a long day of climbing—any meal that serves real peanut butter and sriracha-lime flavors followed up with sweet summer fruits is slam dunk, in our books.

Price: $5-$13

Our thoughts: Designed for climbers seeking a life beyond freeze-dried chili mac, the WindBurner Group Stove System is our go-to for real meals in the hills. The spacious 2.5-liter pot served up peanut noodles for three on a fall overnight in Moab, Utah, and even when 45-mph winds knocked over our tent (yikes!), the windproof burner never wavered. A precise simmer control sautées veggies to perfection, and the non-stick ceramic coating prevents gunk from building up, which makes for easy cleaning. It may seem a little clunky at first, but the entire 1.3lb (590g) system nests together neatly, with room left for an 8-ounce fuel canister, utensils, and a dish rag.

Price: $200

Our thoughts: Bargain-priced gear is not always a good buy, but the Glacier Camp cuts the right corners. Its 4.9-inch-wide arms support a 3-liter pot, and it maintained a consistent flame at 10,600 feet in Colorado’s Tenmile Range. The design, however, is fussy. “You have to twist and remove the arms from the burner head for storage—but doing so doesn’t help it pack much smaller,” one tester says. Further tradeoffs for the price? The Glacier Camp doesn’t hold a flame well unless it’s fully cranked, and it lacks wind protection and a piezo.

Price: $30

Our thoughts: Want a stove that can do anything—that can handle cold temps as well as warmer ones? The MSR WhisperLite Universal is a liquid-fuel stove that can also take standard canisters. It’s extremely stable, which is a plus when you’re cooking in the snow, and it can boil a liter of water in a little less than seven minutes in the winter. It’s not especially light at 11.2 oz (317g), but it’s reliable enough to shine in subzero conditions and at altitude. Bonus: In addition to standard white gas, it can burn kerosene or unleaded gasoline, which makes it a smart choice for trips to remote areas where gear shops can’t be found.

Price: $150

Our thoughts: The FlipFuel solves a problem that overnight climbers will know all too well: having a surplus of half-empty fuel canisters and being forced to carry multiple of them into your climbing objective. Using the power of temperature differentials, the FlipFuel easily transfers unused fuel from one isobutane canister into another, ensuring that you are carrying exactly the amount of fuel you need—and not a gram more. This little device is a real MVP.

Price: $36