Men's Health has revealed the winners of its 2026 Outdoor Awards, spotlighting the best gear for hiking, camping and outdoor adventure this year.

The team spent the past year testing hundreds of products in real-world conditions, from the fjords of Norway to the canyons of Utah, to find the best-of-the-best gear for outfitting outdoor adventures in what they're calling the golden age of ultralight.

• Best Backpacking Sleeping Bag – Nemo Disco Down Sleeping Bag ($280) – an ultralight Spoon-silhouette bag generously sized for shifting sleep positions, with 15- or 30-degree warmth ratings at under three pounds.
• Best Backcountry Stove – Jetboil TrailCook 1.2L Cook System ($180) – a minimalist stove with an easy-on/off lid and a built-in turn-and-click igniter for precise heat control.
• Most Innovative Cooler – Coleman Snap 'N Go Collapsible Hard Cooler ($200) – a hard cooler that collapses to a third of its size while keeping contents cold for up to 50 hours.
• Best Hammock – Haven Tents Spectre ($485) – a tent, sleeping pad and hammock in one, offering lie-flat comfort in an ultralight package.
• Best Water Filter Pack – LifeStraw Peak Series 3-in-1 Kit ($100) – a modular filter system that works as a straw, squeeze bottle or gravity system.
• Best New Lightweight Tent – Mountain Hardwear Aspect 2-Person Tent ($580) – a sub-four-pound two-person tent with dry-entry vestibules and dual sliders.
• Best Camp Pillow – Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight Pillow ($50) – a two-ounce pillow that packs down to the size of an egg.
• Best Camp Utensil – Gerber ComplEAT Folding Fork ($10) – a folding spork with a built-in silicone scraper, weighing under 0.6 ounces.
• Best Minimalist Camp Cookset – Sea to Summit Frontier Ultralight Collapsible Kettle Cook Set ($88–$100) – a nesting three-piece cook set for two, weighing under 11 ounces.
• Best Backpacking Chair – Helinox Chair Zero LT ($160) – a sub-1.5lb collapsible chair supporting up to 265 pounds, with a new X-strap for extra rigidity.
• Best New Backpacking Mat – Exped Ultra 6.5R Sleeping Pad ($200) – a sub-1lb sleeping pad with a 6.5 R-value for cold-weather insulation.
• Newest Sleeping Bag Innovation – Marmot Wraptor Sleeping Bag ($239) – a lighter-weight flap-and-snap bag that doubles as a camp quilt, at under four pounds.
• Best New Camp Chair – Yeti Trailhead Field Chair ($225) – Yeti's lightest chair yet, packing down to 37 by 3.6 inches.
• Best New Rooftop Tent – Thule Widesky Rooftop Tent ($4,000) – a rooftop tent with a futon-style convertible mattress and a sub-30-second pitch time.
• Best New Camp Storage – Rux Waterproof Duffel Box ($225) – a duffel-tote hybrid with a quick roll-top closure and the Rux storage ecosystem.
• Best New Backyard Chair – Zempire Xuno Lounger Camp Chair ($250) – a breathable camp lounger with integrated head- and footrests.
• Best New Family Tent – REI Westward 6 Tent ($549) – a spacious family tent with a 77-inch peak height and an oversized vestibule.
• Best Magnetic Lighting – Nite Ize Radiant Flex Rechargeable Lamp ($30) – a hands-free lamp with a magnetic base and gooseneck design.
• Best New Hardsided Cooler – Oyster Tempo Pro ($550) – an iceless cooler with a lid-mounted display for real-time temperature checks.
• Best New Portable Power Station – Goal Zero Yeti 1500 Portable Power Station ($1,500) – a sixth-generation power station charging up to 10 times faster, with IPX4 weather resistance.
• Best New Portable Firepit – Solo Stove Basecamp 24" Fire Pit + Stand Bundle ($400) – a portable, smokeless firepit wide enough to seat four.
• Best New Soft-Sided Cooler – Dometic Recon Softside ZL Large ($325) – a leak-resistant, zipper-free cooler keeping up to 35 cans cold for days.
• Best New Trail Running Shorts – The North Face Summit Series Pacesetter 5" Shorts ($80) – sun-protective, odour-free shorts with secure power-mesh pockets.
• Best Outdoor Performance Shirt – Proof Type 2 Training T-Shirt ($58) – a micro-grid tee with anti-odour effectiveness for multi-day wear.
• Best Packable Layer – Patagonia Nano-Air Ultralight Pullover ($199) – a featherlight, recycled-insulation mid-layer.
• Best Hiking Shorts – Outdoor Research Swift Lite Lined Shorts - 7" ($90) – breathable, UPF 30 hybrid shorts made with Bluesign-approved materials.
• Best Trail Cap – Mountain Hardwear Shade Lite Hat ($39) – a packable, UPF 50 hat with a quick-dry, adjustable design.
• Best New Fleece – Helly Hansen Odin Breeze Hooded Fleece ($160) – a quick-drying, helmet-compatible fleece with a top warmth-to-weight ratio.
• Best New UPF Hoodie – REI Flash Shade Hoodie ($70) – a breathable, fast-drying UPF hoodie with sleeve thumbholes.
• Best New Pants – Royal Robbins Wilder Pant ($135) – pants featuring built-in Mosquito Protection Technology.
• Best Hard-Shell Jacket – Arc'teryx Beta AR Jacket ($650) – now with Gore-Tex Pro ePE for wet-weather protection without PFAS chemicals.
• Best Windbreaker – The North Face Tek Approach Jacket ($160) – a wind-blocking, water-repellent jacket made with recycled materials.
• Best Zip-Up Fleece – Marmot PrimaLoft Evolve Aerothermal Hoody ($170) – a lightweight, high-loft fleece layer for changeable conditions.
• Best New Active Underwear – Smartwool Intraknit Boxer Brief ($55) – Merino wool and TENCEL Lyocell boxer briefs for breathability and odour resistance.
• Best New Waterproof Pants – Columbia Whistler Peak Pants ($220) – breathable, abrasion-resistant waterproof pants with built-in boot guards.
• Lightest Down Hoodie – Black Diamond Deploy Down 0.5 Pullover Hoody ($499) – the world's lightest down hoodie at just 148 grams.
• Most Versatile Headlamp – Coast WPH10R ($40) – a rechargeable 1,000-lumen headlamp that also works as a handheld or magnetic light.
• Best New Gear Case – Nestout Gear Case ($60) – a lightweight, rugged case for digital nomads and weekend campers.
• Best New Multitool – Gerber Stakeout Drive ($80) – a 10-in-1 multitool with pliers, a blade, scissors and a flip bit driver.
• Best New GPS Smartwatch – Coros Nomad ($349) – a dual-frequency GPS watch offering 22 days of battery life and 50 hours with GPS active.
• Best Satellite Device – Garmin inReach Mini 3 Plus ($450) – a colour-touchscreen satellite communicator with up to 350 hours of battery life.
• Best New Binoculars – Nocs Field Issue 42mm Binoculars – waterproof 10x42 binoculars for birdwatching, hunting or scoping summit routes.
• Best New Action Camera – DJI Osmo 360 ($550) – a one-inch sensor action camera with native 8K recording and up to 120fps in 4K.
• Best New Outdoor Speaker – Turtlebox Cub ($330) – a compact, IP67-rated speaker with a 4.5-inch driver and wireless stereo pairing.

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