>>3189655That's a good question. None of the stuff I have is really fancy but it's taken years to pull together the stuff I need for the backcountry. A good pair of boots took me 6 pairs to find, and everyone will have different feet. I finally settled on Zamberlans and my feet feel better than ever. I wear them out every 12 months beyond the ability to be re-soled so I replace them every year at the REI spring sale.
Other than that, the most amazing piece of kit I can recommend to stay warm is a neck gaiter. It's like a tight-fitting scarf that keeps your neck and face warm and it's been the most amazing thing for cold weather. It goes with me 12 months of the year if I'm backpacking anywhere.
Mostly the rest is just your normal stuff. It's always good to have rain gear, some dry bags, whatever gloves and beanie will keep you warm, a good down jacket and sleeping bag. Sleeping pads are also huge for keeping you warm. The lighter they are the less warm they tend to be. I'm not totally satisfied with my glove situation as it's hard for photographers to find something good. My stuff is a hodgepodge of random middle-of-the road brands. I don't really like tents but they become necessary in the cold or rain. I usually just use the rainfly portion of the tent and leave out the inside to save weight. If there's no chance of ill weather I'd rather just sleep under the open sky. I don't have a great light-weight tent so I can't recommend much there.
I had been using camera bags and strapping crap to the outside, but this summer I came across a local Colorado company called Seek Outside that actually makes a backpacking camera bag. It's been great so far.
I can deal with hiking temps waaay below 0°F, but I don't think my current sleeping gear would do well below the teens.
Another Canada shot, from a more touristy destination. Ektar.
