What are the best travel gear comparison sites for backpacking trip research?

Here are some of the best travel gear comparison sites for backpacking trip research, depending on whether you want reviews, price comparisons, specs, or real-world testing:

Best overall gear review/comparison sites

1. Switchback Travel

   • Great for in-depth backpacking and hiking gear reviews
   • Strong “best of” comparison lists
   • Good for tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, and layers

2. Outdoor Gear Lab

   • One of the best for side-by-side comparisons
   • Very structured testing and scoring
   • Excellent for backpacking-specific gear like packs, tents, sleeping pads, and stoves

3. SectionHiker

   • Very useful for ultralight and backpacking-focused gear research
   • Detailed hands-on reviews and comparison guides
   • Good if you care about weight and long-distance trekking

4. Carryology

   • Best for travel bags, packs, and organization gear
   • More focused on carry systems and travel-friendly design than pure backpacking, but still useful

Good for buying decisions and user feedback

5. Amazon reviews + Reddit gear threads

   • Not a comparison site by itself, but great for broad user feedback
   • Subreddits like r/Ultralight, r/backpacking, and r/CampingGear can help you compare real user experiences

6. Backpacking Light

   • Excellent for serious backpackers, especially ultralight enthusiasts
   • Strong technical discussion and gear comparisons
   • Some content is behind a membership

Best for price checking

7. REI

   • Not a pure comparison site, but useful for specs, user reviews, and reliable return policies
   • Great for checking product details side by side

8. Google Shopping / shopping search engines

   • Good for price comparison across retailers
   • Best used after narrowing down which gear you want

Best for travel-specific packing research

9. Packing List sites and trip planners
   • Useful if you’re researching what to bring rather than which exact product to buy
   • Search for “backpacking packing list” and “ultralight gear list” guides

My quick recommendation

If you want the fastest, best research stack:

• Outdoor Gear Lab for direct comparisons
• Switchback Travel for shortlist-style recommendations
• SectionHiker for backpacking/ultralight specifics
• Reddit for real-world user opinions
• Google Shopping for price comparison

If you want, I can also give you:

• a ranked list specifically for ultralight backpacking gear, or
• a gear research workflow for tents, packs, sleeping bags, and footwear.