English edition. Specs come from the makers' official pages in Japan. Prices are in Japanese yen (JPY) from Japanese online stores, and most shops ship within Japan only. Links marked JP open pages in Japanese. Buying from outside Japan? Rakuten's own forwarding service, Rakuten Global Express, ships Rakuten Ichiba orders to more than 80 countries and regions. Gas canisters and spray cans can't be shipped, and lithium batteries are capped at 100Wh per pack. Check their shipping quote before you order.

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Updated Oct 13, 2026

Hike Gear Note compares hiking and trekking gear, such as hiking boots, backpacks, rainwear and headlamps, by the numbers makers publish and by store prices. It started on Oct 13, 2026.

The writer, and what I write about

I write about numbers that can be confirmed in official materials and the prices stores sell at. I line up things that read the same to anyone: weight, capacity, waterproof rating, breathability, brightness and run time.

I'm a "gear nerd" who loves nothing more than comparing official spec sheets, and I hike in Japan and abroad. Beyond listing the numbers as they are, I add figures I recalculate myself, such as weight per liter of capacity, price per gram, and brightness per unit of weight.

Makers' claims are written separately, as "according to the maker." I have not yet published data I measured myself using the gear in the mountains.

The same writer also runs "Golf Gear Lab," which compares golf clubs by the numbers, "Race Gear Note," which compares running gear, "Camp Gear Note," and "Pickleball Gear Note."

How the rankings are decided

I make one ranking per type of gear. The ranks are chosen by the writer based on weight, waterproof or brightness figures, construction, price and more, and a "Why this rank" table in each article gives the reason for each rank. Ranks are never changed based on the size of affiliate commissions.

Where the numbers come from

Numbers I could not confirm are marked "not confirmed" and left blank.

On mountain safety

Gear numbers do not promise safety in the mountains. Prepare a plan and gear suited to the mountain and season, file a climbing plan, and turn back when the weather is bad. Snowy mountains require winter gear and skills. The articles introduce cautions issued by makers and public agencies.

About the photos

Background photos on the home page and other pages were chosen from Unsplash (free photos that can be used commercially). The photographers are Rohit Tandon (snowy mountains), Johannes Plenio (forest), Caspian Dahlström (mossy forest), Ben Lambert (hiking boots on a rock), Anant Chandra (a stone cairn and backpack overlooking snowy mountains), Valentina Kondrasyuk (a rainy forest trail and rainwear), Marek Piwnicki (snowy mountains at dusk and a headlamp's glow), Pascal Debrunner (snowy forest), and Masaaki Komori (mossy forest). Product images are Rakuten Ichiba product images, used with their links to the product pages.

Relationship with the makers

This site is an unofficial site run by an individual, with no connection to any maker. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Specs and prices can change, so check the official site and the store page before you buy.

About ads

This site takes part in affiliate programs such as Rakuten Affiliate. When a product is bought through a link in an article, this site may earn a commission. Commissions never change the numbers or the order items are listed in.

Who runs this site

This site is run by an individual. Please report errors through the Contact page. I will check, correct them, and add the update date to the article.