Outside Buyer's Guide Summer 2007 Garmsal Pack

Keeps You Cool

Admit it: Ever since you retired your fanny pack, you’ve missed being able to hike in the heat without soaking your T-shirt. With a curved suspension that lets air flow across your back, the Garmsal cools without compromising its carrying ability – or your cred. The crossed aluminum stays support loads that world crush lesser daypacks. It also gets high marks for versatility, thanks to an efficient cinch-cord compression system that snugs tightly around loads of little more than layers and lunch. But it can also go big, as one tester found after schlepping extra gear on a hike up 12,198-foot Pico de Teide, in the Canary Islands.

Bonus: With a trekking pack’s supply of pockets and the supportive frame, the Garmsal can be pressed into light overnight service.