Our 3 Favorite Sub-$250 Purchases of 2022
You don't have to spend a fortune to go on adventures, but sometimes spending a little bit more can help. Here are our favorite sub-$250 purchases of 2022. (We also wrote about our favorite sub-$100 purchases).
(And matching footprint, $25)
Our regular backpacking tent is a three-person tent to give us some extra space. But when Meera did her solo trip, she aimed to cut weight down even further, so we got this excellent lightweight one-person tent. It saved her four pounds and provided all the space she needed by herself.
Ski Helmet: Jerry's Giro Neo, $145; and Meera's Smith Mirage, $140.
Renting a helmet along with your skis is easy and inexpensive, making the ROI on even an inexpensive helmet unattractive from a financial perspective. However, having our own helmets—ones we'd picked out specifically to suit us, and which hadn't been worn and sweated in by an untold number of other skiers with unknown bathing habits—has made every trip since nicer. The biggest downside is they're not easy to transport as a carry-on.
Ski goggles Jerry's Giro Semi, $90; and Meera's Smith Riot, $110.
I bought ski goggles back in high school and continued wearing them early last year. Meera had never owned them, so she bought new ones. It only took two trips to convince me that I was missing out, and indeed I was. The new goggles are larger, giving me better field of view; more comfortable, allowing longer days of skiing; and fit the helmets better, avoiding a sunburned strip of skin between the helmet and the goggles.
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