A canister stove screws onto a pressurized canister of isobutane/propane gas, offering fast, simple, clean cooking that is ideal for most three-season backpacking. Canisters are convenient and require no priming, but performance drops in cold and at altitude, and you can't always see how much fuel remains.
A camp stove is a portable stove for cooking and boiling water outdoors, burning fuel such as pressurized gas canisters, liquid fuel, alcohol, or wood. Backpacking stoves prioritize light weight and fast boiling, while car-camping stoves offer more burners and power. The fuel type is the main choice to make.
Loft is the thickness and fluffiness of insulation when it expands and traps air — the property that actually keeps you warm. Down and synthetic insulation work by lofting to hold a layer of still air against the cold; compressed, dirty, or wet insulation loses loft and warmth, so more loft generally means more warmth.
Fill power measures the loft, or fluffiness, of down — how many cubic inches one ounce of it fills. Higher fill power (such as 800-900) means the down traps more air per gram, giving more warmth for less weight. It rates down quality, not total warmth, which also depends on how much down (the fill weight) is used.
A mummy bag is a sleeping bag shaped to follow the body — wider at the shoulders, tapering to the feet, with a hood — to minimize dead air space and maximize warmth for weight. It's the standard shape for backpacking and cold conditions, at the cost of the roominess of a rectangular bag.
A backpacking quilt is a sleeping-bag alternative with no insulation underneath — where your body would crush it flat anyway — and often no zipper or hood, saving weight and bulk. It drapes over you and attaches to the sleeping pad. Quilts are popular with ultralight backpackers, trading some draft-proofing for less weight.
R-value measures a sleeping pad's resistance to heat loss — its insulation from the cold ground. Higher R-values mean warmer pads: roughly R1-2 for summer, R3-4 for three-season, and R5+ for winter. Since much body heat is lost downward to the ground, a pad's R-value matters as much as a sleeping bag's temperature rating.
A sleeping pad is an insulating, cushioning mat placed under a sleeping bag to provide comfort and, crucially, insulation from the cold ground. Its warmth is measured by R-value. Types include air pads, self-inflating pads, and closed-cell foam, trading off warmth, weight, comfort, and durability.
A sleeping bag is an insulated bag that keeps you warm while sleeping outdoors, rated by the lowest temperature it is designed for. Filled with down or synthetic insulation, it traps body heat; mummy-shaped bags maximize warmth for weight, while rectangular bags trade warmth for room. Pair it with a sleeping pad for insulation from the ground.
A tent footprint is a ground cloth cut to match the tent's floor, placed underneath to protect it from abrasion, punctures, and moisture. It extends the tent's life and adds a little waterproofing, though it adds weight; many campers substitute a cheaper cut sheet of polycro or Tyvek to save money and grams.