The Near Zero Adventure Bundle Is the Perfect Gear Package for Beginner Backpackers

I remember my first backpacking trip. I was 19 years old and wanted to spend my spring break backpacking around North Georgia’s Cohutta Wilderness Area. I didn’t know I needed a sleeping pad to insulate me from the cold ground. I shivered through my first night and headed back to the dorm on day two. This was the ’90s, before the advent of YouTube tutorials, so I didn’t know what I didn’t know.

For newbies, backpacking can be intimidating. You have to carry all of your gear on your back, go deep into the woods, and be completely self-sufficient several miles from the nearest fast food restaurant. If you’ve never done it before, it can be a scary prospect. What gear will you need? How should you pack it?

Near Zero’s Adventure Bundle and The Dean 60-liter pack are designed to take the guesswork out of backpacking by providing all of the gear you need for an overnight adventure in one affordable bundle. For $600, about the price of a good tent, the bundle  comes with ten pieces of gear, from the workhorse 60-liter pack down to a titanium spork. There’s a two-person tent made from 20-denier ripstop with a single-pole design, a 25-degree sleeping bag, and even an inflatable pillow. All of the gear comes pre-packed in The Dean when it’s shipped, so just add water and food, and you can hit the trail.

At a Glance: Near Zero Adventure Bundle

$600 at Near Zero

Pack Volume: 60 L
Pack Weight: 3.7 lbs
Total Weight: 13.5 lbs

Pros and Cons
⊕ Comes with all the backpacking gear you need
⊕ Internal dividers and labels to help you pack
⊕ Included rain cover
⊗ Relatively heavy for a backpacking pack
⊗ Big for a backpacking pack

Testing the Near Zero Adventure Bundle

I spent two weeks testing out the system, setting up the gear in my backyard, and then using it all on an overnight 14-mile loop through Pisgah National Forest, and I was really impressed with Near Zero’s streamlined approach. If you’re already an experienced backpacker, you might find some of the aspects of The Dean and Adventure Bundle unnecessary, but it’s perfect for beginners.

The Dean simplifies packing with its built-in organizational dividers with specific spots dedicated to each piece of gear. Those spots are even labeled, so you know where to put your sleeping bag, tent, cookware, etc. You can buy The Dean separately ($199), and it will still come with those dividers and labels, but I highly recommend spending a little more to get the full Adventure Bundle. The ten pieces of included gear are quality items on par with what you can find in the mid-price range at your local outfitter.

That includes the 2P Dynalite Tent, which has a single pole design with color coded tabs, making it easy to pitch even for first-timers. I like the three interior pockets sewn into the mesh for stashing items you need to keep handy. The sleeping bag and pad (NZ 20 Mummy and Insulated Inflatable Pad) are both comfortable and lightweight, and the addition of the inflatable pillow is a nice touch. My favorite piece of gear is the mini stove—a stainless steel, feather-weight burner that packs into the included stainless steel cooking pot, leaving enough room to store a small canister of fuel inside the pot, too. If you were to buy those pieces of gear individually through Near Zero, you’d pay more than $1,000, and you could easily spend twice that much on similar gear at a traditional retail store.

All together, the bag and gear included in the bundle weigh less than 14 pounds, which isn’t an ultralight set up by any means, but it’s light enough to be manageable even for first time backpackers.

I hiked for seven miles each day of my trip with The Dean loaded down with gear, food, and water, and I was impressed with how comfortable the pack was on my back. I trekked through rough terrain, gaining 2,000 feet each day, rock hopping across streams, and shimmying beneath rhododendron tunnels, and The Dean never felt unwieldy or awkward. The shoulder and harness system are well padded without being over-engineered, and there are plenty of external pockets to stash things like snacks, keys, or your phone.

As I mentioned, the internal dividers are the big innovation in this pack, and I personally love the idea—a place for all your gear and all your gear in its place. Experienced backpackers might not appreciate this type of organization because they likely have their own system for packing gear. If that’s the case, you can remove the dividers and have a large, cavernous space to fill as you please. One of my favorite features of the pack are the two oversized water bottle sleeves on the sides, which are big enough to fit 32-ounce water bottles and other gear, too. I stuffed my map, GoPro, and tripod in those sleeves along with my water, and could reach everything without having to take the pack off my back.

Aside from the internal organization, The Dean has a pretty straightforward design with most of the details you’d expect from a good backpack, like a dedicated water bladder slot, built-in rain cover, and a frame that’s adjustable from 14 to 22 inches.

I only have minor complaints about The Dean. There are a couple of gear tabs on the outside of the pack that occasionally get in the way of the main compartment’s zipper. I also wish that it came in a smaller size. A 60-liter pack is large—I typically try to pare down my gear to fit inside a 45-liter pack. But The Dean and the Adventure Bundle are designed for beginners, and overpacking is a way that newbies comfort themselves before heading out into the big, bad wilderness, so I understand the larger size.

One thing to consider: If you’re backpacking in a place that requires a bear proof canister, you’ll probably have to remove one or more of the dividers in this bag to make room for those cumbersome containers.

As for the other gear that comes with the Adventure Bundle, it’s all highly curated and exactly what someone new to backpacking should carry. The titanium spork is long enough to use with dehydrated meals, so you don’t get your fingers dirty from scraping the bottom of the pouch. The sleeping gear is the ideal balance of weight savings and comfort. The tent probably won’t last for years of abuse, but most tents don’t. The only thing you’ll need to add to this kit is some sort of water filtration device, otherwise, you’re good to go when this bundle arrives on your doorstep.

If you’re backpacking-curious and looking for a way to take the leap without making any gear-related mistakes, Near Zero’s Adventure Bundle is essentially foolproof.

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