I spent 90 days testing every high pressure SUP pump I could get my hands on, and the difference between a great one and a mediocre one is brutal. A good high pressure SUP pump turns 25 minutes of sweating into 5 minutes of sitting on your cooler. A bad one cuts out at 8 […]

I've been testing hiking backpack rain covers for the last four hiking seasons, and the difference between a dry sleeping bag and a soaked one almost always comes down to this one piece of gear. On a wet section of the Pacific Crest Trail in early summer, my pack went through a 14-hour downpour with […]

One wrong step on black ice ended my January hike two years ago. I slipped on a flat rock shelf, twisted my knee, and spent the next six weeks off the trail. That was the winter I started testing hiking boot crampons seriously, and I have not hiked a frozen trail without them since. Crampons […]

After 18 months of rotating through eight different waterproofing waxes on my personal collection of leather and hybrid hiking boots, I can tell you one thing without hesitation: not all boot waxes are created equal. I have spent wet weekends in the Lake District, slogged through Scottish bog, and crossed more ankle-deep fords than I […]

After 30 days testing the best hiking route planning tools across three mountain regions, I can tell you this: the right planning tool can mean the difference between a perfect summit day and a stressful scramble through fog. Our team has logged over 200 miles with 10 of the most popular hiking GPS units and […]

I have ended more hikes early than I care to count because of a single hot spot on my heel. After my first real thru-hike attempt, I swore I would never trust a single pair of socks alone again. That is exactly why hiking sock liners for anti blister protection have earned a permanent place […]

I have spent more than 800 trail miles testing hip belt pouches for backpacks on everything from weekend day hikes to multi-day backcountry trips. After that many switchbacks, sweaty climbs, and surprise rainstorms, I can tell you which ones hold up, which ones bounce, and which ones earn a permanent spot on my pack. This […]

I have spent the last three summers testing hitch mount cargo baskets across two family road trips, four camping weekends, and one overlanding run through the Rockies. I strapped coolers, firewood, wet waders, toolboxes, and a full-size tent box onto eight different carriers. The result is a real-world ranking of the best hitch mount cargo […]

Feral hogs cause more than $2.5 billion in agricultural damage across the United States every single year, and I have seen firsthand how a single sounder can tear up a food plot in one night. After testing hog hunting gear across Texas, Florida, and Georgia for the past two seasons, our team put together this […]

After running six different hummingbird feeders in my own backyard for the better part of four summers, I can tell you that not all feeders earn their keep. Some leak. Some are impossible to clean. Some get hijacked by ants within a day. The best hummingbird feeders solve all three problems while keeping the birds […]