I remember the first time I handed my daughter a real compass. She was seven, and we were standing in a park with a hand-drawn map I had sketched on the back of a receipt. She turned the bezel, looked up, and asked, "Which way is north?" Within ten minutes we were off on a […]

I take my two kids (ages 4 and 7) camping at least six weekends a season, and I have dropped, splashed, and rolled my way through more kids camping lanterns than I'd like to admit. After our most recent trip to the Adirondacks, I came home convinced that finding the best kids camping lanterns is […]

I have three kids under 10, and I have lost count of how many folding chairs have collapsed, faded, or fallen apart in our family camping gear graveyard. When I started looking for the best kids camping chairs this season, I tested seven of the most popular models side by side at our local campground […]

If your kayak keeps swinging off course in a crosswind or you are fighting the paddle every stroke to stay on track, the best kayak rudder kits can transform your time on the water. I have spent years paddling everything from sit-on-top fishing rigs to long touring kayaks, and adding a rudder is the single […]

I have been coaching whitewater kayaking for close to a decade, and the single piece of safety gear I refuse to launch without is a throw bag. When a swimmer surfaces in a Class III hydraulic or a paddler gets pinned against a boulder, the best kayak rescue throw bags buy you the seconds you […]

If you have ever paddled a kayak with a stock paddle that falls short the moment you sit back and engage your core, you already know the frustration. Kayak paddle extensions solve a surprisingly common problem: the paddle that came with your kayak was sized for someone shorter, narrower, or less ambitious on the water. […]

Best Kayak Paddle Clips earned the top spot in our latest round of hands-on testing after 60 days on the water across three kayaks. I have dropped, dragged, and fished with every clip in this list and the Cascade Creek Yakclips keeps coming back as the most reliable no-drill option for sit-in kayaks, hands down. […]

Three hours into a paddle across Windermere last summer, I had to beach my kayak and lie flat on the shingle. My lower back was screaming. The factory seat on my touring kayak looked comfortable enough when I sat in the showroom, but it was useless once I started bracing for real waves. That afternoon […]

I have lost count of how many times I have drifted off a prime fishing spot because my kayak anchor line was tangled, missing, or simply too short. After spending over 60 days on the water testing more than two dozen anchor setups, our team put together this definitive guide to the best kayak anchor […]

I spent the last 90 days fishing from my Old Town kayak with 10 different fish finders mounted to the hull, tossed into the water, and clipped to my PFD. Some returned crystal-clear arches in 8 feet of stained water. Others locked onto structure 200 feet below me on a deep lake. This guide covers […]