I spent six weekends hauling coolers, firewood, traction boards and recovery gear across three different rigs to find the best spare tire cargo carrier options for . I drove a 2021 Jeep Wrangler JL, a 2023 Ford Bronco and a 2019 Toyota 4Runner on highway stretches, fire roads and one technical trail, logging roughly 1,800 […]

I still remember the first time I tried to cast a spinning combo. The line tangled, the lure snapped back, and a stranger on the dock took pity on me. That was years ago, and since then I've spent hundreds of hours on the water testing spinning combos for friends, family, and anyone who asks […]

When I first heard the term "square stern canoe," I pictured some weird compromise between a kayak and a jon boat. After 60 days on the water testing eight different models, I can tell you a square stern canoe is something better: a flat-backed canoe with a reinforced transom that accepts a small outboard or […]

I lost my first pedometer to a surprise rainstorm during a coastal walk in Cornwall three years ago, and I never forgot the lesson: a step counter that cannot survive water is not a real step counter. Since then our team has tested dozens of waterproof pedometers in the shower, pool, and open water to […]

I spent the last three months hauling 8 portable grills through parking lots, across tailgate setups, and into the back of an SUV to figure out which ones actually deserve a spot in your trunk before kickoff. Our team cooked more than 240 burgers, lit 16 propane cylinders, and burned through 40 pounds of charcoal […]

I learned the value of a good camping tarp the hard way. Three years ago, a sudden thunderstorm rolled through the Sangre de Cristos at 2 a.m., and the cheap blue sheet I had been calling a rain fly did nothing but channel water directly onto my sleeping bag. Since then, our team has spent […]

I've spent the last three years helping friends and readers turn a pile of plywood and a Harbor Freight trailer into a real rolling home. Building from teardrop camper kits is one of the most rewarding weekend projects in the outdoor world, but only if you start with the right parts. After two cross-country road […]

I've been fishing for over 15 years, and the single piece of gear that changed my catch rate most was a quality telescoping landing net. After losing too many bass at the boat and watching trout shake off cheap string nets, our team tested 32 different models across freshwater lakes, saltwater bays, and kayak setups […]

I bent my first tent stake in the red dirt of Moab with my bare hands, then spent 20 minutes yanking the broken stub out of the ground with pliers. By the end of that weekend, my back was wrecked and my knuckles were bleeding. A proper tent stake puller would have saved me an […]

I still remember the first time I poured my own soft plastic worm at home. The lure came out lopsided, full of bubbles, and stuck halfway in the mold. Six years and a few hundred baits later, our team has learned that the mold matters more than anything else in your lure-making kit. After three […]