I've slept in tents for 20+ years across rocky deserts, alpine basins, and sandy coastlines, and the single piece of gear that has saved my tent floors more than any other is a properly chosen tent footprint. After watching dozens of friends ruin expensive tents on sharp granite, I've learned that knowing how to choose […]

When I bought my first spotting scope for elk hunting in the Rockies, I had no clue what I was looking at. The shop had 14 models lined up, and every box claimed to be "the best." After owning five scopes over the past 12 years and glassing everything from sheep in Alaska to songbirds […]

Picking the wrong snowboard size is one of the most expensive mistakes a rider can make, and I've watched it happen to friends more times than I can count. After a decade on the snow and dozens of demos under my belt, I've learned that learning how to choose a snowboard size comes down to […]

I learned about sleeping pad R value the hard way. Three years ago, I rolled out a thin summer pad on a 28°F morning in the Sierras and spent the night shivering under a 0°F bag. The bag was plenty warm above my shoulders. Below me, the ground pulled heat from my body faster than […]

Choosing the right sleeping bag temperature rating is the single most important decision when you plan an overnight trip outdoors. I learned this the hard way on a March trip where my 20 degree bag left me shivering by 3 AM when the temperature dropped to 12 degrees. After testing more than 30 bags over […]

Choosing a saltwater fly fishing reel is one of those decisions that can make or break a trip before you even tie on a fly. I learned this the hard way on a flats trip years ago, when my budget reel locked up halfway through a tarpon run and I watched the fish spool me […]

I learned how to choose a rain jacket for hiking the hard way. My first "waterproof" shell left me soaked through on a four-hour ridge walk in the Pacific Northwest, not from rain leaking in, but from sweat I could not push out. After that trip I spent three months researching membranes, hydrostatic head ratings, […]

I've spent the last decade poling through skinny water from the Florida Keys to the Louisiana marsh, and the single piece of gear that decides whether you actually see fish is your push pole. After bending hundreds of graphite shafts and watching guides swear at broken fiberglass on remote flats, I learned that choosing the […]

I've been running tournaments for the better part of a decade, and nothing stings like opening your livewell after a hot afternoon to find your bait floating belly-up. Most of the time, the problem traces back to one thing: an undersized livewell pump. Choosing the right livewell pump size comes down to a simple formula, […]

Picking the wrong life jacket for a Class IV rapid is a mistake I have watched paddlers make too many times. Over eight years of running rivers from the Gauley to the Grand Canyon, I have seen cheap inflatables pop, low-profile vests ride up over swimmers' heads, and ill-fitting jackets ride up like a kayak […]