I've been hiking for 17 years and own more pairs of boots than I'd like to admit, and the single biggest upgrade I ever made wasn't the boots themselves. It was swapping the flimsy stock liners for proper aftermarket insoles. After testing eight of the best hiking boot insoles on everything from a 60-mile stretch […]

After watching a friend lose 15 minutes re-threading a stiff leather belt through soaked belt loops on a rainy Tahoe loop, I knew I had to take the best hiking belts seriously. Our team has been testing outdoor gear as a group for over a decade, and over the past four months we strapped 12 […]

I've been hiking with my own kids for over a decade, and finding the best hiking backpacks for kids turned out to be one of the trickiest gear puzzles on the trail. Most adult packs are too long in the torso, the shoulder straps pinch, and the hydration systems dangle out of reach. Our team […]

Three miles into a switchback descent on the PCT, my left knee started the telltale burn that ends hikes early. I strapped on a patellar tendon strap, tightened the dial, and finished eight more miles that day without the usual limp. That one trail moment is why our team spent six weeks field-testing every model […]

Finding the right gift for a hiker can feel like navigating a trail in the dark. Hikers are famously picky about their gear, and nothing stings quite like watching a well-meaning present collect dust in a closet. Our team has spent months testing outdoor accessories, survival kits, and trail bundles to bring you the best […]

Last January, I postholed through knee-deep powder on a Cascade ridge and watched my socks turn to ice within an hour. That single miserable day sent our team on a 90-day testing marathon across 17 pairs of winter gaiters to find the best hiking gaiters for snow that actually keep snow out of boots. Our […]

I spent the last three months hiking 180 miles across California, Utah, and Arizona in 12 different dresses to find the best hiking dresses that actually hold up on real trails. I started this project after a frustrated reader emailed me asking why every "best hiking dress" list recommended the same five Patagonia and prAna […]

After logging hundreds of trail miles across wet creek crossings, humid summer stretches, and dusty switchbacks, our team learned one thing fast: your feet can make or break a hike. The best hiking foot powder is not a luxury item for long-distance trekkers. It is the difference between crushing your daily mileage and limping into […]

After years of fighting a belt that dug into my hips under a 35-pound pack, I switched to hiking suspenders on a rainy Cascade traverse and never went back. Our team has spent the last three months field-testing eight of the most popular suspenders on trails ranging from the Pacific Crest to weekend loops in […]

Finding the best hiking skorts means balancing freedom of movement, ventilation, pocket storage, and comfort under a loaded backpack. I spent weeks on trails testing skorts in heat, rain, and elevation to see which ones actually hold up when the miles get long. What I learned is that a great hiking skort does more than […]