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 […]

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 […]

If your favorite pack's shoulder strap foam has gone to concrete or the hipbelt buckle finally snapped mid-trip, you already know the truth: the frame and harness are usually the first things to fail, and they are almost always the last thing a brand will warranty. After our team spent 90 days testing 8 backpack […]

If your backpack sternum strap broke mid-hike, slid off the rail slider mid-ruck, or never came with one in the first place, you already know the frustration of shoulder straps that dig in and slide off your shoulders. I have been there. After replacing broken straps on three packs over the past two years, I […]

I've spent over 80 nights on the trail in the last three years, and the question I hear most from new backpackers isn't about tents or sleeping bags. It's about backpacking bowls. After freezing my hands on a titanium bowl full of boiling ramen at 11,000 feet, I started testing every dinnerware option I could […]

I learned the hard way on a John Muir Trail section in that the wrong food bag ends a trip. A curious black bear found my lightweight sack hanging too low on a willow branch, and I spent two days eating cold couscous from a torn bag. Since then our team has logged more than […]

After three months of testing backpacking windscreens across the Pacific Northwest's gustiest ridgelines and the still waters of Hood Canal, I've boiled enough water to fill a small lake. Backpacking windscreens aren't flashy gear, but the right one can stretch a 100g fuel canister by 15 to 30% in real wind, shave minutes off boil […]

I'll be honest with you: I used to skip compression socks on the trail. After a 14-mile descent in the Cascades left my ankles blown up like balloons, I started taking them seriously. Our team has since logged over 600 trail miles testing 12 pairs of compression socks for hiking, and the difference in post-hike […]

I spent the last 30 days eating my way through the trail food aisle so you do not have to. After cooking 47 dehydrated backpacking meals across 12 brands on weekend loops in the Cascades and a 6-day section of the PCT, I learned one hard truth: most freeze dried backpacking meals taste like salty […]

I've hiked over 800 miles with my two dogs in the past three years, and I can tell you from muddy trail experience: the right dog backpack transforms a struggling pup into a willing trail partner. After testing 12 packs across 60+ days on everything from desert switchbacks to alpine creek crossings, I've narrowed down […]