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've been chasing waves for over a decade, and I've lost count of how many times a fresh coat of surf wax saved me from a wipeout. The best surf wax isn't just a slab of paraffin you scrape onto your deck — it's the difference between sticking a backside snap and sliding off mid-turn. […]

I spent the last three months putting eight different static ropes through real rappels at the Red River Gorge, wet descents in Zion's canyons, and a controlled rescue drill with our local SAR team. After 47 total rappels, two unexpected load tests at a gym, and one very cold dunk in Lake Powell, I have […]

I've spent the last three surf seasons hauling gear across everything from sugar sand in the Carolinas to packed wet sand in Southern California, and I can tell you one thing right now: the best surf fishing carts make the difference between a relaxing day on the beach and a back-breaking nightmare. After personally testing […]

Finding the best surf fishing rigs can feel overwhelming when you are standing in the tackle aisle staring at dozens of options. I have spent countless mornings on beaches from the Outer Banks to Southern California, testing every rig configuration I could get my hands on. After months of casting, tangling, and catching, our team […]

If you have ever walked a half mile down a Florida beach with a 36 inch PVC pipe in one hand and a rod bag in the other, you already know why finding the best surf fishing sand spikes matters. I tested every spike in this guide through two seasons of surf sessions along the […]

I still remember the first time I took a stand up paddle board into real surf. I was paddling an 11-foot all-around rental on a waist-high beach break in Southern California, and I learned three things the hard way: I was catching too many waves, I was out-paddling almost every prone surfer, and I had […]

I learned the hard way that a surfboard without a bag is a surfboard waiting for a parking lot ding. After cracking a favorite shortboard on a 200-mile drive to the coast, I started testing bags obsessively. Over the past six months our team has hauled, dragged, stuffed, and strapped 12 different surfboard bags through […]

I've been running rivers and paddling coastal estuaries for over 15 years, and nothing kills a perfect day on the water faster than a swarm of biting insects around your face. Mosquito head nets have become the single piece of gear I refuse to launch without, especially during the buggy shoulder seasons. After spending 30 […]