After spending the last three summers hauling kayaks across everything from a 4Runner to a Honda Civic, our team has tested dozens of roof rack systems. We loaded 14-foot fishing kayaks through New England rain, strapped 10-foot rec boats onto sedans without rails, and ran highway mile after mile with our hands hovering nervously over […]

Last summer, our team spent 90 days hauling a 17-foot Old Town canoe across three states and five different vehicles. We tested 12 canoe carriers for cars in brutal 95°F heat, on a 200-mile highway loop, and over rough gravel boat launches. The result is this guide: eight cradle and foam-block systems that actually held […]

Last summer I packed my SUV for a 10-day family road trip through the Rockies with everything from camping gear to suitcases. My back seat looked like a Tetris game gone wrong, and my kids could barely see out the windows. That frustration pushed our team to test the best trailer hitch cargo bags across […]

Nothing ruins a camping trip faster than discovering a flat tire at the trailhead or realizing your air mattress has deflated overnight in the cold. I have spent the better part of three seasons testing and comparing the best portable air compressors for camping, from weekend tent sites to full overlanding setups where airing down […]

Last summer, my friend Mark killed his F-150 battery at a dispersed campsite 40 miles from pavement. He had a fridge running off the starting battery, his dome light on for the kids, and no cell service. The best jump starters for camping prevent exactly that scenario. I have spent the last 60 days testing […]

I learned the hard way why the best emergency car kits for road trips matter. On a 900-mile drive from Denver to Moab last spring, my alternator died somewhere in the Utah desert at 2 a.m. I had a flashlight, half a tank of gas, and zero supplies. A good samaritan eventually stopped, but I […]

I've been running trails in the Mojave and Rockies for over a decade, and I've patched more flats than I can count. Two summers ago, on a remote stretch of the Paiute ATV Trail, I watched a buddy's sidewall fold open on a sharp lava rock, and his truck sat dead for four hours until […]

I have spent more weekends than I can count bouncing down forest service roads in my 4Runner with a 45-quart fridge sliding around in the back. After two cracked handles and one terrifying moment when a cooler almost took out my dog, I finally invested in a proper fridge slide. Our team has now tested […]

I've been running dual battery systems in overland rigs for the past 8 years, and I can tell you from experience that the best dual battery systems for overlanding are the difference between waking up to a cold fridge and a dead starter battery on a remote trail. On our last 23-day expedition across the […]

I spent the last three weekends installing, removing, and hauling gear with eight different truck camper shells across three test trucks. I've slept in a wet tent and a dry one, watched condensation fog the windows, and loaded 750 lb of rooftop cargo over rough gravel. If you're shopping for the best truck camper shells […]