When I first tried to take my cat outside on a leash, I strapped on a tiny collar and immediately regretted it. She went limp, twisted, and almost choked before I got the door open. That disaster is what pushed me to spend the next three months testing the best cat harnesses for walking with […]

Finding the best pet strollers for trails means looking well beyond the basic models you see at the pet store. When my 12-year-old lab mix started struggling on our weekend nature walks, I realized how many cheap strollers buckle on gravel, tip on roots, and rattle apart after a few miles of uneven terrain. Over […]

I lost my beagle for six hours last fall. He slipped out of an unfenced backyard while I was unloading groceries, and what I learned during those six hours changed how I review pet products forever. After that day, I spent the next four months testing 22 different pet GPS trackers across three dogs, two […]

If you're heading into the world of trad climbing, your rack tells the story before you ever tie in. Over the past two seasons I've placed thousands of nuts and stoppers on granite in the Sierra, sandstone in Indian Creek, and gneiss at Joshua Tree, and the right passive protection turns a sketchy climb into […]

I still remember the day my first climbing rope came back from a long trad day looking like it had been dragged through a gravel parking lot. Sand worked deep into the sheath, the rope took on a rough feel under my hands, and within two seasons I could see the wear at the bend […]

I still remember the first time I lowered a heavier partner on a multi-pitch route without gloves. By the time my ATC hit the ground, my palm had a friction burn that took two weeks to heal. That was the day I started taking belay gloves seriously. Our team has been testing climbing gloves for […]

When you are standing on a 40-degree snow slope with nothing but air below you, the ice axe in your hand is the most important piece of gear you own. I have spent the last three winters testing mountaineering axes across the Scottish Cairngorms, the French Alps, and the Colorado Rockies, putting each one through […]

I still remember the first time I pumped out a WI4 lead on a brittle Cascade waterfall with a mismatched rack. Two borrowed screws, one I bought new, and one old enough that the teeth barely bit. That day taught me that the best ice screws are not luxury gear. They are the difference between […]

Finding the right mountaineering harnesses can mean the difference between a smooth glacier crossing and a miserable slog at 4,000 meters. I have spent the last several seasons testing climbing harnesses across ice climbs, ski mountaineering objectives, and multi-day alpine routes to figure out which models actually deliver when the temperature drops and the rack […]

I learned the hard way that glacier travel without the right kit is a gamble you don't want to take. Three years ago I watched a partner punch through a snow bridge on the Coleman Glacier in Washington, and the only reason we got him out in under 20 minutes was a properly assembled crevasse […]