If you have ever rolled off a standard 20-inch sleeping pad at 2 a.m. and landed on cold tent floor, you already know why a wide sleeping pad belongs on your gear list. Our team has spent the past three years testing wide sleeping pads across everything from weekend car camping trips to multi-week thru-hikes, […]

If you have ever rolled off your sleeping pad and into the cold middle gap between two solo pads, you already know why couples search for the best double sleeping pads. My partner and I spent the last three months testing eight top models across the Sierra Nevada, a Utah desert trip, and several car-camping […]

A sleeping pad is the most affordable way to stay warm in a hammock. It blocks convective heat loss from the air swirling underneath you, adds cushioning against the hammock fabric, and prevents the dreaded Cold Butt Syndrome that hits when your sleeping bag's loft gets crushed under your body weight. After dozens of nights […]

Yes, a 30-liter backpack is big enough for almost every day hike, long trail day, and even a warm-season ultralight overnight. After our team field-tested 22 packs across 18 months and roughly 4,800 trail miles in the Rockies, Cascades, and Sierra, the 30L class consistently handled the ten essentials plus water, layers, food, and a […]

After six months of testing 40L packs across weekend trips in the Adirondacks, three-day sections of the Long Trail, and one rainy thru-hike of the Cohos Trail, our team can confidently say this: 40 liters hits the sweet spot for most backpackers. We loaded each pack with 20-30 pounds of gear, hiked through summer humidity, […]

If you've been wondering, is a 50 liter backpack big?, the short answer is yes for most backpackers, no for travel carry-on, and exactly right for 2-4 night trips. A 50L pack holds roughly 3,050 cubic inches of gear; that's enough room for a 3-season sleeping bag, shelter, layers, and three days of food without […]

Choosing the best 65 liter backpacks for means matching a specific sweet-spot capacity to your trip length, body shape, and load. A 65L backpack holds roughly 3,967 cubic inches of gear — enough for a 3 to 7 day backcountry trip, a winter weekend with bulky layers, or a thru-hike section with a bear canister. […]

After three months of pulling rifles, shotguns, and pistols on and off the bench — running bore snakes, torqueing scope rings, and swapping handguards on two AR builds — our team came away with a clear view of what separates the best gun vises for cleaning from the pretenders. We tested cradle vises, full armorer's […]

After putting 12 of the most popular daypacks through their paces on trails ranging from desert ridges to rain-soaked coastal paths, I can tell you this: the best daypacks for hiking are not always the priciest ones. Our team loaded each pack with 12 to 18 pounds of gear, hiked up to 9 miles in […]

Looking for the best hydration daypacks to keep water within reach on the trail? Our team has spent months testing packs from Osprey, Gregory, CamelBak, and ten rising brands across day hikes on Stevens Pass, trail runs in Carkeek Park, and weekend backpacking trips in the Wind River Range. We focused on reservoir design, fit, […]