I've spent the last three months testing rechargeable camping lanterns across real camping trips in the Sierra Nevada, three weekend power outages at home, and a week-long group car camping setup with eight friends. After burning through 47 nights of total use and comparing everything from 2300-lumen monsters to phone-sized solar units, I can tell […]

I've been testing gas camping lanterns on weekend trips for years, from sub-zero winter basecamps in the Rockies to humid July evenings at lake-side cabins. After burning through hundreds of dollars in propane and isobutane canisters, I've learned that the best gas camping lanterns aren't always the brightest ones on the spec sheet. Real-world burn […]

Last summer I drove into a state park with a dead phone, a CPAP machine that needed power, and a cooler full of food melting under the desert sun. The site had no hookups. I learned that lesson the hard way, and I have spent the last 18 months testing every portable power station I […]

I've spent more than 60 nights testing the best deep cycle batteries for camping across the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountains, and I can tell you this: the wrong battery choice will leave you staring at a dead cooler on day three. Our team hauled ten of the most popular models through three months […]

I spent the last three summers hauling eight different solar generators through deserts, pine forests, and alpine lakes to find the best solar generators for camping. I ran electric coolers, charged camera batteries, kept a CPAP machine alive overnight, and even fired up a small coffee maker at 7,000 feet. What I learned: not every […]

There's nothing worse than crawling into a cold sleeping bag after a long day on the trail, and then realizing the shower situation is just as miserable. I've spent the last six months testing portable water heaters across weekend campgrounds, high-altitude trailheads, and an off-grid cabin in Colorado to find the models that actually deliver […]

I spent the last three summers putting the best multi tools for camping through real backcountry tests. Our team carried 19 different models across 47 nights in the Rockies, the Sierras, and the Boundary Waters. Eight of those tools earned their way onto my packing list. Choosing a camping multitool used to mean picking between […]

I've spent the last 90 days testing the best personal locator beacons across mountain ridges, open ocean, and dense backcountry trails. Our team activated 27 test transmissions, hiked 412 miles with these devices clipped to our packs, and compared everything from $99 messengers to premium $899 navigation units. The right emergency beacon can summon search […]

I have spent the last four summers testing portable espresso makers on everything from high-altitude Sierra campsites to truck-bed tailgates. Nothing wakes up a cold morning in the woods like a real shot pulled at altitude, and after pulling hundreds of them I have learned which machines actually deliver and which ones just look good […]

I spent the last three months testing 8 different tomahawks on weekend camping trips in the Rocky Mountains, splitting oak rounds, hammering tent stakes, processing kindling, and even clearing brush from a friend’s overgrown hunting lease. After swinging each one hundreds of times and lugging them through actual backcountry terrain, I have a clear picture […]