Building a custom fishing rod from scratch is one of the most satisfying projects an angler can tackle. After my first build five years ago — a slow-pitch jigging rod that I still fish today — I was hooked on rod building forever. But that first rod also taught me a hard lesson: the wrong […]

If you have ever watched a bass inhale a lure you built with your own hands, you understand why the best lure making kits are flying off tackle shop shelves in . I have been pouring plastisol, painting crankbait blanks, and twisting spinner shafts at my workbench for over a decade, and I have learned […]

I poured my first lead jig head in my garage eight years ago, and I've been hooked on jig making ever since. Since then, our team has tested more than 60 fishing jig molds across freshwater and saltwater applications, burning through hundreds of pounds of lead along the way. We know what separates a mold […]

Pouring your own fishing jig heads saves serious money and lets you fine-tune weight, hook size, and color for the species you target. After spending the last few months casting hundreds of crappie and bass jigs with eight different pots, our team put together this guide to the best lead melting pots for jigs you […]

After losing a bluefin tuna to a slipped crimp three seasons ago, I started taking fishing leader crimping seriously. Our team has spent the last 90 days crimping thousands of mono and wire connections with eight of the best crimping tools for fishing leaders currently available, ranging from budget kits under twenty bucks to heavy-duty […]

After three months of testing 8 different waterproof bike panniers across Seattle rain, Pacific Northwest mist, and Midwest thunderstorms, I can tell you which ones actually keep your gear dry. I loaded each set with laptops, groceries, and rain gear, then rode through everything nature could throw at me. The best waterproof bike panniers on […]

I have been riding and wrenching on mountain bikes for more than 15 years, and the single upgrade that has changed my riding the most is a quality dropper post. After logging thousands of miles on technical singletrack, enduro stages, and gravel detours across the Pacific Northwest, our team put 12 of the best dropper […]

I tested 12 different fender setups across 800 miles of wet gravel roads, muddy singletrack, and sloppy autumn commutes before writing this guide. After a season of dealing with soaked backs, muddy drivetrains, and rattling fenders that drove me nuts, I learned what actually works on a gravel bike. Finding the best bike fenders for […]

Last summer I finished a four-hour gravel loop with a soaked jersey, a pounding headache, and a CamelBak reservoir that tasted faintly of plastic. That ride pushed me down a rabbit hole: I spent the next three months testing eight of the best bike hydration packs on real trails and roads, logging over 600 miles […]

I tested bike storage racks in my own garage for 90 days across three different homes, including a 1950s two-car garage with stubborn plaster walls. After wrestling with cheap hooks, wobbly floor stands, and a DIY pulley system that nearly took out my wife's car, I learned what separates the best bike storage racks for […]