I learned this the hard way on a July section hike of the Long Trail when my quads seized up at mile 11. I had water. I had snacks. What I did not have were the right electrolytes, and the cramps cost me an entire afternoon. Since then I have spent three summers testing hydration […]

I logged more than 200 trail miles this season with ten different packs strapped on, from sweaty Phoenix ridgelines to misty Cascade switchbacks, to find the best hydration packs for hiking in . Our team weighed every model on a digital scale, timed how long each kept water cold, and deliberately abused the bladders to […]

I still remember standing at the summit of Mount Diablo with five smartwatches strapped to my wrist, watching each one display a different elevation reading. One read 3,849 feet, another 3,612, and a third was off by nearly 200 vertical feet. That single afternoon changed how I think about altimeter watches forever. After spending 60+ […]

I lost the trail at 11,400 feet in Colorado's Sangre de Cristo range, phone at 6%, and a squall line rolling in fast. That moment forced me to take handheld GPS units seriously, and I have been testing them ever since. After 6 months and roughly 380 trail miles across Colorado, Utah, and the Pacific […]

I have spent the last decade hiking with flat feet, and I can tell you the wrong boots will ruin a trail day faster than bad weather. My arches collapse inward within the first two miles, my plantar fascia flares up by mile four, and my ankles start rolling on uneven ground by mile six. […]

I lost cell coverage three miles into a Wind River canyon in , and that's the day I stopped debating whether a satellite messenger was worth the money. If you're heading anywhere beyond a reliable cell signal, the best satellite messengers are no longer a luxury, they're the single most important piece of safety gear […]

I spent the last three months putting eight pairs of men's low cut hiking shoes through their paces on real trails in the Pacific Northwest, the Rockies, and the Driftless Region of Wisconsin. I logged more than 400 miles on rocky scrambles, muddy creek crossings, hot dry ridges, and everything in between. I kept notes […]

I spent the last four months putting ten barefoot hiking shoes through their paces on rocky Sierra trails, root-strewn Pacific Northwest paths, and dusty desert loops to find out which ones deliver real ground feel without wrecking your feet. After roughly 280 miles of combined testing, I have a clear picture of which zero-drop hiking […]

I spent the last four months hiking over 280 miles in Colorado, Washington, and the Scottish Highlands testing the best softshell jackets for hiking I could get my hands on. Our team wore each jacket on the same 12-mile loop with 3,000 feet of elevation gain to compare how they handled wind, light rain, sweat […]

I learned the hard way that even the best waterproof hiking jacket won't save your legs. After getting soaked on a 12-mile ridge walk in the Smokies, I started hunting for rain pants that actually keep water out without turning my lower half into a sauna. That single soaked afternoon led me to spend 90 […]