Honest, field-minded reviews of outdoor and safety gear.
Twelve stainless spikes per foot on an elastomer harness that stays stretchy to -22F (-30C). Why microspikes are the first winter purchase that changes what you can safely do, and where they stop.
360-degree serrated steel frames, DTX crampons and a pole-flickable heel lift. 4 lb 5 oz (1.96 kg) for the 25 in (64 cm) pair. The snowshoe for traverses and sustained climbs, not Sunday loops.
Reach, throw, row, go: the throw comes second because a rope from a stable boat is safer for everyone than a swimmer going in after someone. Canadian rules require a buoyant heaving line in almost every paddlecraft. The NRS Compact Rescue is small enough that it actually rides along, which is the only feature that matters in a bag you might use once in a decade.
A solo kayaker in deep water has one problem: getting back into a boat that wants to roll over. A paddle float turns your paddle into a temporary outrigger so the boat holds still while you climb. The NRS Sea Kayak float has two independent air chambers, which is the redundancy you want in the one piece of gear you only use when things have already gone wrong.
In bear country your food is your responsibility, and increasingly, a hard-sided canister is required by law. The BearVault BV500 is the transparent, tool-free canister that keeps bears out and your trip on track. Heading into bear country? Read our guides to protecting food from wildlife and handling wildlife encounters. Our field rating ★★★★★4.7 What…
In a surprise bear encounter, a cloud of deterrent you can deploy in a second beats anything else you’re carrying. SABRE Frontiersman is a maximum-strength bear spray with a 35-foot (11 m) range, the kind of insurance you hope never to use. Heading into bear country? Read our guides to wildlife encounters and protecting food…
The default backcountry heat pack: cheap, feather-light, air-activated warmers giving up to 10 hours of heat with nothing to charge or refill. Why they earn a place in every pack and first-aid kit.
For an alpine start at 3 a.m., a technical trail run in the dark, or a ski descent under headlamp, a basic light is not enough. You need serious output and a beam that keeps up with you. The Petzl Swift RL throws 1100 lumens from a 100-gram headlamp and, thanks to a light sensor,…
Ultralight 100% carbon poles that fold into thirds for a pack or running vest, with FlickLock length adjustment. Our field review of the Black Diamond Distance Carbon FLZ for fast-and-light miles.
The value benchmark in trekking poles: aircraft-grade aluminum, secure Quick-Lock levers, a cork grip, and a full carbide-tip and basket kit for well under half the price of a name-brand pole. Our field review and who they are for.
Twelve points per foot at three depths in an abrasion-resistant matrix that survives the rock and pavement which shreds chains. Low profile enough to run in. Limited in soft snow over ice.
22 x 8 in (56 x 20 cm), 3 lb 10 oz (1.64 kg), with steel crampons and traction rails underfoot. The modern snowshoe to buy if you are buying one pair.
Everything in an open boat gets wet eventually, and the one thing that must not is the dry layer you will need if you go in. The Earth Pak roll-top is the workhorse dry bag: heavy PVC tarpaulin, a simple roll-and-buckle closure, and enough sizes to match the job. Ignore the phone case it ships with.
The regular hiker’s buy-once pole: Black Diamond’s one-handed FlickLock adjustment, a dual-density foam grip, and aluminum durability that outlasts hard use. Our field review of the Black Diamond Trail.
Cheap, bright, and practical — the budget headlamp to buy when you want one in every bag and car.
A headlamp is one of the ten essentials for a reason: the moment a day hike runs long, hands-free light stops being a convenience and becomes safety gear. The Black Diamond Spot 400-R is our pick for most hikers — bright enough for the trail, rechargeable so you are not feeding it batteries, and small enough that it lives in the pack unnoticed.
Steam-bent white ash and varnished babiche, 9 x 29 to 14 x 48 in (23 x 74 to 36 x 122 cm). Floats better for its size, drops snow through the webbing and runs quiet. No steel, no heel lift, bindings sold separately.
Getting back into a swamped kayak is only half the job, because a boat full of water is still unstable and still trying to tip you out. A bilge pump is the other half. Canadian rules require a bailer or manual pump in most paddlecraft, and the Pelican floating hand pump is the one that turns a twenty-minute bail into a two-minute one.
Most people do not need an ultralight power bank; they need a dependable one that charges fast and costs very little. The INIU P41 is that bank: compact, genuinely quick at 45 W with a single device, three ports when you need to share, and a detachable cable that doubles as a carry loop. It is the conventional pick at the bottom of our power-bank ladder, and the right one for day hikes, travel, and emergency kits.
A phone running GPS with a bright screen is doing the most power-hungry work it can do, and the backcountry has no outlets. The Nitecore NB10000 Gen 3 is the power bank serious backpackers keep landing on: a full 10,000 mAh in a carbon fibre body barely heavier than most 5,000 mAh banks, tough enough for trail life, and light enough that it never gets left at home to save weight.
Instant, adjustable, double-sided rechargeable heat that doubles as a power bank. The most convenient warmer for frequent cold-weather use, and where its battery falls short.
A phone is a map, a camera and a call for help until it gets wet, at which point it is a paperweight. The Pelican Marine pouch keeps it dry and floats if you drop it, which is more than most pouches manage. One change we would make before taking it paddling: the neck lanyard has no breakaway, and a cord around your neck is the wrong thing to wear in moving water.
The Enthusiast rung of our power-bank ladder: the INIU Cougar P62 pairs 20,000 mAh with a 65 W USB-C port that genuinely charges a laptop, in a body that still fits a jacket pocket. Real-world capacity lands well under the headline number and port-sharing has hard limits, but for trips beyond a weekend, or one bank for a group, this is the right size class.
The reusable workhorse: a refillable catalytic warmer that burns cheap lighter fluid for hours of strong, flameless heat. Why it beats disposables over a season, and its quirks.
Steel beads on cable for packed paths, driveways and sidewalk ice. Light, cheap and easy enough that you actually wear it, with cable durability as the honest limit.
