Honest, field-minded reviews of outdoor and safety gear.
The Wise Owl Outfitters camping hammock is a simple nylon hammock that comes with tree straps and carabiners and weighs about a pound. It is the low-cost way to find out whether you can sleep in a hammock before buying a full system.
The onewind 11 ft hammock is long and wide enough to lie flat on the diagonal, and comes with a bug net, an adjustable ridgeline and 12 ft tree straps at 2.6 pounds (1.2 kg). Add a tarp and insulation and it is a complete place to sleep.
The Hennessy Expedition Zip is a complete hammock shelter: asymmetric hammock, sewn-in bug net, structural ridgeline, rain fly and suspension, at 2 lb 12 oz (1.25 kg). It fits campers up to 6 feet (183 cm) and 250 pounds (114 kg).
The Exped MegaMat is a one-person self-inflating foam mattress, 4 inches (10 cm) thick with an R-value of 8.1. Too heavy to carry far and priced at a premium, it is the pad for car campers who want to sleep the way they do at home.
The Exped MegaMat Duo is a self-inflating foam mattress for two: 4 inches (10 cm) thick, flat to the edges and warm enough for winter. It is heavy, bulky and costly, and for car camping it is the most comfortable bed we know.
A three-finger leather mitt with a removable liner: among the warmest handwear you can still work in, and built to last for years. For demanding winter trips in cold, dry conditions.
Light cushioning, true sizing and merino temperature control in the sock most hikers should default to. The heel is where it eventually gives ground.
Most people who die in the backcountry die of exposure, not injury. A 3.8-ounce (108 g) emergency bivvy that reflects most of your body heat is the cheapest insurance you can carry against a cold, unplanned night out. Planning for the worst? Pair this with our guides to emergency shelter and staying warm on a…
On a sunny day you can start a fire with no fuel, no spark, and nothing to run out, just focused sunlight. A credit-card Fresnel lens weighs nothing, fits in your wallet, and doubles as a magnifier. New to fire-building? See our guide to building a fire for turning an ember into flame. Our field…
A genuine 21-inch (53 cm) bow saw that folds flat and rips through logs – the packable bucksaw for winter camps and firewood-heavy trips, the saw that makes an axe optional.
The men’s base layer to buy once — benchmark merino warmth and odor control with the best cut, seam placement, and durability in the category.
The first fleece midlayer for men — soft, warm even when damp, fast-drying, and cheap, with a track record few jackets can match.
The versatile men’s puffy — warmer and less bulky than fleece, tolerant of damp where down struggles, packable, and priced below premium down.
The do-it-all women’s trail boot — comfortable from the first mile, grippy, durable, and waterproof; the proven 3-season default for day hikes and lighter backpacking.
The women’s backpacking boot to buy once — a supportive, precise-fitting Gore-Tex boot that carries a loaded pack over rugged ground for years.
The packable-warmth benchmark for women — 800-fill down warmth for half a pound that stuffs into its own pocket, prized by people who live in the backcountry.
The first fleece midlayer for women — soft, warm even when damp, fast-drying, and cheap, with a track record few jackets can match.
The women’s base layer to buy once — benchmark merino warmth and odor control with the best cut, seam placement, and durability in the category.
A light, packable 2.5-layer rain shell with pit-zip venting and recycled materials — the proven default for hikers in weather. Our field review of the Marmot PreCip Eco.
The century-old French folding knife with a locking collar and shaving-sharp blade — the everyday carry anyone can enjoy. Our field review of the Opinel No.8.
An insulated stainless bottle that keeps water cold for a day or from freezing in winter, with pure taste and no leaks. Our field review of the Hydro Flask 32 oz Wide-Mouth.
The ultralight collapsible that scoops shallow water and threads onto a Sawyer filter for hands-free gravity filtering. Our field review of the CNOC Vecto.
A taste-free hydration reservoir whose full-width top slides open for easy filling, cleaning, and drying. Our field review of the Platypus Big Zip EVO reservoir.
Multi-band accuracy that holds in the worst terrain, a 3-inch (7.6 cm) screen, topo maps, and days of battery. Our field review of the Garmin GPSMAP 67, the flagship handheld GPS.
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.
Spend enough nights out and you learn that a sleeping bag is not just about a temperature number. It is about how well you actually sleep in it. The NEMO Disco is the premium down bag for hikers who have figured that out: a spoon-shaped, feature-rich bag engineered around real comfort, for people who log…
When you start backpacking in earnest, the weight and bulk of a budget synthetic bag begins to matter, and that is when most hikers make their first jump to down. The Kelty Cosmic 20 has been that first down bag for a generation of backpackers: warm, compressible, and priced so the upgrade does not hurt….
Far from a trailhead, hours or days from help, “first aid” stops meaning a bandage and a blister patch and starts meaning managing a real injury until you can get someone out. The My Medic MYFAK Large is built for that reality: a 150-item, EMT-grade kit organized to handle serious situations, not just scrapes. Our…
Strap on a heavy multi-day pack and point yourself at steep, rough, rooty terrain, and a light trail shoe stops being enough. Your ankles and feet need real support and protection. The Salomon Quest 4 GTX is built for exactly that: a supportive, waterproof backpacking boot engineered to carry a load over hard ground trip…
Once you hike enough miles, the little frustrations of your first water filter start to matter: the slow squeeze, the clogging, the fiddly cleaning. The Platypus QuickDraw is the filter for the hiker who has moved past all that. A fast, versatile hollow-fiber filter that flows quickly, threads onto the bottles you already carry, and…
Once you start counting ounces and caring about a good night’s sleep, the sleeping pad becomes one of the most important, and most personal. Pieces of gear you carry. The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT is the pad committed backpackers keep coming back to: three inches (7.6 cm) of insulated air that packs to the size…
When the forecast turns hostile and you still have to sleep out, an ordinary three-season tent is the wrong tool. The MSR Access 2 is a lightweight four-season shelter built for exactly those nights: ski tourers, winter backpackers, and shoulder-season alpine trips where wind and snow load are the real test. Our field rating ★★★★★4.6…
The honest starter compass: simple, accurate, and cheap enough to buy the day you decide to learn map and compass.
A durable, weather-ready freestanding two-person tent that pitches fast and includes a footprint — the tent to grow into when entry-level shelters start to feel limiting.
Sleep is safety gear. A cold, sleepless night in the backcountry saps your judgement and your body heat, and the pad under you matters as much as the bag over you. The Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol is the pad we recommend to anyone who wants something that simply will not fail — closed-cell foam, nothing to puncture.
The Garmin Instinct 3 Solar is a rugged GPS watch with multi-band tracking, an altimeter, a compass and a flashlight. The 45 mm model runs up to 28 days as a watch and 40 hours of GPS. It has no maps, only breadcrumb navigation.
The Osprey Eja 58 is a women’s backpacking pack with a suspended mesh back, an adjustable torso and a full frame at 2 pounds 11 ounces (1.22 kg). It carries about 35 pounds (16 kg) or less comfortably; the hip belt is thin and fixed in shape.
The Garmin GPSMAP 65s is a multi-band handheld GPS with a 2.6-inch (6.6 cm) screen, topo maps, a 3-axis compass and a barometric altimeter. It holds an accurate position in canyons and dense forest and runs up to 16 hours on two AA batteries.
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.
The step up from a first life jacket is not more flotation, it is less bulk. The NRS Vapor is a thin-panel, pre-curved vest certified by both the U.S. Coast Guard and Transport Canada, built by the company most serious paddlers treat as the standard, and cut so low in profile that it stops being something you notice.
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 cheapest and most frequently purchased of the Coast Guard-approved ration bricks: 3600 no-cook calories that sit in a pack or car for five years. Our value pick.
If you want fire covered in one grab-and-go tin, the Überleben FIREKIT bundles a ferro rod, striker, tinder, and a bellows tube in a pocket-sized case. A complete starter kit for a pack or glovebox. New to fire-building? Our guide to building a fire walks the whole process end to end. Our field rating ★★★★★4.5…
A 14-inch (36 cm) camping hatchet forged from one piece of American steel with a stacked-leather grip – the classic, essentially unbreakable, buy-it-and-hand-it-down camp hatchet.
A 14-inch (36 cm) camp hatchet with a molded handle the head cannot fly off, splitting kindling far better than its price – the best-value first axe for hikers and car campers.
The packable-warmth benchmark for men — 800-fill down warmth for half a pound that stuffs into its own pocket, prized by people who live in the backcountry.
