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If you haven’t yet upgraded from your regular camping utensils to an all-in-one spork or something similar, what are you waiting for? Having everything you need to eat in one tool saves a good amount of room and weight in your pack and can make your life on the trail just a little bit easier.
With winter right around the corner, it’s time to start gearing up for the real cold weather camping. And for many of us in colder climbs and higher elevations, it’s already upon us.
Trail running is a serious sport, and one that requires gear and skill all of its own. Take it high up into alpine territory, and that becomes truer than ever. Regular trail running shoes won’t deliver the traction, flexibility or coverage that those high-altitude conditions demand, and any trail runner heading to those high elevations will soon find themselves reaching for dedicate shoes that can handle the rugged terrain and moisture they’ll be sure to find up there. Our pick? The Salomon S-Lab XA Alpine.
Have you ever wanted to bike on water? The idea has likely never crossed your mind, just like it never actually crossed ours…but it apparently has to somebody: the folks behind the Manta5, the world’s first hydrofoil bike.
The Exped Megamat was an instant hit for a sleeping pad, thanks to its wide, flat design that made sleeping in your tent a much more luxurious, comfortable experience than people are generally used to. The Megamat Duo builds off that success, this time as a double wide mat designed to fill the entire width of a 2-person tent and provide enough sleeping space for two.
Now that you’ve equipped yourself with the best kayak (or packraft) you could afford, it’s time to start looking at a kayak anchor to go with it. If the thought of need an anchor for your kayak never crossed your mind, you are probably not alone; it’s not something you’ll need for every voyage you attempt – especially not day trips. But when you want to be able to “idle” in one place (think kayak fishing) in your kayak or raft or will find yourself frequently getting out of the boat and don’t want to pull it out everytime (think overnight trips), a good anchor will be an essential part of your trip. Here are our picks for the best kayak anchors of 2018.
The Specialized S-Works Turbo Levo isn’t your typical mountain e-bike. And by that, we mean it’s actually looks like a mountain bike, and not an e-bike. Sure, there’s a small motor and battery compartment hidden in the bottom of the frame, where the pedals reside, but other than that, there’s nearly no indication that this bike has any kind of assistance.
Sneakerboots are becoming more and more popular all the time, with everybody from Timberland to Under Armor getting in on the action. Forsake, a Boston-based outdoor lifestyle brand, makes sneakerboots like no other; shoes that actually look as casual and stylish as an everyday pair of sneakers but don’t sacrifice one lick of performance. Case in point: The Forsake Range High and Range Low.
It sometimes feels like all the great outdoor apparel and technical clothing designers out there are competing in a high-stakes race to come up with the best, most-verstile, comfortable, stylish pair of technical chinos out there – a pair of pants that looks like Brooks Brothers but performs like Patagonia on the trail.
If your first reaction to an electric surfboard was “Seriously?,” you’re not alone. Why would anyone ever want an electric surfboard? Why not just come up with something completely different? We’re still searching for the answer to that question, but if we’re being honest, the Awake Ravik is definitely still worth taking a look at.
Have you ever had trouble deciding between a kayak or a canoe for your waterborne adventures? Looks like the folks at Old Town have, because they decided to go ahead and create a canoe/kayak hybrid – the Old Town NEXT – and have deemed it the Future of Paddling.
There’s no shortage of rooftop tents for your car, but most of them are limited to just two people, maybe three at the most. The iKamper SkyCamp, however, wants to make car camping accessible for the whole family.
Carrying a camera on a strap can be somewhat awkward and uncomfortable on the trails if it’s swinging around and knocking into things. Sticking your camera in your pack, however, makes it hard to access when you need it – meaning you’ll miss great shots and those perfect moments.
While going off the grid is often the best part of any trip outdoors, it’s still a good idea to have some form of backup communication – preferably satellite. There’s no shortage of good options for satellite communication devices out there, but the Bivystick is the newest one on the block, and perhaps one of the most convenient and easiest to use.
Tentsile tents are already known for being versatile tents that work anywhere with trees – suspended from trees instead of set up on the ground, sort of like a hammock-tent combo. But the new Universe tent is probably the coolest, as it can be setup virtually anywhere – in the air, on the ground, or even floating on water like a pontoon raft. Seriously. You won’t have to worry about finding an appropriate place to set up the tent, as it will work virtually anywhere, just like a regular tent.
Packing food for overnight backpacking trips can be a challenge. How much food do you bring? How do you keep it fresh and prevent spoilage? And how much does it weigh? And let’s not even get started on thru-hiking, when you sometimes need to carry weeks’ worth of food all at once…
At first glance the Hitch Hotel looks ridiculous, but upon closer look…we kinda like it. It’s an expandable camper that simply fits onto any Class 2 Hitch, allowing you to drive anywhere you want and pop it open for a good night’s sleep – no trailer required.
Summer's here, which means endless hikes, campouts and days at the beach - all of which call for a good pair of breathable, stretchy shorts. And why get both a pair of board shorts and a pair of hiking shorts when you can get both in one? The Patagonia WaveFarer give you just that.
As much as we like to ditch our technology and devices when getting off the grid, there are times where you will want to have some fully charged batteries. The catch is always, how to do that when your miles from the nearest power outlet? Solar power, of course. And few solar chargers are as convenient as the Bushnell SolarWrap 400.
The Timberline Trail is the Ultimate Pacific Northwest Backpacking Trip, and it’s only open until October 15th, so if you want to try it out, you better start planning.
You may have noticed that Backcountry.com recently released their own line of outdoor gear – everything from outdoor clothing to tents and sleeping bags. There will even be some casual, urban-theme clothing for wearing off the trail and around town, all sold under the (very fitting) line name Backcountry.
Millions of Americans will spend their summer hitting up the majestic National Parks spread throughout the American West, where they will be sweltering away in the summer sun and desert heat. If you’d like to try something more off the beaten path and, quite literally, cooler, then you can head north to Pictured Rocks National Lakehore on the shores of Lake Superior, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Sometimes the best part of camping isn’t just being in the great outdoors, but the opportunity to enjoy some delicious warm food in the great outdoors after a long day. There is just nothing quite like fresh-cooked food over the campfire. And if you like cooking fine food at home, there is no reason you can’t prepare some gourmet food around the campsite too, and we don’t mean bacon and potatoes in foil
When you’re pedaling hard and fast – whether on the road or off – you want a backpack that carries all the essentials – mainly water – and nothing unnecessary. The Thule Vital Hydration pack does just that.