Gabe Richards

A solid hiking hat is really an indispensable piece of gear. It protects your head (and neck) from sun, rain, wind, pretty much the whole gamut of possible weather you might experience in the outdoors.

To test out hiking hats we've hiked for hours in the alpine sun without a drop of sunscreen in sight. We've covered up in drizzling rain, huddled for warmth on windy ridges and generally...

For those windy, stormy, snowy days when most people are looking to stay in doors, the adventurous people are headed outside with their 4 season tent. A little bad weather should never stop you from having an adventure.

We've camped on snowy ridges in the howling wind, in snow storms down to -30 Celsius, and in rain that came at us sideways. We've broken a few tent poles, but never had a...

Going fast and light in the mountains is a way of traveling that we love, and a great ultralight tent is the cornerstone of that. It keeps you dry and happy at night without taking up much room in your bag, and hopefully is roomy enough that you enjoy your night out too.

We've gone for plenty of quick missions in to the mountains to bag a peak and make it out before work on Monday. We've also...

A really solid pair of mountaineering boots can be the most important piece of gear that you have when you're halfway up a snowy mountain. Deciding what boots to buy is critical, so it's important to take your time and make a good decision.

We've done alpine traverses and scrambled up mountains in mountaineering boots. We've trudged through endless snow fields, crossed glaciers and ascended...

Gaiters can look a little silly but really are worth their weight in gold in the right situation. There is nothing worse than soaking wet feet, or endless rocks and twigs down your boots. Gaiters to the rescue.

To test out gaiters, we trudged through the worst mud that the rainy, pacific northwest has to offer. We did multi-day backpacking trips through dense forests, went off trail, and bashed...

A good pair of hiking boots will be your feet's best friend. They're probably the one piece of hiking gear that you really do need to go out and buy when you start hiking. But, a good pair will last a long time and see you through a lot of hikes and backpacking adventures.

To test out hiking boots, we scrambled up mountains, hiked through swampy meadows and did multi-day backpacking trips...

A good base layer is one of those pieces of gear that everyone takes for granted but really can be the difference between you being comfortable or miserable in the outdoors.

We've shivered around campfires in the shoulder seasons, lounged in backcountry huts and tried not to overheat while backcountry skiing, all to figure out what the most versatile and useful base layer is to have in your...

For hiking in any season, a solid pair of hiking pants is something that every camper, hiker and backpacker should have in their closet.

We've done a whole lot of trekking around in the forest, up mountains and across beaches. We've learned about which hiking pants hold up and which don't. The ones below are the pants that are still in our closet.

There's nothing worse than going on a day hike, or worse a multi-day backpacking trip, and getting a nice, red sunburn to start the whole thing off. That's why we think a good sun protection shirt is a chronically underused piece of gear.

We've trekked through tropical jungles, volcano craters without an ounce of shade, and done multi-day backpacking trips along sunny beaches. We have a good...

Many people will just wear whatever shirt they find in the closet when they go hiking, but a good, purpose built hiking shirt really does, we think, make a difference in your enjoyment of the great outdoors.

We've hiked through swampy tropical temps, up mountains the freezing drizzle and everything in between. We've done a whole lot of sweating, shivering and putting backpacks on damp backs to...