Gabe Richards

A windbreaker is a niche piece of gear, but when you need one you really need one. The ideal windbreaker disappears in to your backpack and you forget it's there until you hit that ridge and get blown over.

We've scrambled up gusty mountains and ran across open plains. These are the windbreakers we trust to keep us comfy when moving in the mountains.

When the weather gets truly miserable and you need to stay warm and not freeze to death, you leave your cozy down jacket in the closet and reach for your synthetic insulated jacket. You don't always need it, but when you do need it, you really need it.

We've trudged through miserable conditions in synthetic jackets. We've worn them as base layers when skinning to the top of a mountain, and worn...

Whether you like to hit groomers on blue bird days or trudge across glaciers with skins and a heavy backpack, a solid ski jacket is an important piece of gear to own. It'll keep you comfortable, and sometimes just alive.

We've skied in -40 Celsius temps at the resort and -40 Celsius temps in the backcountry too. We've sat on chairlifts that didn't move while slush rained down on us. These are...

Everyone should own at least one winter jacket. Whether your journey is going to the grocery store or to the top of a mountain, it gets cold out there, and a good winter jacket will see you through.

We've gone to the grocery store in winter jackets and yes, to the top of mountains too. We've braved early morning bakery lines and alpine starts, and everything in between. These are the best winter...

Down pants are the luxury outdoors item that people don't know they need. But trust us, you need them. They're the piece of gear that you try once and wonder how you ever got on without them.

We've sat on benches made of snow in our down pants. We've sat around campfires, chopped firewood, and lounged in fancy backcountry huts. These are the down pants that we think are great for all that and...

A rain jacket is not something you want to skimp on. Being dry in a rain storm makes you feel great, and wearing a sopping wet 'rain jacket' is not so much fun.

We've tested a whole lot of rain jackets from a variety of manufacturers. We've worn them in jungle showers and on sleeting multi-day trips. After a whole lot of misery (and a lot of fun too) here is what we think are the best rain...