Gear Reviews

What’s better than a roomy two-person tent when spending a few nights in the outdoors? A three-person tent, of course! They offer more room for duos, plenty of space for ultra plush double sleeping mattress and bag setups, are a mansion for single campers (whether or not you’re bringing your dog), and offer way more livable space for changing, lounging, or waiting out inclement weather. We recently tested two solid 3-person tents on a 10-day road trip to Utah’s national parks and compare them both here and now in this REI Half Dome vs Big Agnes Copper Spur tent comparison.

This is a sponsored post paid for by InfinaCore. A good backup battery (or power bank, power brick, or whatever you want to call it) is essential these days whether …

Whether you’re planning an extended road trip full of nights spent under the stars or you’re just looking for the ultimate comfy sleep setup for you and your partner/dog/best bud/just you, there may be no better option than a cushy self-inflating sleeping pad and a big ol’ roomy sleeping bag. Especially if you plan to get cozy with a camp buddy 😉. Heck, even if you’re on your own and you just love to sprawl when you sleep, a double sleeping bag and mattress are a stellar addition to your car camping setup.

It’s officially hiking-in-shorts weather! In fact, all summer long you’ll rarely, if ever, find us playing outside in anything else. We don’t like clingy fabric on our skin (which means breathable sun shirts only on our top half), prefer to feel the breeze on our skin, and don’t mind applying a little sunscreen for the easy-breezy feeling shorts provide on the trail. But a perfect pair can be hard to find, especially if you want a more sustainable pair from a brand that puts Earth first. Fortunately, we put several pairs to the test to help you find the ideal pair for you. Here are 5 of the best sustainable hiking shorts for women we’ve found.

You know we’re big fans of Xero Shoes here at Terradrift. But at this point, the brand has quite a few options to choose from and it’s hard to decipher which Xero sandals might be the best for you. So in the name of eliminating a bit of trial and error, we tested them all. Well, almost all. And over several years, so we know what we’re talking about here. Want the inside scoop? Let’s get to it.

We’re all about barefoot and minimalist shoes here at Terradrift. We love them for all seasons: summer, winter, in snow, sun and rain. And while we tend to prefer more breathable barefoot hiking boots when it’s warm, sometimes waterproof barefoot hiking boots are required. Fortunately, we’ve tested plenty over the years and these are some of our favorite minimalist, zero-drop waterproof boots designed for hiking and outdoor adventure.

If you’re ready to ditch traditional laces and step into the world of minimalist shoes, the Merrell Vapor Glove 6 Boa is a solid choice. With a lightweight build, excellent traction, and a micro-adjustable Boa Fit System, it blends barefoot freedom with everyday comfort—perfect for trail runners, barefoot-curious walkers, and anyone who hates tying shoes.

Come summer, we’re all about barefoot sandals. We explore in them, travel in them, wander in them, and definitely hike in them. Yes, we hike in sandals (but only purpose-built sandals designed for the task). So just like last year, we got our hands on a bunch of different brands and styles, tested them all on dirty, rocky, uneven trails in Utah, plus on gravel and asphalt, and sized them up to determine which ones are best for what activities, which are most comfortable, durable, have the best groundfeel, you name it. So if you’re ready for a new pair of barefoot hiking sandals, here are some of the best money can buy.

Are you team water bottle or hydration reservoir? Sound off! Well we tested a hydration system that’s truly the best of both worlds: It has the functionality of a bladder with the ease-of-use of a water bottle. It’s the One Bottle Hydration system, essentially a hydration tube for a water bottle, and it may be our new favorite way to stay hydrated on long hikes and backpacking trips. Read on for our full review.

Barefoot hiking boots! We can’t get enough of them here at Terradrift. In fact, we’re at the point where we don’t hike in anything else. But not all barefoot boots are created equal. So we tested two pairs from some of our favorite brands to see how they compared in this Vivobarefoot vs Xero Shoes showdown: The Xero Scrambler Trail Mid WP and the Vivobarefoot Tracker Textile AT. And because we want you to find your perfect shoe the first time, we’re gonna break down how they’re different, where they excelled–or didn’t–and what type of hiker we think is gonna like each one best.