Gear

Backpack coolers. Every adventurer needs one. Ideally, it would be made of sustainable materials and from an environmentally responsible brand. But those options are few and far between. Fortunately, we found 4 rad options for every type of outdoor adventure. So whether you’re kayaking, camping, hiking, or just hoofing it around an outdoor music festival, these sustainable backpack coolers promise to keep your six packs and tofu wraps chilled for hours, no matter where you wander.

If you want to improve your balance on the trail, actually feel the ground you’re walking on, strengthen your feet and feel the breeze on your hot toes, there’s no better footwear for the outdoors than barefoot sandals designed for hiking and outdoor adventure. We tested 6 to help you find the pair that’s perfect for you.

We’ve used a lot of water reservoirs over the years, but almost always find something to complain about with all of them. However, we may have just found the perfect reservoir for hiking and backpacking: The HydraPak Contour. We dish about what makes an excellent bladder and how HydraPak fits the bill.

Trail running: It’s one of the fastest growing outdoor activities. Largely because it’s one of the most accessible. Mostly because you don’t need a bunch of expensive, specialized gear to do it. Just a pair of trail runners and the drive to leave the pavement behind. And all you need to get started is a half-way decent pair of shoes, trail-specific preferably. Fortunately, we tested out 7 pairs of more sustainable, vegan trail running shoes so you can order yourself a pair with confidence. Check ’em out.

No sustainable adventure–on the trail or around the world–would be complete without a reusable insulated water bottle. Packing one when I travel helps ensure I never have to use a disposable (and almost always non-recyclable) plastic, paper, or styrofoam cups. But not all travel-friendly insulated vessels are created equal. Some aren’t leakproof or are made of inferior and unsustainable materials. Others don’t fit in cupholders or aren’t built to last. Fortunately, there are plenty that deserve a spot in your water bottle cabinet (you have one of those, too, right?). Here are 6 of our faves.

Altra recently released the newest version of their immensely popular hiking shoe: The Altra Lone Peak 7. And they made some changes this time around. Changes a lot of people don’t seem to like. But are they really all that different? I put my feet in a pair of the Lone Peak 6 and 7 to try to figure that out.

I’ve recently become a big fan of hip packs. I prefer them to backpacks for short hikes and most mountain biking, they’re easy to travel with, they hold just the right amount of snacks, and they keep my back from getting all sweaty when I’m playing outside. So we went searching for the most sustainable hip packs for all manner of outdoor adventure and put them to the test to see where each excelled. The goal: to help you find the perfect waist pack for you that also happens to leave a lighter footprint. So here are 6 sustainable hip packs for hiking, biking, or whatever it is you like to do outdoors.

Spring has has officially sprung! And we couldn’t be more excited about it here at Terradrift (if it would only stop raining for more than five minutes so the mountain bike trails could dry out…)! Because spring backpacking might be the best backpacking. And we do love some early season backpacking gear (think insulated sleeping pads, cozy but lightweight insulated jackets, and lighter packs). So I hit the trail in Big Bend National Park this month with a handful of other rad, outdoorsy journalists to enjoy the season and test some fresh new gear. Miles were logged, elevation gained, views enjoyed, company appreciated, and a lot of good gear got the opportunity to shine. Here’s the spring backpacking gear we put to the test and what we thought of it.

We travel a lot here at Terradrift. Frequently with all our outdoor gear in tow. And occasionally, that travel is via airplane. But we hate checking luggage. It costs too much, there’s a chance it gets lost or delayed, and then we have to wait for it once we reach our destination. So if we can, we prefer to carry on our luggage. But is a backpack a carry on? Can full on backpacking backpacks be carried on instead of checked? Will a backpack fit in the overhead bin? Short answer: Sometimes. Read on to learn more.

We practically live in sweatpants here at Terradrift. If we’re not hiking, biking, or exploring, we’re working from our computers at home, and not usually in slacks and a nice button-up. Naw, we’re in sweatpants. But if we’re gonna live in sweatpants, we want them to be sustainable, preferably made out of natural or recycled materials that don’t compromise on style or comfort. Good thing there’s plenty to choose from when it comes to sustainable sweatpants and sweatshirts (and loungewear in general). Here are our 4 favorite sustainable sweats so you can be as cozy as we are as we sit and contemplate whether we want to get off the couch to go test those new hiking boots (or wait until tomorrow).