Gear Reviews

You know what they say about April showers (don’t make me repeat the rhyme…)! But if you love the outdoors, you can’t let a little precipitation ruin your plans. Heck no! Just don a rugged rain jacket and get out there to play (whether that involves walking your dog around the park or summiting the nearest fourteener. But not all rain jackets are created equal, when it comes to performance, but also sustainability. So ditch the rain gear with PFAS, and if it’s time to replace your tattered old jacket, choose one of these more sustainable rain jackets instead.

I’m very particular about my backpacks. I want the perfect balance of exterior pockets, interior organizational space, packability, and comfort. And I want to to not weigh much. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. And yeah, I want it to be sustainable as well. So, I was pretty stoked when I got to test the Deuter Speed Lite CV. Specifically the 23L SL version, which is the women’s-specific model. There’s also a 25 L unisex version. And frankly, I’m pretty impressed. Honestly, this backpack might just be my new favorite daypack.

Anybody who’s ever played outside with me knows I love to chat. Whether I’m snowboarding, cycling, hiking, or kayaking, being outdoors is just another opportunity to not only connect with nature but also with any friends and family enjoying nature with me. So I was stoked to test out the Cardo Packtalk Outdoor intercom system during my first season learning how to snowboard. Here’s what I thought of the high-quality (and expensive) system.

Merrell recently released the new Merrell Trail Glove 7. But is it an improvement on the Merrell Trail Glove 6, which we reviewed a while back? We tested a pair to find out.

Not all day packs are created equal. But some daypacks are so similar to their competitors that when it comes time to purchase a new one, you’re not really sure …

A sturdy, dependable duffle is a beautiful thing. We compare two–the Patagonia Black Hole and the Cotopaxi Allpa–to see which is tops.

Break out the insulated jackets because winter is here! At least here in Utah. But we’re OK with that, because winter and snow means we have the opportunity to play outside in ways we can’t the rest of the year: skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, all that good stuff. But winter also means it’s time to break out the layers, especially if you plan to go hiking, cross country skiing, or any other activity where you’ll be working hard in the cold but also need to stay warm when you stop for a snack break. Here are some of our newest faves for all your winter pursuits.

We a good ultralight backpacking tent here at Terradrift. Any ultralight backpacking gear, really. So we couldn’t have been more stoked to get our hands on the Durston X-Mid 2. We put it to the test recently to see if it was impressive enough to replace our beloved UL Big Agnes Tiger Wall. Spoilers: It sure the heck is. Read or watch to find out how and why.

They’re shorts! You can pee in! Yup! If you were stunned and amazed and oh-so-impressed with our Gnara Go There Pant review, then you’re in for a treat, because this summer, the brand launched our new fave pair of hiking shorts, the Gnara Go There Short: shorts you don’t have to remove in order to pee outside, even if your anatomy dictates that you have to squat to pee. So if the idea of shorts intrigue and delight you, read or watch, fellow sit-to-pee-er. You’re gonna dig these.

Allow me to introduce you to the tolerably ultralight, totally undyed Crown 3 60L backpack from Granite Gear, a backpacking pack I’ve been wanting to get my hands on for quite some time now. Firstly, because I’m a huge fan of undyed gear (it’s more sustainable that conventionally dyed gear, plus stands out in a crowd–and in photos–and is stupendously fun to get filthy). So to test it out for ourselves, we took it on a backpacking trip to Grand Teton National Park to see how it performed Here’s what we thought after we both carried it for several days over mountainous terrain.