Core outdoor professionals are the backbone and lifeblood of the outdoor industry. They guide, educate, train, keep safe, mentor and lead a wider audience in outdoor recreation. A pro’s experience provides credible assessment of gear quality – they are, afterall,…
I’ll admit it here first, I’m a sleeping pad addict. I save sad, punctured sleeping pads from lonely REI Garage Sale bins like some people save abandoned kittens they find on the street. That’s why when I found out that Therm-a-Rest…
Loaded with quick access features, the Mountainsmith Zerk 40 enables you to do more, with less time. The Mountainsmith Zerk 40 pack kept up with me on a 14-hour 32-mile peak-bagging mission in the remote Pasayten Wilderness in Northeastern Washington.…
I first started using the Vigor Hybrid Hooded jacket as a base layer while skiing and loved that it has thumb loops so it’s easy to slip it under my jacket and even under mittens to eliminate any sort of…
As a member of the USA ice climbing team, I find myself doing a wide variety of climbing year-round. Since my summer training necessitates trading in the crampons for rock climbing shoes, the Scarpa Vapor V accompanied me through just…
As a mere mortal, I am subject to the law of climbing that states that shoes have more impact on performance or ability than any other piece of equipment. Quickdraws clips, ropes catch falls, helmets protect your head, backpacks hold…
Our gear testers are a team of super Outdoor Prolink pros who live and breathe gear. They use all types of gear for work and play, and they spend a lot of their time outdoors testing gear for our brands,…
To test Outdoor Research’s Ferossi Grid Hooded Jacket I took it canyoneering, resort skiing, backcountry skiing and wore it around town. This jacket shined the most during chilly November canyoneering in Moab. We had temperatures ranging from 20 to 50…
The Parcklaw 275 is the perfect hybrid shoe that easily transitions from road to trail in a single run. It’s become the go-to shoe for charging up my local butte in Bend, Oregon. From my front door I’m easily able…
I love the outdoors as much as the next dirtbag, but why are we really out in the nether regions of the backcountry purposefully abusing our bodies? Is the scenery wonderful? Yes! Is the company fantastic? Usually. But I think…