Buyers' Guides
Choosing Your Canoe: Materials
From natural birch bark to modern composites, a wide range of materials are used to build canoes today. Each has its advantages and disadvantages and no one material does it all well.
Guide to Sleeping Bags
Down or synthetic? What temperature rating? Mummy or rectangular? Extra-long or women-specific? With the range of sleeping bag shapes, sizes, fills, and...
Sleeping Bag Construction: Baffles, Layers, and Shingles
Baffled by baffles? Confused by shingles and layers? Here's your guide to the various construction techniques that keep down and synthetic insulation in the right places, and you warm in your sleeping bag.
Gear Explained: Synthetic Insulation
To pick the right insulation — synthetic or down — for your backcountry adventures, you need to understand what each insulation is, its properties, and its pros and cons. Start with our synthetic insulation primer.
Gear Explained: Down Insulation
To pick the right insulation — down or synthetic — for your backcountry adventures, you need to understand what each insulation is, its properties, and its pros and cons. Start with our down insulation primer.
Gear Explained: Sleeping Bag Shapes, Sizes, Fits
Mummy, rectangular, and semi-rectangular, specialty bags, liners, and covers. Choosing a sleeping bag requires understanding the different shapes, sizes, and versions available.
Gear Explained: Parts of a Sleeping Bag
Even a seemingly simple piece of gear like a sleeping bag can have a confusing number of features, parts, and terms. Here are the basic parts of a typical mummy bag.
Trekking Poles: Selecting a Pair (Part 3)
To narrow down the choices available at your local outfitter and find the right pair of poles for you and your treks, consider hiking style and terrain, your body, special features, and your budget.
Trekking Poles: Parts Explained (Part 2)
Trekking poles have become more complicated than the single-piece hiking staffs they've replaced. Here's a primer on the parts of a trekking pole: from strap and grip down to basket and tip.
Trekking Poles: To Use or Not, Benefits and Drawbacks (Part 1)
Visit any major trail and you'll likely see hikers using trekking poles, matching poles specifically designed for hiking. If you haven't yet tried trekking poles, consider the advantages to decide whether they're a worthwhile addition to your gear closet.
New Footwear for 2010, Part 3: Trail-Runners and Outdoor Socks
We close our series on new footwear of 2010 with a look at trail-running shoes and outdoor footwear.
New Footwear for 2010, Part 2: Trail and Multi-Sport Shoes, Miscellaneous Footwear
Part 2 of our series on 2010 footwear looks at trail shoes (essentially below-the-heel hiking boots); multi-sport shoes, which combine features of multiple sports categories; and miscellaneous outdoor footwear like the Vibram FiveFingers line that didn't fit in other categories.
New Footwear for 2010, Part 1: Boots and Climbing Shoes
Coming to stores this year: grippier outsoles, more durable cushioning, and upgraded lacing designs. First of a three-part series.
Outdoor iPhone Apps: Guidebooks Go Mobile
A quick guide to outdoor adventure applications available for Apple's iPhone.
Outdoor Gifts for Outdoor Kids
If you know a kid to whom you'd like to give the whole outdoor world, here are a few of my own gift ideas. The best parts are money-free.
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