Arc’teryx launched its original line of footwear in 2015 — it was a natural progression considering they had been owned by Salomon since the early 2000’s.  But now the company has brought all design and development of their line of approach and trail running footwear in-house. Designed in conjunction with Arc’teryx sponsored athletes, these new Arc’teryx designs are billed as offering an ideal mix of support, traction, and comfort, made for whatever challenges you encounter. Learn more about the intensive design process in the video below.   The Vertex Alpine Arc’teryx Vertex Alpin ..read more

Many adventures in the outdoors begin with a plan on what to bring.  Once that’s put together, you need a good pack to carry it all. Taking that one step further, you also need to make sure that things are accessible. In the last few years, fanny packs – now known as “hip packs” have made a steady comeback since they allow you to reserve bulky items for your backpack and keep your necessities strapped to you. But, a blast from our military past has been quietly making its presence known in the bushcraft world — the haversack. Haversacks have a long history in our military. During the Civ ..read more

Oboz Footwear, founded in 2007 in Bozeman, Montana, has launched their new Cottonwood Collection. This collection is described as their most responsibly sourced line of hikers to date, incorporating recycled, bio-based materials, and responsibly sourced leathers and trims. The development of the Cottonwood Collection aligns with Oboz’s broader environmental goals, especially after achieving B Corp Certification in 2023, which underscores their commitment to acting as a force for good by focusing on community, climate, and circularity. “There are so many elements that go into the production o ..read more

Orvis impressed our review teams with the first three generations of their award-winning Helios fly rod series. The original Helios and the Helios 2 (reviewed here) made great advances in graphite rod design and construction. The Helios 3 (see here) created a whole new level of performance in flyrods. It also earned the highest score we’ve ever awarded a fishing rod. (99/100). Today, Vermont-based Orvis introduced the latest generation, the new Helios! According to the brand, the new Helios is four times more accurate than the Helios 3 (H3) and 25 percent stronger while trimming 10 percent of ..read more

As the New Year beckons, America’s State Parks invite everyone to embrace the great outdoors with their annual First Day Hike event on January 1, 2024. This nationwide initiative, stretching from Hawaii to Maine, offers an invigorating start to the year with over 1,000 guided hikes available in state parks across the country. Lewis Ledford, the executive director of the National Association of State Park Directors, expresses his enthusiasm for the event’s growth and success. “This initiative has become a cherished tradition, providing individuals and families with the opportunity to embrace t ..read more

No matter who you have on your shopping list, we think we’ve found some gifts sure to please any outdoors person. Holiday Gift Guide 2023 Under $50 Biolite Alpenglow Mini Biolite revolutionized camp cooking with their wood-fired stove and battery charger. But the company also makes a line of lighting solutions that are innovative, well-designed, and fun. The newest LED creation is the Alpenglow Mini lantern. This baseball-sized bundle of light tosses off up to 150 lumens (and as light as 5 for mood lighting), with a burn time of 5 hours on high power. The lantern weighs just 3.5 ounces ..read more

GORE-TEX has announced the expansion of its Outerwear on Demand program to Killington and Jay Peak ski resorts in Vermont, marking its first introduction to the East Coast. This innovative rental service offers high-performance ski and snowboard clothing, catering to new enthusiasts and infrequent visitors who prefer not to invest in expensive gear. The program, already successful in 13 North American locations, features GORE-TEX’s top-quality garments known for their durability, waterproof, and windproof capabilities. David Newey from W. L. Gore & Associates highlights the partnership wi ..read more

Eric Larsen’s Polar Academy is championing diversity in polar exploration through its new scholarship program. Aimed at BIPOC individuals, this initiative seeks to break down the barriers traditionally faced in the outdoor adventure community. The scholarship, funded primarily by outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear company Jack Wolfskin, offers a fully-funded week-long polar training course, including travel, meals, and equipment, for six selected participants. Eric Larsen, the renowned polar explorer, will lead the nine day (1/20/24 — 1/28/24) level 1 polar training course on Lake of the ..read more

Having spent the last few years focusing mostly on accessories, limited edition tools, and new colorways on some of their classics, Leatherman closes out 2023 with their most advanced multitool to date — the Arc. Leatherman’s current multitool offering is pretty vast. You could set yourself up nicely with a tool like the Rev for $50, find yourself satisfied with the Free P2 for $130, or take it to the limit with a tool like the Arc for $229 and have everything you ever wanted. For someone like me, I go back and forth all the time. I’ve been carrying the Wingman for the last two years and just ..read more

Yoshina B660-SST As battery technology has improved, rechargeable power blocks are replacing portable gas generators as the preferred source of power in remote camps. Plenty of options exist in this field, but a couple of new products from Yoshino Power have impressed our team. For general basecamp use, the Yoshina B660-SST model offers everything needed to keep your outdoor devices fully powered. The B660 offers 660 watts of total power output from a solid-state Li-NCM 16.2A battery. That power is accessible through a host of ports – three 120-volt AC plugin outlets, two USB-C ports, two USB ..read more