Danny

Waking up at a campsite to a hot, properly brewed cup of coffee changes the entire morning. I have spent the past three summers testing camp coffee makers across the Rockies, the Appalachians, and the Sierra Nevada, from ultralight backpacking trips to car camping with a full crew. The best camping coffee makers on this … Read more

Last summer, I rolled into a dispersed campsite in the Mojave with a cheap collapsible water jug that had failed me on my last trip. By midnight, my sleeping bag was damp and my reserve water was half gone. We learned that day that the best camping water containers aren’t just about capacity; they’re about … Read more

I still remember my first backpacking trip. I packed a saucepan from my kitchen, two plastic bowls, and a plastic spork from a takeout container. By mile 6, my “kit” was rattling inside my pack like a bag of hardware, and the plastic spork had snapped clean in half while stirring instant oatmeal. That disaster … Read more

I have spent more nights in grizzly country than I can count, and if there is one piece of gear I never compromise on, it is food storage. The right bear canister keeps your food safe, keeps you compliant with park regulations, and most importantly, keeps bears alive by preventing them from associating humans with … Read more

When you are three days into a backcountry trip and your knife is the only tool standing between you and a cold night without shelter, the quality of that blade matters more than anything else in your pack. I have spent years testing survival knives in conditions ranging from wet Pacific Northwest forests to dry … Read more

Two years ago I lost my favorite pocket knife on a hike in Colorado. By the time I got back to the trailhead, I had already missed three opportunities to fix things around the house that week. That little wake-up call pushed our team to spend the last 18 months testing the best multi tools … Read more

Finding the best hunting backpacks can make or break a hunt. I have spent seasons hauling gear up ridgelines, sitting in treestands for hours, and packing out elk meat on my back. The right pack keeps you comfortable, organized, and ready when the moment matters. After testing dozens of packs across different hunt types, our … Read more

I have spent the better part of three years testing laser rangefinders on golf courses, in the backcountry of Colorado, and at my local archery range. What I learned is that the best rangefinders are not one-size-fits-all. The device that locks onto a flagstick at 250 yards might struggle to range an elk at 800 … Read more

I still remember the first time I tried to read bullet holes at 600 yards with a pair of binoculars. Squinting, leaning, and giving up halfway. That frustration sent me down the rabbit hole of testing spotting scopes, and our team has spent the last few months shooting, glassing ridges, and birding from back porches … Read more

I remember my first fly rod vividly. It was a cheap fiberglass combo from a big-box store, and within two weekends the tip snapped on a backcast. That experience taught me a lesson the fly fishing community has been shouting for decades: not all rods are created equal. After spending three months casting more than … Read more