Gear Picks is a curated selection of products we’ve tested and heartily recommend. We stand by this gear—and the brands that sell it—and many of our editors and writers use this stuff weekly. Whenever possible, we provide a link to a past review so you can make sure it’s something that suits your lifestyle—ideally at a steeply discounted price. Happy shopping—and gear-picking.
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“This sock did everything extremely well, but mostly it was just damn comfy,” wrote our Gear Guy. The Hiker provides a nice cushion for the heel and forefoot without being too bulky, and the fit is super snug. The merino-nylon-spandex blend is odor-resistant and never itchy.
This suitcase-style pack is ideal for keeping your gear organized and separated. The internal padded laptop sleeve keeps electronic devices safe, and a small pocket on the front of the pack fits documents, a phone, or a notebook. You can carry the Mission three ways: as a suitcase, over the shoulder, or backpack style.
This portable jump starter is the size of a sandwich, but has the juice to single-handedly revive a vehicle. Charge it via the included USB cable, and throw it in the trunk for additional peace of mind wherever you drive.
“There are plenty of puffy blankets on the market, but the Rumpl Down Puffy takes the cake,” our tester wrote. This compressible, 600-fill down blanket will keep you warm on your next stargazing outing. It's versatile, too: “The Down Puffy can be your sleeping bag stand-in on a summer backpacking trip.”
Outside’s male staffers love the Retro Pile Pullover for its fuzzy, versatile warmth. Credit the double-sided shearling that's soft on the skin. It works great as a midlayer fleece or over a shirt for spring hikes.
The Mega Mat Duo is the most comfortable mattress we’ve used for car camping, hands down. It’s a 10-centimeter-thick air pad with memory foam insulation. It’s pricey, but it’s the closest we’ve come to feeling like we were in our bed at home while camping.
We gave this jacket a Gear of the Year award in 2017. “Think of it as a Nano-Air on steroids: a stretchy, waterproof-breathable fabric wraps the synthetic fill, while the interior is made from the same plush liner as the original. Add pit zips and you have a bombproof jacket that wears and breathes like a sweatshirt,” wrote our tester.
Though Outside columnist Andrew Skurka loves the Garmin InReach Mini, the device’s bigger and older brother, the Explorer+, offers a few nice features at the cost of size and weight: a bigger color screen, more efficient button layout, better virtual keyboard, and longer-lasting battery.
If you work in an open space area or spend time traveling, these headphones are essential. We recommended them for getting work done while on the go because they have Bose’s top-notch noise cancellation technology, 20 hours of battery life, and are compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
The Coleman Classic is one of our Gear Guy’s top choices for car camping. “The two 10,000-BTU burners take a little while to heat things up, but no one should be in a rush when out camping,” he wrote. “If anything ever breaks on a Classic—which rarely happens—replacement parts are easy to find, and the fixes are easy to make.”
The Daylite doesn’t come with a bladder, but there’s storage aplenty: 20 liters in the main compartment plus an exterior pocket. The sleeve in the main compartment can house a reservoir you buy separately, or it’ll accommodate a tablet or small laptop if you’re just using it for commuting. If you’re extra thirsty, two side bottle pockets boost the Daylites water-carrying capacity.