Gear Picks
Our Buyer’s Guide Favorites Are on Sale at REI
Save big on our favorite apparel from our Winter Buyer’s Guide, at REI’s Gear Up, Get Out sale now through November 25.
Featured
$129
from Backcountry
Made with recycled material, the Black Hole is a travel companion that you can feel good about. It’s equipped with an internal sleeve for laptop storage and smaller pockets for a wallet or phone. Our tester noted the Black Hole is also a great option for pure gear hauling.
$140.00
$112.00
from Backcountry
20% off
The Bitterblaze made it into our 2019 list of favorite gloves for a reason: they’re out-of-this-world warm. Outdoor Research lined them with aerogel—the überwarm, porous silica insulation used by NASA in its space suits.
$89.00
$62.00
from Backcountry
30% off
How did this baby make it on our very exclusive list of fall's best flannels? It has everything to do with the Fjord’s variety of colors and patterns, heavy-duty warmth, absurd softness, and two big chest pockets for holding your everyday carry essentials.
$100.00
from REI
With ultra-sticky rubber outsoles and leather uppers, these sport shoes are perfect for finding the edge on granite faces, climbing in the gym, or, if you’re like this guy, scaling 663-foot skyscrapers.
$249.00
The Micro Puff was our favorite jacket of 2018 because there’s a lot to love about this warm, super-light piece. “The PlumaFill is tacked between sheets of ten-denier nylon fabric in long strands, so it won’t shift and create cold spots,” our tester wrote.
$160.00
from REI
These kicks were one of our favorite pairs in the 2020 Winter Buyer’s Guide. The paraffin-treated cotton upper and flannel lining is made to keep cold weather out of your soles. “The Vibram Megagrip outsole and reinforced leather accents make this vintage-inspired hiker even more winter-ready,” our tester wrote.
$65.00
from REI
In our 2020 Winter Buyer’s Guide roundup of the best flannel shirts, the super soft Flare Gun Stretch was a fan favorite. Our testers found themselves wanting to wear it a few days in a row—so they did.
$25
$19
from REI
24% off
On the slopes, you want your feet warm but not suffocated. That’s the thinking behind these socks, and it’s why we included them in our Winter Buyer’s Guide lineup. “The PhD Ski Ultra Light offers a snug, barely-there fit, but the nylon-merino-elastane-polyester blend still kept our toes warm,” our tester wrote.
$150.00
from REI
Don’t let winter halt your cycling schedule. With these pants, you won’t have to. Our tester loved the Summit AmFib Lite’s stretch, water-resistance, and thermal fleece fabric panels in the back.
All Gear
$125
$94
from Huckberry
25% off
Our gear columnist called these shoes “close to perfect.” Their versatile build “sits at the intersection between a runner, a travel slipper, a water shoe, and a low-cut hiking boot,” they wrote. “It’s replaced at least three other pairs I used to rotate through (flip-flops, hiking boots, and work shoes) and looks mostly new even after a couple beatings.”
$128
$99
from Lululemon
23% off
“This sleek 17-liter pack holds more than it looks like it can,” wrote our tester, who included it in our roundup of the best men’s summer workout gear. “Outer mesh pouches swallow socks and shoes, and a big top-loading interior pocket fits a change of clothes and everyday essentials.”
$325
$244
from Backcountry
25% off
The original Ghost Whisperer is our Gear Guy’s favorite lightweight down jacket. The 800-fill-power down is toasty, and the feather treatment helps it stay dry longer, even in wet environments. If you’re concerned about weight, this is the jacket you want—it weighs less than eight ounces.
$24
$16
from REI
33% off
If you’re a skier who wants less cushioning, these are the socks for you. “Icebreaker’s take on the superthin ski sock features moisture-wicking merino wool, nylon, and Lycra,” wrote associate editor Abigail Barronian. “It has little cushioning to speak of, but it still feels substantial, striking a good balance between weight, warmth, and breathability.”
Sponsor Content
Cairn Obsidian Premium Outdoor Collection
$249.95 / quarter
from Cairn
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$430
$360
from REI
16% off
We featured the Recon LT beacon in our Winter Buyer’s Guide roundup of the best snow safety gear. “The device’s ergonomic shape and low-profile harness make it comfortable to wear and easy to forget about until you need it, and the advertised 50-meter range held up during tests in the glades of the Sangre de Cristos and in the Alaskan alpine,” wrote our tester.
$160
from REI
Our Gear Guy considers the Fall Line the best and most reliable pair of ski gloves. “No other piece of gear in my ski kit sees more use than the Fall Line,” he wrote. “After all these years, the reason I love them is simple: they’re the right tool for keeping my hands warm while skiing—and tinkering with my gear—all season long.”
$250
$187
from REI
25% off
Columnist Wes Siler crowned the FirePit the best portable grill ever. It works as both a fire pit and an efficient grill, thanks to the fan that makes the pit run “virtually smokeless,” Siler wrote. “With the fan running on high, the entire thing went from cold to ready-to-sear in under 15 minutes.”
$85
$64
from REI
25% off
The Tarantulace is one of the best climbing shoes for beginners. “Rather than the sharp-angled toe of most climbing shoes, the Tarantulace has more of a squared silhouette that offers a bit more wiggle room,” contributor Olivia Harlow wrote in her roundup of the best gear for those new to the sport.
$50
$37
from REI
26% off
If trail weight is an issue, you can’t beat Hydro Flask’s Trail Series bottles, which are 25 percent lighter than their original versions. They’re still double-wall insulated to keep beverages cold for hours. You can fit two pints in their larger, 32-ounce bottle making it perfect for a happy hour sunset hike.
$35
$25
from Huckberry
29% off
Gear columnist Jakob Schiller loves the Weekenders. “They look great, have high-quality lenses, and are so affordable that I won't worry about them getting a little bit dinged up,” he says. “It's rare to find one pair of shades I want to wear for 80 percent of the things I do outside—and even rarer to find one at this price.”
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.