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Buying guides

Outdoor tech, minus the hype.

Portable power, solar, lights, helmet comms, GPS and satellite messengers, thermal optics. Written without the sales pitch, and ready to say when the cheaper option is good enough.

Read the sample guideHow we write

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Topics

All topics
  1. 01Portable powerPower stations and battery packs for camp, a cabin, or an outage.Sample only
  2. 02SolarPanels that refill a battery when there is no outlet nearby.None yet
  3. 03LightsHeadlamps, lanterns, and area lights. A lumen claim is not the whole story.None yet
  4. 04Helmet commsHeadsets and intercoms for a helmet, on a bike, a sled, or anything else.None yet
  5. 05GPS & satellite messengersNavigation and satellite messengers for places without cell service.None yet
  6. 06Thermal opticsThermal monoculars and related optics, including when a simpler tool is the better buy.None yet

How a guide gets written

  1. 01

    The job comes first

    We start from what the gear has to do, not from a brand’s feature list.

  2. 02

    Cheaper can be enough

    If the less expensive option covers the job, that is the recommendation.

  3. 03

    No borrowed experience

    We do not invent specifications, prices, or time in the field. If a number is not sourced, it stays out.