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1 month ago | 
gearinstitute.com | Dan Nelson
As the dreary days of winter give way to the refreshing days of spring renewal, thoughts of outdoor recreationists turn to all things wild. Using some great new adventure gear can ease this transition into the bright days of spring. Fortunately, we found such gearTrxstle CRC Rod carrier, v.3When we first discovered Trxstle in 2019, our fly fishing team loved the brand’s new Convertible Rod Carrier (CRC).
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Oct 30, 2024 | 
gearinstitute.com | Dan Nelson
Autumn is the ultimate hiking season for most of the northern hemisphere – temperatures are cool, colors are bright, and crowds are diminished. Though most adventurers don’t need incentives to get out come fall, we found a few gear items to make your pre-winter excursions more enjoyable. Biolite Charge 100 MaxToday’s digital world means even outdoor adventures require access to power.
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Oct 15, 2024 | 
gearinstitute.com | Dan Nelson
For a few decades, electronic fences (e-fences) have allowed dog owners to set up invisible boundaries to keep their dogs contained in safe locations – mainly yards and fields at home. A new generation of devices, though, take those e-fences on the road. And while not all of them work efficiently in all situations (especially where cell service is lacking) one product proved to be a great tool for traveling dog adventurers.
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Oct 8, 2024 | 
gearinstitute.com | Dan Nelson
Most Americans focus their camping vacations on the weeks between Memorial Day and Labor Day. But savvy campers know that the ‘shoulder’ seasons are the best times to make camp. Autumn camping offers fall colors, no bugs, fewer people, and more active wildlife for viewing. We’ve found some great new products to make fall camping even more enjoyable.
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Aug 27, 2024 | 
gearinstitute.com | Dan Nelson
Sometimes products just plain make sense. For decades, campers have lugged chests full of ice and/or frigid water from home to camp to keep their food and beverages chilled. All the while, the campers themselves sweated in the heat of a summer camp. IcyBreeze lets campers enjoy that inner chill even when not sipping on a cold brew.
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Aug 26, 2024 | 
gearinstitute.com | Dan Nelson
I started getting paid to hike – or rather, to write about my hiking adventures – when I was 23. Now, 35 years and upwards of 34,000 trail miles later, I have many great memories, countless stories in print (including hundreds of reviews and stories here at Gear Institute), and several creaky joints – my knees being the worst. The last few years have been wrought with stiff knees after each strenuous hike, and frequently during the later parts of each hike.
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Aug 1, 2024 | 
gearinstitute.com | Dan Nelson
For centuries, those who slept outside – armies, travelers, stock herders, hikers, etc. – relied on a ‘bedroll’ for their sleeping needs. The classic bedroll consisted of only a canvas ground sheet, a blanket or two, and maybe a small pillow. Today, though, the bedroll looks a bit different, thanks to the designers at Born Outdoors. The new Badger Bed 30 offers a wilderness sleep system that beat most hotel beds for comfort and support.
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Jun 30, 2024 | 
gearinstitute.com | Dan Nelson
When Orvis unveiled the Helios 3 series of rods in 2017, the Gear Institute test team declared them nearly perfect. The 9-foot, 5-weight Helios 3 earned a score of 99/100 – the best score of any trout rod we’ve tested in nearly 20 years. Enter 2024, and the new Helios series (NOT Helios 4 – Orvis dropped the numerical labeling). How do you improve on near perfection? By grabbing that final 1 percent, which is what this new Helios does.
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Feb 8, 2024 | 
gearinstitute.com | Dan Nelson
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).
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Dec 4, 2023 | 
gearinstitute.com | Dan Nelson
No matter who you have on your shopping list, we think we’ve found some gifts sure to please any outdoors person. Under $50Biolite 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.
