Relieved. That’s the only word for how I felt the first morning I stepped into Atomic Backland XTD Carbon touring boots ($1,140). After testing many boots that pinched, folded, or left hot spots by the second lap, I slid into these and immediately relaxed. 　　The fit felt dialed without adding a footbed or a single shell punch. That never happens...

　　It’s time to look back on 2025 in gear,one of the GearJunkie edit team’s favorite assignments. In the last 12 months, we tested hundreds of products selected from thousands of launches, pitches, and cold-call emails. 　　As with every Gear of the Year roundup, some wonderful products had to be left out to winnow everything down to 10 winners. This list...

　　Form over fashion is my stance on sunglasses. As an angler, hunter, and outdoorsman, I want something that performs in the field above all else. Appearance and general coolness are the last things I take into account when selecting my next set of shades. 　　Almost all of my sunglasses have a full wrap, which certainly isnt cool. Some are passable...

　　Growing up in Hurricane Alley in North Carolina, I’ve heard the emergency alert warning tone crackle to life on a weather radio more times than I could count. 　　Midland has always been my weather radio of choice, but I always gravitated toward the simpler models. When my editor dangled the prospect of reviewing the new Midland ER310PRO Emergency Weather Radio...

　　It’s been a tough few years for Nissan, the second-largest Japanese automaker struggling to reverse a series of setbacks that have forced it to make major cutbacks in production and employment around the world. For customers, of course, that’s just noise in the background, and they’re more likely to ask, “What have you done for me lately?” 　　The good news...

　　The places I like to hike are generally poorly blazed and aren’t easy to find on a map. That way, I get to wander around, foraging and grooming overgrown trails, with the reward of hanging my hammock without being bothered. Because of this, I need to be able to carry axes, saws, ropes, wedges, and the kind of tools most...

　　Presented by Ram Trucks 　　 　　Packing a truck for a hunting trip is part logistics, part intuition. Every loadout is shaped by variables — weather, terrain, trip length, and who’s riding with you — but the goal is always the same: arrive with a camp that’s safe, efficient, and comfortable enough to recover for the next day’s hunt. 　　After nearly...

　　When a male hiker was stranded on a mountain near Phoenix for 13 hours last week, he got help from a surprising source: a weight-bearing drone. 　　In a first-of-its-kind mission for the area, the Phoenix Fire Department used a DJI drone to send supplies to the injured hiker on Camelback Mountain, keeping him safe until rescuers could finally reach him...

　　The Department of Homeland Securitys expansion of the border wall has been sparking controversy for years — and now theres a new round of objections centered on an apex predator. 　　This month, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) blasted open a mountain in Arizonas Coronado National Memorial, a federally protected wilderness managed by the National Park Service. DHS plans to...

　　A few weeks after standing idle at the SEMA show, Toyota lit the ignition on the Scion 01 Concept at the ceremony of the updated proving grounds in Arizona. 　　I saw it blast down a dusty red carpet of sorts before parking under a tent. Idle again, Don Federico, Vice President of Vehicle Performance Development at Toyota, stood next to...

　　On Friday, an in-bounds avalanche buried two ski patrollers on Californias Mammoth Mountain. The resort confirmed on Sunday, Dec. 28, that one of the patrollers, Cole Murphy, died from his injuries. 　　The patrollers were working on the resorts Lincoln Peak when the slide occurred around 7:30 a.m. Both were immediately taken to Mammoth Hospital, where they were treated for their...

　　When I first heard of the Camino de Santiago, I was in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT). I overheard someone exclaim, “You’re telling me there’s a hike in Spain where I can sleep in a bed, take a hot shower, eat and drink as much as I want, and I’m here instead?” 　　Soon, I...