Outdoor Activities | Product description

May 13, 2025

Holiday Savings Continue From REI, Alpacka, Columbia, and More Weekly Deals

　　REI Co-op: Up to 50% Off 　　　　(Photos/REI) REI Co-ops Last-Minute Gifts Sale is live from Dec. 13 to 23, offering shoppers a chance to save up to 30%. To ensure delivery by Dec. 25, orders for gear, apparel, and gift cards must be placed by Dec. 20 at 9 a.m. Pacific Time, the brand said. Shoppers can also use...

May 13, 2025

What It’s Like to Look Through the Best Binoculars Ever Made

　　“Dammit Wes,” a friend of mine shouted after I handed him my Swarovski binoculars for the first time. On my recommendation, he’d just splashed out $1,200 on some from another brand, and was so happy with them that he couldn’t believe mine would be noticeably better. But they were. 　　The phrase the best gets overused in gear reviews, but that’s...

May 13, 2025

West Virginia Hiker Rescued From ‘Quicksand’ Lake

　　During the summer, West Virginias Summersville Lake is a popular destination for boating, camping, and even rock climbing. But when lake levels get low in winter, it can become a bog of dense, sticky mud. 　　That might not sound dangerous, but it posed a major risk for a hiker who tried to cross the lake on Tuesday. Stuck waist-deep in...

May 13, 2025

Our Favorite Festival Gear

　　There are music festivals. There are film festivals. There are climbing and biking and yoga festivals. But there’s only one Outside Festival. 　　The Denver event blends everything that makes outdoor festivals so fun, and the result is much, much better than the sum of its parts. That’s why the inaugural Outside Festival drew almost 20,000 people. It’s also why the...

May 13, 2025

Run Outside All Winter with These Favorite Women’s Tights and Pants

　　Winter running is hard for everyone, whether you’re an every-day-come-what-may die-hard or just decided to start running in the New Year. But thanks to high-performance fabrics and smart designs, this season’s best womens running tights and pants make getting outside accessible, whatever your tolerance for cold. So pull on a good pair of pants or tights and don’t let a...

May 13, 2025

The Best Men’s Jackets for Winter Running (2025)

　　In Buddhism, suffering is known as dukkha and is considered a fundamental characteristic of existence. Its caused by ignorance but can be overcome. In that sense, the jackets in this collection offer a pathway to enlightenment: They relieve suffering by providing reliable warmth in conditions ranging from merely chilly to threateningly cold. Do not be afraid to experience winter, grasshoppers—no...

May 13, 2025

From Howitzer Cannons to ‘Boom Whooshes’: Utah Avalanche Mitigation Continues Evolving

　　Avalanches have forever posed risks to ski resorts, mountain highways, and towns. If left unmitigated, they often result in damage, injury, and even loss of life. The longer snow builds up, loading a slope, the greater the threat to anyone below it or within its runout zone. 　　For decades, Utah avalanche mitigation teams used howitzer cannons to blast avalanches off...

May 13, 2025

Winter-Tested Layers: The Best Men’s Long-Sleeve Running Shirts for Cold Weather

　　Winter isnt just icy gales and driving snow—it typically offers some invigorating bluebird days to offset the oppressive ones. Accordingly, we tested a varied collection of mens long-sleeve running shirts, optimized to perform in conditions ranging from New Englands wet, warm-ish shoulder season to frigid mid-winter mountain adventures in Colorados high peaks. All of them worked well when worn on...

May 13, 2025

Last-Minute Holiday Shopping? REI’s Got You Covered With 13 Great Gear Deals

　　Did you forget to get your holiday shopping done on Cyber Monday? Or maybe you missed Black Friday because you had to #optoutside? Don’t worry—REI’s got you covered with an epic Last-Minute Gift Sale. We picked through hundreds of deals and discounts to find 13 of our favorite pieces of gear, all on sale for 20 to 75% off. 　　Our...

May 13, 2025

Winter-Tested Layers: The Best Men’s Long-Sleeve Running Shirts for Cold Weather

　　Winter isnt just icy gales and driving snow—it typically offers some invigorating bluebird days to offset the oppressive ones. Accordingly, we tested a varied collection of mens long-sleeve running shirts, optimized to perform in conditions ranging from New Englands wet, warm-ish shoulder season to frigid mid-winter mountain adventures in Colorados high peaks. All of them worked well when worn on...

May 13, 2025

Stanley Recalls Over 2 Million Travel Mugs For Potential ‘Burn Hazard’

　　Insulated mug maker Stanley has issued a voluntary recall of 2.6 million Switchback and Trigger Action stainless steel travel mugs sold in the U.S.According to the brand when the lid threads are exposed to heat and torque, they can shrink, causing detachment issues and posing a burn hazard to users. 　　The brand received 91 reports of the issue from around...

May 13, 2025

A Hatchet With the Soul of an Axe: Hults Bruk Spika Review

　　One day after school when I was 14, I took my grandfather’s hatchet and ladder, and meticulously chopped and bucked a 20-foot-tall pine tree in our backyard. Starting from the top and moving my way down, I removed the limbs and then the trunk in 18-inch sections. By the time I was done, I had two neat piles of logs...

May 13, 2025

Skis for Scholarships: Custom Skis Fund Outdoor Mentorship

　　It isnt every day that students get to design a pair of custom skis with a big-name brand. But every year since 2022, SOS Outreach — a 501(c)3 nonprofit that helps youth and teens get on snow through outdoor mentorship — has collaborated with Nordica and Christy Sports so program alumni can learn the end-to-end commercial process of building a limited-edition...

May 13, 2025

Just for Kicks: 6 Super-Cool Shoe Collaborations for Fall 2024

　　Theres something undeniably fun about smashing together two different aesthetics. In the outdoor shoe category, Merrell has arguably put out more surprising partnerships this year than anyone, with hiking shoes inspired by HBOs House of the Dragon, sports apparel brand Janji, and even the Jeep Wrangler. 　　But Merrell isnt the only outdoor shoemaker finding fresh ideas through cultural crossover. Weve...

May 13, 2025

Free Gear Fridays: Win Premium Ski Boots With BOA Fit System

　　This week, two lucky winners will receive ski boots with the latest performance fit system from BOA: One will win the womens Atomic Hawx Prime XTD BOA 115 ($1,050 value), and the other will win the mens K2 Mindbender 140 BOA ($950 value). These are the boots worn by BOA athletes Janelle Yip and Sam Kuch. 　　Both boots use the...

May 13, 2025

This Is Not Your High School Gym Teacher’s Stretching Routine

　　Touching your toes. The standing quad hold. The overhead tricep stretch. These are the static positions our high school gym teachers taught us to warm up with before engaging in any physical activity. But to adequately prime your body for movement—whether you’re biking to work or trekking up a mountain—you have to actually get moving. 　　“Why would you do something...

May 13, 2025

Must Go Faster! Pinarello Dogma XC Mountain Bike Review

　　Most cyclists do not associate Pinarello with mountain biking. But with its win in the Paris Games by Great Britains Tom Pidcock, the Italian brand grabbed the spotlight after decades of almost exclusively focusing on road racing. 　　The Dogma XC is stunning, with its unique asymmetric rear triangle and gold and multicolor paint scheme. But looks dont win medals, and...

May 13, 2025

Five Smartwool Base Layers to Keep You Warm and Dry This Winter

　　Smartwool established a reputation for its high-performance merino wool base layers — offering unbeatable warmth, breathability, and moisture-wicking properties. 　　The brand has since built on the success of its core product with innovations and technologies like Intraknit, which enhances fit, stretch, and moisture management for even better performance. 　　We all want to stay warm and dry during winter pursuits. Knowing...

May 13, 2025

Electric Surfboard, Smart Helmets, Coors Ice Fishing Suit, and More Emerging Gear

　　Tis the season of cold-weather adventures, and weve got plenty of new gear to sate your appetite for exploring the Winter Wonderland. 　　Snow lovers have some sweet options this week, including a new smart helmet, skis with abstract art, and an award-winning backcountry backpack. Cyclists shouldnt miss another smart helmet — this one with tons of safety features, including SOS...

May 13, 2025

Safer on the Slopes: Ski Gear Upgrades for 2025

　　Gravity, speed, ice, and snow — the ingredients of a freestyle ski session are a recipe for adrenaline and possible disaster. Last season, my son learned the hard way by breaking a wrist on one of his first days out. 　　At Christmas, he had a cast on his arm, and he was sidelined as his friends grabbed the rope tow...