Gear of the Year
Archive
This winter, ϳԹ held its annual bike test in sunny Tucson, Arizona, where we tested 25 brand new mountain bikes over the course of a week.
Thanks to a plethora of new materials, skis are getting way more versatile.
Cylindrical lenses that strike the perfect balance between performance and price.
Load them up, kick them through the snow—these haulers will serve you well no matter what.
AT gear keeps getting better and better at handling the down.
Watch to see why our bike testers loved the 2017 Santa Cruz Tallboy and why it won Gear of the Year in our 2017 Summer Buyer’s Guide.
We reviewed 369 products for our Summer Buyer's Guide. Only these 14 earned the coveted Gear of the Year award.
Watch to find out why the 2016 Stumpjumper 6Fattie won Gear of the Year in the 2016 Summer Buyer's Guide.
Electronic shifting, fat tires, and stronger wheels make the latest mountain bikes funner than ever.
These two carbon 27.5ers may look similar on paper, but they ride like very different machines.
With ice-ax retention you can release with the pack on, gear loops for ’biners and belay devices, and an integrated crampon pocket, the Matrix is purpose-built for ski mountaineering. But you don’t have to rope up to appreciate how light, roomy, and useful the Matrix is.
The Black Everest, one of 13 new models from Louis Garneau using a Boa cable closure, finally nails it. The steel lacing, tightened by twisting a glove-friendly, ratcheting knob, snugs a soft plastic frame around your boot for a fit that feels custom.
It’s been years since we picked a thickly padded road runner as our top shoe. But the 1260v3 demanded the recognition. Yes, it goes overboard on the comfort, with a pillowy tongue and heel collar and spongy mesh in the upper. Yet it’s still efficient, so it was a welcome partner on long hauls.
Burton has been building snowboards in Vermont for more than 30 years. Along the way, it learned a thing or two about what makes a board well balanced.
Rossi is the industry leader when it comes to balancing rocker (upturned tip and tail), camber (for edge hold and glide), and taper (the pin shape in the front and back, which delivers a loose feel in and out of turns). This year it packed all that institutional knowledge into the Super 7.
DPS took its deeply rockered Lotus 120—which sports a long pintail, tapered tip, and just a smidge of sidecut underfoot—and added a convex base to the shovel of the ski. That’s right, the base is actually spoon shaped in the front third.
The Neoteric’s fancy fabric— Polartec’s NeoShell—might be the ideal material for a resort ski jacket. It’s breathable, quiet, stretchy, and totally waterproof. And Eddie Bauer employs it perfectly.
The remarkably well-priced Theory features damping wood-core construction, powerful vertical side walls, and energetic carbon fiber stringers.
While the minimalism trend has shifted the center of the running universe toward lighter, more neutral designs with lower heels, shoe buyers are still faced with one crucial question: Performance or comfort?
If it’s been a while since you bought telemark or alpine touring gear, you’ll notice that the game has changed quite a bit. Skis that used to be fat are now narrow, almost every new model has some degree of rocker, and Dynafit and Dynafit-style bindings are becoming increasing common at the resort.
Traction, bindings, and weight—these are the biggest differentiators. Let’s start with traction. For steep, icy, or rocky terrain, go aggressive with as many underfoot claws in as many locations as you can get, as well as a heel lifter to save your calves on steep climbs.
If it’s time for an upgrade, start by answering this question: Do you ski almost exclusively at resorts? The defining characteristic of the ones reviewed here is that they’re built for comfort, not aerobic speed.
Think of your pack as a closet on your back. And just as there’s no right way to fold your clothes, there’s no single pack that’s suited to everyone. But allow us to offer some advice.
From wool-insulated workout wear to the hardest hard shell we’ve ever seen, this year’s backcountry jackets are an eclectic crop. Material upgrades and smart design leaps have made outerwear a locus of innovation. (Molecular-level polymer coating, anyone?) But enough lab-speak.
Those lift-line elitists snickering at your old traditionally shaped skis could use some manners, but they’ve got a point: the new rockered shapes make skiing more fun. Which ones should you buy? There are two schools of thought.
Ali Carr Troxell reviews ϳԹ’s Gear of the Year-winning sunglasses, the Oakley Radar Lock.
Ali Carr Troxell reviews ϳԹ’s Gear of the Year-winning backpack, Eddie Bauer First Ascent Alchemist 40L.
After months of torture-testing the latest crop of outdoor gear, we've compiled a list of our 14 favorite items, from the REI Igneo sleeping bag to the Blue AC1 road bike
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2012 Summer Buyer's Guide, including the Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Expert Carbon 29.
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2012 Summer Buyer's Guide, including the Blue AC1.
Reviewing shoes used to be straightforward. Lightweight shoes were meant for racing, heavily cushioned shoes were meant for efficient runners who racked up lots of miles, and stability shoes—with a section of dense rubber under the arch, a.k.a. a medial post—were meant for people whose feet collapse inward.
There was a time when shoe companies took their bestselling road models, slapped some dark colors on them, toughened up their outsoles, made them uncomfortably stiff, and marketed them as trail shoes. And guess what. Hardly anyone bought ’em. Thank goodness that those days have finally come to an end.
From GoPros to iPhones, cameras are everywhere. But that doesn’t mean the demise of “real” cameras, as some have predicted. Instead, manufacturers have responded to the proliferation of do-everything smartphones by continuing to improve image quality while simultaneously piling on the best features that can dream up.
Where carry-ons are concerned, thin is in, and you’ll do well to avoid the wide-body rollers that can be cumbersome on smaller planes. If you’re looking for a larger bag to check, look for a balance of durability and weight: every pound off the bag means another pound of stuff you can squeeze in and still meet the 50-pound rule.
Two truths: First, we need sunglasses for protection against malign solar wavelengths that cause eyestrain, burning, itching, headaches, and much worse. (And the corollary, that inadequate protection from inferior shades is worse than nothing at all.) Second, buy up for downright delicious visuals. But don’t panic too much over price.
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Rossignol Super 7 Skis.
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Canada Goose HyBridge Lite jacket
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Helly Hansen Odin Mountain jacket.
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Rossignol Krypto Magtek snowboard.
Four-season performance with three-season weight: Introducing our Gear of the Year winning jacket, Columbia’s Peak 2 Peak.
Yes, Thule makes luggage, and it’s just as tough as their roof racks. Presenting our 2011 Gear of the Year winner.
These new shoes are toeing the line between trail and road runner. One reason the North Face Double Track won our 2011 Gear of the Year award.
Our Gear of the Year winning bag offers comfort and warmth down to 15 degrees, and it weighs less than 2 pounds.
With an extra 15 liters of expandable space, our Gear of the Year winning pack, the Deuter ACT Zero 50+15, works for day hikes and multiday trips.
It’s sticky sole and lightweight helped, but it was the perfect fit that won the Garmont Zenith Mid our Gear of the Year award.
Light, fast, and comfortable: Three reasons the Bolle Vortex is our Gear of the Year winning sunglass.
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Big Agnes Copper Spur 4 tent.
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Deuter ACT Zero 50+15 pack.
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Scott Genius LT 20 mountain bike.
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Fondriest TF3 road bike.
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the New Balance 890 running shoe.
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including The North Face Double Track running shoe.
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Thule TCRU-2 60 Liter Upright rolling luggage.
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Apple iPad 2 tablet.
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Bollé Vortex sunglasses.
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Nikon D7000 camera.
ϳԹ reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Elie Strait 140 XE kayak.
1. This is simply the most adapt-able winter-specific storm shell we tested. The key is Schoeller’s new waterproof-breathable fabric with c_change technology, a membrane with a polymer structure that opens up when you get hot and contracts when you cool down. Translation: Testers didn’t overheat when their buddies did…