The Best Gear Test

The best way to know whether or not your gear is going to perform when you need it is to get out there and use it.

There are many new pieces of gear come out every year and they all seem to offer some new feature that last year's "new" gadget was missing--usually at some price markup.

Some of us are compelled to rush out and get our hands on the newest, lightest, or toughest new bits and bobs despite the fact that we've got a bin full of last year's models at home. This is something I keep trying to avoid, successfully in recent months, but it has to remain at the front of my mind.

The best testing can be done by simply loading up your pack and heading to the woods for an hour, a day trip, an overnight, or even a whole weekend. You'll have a good idea by the time you come back of what works and what doesn't.

If it works well you can stop looking at newer alternatives and focus your gear lust on something you don't already have. If it doesn't, good news, you can get back to looking for something that will work. Figure out what doesn't work for you and use that as your basis for future purchases. Is it too heavy? Does it not have enough options? Is it too boring? Does it work in extreme temperatures?

I think I'm going to get out there this weekend and shake down my kit a bit. If only I had that new tarp with all the extra tieouts...

Thanks for reading,


B