Gear & Craft
Waterproofs stop working long before they look worn out
A jacket that wets out is not leaking. It is doing something more interesting, and you can usually fix it in an afternoon.
Gear & Craft
Kit that earns its weight, and the skills that make less kit necessary.
25 articles · updated August 11, 2026 · page 1 of 3
Gear & Craft
How to read a weather forecast in mountain terrain
A valley forecast tells you almost nothing about the ridge. Reading mountain weather means reading elevation, exposure and timing separately.
More in Gear & Craft
Gear & Craft
The three-layer system explains almost every clothing mistake outdoors
Base, mid, shell is not marketing. It is a description of three different physical problems, and most discomfort comes from…
Gear & Craft
Water treatment outdoors: what actually needs filtering
Every method removes something different. Choosing one means knowing what is likely to be in the water you are drinking.
Gear & Craft
Why the same tent is excellent in one country and useless in another
Tent design is a set of compromises made for a specific climate. Buying the wrong compromise is the most expensive gear mistake…
Gear & Craft
Down versus synthetic, decided by climate rather than preference
One is warmer for its weight and fails when wet. The other is heavier and does not. That is the whole comparison.
Gear & Craft
Sleeping mats matter more than sleeping bags
Most cold nights outdoors are caused by the ground, not the air, and the fix is a number nobody checks.
Gear & Craft
Headtorches, and the specification that actually matters
Lumens are marketed and runtime is what you use. The gap between them is where the disappointment lives.
Gear & Craft
Waterproof boots are the wrong answer more often than people think
A membrane keeps water out until it comes over the top, and then keeps it in for the rest of the day.
Gear & Craft
Repairing kit in the field with four items
Most gear failures on a trip are one of a handful of things, and all of them are fixable with a very small kit.
Gear & Craft
Ticks, Lyme disease and the checking habit worth building
Removal within a day dramatically reduces transmission risk, which makes a nightly check the whole intervention.
Gear & Craft
Stoves, fuel and cooking at altitude
Every stove type fails in a specific way, and altitude and cold decide which failure you will meet.