AMA: Answering YOUR questions (about gear!)

What it was like to be a gear tester + some of my favorite gear!

Dear AMA,

What are the downsides of being a gear tester? And what did you enjoy?

First off - thank you so much for asking this question… I love talking about gear! Secondly, if you are looking for the how of becoming a gear tester… stay tuned… because I’m working on a post about that too.

As I’ve previously mentioned, when I first left my job as a Railroad Police officer, I had started an online hiking and backpacking group and I was subsequently selected to be the Seattle Area Trail Scout with Backpacker Magazine. This opportunity gave me the chance, among other things, to test gear. In particular, I tested shells, insulated jackets, sleeping bags and pads, tents and boots.

Now, I’m not going to complain about this in anyway at all, because testing gear is pretty amazing. I am well aware that being sent a free tent to test is nothing to gripe about, BUT, it’s not necessarily always as dreamy as it might sound. Over the years that I was a tester, I had the chance to try things that I loved… but also things that I really did not like at all. When you are a gear tester, you can’t just decide not to use something because you don’t like it… or because the conditions aren’t perfect — you’re supposed to be testing the gear all the time, no matter what. Here are a few examples that come to mind:

1. I tested a sleeping pad that had to be inflated with a miniature battery operated pump. The pad itself was gigantic and took up the entire bottom of my backpack. I’m not an ultralight backpacker… but there is no way I would have normally carried this pad on a trip, because it was stupidly heavy and bulky. I ended up hauling it for over 100 miles on rugged, off-trail routes… and while I loved it at camp (it was so plush!)… I hated carrying it and inflating it. Ultimately, the pad ended up popping and I was stuck having to re-inflate my pad every few hours in the middle of the night.

2. I usually wear trail runners or lightweight hiking boots on my backpacking trips, but one of the pair of boots I received to test can only be classified as gigantically clunky. These boots were MEGA hiking boots that weighed in at about 1lb each… my feet felt like I was dragging around anvils. I wore these boots on a really difficult trip that included 7,000’ feet of gain on the first day. By the end of the trip, I wasn’t sure if I had feet anymore. Needless to say, the boots were brutal — and footwear is such a specific and important part of a gear kit, that testing a pair of boots could be a real challenge.

3. On another trip, I had to test a new sleeping pad that had a very low R-value, which meant that its insulation properties were pretty minimal. While the weather on our trip had initially showed a good forecast… things took a turn for the worst, and we ended up in a blizzard in the middle of the Pasayten wilderness. My pad barely insulated me from the freezing ground temperatures, and I didn’t’ sleep at all overnight. Now, obviously, I couldn’t hold this against the pad — because it wasn’t designed to keep folks warm in a blizzard… but, if I hadn’t been testing the pad, I probably would have been a bit more prepared with something that might not have left me so cold overnight.

4. Once, I was sent a tent that also doubled as a hammock. This is a classic story of a situation in which the tent designers should have picked one thing to do well — and stuck with it. The tent looked like a giant hot dog, and the ceiling was so low that you couldn’t sit up in it — which made spending time in the tent pretty uncomfortable. On one occasion, when I was using the tent, it snowed a tiny bit overnight and one of my friends woke up in the campsite in the middle of the night and saw that my tent had basically collapsed on top of me while I was sleeping. She woke me up — and much to my shock and horror — the roof of the tent was about .5 inches away from my face. The pole structure of the tent was so poorly designed that even the most insignificant dusting of snow caused the roof to collapse. After a moment of brief panic, I was able to knock the snow off the tent, and sleep through the rest of the night.

One of my favorite gear testing stories is the story of the Yellow Rubber Rain Jacket. My shell testing editor had sent me a message to let me know that I’d be receiving a shell to test, so I was eagerly watching the mail for my jacket to arrive so that I could get started. When it showed up, I anxiously opened the package and discovered… much to my surprise… a yellow, rubber rain jacket. I sent her an e-mail right away, “Is this the right jacket?!”. I couldn’t possibly imagine hiking or backpacking while wearing a completely un-breathable yellow rubber rain jacket. As it turns out, it was the right jacket… so I wore it as much as I could… but it also turned out to be quite inspiring. In fact, it inspired me to write my own gear review magazine called The Gear Tester Gazette. I dug back into the archives of my computer, and found the article in its entirety. I hope you enjoy it as much as I loved writing it!

All joking aside — I loved being a gear tester for so many reasons. First, it connected me with some incredible writers and humans who I still get to work with as the owner of a gear company. Ryan Wilchens, one of the gear editors who sent me insulated jackets to test, is now the founder and editor of Trails Magazine… and a few weeks ago I hosted a Kula booth at an event he organized and we just launched a new Trails Magazine Kula!

Being a gear tester also gave me insight into what magazines are looking for when it comes to gear. For instance, when we reviewed gear… it wasn’t good enough to say, “I liked the jacket and it did well in the rain.” We had to be detailed… which means that I kept hundreds and hundreds of notes on my phone during hikes and backpacking trips detailing not only the weather that day and the specific conditions on the hike… but also where I was hiking and if anything out of the ordinary happened. Gear editors want anecdotes about actually testing the gear. So, for instance, instead of: “This sleeping pad was super comfortable and I had a great night sleep”, I’d write something more like this:

This is a photo from sometime in 2019… I’m wearing the most uncomfortable boots I’ve ever worn and this photo was taken just after summiting Elephant Butte, which was a very hard-earned off trail scramble in the North Cascades. I’m using one of our very first Kula Collabs — the ‘Women Who Explore’ Kula!

I headed into the North Cascades for an ascent of Elephant Butte, which is one of the peaks on the edge of the Pickets Range, the most remote mountain range in the lower 48 states. The first day was really warm and we hiked approximately 13 miles with a whopping 7,000’ of elevation gain. The sleeping pad was heavier than what I’m used to carrying… so by the middle of the day, I was feeling the extra weight in my pack. When I got to camp, my friends quickly inflated their pads, but I attached the tiny battery-powered pump to my pad… and waited… and waited… and waited… and eventually, after a few lifetimes had passed, the pad had inflated in all its glory. The bulkiness of the pad was only surpassed by my sheer delight when the pain of carrying it for 7,000 vertical feet disappeared as I succumbed to reclining deliciousness — this pad is like sleeping on an actual air mattress in the wilderness. Never before… in the history of my backpacking career have I ever slept on such a plush pad. Never before have I ever carried a pad so heavy…. but now, I see that sometimes there are trade offs for the best night of sleep that you will ever have in the wilderness. The temperatures at night were in the 40s and and the pad kept me warm and comfortable — I was equally impressed (and so was my husband) that the pad was silent. While our friend rolled around on her potato-chip bag sounding pad all night long, I reclined in silent comfort on my luxury mattress. I woke up the next day feeling rested and refreshed for the challenging off-trail miles ahead… and only little bummed that I was simultaneously testing the worst pair of boots I had ever worn. If only I could have just stayed in camp.

And this was where we camped — high on the Stetattle Ridge near a small puddle that we used for water.

I’ll end this section with a funny poem about backpacking… that hopefully we can all relate to:

“This Sucks, But I’ll be Back Next Week”

This sucks
My feet hurt
I’m so cold
And so sore
And I’m not really sure
If I can take too much more.

They said,
“But the views!
The endless sea of peaks!
Look at the trees!
The rocks and the creeks!”

I really don’t care
I just want to cry
I can’t walk another mile
A bug bit my eye.

I could be at home
Under a blanket of down
But instead I am here
Sleeping an inch off the ground.

My dinner was a bag
Of salty meat mush
I tripped on a rock
Landed right on my tush.

I slipped off a log
And fell into the mud
And my $500 rain jacket
Is now covered in sludge.

My back hurts so much
My shoulders are throbbing
I might sit behind a tree 
To stifle my sobbing

This mountain is steep
It’s crushing all of my will
Somehow I missed the fact
This would all be uphill

A moment at the top
Just please get me through
I don’t think I can eat
One more packet of goo.

Back at the trailhead
After climbing the peak
I say, “This sucks,
But I’ll be back for another
next week. 

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Gear Round Up!

I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorite pieces of gear that I’ve tested over the years! Keep in mind, I’m not paid by any of these companies at all — and many of the products I’m sharing below are the ‘newer’ version of a product that I tested a few years ago, so there might be some differences between what I tested and what I’m sharing. I’m pretty particular when it comes to gear, and I’ve tested a lot of gear that I love… and a lot of gear that I didn’t love… so I’m only sharing things that I really loved and, in many cases, continue to use beyond my time testing them. I’m also including a few items that I have purchased on my own).

Big Agnes Tiger Wall 3 Platinum

I have spent more nights in this tent than I can possibly count! I actually own the 2P version and the 3P version — my husband and I prefer to share a 3P tent, since it is much more spacious. It’s not an inexpensive tent, but it’s roomy and really light and I love the double vestibules for getting in and out of the tent (I am not a huge fan of single vestibule tents). The tent is shockingly durable, and we actually ended up (accidentally) testing it on the side of a lake outside of Reno when we were attempting to escape a blizzard. The tent was shockingly sturdy in 40+ mph gusts… and we’ve even stayed in it during some snow storms. I’ve also owned the Fly Creek UL tent from Big Agnes, but the Tiger Wall Platinum is definitely my favorite!

Exped Megamat 10 + Ultra 3R MW Sleeping Mat

When the Megamat 10 arrived at my house, I was shocked and astounded. It is HUGE. This is not a sleeping mat for backpacking, unless you want to haul in a pad that is larger than the rest of your backpack. However, this pad is the closest that I’ve ever experienced to carrying a portable bed. It is, without a doubt, the most comfortable sleeping pad that I’ve ever slept on in my life. It’s definitely a car-camping only pad, but it is luxurious, warm and inviting. It’s perfect to use at home in case you need a spare bed for a house guest… and I’ve even used it in the back of my car to spend a night at a trailhead. Keep in mind, it’s huge, but it’s also comfortable. Also, I want to warn you that if you end up with this pad… and you happen to have a partner… you will want two of them, because you will invariably argue over who gets to use it. Exped also makes a double person Megamat, if you want to avoid the debate.

The Ultra 3R MW is my favorite backpacking pad that I’ve ever used. Years ago, I tried using mummy pads — and I just couldn’t sleep on them, because I’d end up spending the entire night trying not to roll off my pad. Also, so many of the UL pads that I tried sound like sleeping on a bag of potato chips all night — I ended up waking myself up from the crinkling and I barely got any sleep. Enter: the Exped Ultra 3R MW pad. Not only can I move around a little bit, but the pad is quiet. And, it’s really easy to blow up, because it comes with an ultralight ‘bag’ that you fill with air and squeeze to inflate it. Gone are the days of hyperventilating in my tent to try and blow up my sleeping pad!

For the perfect sleep system, pair your pad with a Pillow Strap to prevent your camping pillow from sliding off your pad all night!

Arc’teryx Shell (unknown model name)

This shell is probably one of the priciest items I’ve ever tested — but it’s also one of my favorites. I still wear this jacket on an almost weekly basis. While it’s definitely meant to be a really robust backcountry shell for skiers and mountaineers… it excels on my morning walks in the rain. Most of you know that I have a dedicated walking practice — rain or shine — and when you walk for two hours in a torrential downpour, you need a jacket that isn’t going to become soggy within the first 15 minutes. I received this jacket back in 2020, and it is still just as amazing now as it was then. Downsides: I’m not sure what current model is most comparable to this jacket… but the closest I could find is a cool $700… so this is definitely not the jacket for somebody who is looking for something more affordable. If you are looking for Arc’teryx gear, and wanting to find it on sale — I’d recommend checking out their outlet stores and/or looking on GearTrade.com, where you can occasionally find some deals. That being said — you absolutely do not need a $700 jacket to be comfortable while adventuring in the rain. I was lucky enough to get this one for free, and I just genuinely love it. Would I spend $700 on it? Probably not. However, I’m definitely going to enjoy it while I have it!

App Gear Co All-Paca Hoodie + Fjallraven Keb Trousers

I discovered Appalachian Gear Co at PCT Days … because they were in the booth right next to us. Also, the kind folks at App Gear Co basically saved our booth from the horrendous wind at Cascade Locks. Think I’m joking about the wind? Well, last year at PCT Days, one of the Altra tents blew into the Columbia River… but not before it flew into the air and poked a hole in the side of the Six Moons Designs Sprinter Van - yikes! Needless to say… the wind at PCT Days is somewhat notorious, and our stakes were not cutting it, so the folks at App gear Co, loaned us some stakes… and then I bought one of their App Gear All-Paca hoodies and it is, without a doubt, one of my favorite mid-weight pull overs for hiking and backpacking. It’s like a fleece, but better… it never gets smelly and it always looks amazing.

I received a pair of the Fjallraven Keb trousers as a gear tester, and I love them, even though they are a bit on the heavier side. They are definitely not my choice for really hot backpacking trips, but in the shoulder season they are amazing. I also have used them for some pretty intense bushwhacking and they are virtually impenetrable and indestructible. They are definitely not on the inexpensive scale when it comes to purchasing pants, but these are not a pair of pants you will have to replace very often (if ever). I’ve had mine for about 4 years now, and they still look exactly the same… and I’ve tried to torture them on some pretty rough terrain. I have also had MANY pairs of ultralight hiking pants that cost around $80 each… and I’ve ripped so many of them that it is almost worth it to invest in a pair of pants that won’t tear when you think about scrambling on a granite slab.

Discovering Wilderness Food Cozy

I met Jessica, the founder of Discovering Wilderness, at one of my backpacking workshops many years ago (while I was still a park ranger!). When she started her food cozy company, I was one of her first customers and I’ve adored her product ever since. We are currently selling a collab version of her food cozy on our website, but you can also find a bunch of other patterns on the Discovering Wilderness Website.

Many years ago, I would tuck my dehydrated meals into my jacket or into my hat while they were rehydrating. Turns out, spilling backpacking food all over your jacket is not that much fun when you are sleeping in bear country. I started using one of these food cozies to rehydrate my meals… and I’ve never looked back! They are, without a doubt, one of my favorite pieces of gear because they keep my food warm and food-scents away from my clothing. Plus, they weigh in at around 1.2oz — that’s worth the ounce for a warm dinner!

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Ok Kula Diaries folks — that’s all for this very gear-focused edition of the AMA column. I hope that all of you are having a beautiful week so far — thank you, as always, for the opportunity to share fun things and to (hopefully) inspire you to pursue all of your fun ideas and passions. I’m happy to answer any questions about gear testing, so please don’t hesitate to ask.

Sending you all a lot of love!