staff picks
We polled our writers, editors, and production team to see what their favorite gear items.
We asked our staff for the best energy gels and chews for electrolytes, vitamins, sodium, carbohydrates, and (sometimes) caffeine. These are the best-tasting, easiest to digest options for running, cycling, hiking, backpacking, kayaking, and skiing.
Gear made in the US provides jobs and requires fewer resources to transport. Each of these items was made by an outdoors enthusiast looking for a solution to a problem. Here are some of our writers' top Made in the USA outdoor gear items – from ultralight to everyday apparel.
We tested Title Nine's best sports bras across cup sizes A–DD. Our top picks for high-impact running, bigger busts, and low-impact everyday wear.
Triple Crown thru-hikers Liz Thomas & Naomi Hudetz share their favorite REI Co-op Flash Collection gear for 2026 — packs, sun hoodies, shorts & more.
The Hayduke Trail is hot, dry, and exposed—author Sam Schild shares the ultralight backpacking gear that helped him complete this 850-mile thru-hike through Utah.
Treeline Review writers share their all-time favorite outdoor gear items that have stood the test of time, making them reliable and sustainable buying options.
We tested REI Co-op’s Swiftland running gear—including hydration vests, running tops, jackets, and tights—to find the pieces that stand out most.
Our writers share their favorite camp and backpacking meals—dehydrated and freeze dried dinners tested over thousands of miles of hiking. We test for taste, texture, portion size, time to prepare, calories, protein, packaging and more.
Learn from our mistakes. Our writers tell us what gear they carried on the PCT that they wouldn't carry again.
Our writers share their favorite gear item by a woman-owned outdoor brand. The gear items we love made by women who are outdoor industry leaders.
Treeline Review writer Liz Thomas shares 9 favorite gear items for thru-hiking the Ouachita Trail, a 223-mile winter-friendly trail. Here’s the ultralight backpacking kit for the OT and gear that stood out over the thru-hike of the Ouachita Trail.
Treeline Review writer Sam Schild shares his 5 favorite gear items for thru-hiking the Pacific Northwest Trail, a 1200-mile trail from Glacier National Park in Montana to the Pacific Ocean in Olympic National Park.
Unnecessary? Too heavy? Looks dorky? Too techy? These outdoor gear items changed our mind for the better, so good that we used to never want this and now need this gear.
Our favorite gear, tips for logistics for international hikers, transit and logistics, and advice for West Coast Trail hikers
Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers share their favorite gear from multiple thru-hikes of the PCT including Feathered Friends, NeoAir, Six Moon Designs, and Patagonia.
Treeline Review writer Sam Schild shares his 5 favorite gear items for thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail
Here's what happens when outdoor writers turn to other writers for gear recommendations. This is the gear we learned about from our fellow writers' reviews.
Backpacking lists
Stay safe, stay happy, and stay prepared with our comprehensive list of dog hiking gear--including dog gear and human gear.
What to wear and bring for backpacking and thru-hiking in fall. Gear essentials to keep you warm and dry, extending your hiking trips into the shoulder season.
We polled backpackers with 100,000 miles of combined backpacking experience to develop our list of essential backpacking accessories. From blister care to gear repair, here are the small items that make a big difference.
Stay safe on your summer hikes with the proper clothing, route planning, and summer hiking tips.
A Yosemite mountain guide shares what to wear in Yosemite National Park including when hiking and camping. The weather in Yosemite changes. Here’s our packing list and clothing guide to stay comfortable no matter what.
How to build an emergency preparedness and disaster survival kit from outdoor gear items you already have. Plan and prepare with this supply list from the Red Cross and FEMA
Treeline cofounder Liz Thomas urban hiked 220 miles in NYC through Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island over 9 days. Her trip highlighted the parks-playgrounds created by the nonprofit Trust for Public Land. This gear list shows what to carry for urban adventures through NYC..
Backpacking gear lists
The ~155-mile San Diego Trans County Trail (aka Sea to Sea Trail) is a winter thru-hike. This guide has a route, water, and resupply plan, and a gear list.
The Northville-Placid Trail (NPT) is an approximately 135-mile (218 km) route highlighting a less-traveled region of New York’s Adirondack Park. This north-south footpath links rivers, valleys, and remote lakes through the valleys and high plateaus of the Adirondack Wilderness.
Trip guide to Vermont’s Long Trail, 272-mile thru-hiking path in Green Mountain National Forest. We cover camping, shelters, resupply, gear lists, planning, transportation, logistics and more
Our guide to the scenic Via Dinarica White Trail, which traverses Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Albania, with karst plateaus and small mountain villages
Cottonwood Lakes is a 23.3 mile loop surrounding High Sierra Landscapes. Hike by alpine lakes, vistas, wildflower-lined streams, and twisted ancient foxtail pine forest straight out of Ansel Adams— under the shadow of 14,000-foot tall Mt. Langley.
A trip guide for the 160-mile loop along the Colorado Trail and Continental Divide Trail with trailheads, gear list, resupply trail towns and suggested itinerary
The Superior Hiking Trail (SHT) is a 310-mile backpacking trail in Minnesota along the North Shore of Lake Superior. We explain campsites, logistics, resupply and how to hike the SHT
Here’s everything I learned that you should know about backpacking, running, or hiking the Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop.
Mount Rainier’s premier trail, the 93-mile Wonderland Trail, is a backpacker’s dream. On this 5- to 10-day backpacking trip, you will circumnavigate Washington’s Mt. Rainier, the most topographically prominent mountain in the lower 48.
The definitive guide from a 2-time thru-hiker to backpacking the High Sierra Trail. To call the HST an alternative to the John Muir Trail would be to minimize its standing as a world-class trail in its own right.