Gear Advice From Someone Who Actually Uses It
Summit Gear Guide is an outdoor gear review and buying guide written by Cole Hartman — a Pacific Northwest native with 15 years of hands-on trail experience across the Cascades, the Sierra, and beyond.
Honest Gear Reviews for Real Trails
Every product recommended on this site has been used on actual trips in real conditions — not unboxed on a kitchen table and called a review. I test hiking boots for 50 miles before writing about them. I pitch tents in sustained rain before recommending them. I carry sleeping bags to their rated temperature before telling you what that rating actually means. If I have not used it in the field I say so.
Destination Guides
Trail-specific gear advice for the parks and wilderness areas that demand it most.
Baxter State Park, Maine
Mount Katahdin, the Knife Edge, and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The gear that works in one of the most demanding wilderness parks in the Northeast.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Longs Peak, Trail Ridge Road, and 415 square miles of high-altitude Colorado wilderness. What actually works above 12,000 feet.
Olympic National Park
Temperate rainforest, alpine wilderness, and 73 miles of wild Pacific coastline. Gear tested in one of the wettest places in North America.
Appalachian Trail
2,190 miles from Georgia to Maine. The complete thru-hike gear guide built around what actually survives 14 states and 5 months on trail.
Pacific Crest Trail
2,650 miles from the Mexican border to Canada. Desert, Sierra Nevada, and Cascades — three completely different gear environments in one trail.
More Destinations Coming
Glacier National Park, Zion National Park, and more destination guides are in progress. Bookmark this page or check back regularly.
Gear Guides
Everything you need to build the right kit — from your first trip to your first thru-hike.
Best Backpacking Gear for Beginners
The complete starter kit guide — what to buy, what to skip, and what the gear stores will try to sell you that you do not need. Built around real trips with real first-timers.
Best Ultralight Backpacking Kit Under $500
A functional sub-15 lb base weight kit that does not require spending $1,500 on titanium and Dyneema. The best value ultralight gear available right now.
Browse by Gear Category
Looking for something specific? Every category has been reviewed and tested in the field.
Who Writes This Site
My name is Cole Hartman. I grew up in Bend, Oregon — 40 miles from the Pacific Crest Trail — and I have been testing outdoor gear on real trips since before most gear review sites existed.
I do not accept payment for coverage. I do not publish reviews of gear I have not used in the field. When a piece of gear disappoints me I say so by name. That standard existed before this site earned a dollar and it exists independently of it.
Years on Trail
Products Tested
Miles Hiked
Paid Reviews
How This Site Works
Field Tested Only
Every product I recommend has been used on actual trips in real conditions. Hiking boots get 50 miles before I write about them. Tents get pitched in rain. Sleeping bags get tested at their rated temperature.
Honest About Weaknesses
Every product recommendation on this site includes at least one genuine weakness. If a piece of gear has no weaknesses I have not tested it hard enough. The honest negatives are where the real value is.
Affiliate Disclosure
Product links on this site go to Amazon and earn a small commission. It costs you nothing extra and does not influence what gets recommended. See the full disclosure policy.
Recent Reviews and Guides
The latest gear reviews, comparisons, and buying guides from the trail.
Best Hiking Boots for Narrow Feet
After fifteen years on trail I have learned that a boot that feels snug in the store can become a blister factory once the foot swells after a mile or two.
Best Backpacking Tents for Beginners
For your first backpacking tent buy freestanding. The complexity of trekking pole shelters is a skill that takes experience — do not develop it on your first overnight.
Osprey Stratos 24 vs Gregory Nano 24
Two of the most popular daypacks in the 24-liter class go head to head. The differences are more significant than the specs suggest.
Planning a Trip and Not Sure What to Bring?
The destination guides on this site are built around specific parks and trails — the gear that works for the Hoh Rain Forest in November is different from what works for the High Sierra in July. Find your destination and start there.