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DannyMilks
4557
Jun 30, 2016
@cuyler - you pose a really good question. Prior to 2010 or so, it used to be that backpackinglight.com (BPL) was THE source for objective, thorough and (generally) timely reviews. That is no longer the case. Trail Groove does some ok reviews, but I don't trust a word from Outside or Backpacker Magazines when it comes to gear. A lot of bloggers and youtubers get compensated for review, one way or another, so it is hard to know the integrity of their work.
Hikin' Jim's blog is one of the best around, though obviously his scope is narrow. Will Reitveld is one of the most respected reviewers, though I wish he write more these days: http://ultralightinsights.blogspot.com/search/label/Gear%20Reviews
Like Ken, I think the people who are out using the gear intensely, like thru-hiking, are pretty reliable. I like Walking with Wired and Adventure Alan. Stick used to do good reviews, but he is no longer active. John Abela at HikeLighter has a ton of experience. He has his biases, but not in a commercial way. It's more like he has a strong opinion about what he likes and works directly with some manufacturers to co-design gear, so he has some deeper involvement in the products he reviews. But again, I don't think it affects his thoughts on a products. It's actually the reverse, his opinion affects the products themselves. Section Hiker is fairly good - he is super active, always testing gear, gives fairly balances reviews, and is explicit about his relationship with the manufacturer. My guess is if a product is terrible he won't review it, but I think there is actually a need for honest reviews of bad products.
I am very interested to hear what other sources people use. @jerkyken?
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