RaindropChess

I still remember my first spearfishing trip in the Florida Keys. I borrowed a beat-up wooden gun from a friend, missed every shot, and came home sunburned and empty-handed. That was the day I started taking spearfishing guns seriously. After testing 15 different models over the past two seasons, working with dive shops and talking … Read more

I learned about good snorkeling fins the hard way on a trip to Hawaii. I borrowed a beat-up pair from the hotel rental shop, and within 20 minutes my legs were burning while everyone else glided past the reef like fish. That’s when I realized fins are not just an accessory. They are the difference … Read more

I’ve spent years underwater testing dive instruments in everything from warm Caribbean reefs to cold North Atlantic wrecks. A dive compass console is one of the most underrated pieces of safety gear a diver can own. It combines your compass, pressure gauge, and depth gauge into a single unit that clips right to your SPG … Read more

I remember my first dive trip like it was yesterday. I dragged a 50-pound duffel across three airport terminals, watched a wheel snap off my cheap roller bag in Manila, and arrived at the liveaboard with a cracked regulator housing. After that disaster, I started testing rolling scuba gear bags seriously. Over the past four … Read more

I still remember my first big wall climb on El Capitan, watching my partner jug a fixed rope for 800 feet straight up. The hand ascender on his harness was a Petzl Ascension, and the chest unit was a Croll — both performed flawlessly across 12 pitches of granite. That trip convinced me that a … Read more

I still remember my first real rappel on a multi-pitch route in Red Rock. The ATC I’d borrowed felt hot in my brake hand halfway down, and I spent the next 60 meters wishing I’d practiced with the device at home. After that day I promised myself I’d never again grab a rappel device without … Read more

After six months of field testing on alpine routes in the Cascades, Rockies, and Alps, our team ranked the 10 best mountaineering boots for . We strapped crampons on ice, kicked steps in frozen couloirs, and logged over 400 miles of approach trails to find which pairs deliver warmth, stiffness, and grip when the mountain … Read more

After months of testing hangboards in our home gyms, garages, and crag-side setups, our team ranked the best climbing hangboards that actually move the needle on climbing performance. Finger strength is the single biggest limiter for most climbers past V4, and a quality hangboard turns your living room into a finger-strength lab. We compared 8 … Read more

Approach shoes are the bridge between your trail runners and your climbing shoes. I’ve spent 90 days putting eight top models through granite slabs, sandstone slabs, and loose desert scree, and the best approach shoes deliver sticky rubber grip, day-long comfort, and the confidence to scramble up Class 4 terrain without slowing you down. If … Read more

If you’re heading into snowy alpine terrain, glacier travel, or steep winter slopes, a quality ice axe is non-negotiable. I learned this the hard way during my first Mt. Rainier climb when my budget axe failed to self-arrest on a hard snow slope. After that humbling experience, I spent over two years testing more than … Read more