Searching online for outdoor gear can become overwhelming. There are many brands that sell similar products and they all want your business. Here are a few simple things to think about to help make your online search quick and painless. “What will I be using this for?” (Specifically), “How often will I be using this item?” (For that specific purpose or multiple purposes), and “How new am I to the activity that I will be using this item for?”(Beginner, intermediate, expert) Once you’ve answered these questions you can begin your search.
“How new am I to this activity?”
Beginners Most people that start to dabble with outdoor activities do not start off with the wildest, death defying adventures. They start off small by going on a mild hike, a simple climb, an easy paddle, or go to a resort to ski. For these people, any outdoor brand that sells the general item they want will do just fine. A practical rule of thumb: search for the cheapest instead of the best.
As a beginner the idea is to experience the activity and find out if it is a good fit for you. This is possible without breaking the bank. With some products cheaper is also the better choice. This knowledge will come to you after more experience with the specific activity of interest. If you find yourself thinking of how a piece of gear could be better (in terms of use, durability, and features) to improve your experience then read the intermediate/expert section below.
Intermediates & Experts Searching for gear can become more difficult and more expensive for those who have experience with a particular activity. If you’re like me and have worn through four pairs of hiking boots in two years or have four ski jackets/pants with holes in the majority of them then you know these activities can become expensive. My advise to you, which is something I did not want to listen to for years, is to buy one of the best products there is whether you are looking for lightweight or something more waterproof/breathable. When it comes to outdoor activities, durability is also important and can save you money in the long run.
It’s also important to check out product reviews and compare top products on websites that compare products like outdoorgearlab.com and switchbacktravel.com.
While researching for many products you are likely to come across waterproof and breathability ratings. These ratings can become confusing when comparing different brands and models. To help simplify these ratings we have devoted a page to help you understand what they mean.
“What will I be using this for?” & “How often will I be using this item?”
Specifically, how and where will this item be used? Answering this question can narrow a search from 100 options to only a few. For example, hiking boots are necessary to buy when getting into hiking. Think long and hard about how often you will be able to/want to go out for a hike. If you see yourself going out once a month for a hike you might want to steer towards cheaper models.
Thinking like this before purchasing can safe you both time and money. However, this is not the case when you plan on using a particular item very often or in multiple activities.
In my experience, I have bought a ton of gear twice. This is because I never thought about how often an item would be used. I would use that item so much it wore too quickly for my activity level and soon I would be back online ordering more gear.
It is also important when looking for gear to think about its use in multiple activities. For example, trekking poles can be used for all kinds of hiking but also used for skiing and splitboarding. If you already ski and want to get into hiking with trekking poles, try taking your ski poles on a hike and see if you like using them. If you like using them and plan on hiking with poles a lot then maybe you should think about purchasing a pair of trekking poles.
Trekking poles are lighter then ski poles and are designed specifically for trekking. Buying a set will then also help extend the life of your ski poles. If you did not like using them then you just saved yourself both time and money.
One last thing to do before purchasing whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or expert is to read the reviews. Reviews give real life experience without wasting time and money on a bad product. They are also a huge help with sizing and are a resource for many other helpful hints. The reviews that have repeated statements can be trusted.