I remember the first time I saw someone sleeping in their vehicle for fun. It was 1999. I was in Vail, and I hit a parking lot apr猫s party with a dude who was sleeping in his Ford Ranger pickup. He had built a plywood sleeping platform with all of his ski gear stored beneath, allowing him to camp out in his truck, save money on pricey ski resort lodging, and snag first chair in the morning.

He sold me on the idea of camping out in your car, and I鈥檝e spent the last twenty-plus years trying to perfect my own system. I鈥檝e built elaborate platforms for my Toyota 4Runner with built-in gear storage, and purchased the pre-fab Decked system for the back of my Ford F150. Both are good permanent solutions for people who overland or camp on the regular, but what about the weekend warrior who only plans to sleep in their daily driver on weekends? Enter the , which might be the perfect solution for the majority of car campers who are looking to sleep in the back of their vehicle without going full van life.

Hele Box Solo Car Camping Platform

Dimensions: 6鈥� x 24鈥�
Weight: 25 lbs

Pros and Cons
鈯� Easy setup
鈯� Customizable to your vehicle
鈯� Portable
鈯� Doubles as a table
鈯� Expensive
鈯� Heavy and awkward to carry in its case

Setting Up the Hele Box

The Hele Box is a portable sleeping platform that can be broken down and stored in an included storage case when not in use, and it鈥檚 fast and easy to deploy when it鈥檚 time to camp on weekends. Fold the back seats of your vehicle down, set up the Hele Box, and you essentially double the space in your vehicle, giving you a bedroom 鈥渦pstairs鈥� and a garage 鈥渄ownstairs.鈥�

Set up takes less than five minutes, and is just a matter of sliding poles together, clicking the legs into place, and laying out the wooden slats. It鈥檚 24 inches wide and 72 inches long, which is big enough to accommodate me (I鈥檓 6鈥�3鈥�), but small enough to fit in the back of most regular-sized SUVs with the back seats folded down. Hele Outdoors has to let you know if the Hele Box platform will fit into your specific vehicle, but if you own a Subaru Outback or Toyota 4Runner (likely 75-percent of you reading this review), rest assured that it will fit.

There鈥檚 even a way to shorten the platform鈥檚 length from 72 inches to 66 inches if you have a smaller vehicle. The Hele Box fit perfectly in the back of our 2015 Nissan Pathfinder, commonly referred to as the 鈥渕om jeans of SUVs,鈥� giving me plenty of room to sleep and store gear beneath and around the platform.

Adjustable Legs to Fit a Variety of Cars and SUVs

My favorite design feature of the Hele Box is the听 independently adjustable legs, which allow you to fine tune the amount of head room you need above the platform as well as the amount of storage space below. I have some bulky gear boxes, and I found a sweet spot that gave me enough headroom while allowing me to slide my camp kitchen and other items below the Hele Box. Also, some cars have backseats that don鈥檛 fold flat, but Hele Box鈥檚 legs, which adjust in half-inch increments from 8.75 inches to 14 inches, allow you to ground the platform around any uneven surfaces while keeping the sleeping surface flat I spent a lot of time and energy trying to figure out how to design my DIY sleeping platform around my 4Runner鈥檚 back seats, which did not fold completely flat. If I had the Hele Box, it would have just been a matter of adjusting two legs.

Hele Box Add-Ons

The sleeping platform itself consists of hardwood slats, so you just throw your sleeping pad on top. Any sleeping pad that matches the Hele Box鈥檚 dimensions will work,, but if you don鈥檛 love your current pad, I can recommend Hele Outdoors鈥� pad. It鈥檚 three inches thick, made from a super plush and comfortable combo of foam and air, and has a soft topper and no-slip bottom so it stays put on the slats.

At the risk of sounding like an infomercial鈥攂ut wait, there鈥檚 more!鈥攁dd a set of tall legs to your Hele Box kit, and the platform doubles as a large table that can听 stand alone or extend from your tailgate. Either way, the six foot long table will give you plenty of room for cooking and feeding the whole family. The ($520) comes with multiple sized legs, an extra storage box, and the plush sleeping pad.

From what I can tell, nothing was overlooked in the design. The materials are solid (aerospace-grade aluminum and hardwood slats) and built to last. Each leg has a double locking system with clicking pegs and a twisting brace that further secures the connection so there鈥檚 no wobble, even if you toss and turn in the middle of the night. Even the storage case that holds the system when it鈥檚 not in use doubles as gear storage with built-in dividers. I also appreciate the ability to shorten the platform to 66 inches, because that means truck owners with 5鈥�6鈥� truck beds (like me) can still use the platform in their tiny truck beds.

It鈥檚 a small detail, but I also like how all of the components actually fit well into the storage case when you鈥檙e ready to pack it up at the end of the weekend. There鈥檚 nothing more frustrating than taking a tent out of its original packaging and not being able to fit it back into the bag.

Is the Hele Box Better Than Other Sleeping Platforms?

The Hele Box Solo weighs 25 pounds (with a weight capacity of 250 pounds), which feels heavy when you鈥檙e carrying it around in its case, but it鈥檚 a fraction of the weight of many other sleep/storage systems, like the Decked in the back of my truck, or the system I built for my 4Runner.听 I think the drawers and sleeping platform I built weighed three times as much, which meant I never took them out of the back of my 4Runner. But the Hele Box is light enough to truly be portable and removable. There is a new wave of similar portable car camping sleep systems hitting the market right now, and the Hele Box seems to be on par with the average weight and is a little less expensive than most.

One thing you should consider before buying: The Hele Box isn鈥檛 like a traditional cot, most of which are made from canvas and have at least a little bit of sag built into their design so your body is cradled in one position while you sleep. The Hele Box is a solid platform, which allows for storage beneath you while you sleep, but also means it doesn鈥檛 have any gives. This is important if you鈥檙e an active sleeper. If you鈥檙e tossing and turning all night, you might just roll right off of the platform. If you need more room to wander, or you don鈥檛 camp solo, check out the double size Hele Box.

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Last Mother鈥檚 Day, as the mom of a one-year-old, I wanted anything that would make getting outside with a baby in tow easier. Now I鈥檓 a mom of two under two, so the theme of this year鈥檚 Mother鈥檚 Day gift guide is convenience and versatility. With a 23-month-old and a 7-month-old crawling all over me at any given moment, I rarely have one (let alone two) free hands. If I want to get outdoors, I better have a way to easily schlep two kiddos at the same time, get my shoes on hands-free, and be ready for exercise at a moment鈥檚 notice if the opportunity presents itself.

Not every mom has two under two, but every mom鈥檚 life is chaotic. So if you鈥檙e giving your leading lady something for Mother鈥檚 Day, let it be something that makes her day brighter and just a little bit easier. Here are my top Mother鈥檚 Day gift picks for moms who are always on the go.

At a Glance

• For Travel:
• For Biking and Hiking: and
• For Family Fun:
• For Sunny Days:
• For Pool Days:
• For Exercise:
• For Getaways:
• For 2 Kids:
• For Comfort:
• For Multisport Days:
• For Convenience:
• For Style:

No Reception Club The Getaway Bag

This 24-liter travel backpack鈥搈eets鈥揹iaper bag is a Mary Poppins bag. It鈥檚 small enough to meet airlines鈥� personal item measurements and fit under airplane seats, yet you鈥檒l be surprised how much you can fit into it thanks to its smart organization system.

The main compartment with adjustable/removable shelves is perfect for keeping kids clothes and toys organized; an insulated and removable lunchbox fits a few baby food pouches, a sippy cup, and at least one 8-ounce baby bottle; three dedicated 鈥減arent鈥� compartments house things like sunglasses, keys, wallet, and laptop; a zippered pocket on the side provides quick access to diaper change essentials; and a water-resistant bottom compartment keeps soiled clothing separate from everything else.

The beauty of all of these dedicated pockets with multiple access points is that you can find whatever you鈥檙e looking for immediately鈥攏o rummaging through a black hole to find that elusive pacifier while your baby is screaming at the top of their lungs. Pro tip: Spend the extra $85 to upgrade to the No Reception Club 国产吃瓜黑料 Bundle, which includes the very versatile Sidekick sling bag. It鈥檚 worth it.

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Wild Rye Bike Socks and Edith Brim Hat

As a woman and a mountain biker, I鈥檓 a huge fan of Wild Rye, a company founded by women who love to ride for women who love to ride (read: their bike shorts actually fit women鈥檚 bodies). The brand has branched out beyond mountain biking apparel in recent years and now makes hiking and lifestyle apparel in all kinds of fun prints and colors. If the mom in your life likes to bike or hike, you鈥檒l make her happy with anything on this brand鈥檚 website.

But if you don鈥檛 want to risk guessing her size incorrectly, I can recommend the Edith Brim Hat and Wild Rye Bike Socks; both of these items have become part of my daily uniform this spring because they are so versatile. What mom couldn鈥檛 use another pair of fun bike socks that double as everyday socks and a trendy hat to hide hair that hasn鈥檛 been washed in more than three days?

Veer All-Terrain Cruiser

Veteran parents know there鈥檚 no such thing as one stroller to rule them all. Active families who are always on the go likely need a compact travel stroller, a jogging stroller, and some sort of gear hauler. We have all three, but these days, the Veer All-Terrain Cruiser is getting more use than the others. thanks to its versatility and packability.

Unlike many other wagons out there, you can push the Veer like a traditional stroller, which is a really nice feature when you鈥檙e conveying a heavy load of kiddos and gear. It also has burly wheels that make it easy to navigate off the beaten path. But my favorite feature of this wagon is how compact it is.

Unfolded, it seats two children on built-in benches, or it can seat a toddler and accommodate an infant car seat with the appropriate adapter. Folded up with the wheels popped off, it lays flat for easy storage in the trunk of a car, in the roof box, or against the wall of our garage. We even flew with the All-Terrain Cruiser in a gate-check bag for a beach vacation last summer, and while it came back home with lots of sand, it had nary a scratch. When we don鈥檛 have the space to travel with our Thule Urban Glide 3 Double stroller, we pack the Veer wagon as our double stroller instead. Read my full review here.

Goodr VRG Voight-Kampff Vision Sunglasses

I used to own expensive sunglasses that I’d baby鈥攁lways putting them away in their case to make sure the lenses wouldn’t get scratched. That went out the window when I had kids. Now, I reach for these durable and affordable Goodr sunnies. The polarized lenses still offer pretty good optical clarity for the price, but I especially like the grippy, lightweight frame that stays put on your face and on top of your head. Plus, the sporty-meets-stylish single-lens design makes these versatile enough for bike rides, hikes, and ski apr猫s sessions. I’ve put these through the wringer and they’ve held up admirably over two years.

Nomadix Changing Poncho

I grew up in Germany, so I have no qualms about changing in public after hikes, bike rides, or even swim sessions (not to brag, but I鈥檝e even mastered the difficult art of changing swimsuits without cover and without exposing myself). But changing ponchos like this one from Nomadix certainly make things easier.

This one is made from 90-percent post-consumer recycled polyester, and is oh-so-soft to the touch, highly absorbent, and quick-drying. It has some weight to it, which makes it feel like you鈥檙e enveloped in a towel when you鈥檙e wearing it. I love the cinchable hood and kangaroo pocket鈥攕mall details that make a big difference on windy beach days and when you’re carrying the kids’ odds and ends on top of your own.

Even better: Nomadix now makes this changing poncho for kids (one size for 3鈥�6 year-olds and one for 6鈥�12 year-olds), so you can buy a matching set for mom and her mini-mes. I鈥檓 5鈥�5鈥� and 140 pounds, and the size M/L fits me with plenty of room to spare. Now I just have to wait for my 2-year-old to grow into his.

Oiselle Pocket Jogger

The selling point of these shorts for moms is in the name: pocket jogger. I think I can speak for all moms when I say that pants without pockets just don鈥檛 fly. And these shorts鈥攚hich come in 5.25-inch, 7-inch, and 8.25-inch inseam lengths鈥攂oast a whopping five pockets. That means mom can carry her phone, keys, chapstick, sunscreen stick, credit cards, and emergency snack without having to carry an extra bag or purse.

I鈥檝e been wearing the 7-inch Pocket Jogger all day, every day for almost a month (with a few days off here and there to launder them). Made from a mix of spandex and nylon, they鈥檙e highly compressive, have a snug waistband that prevents them from gradually working their way down the butt (as some spandex shorts and leggings do), and are simple yet stylish enough to serve as bonafide workout shorts or errand-running attire.

Cotopaxi Cubo Packing Travel Bundle

I was slow to adopt the packing cube travel hack, but since having kids, I鈥檓 all-in. There鈥檚 just no other way to keep all the small kid items鈥攖iny pairs of socks, bibs, medicine, toys鈥攐rganized and easily findable when you鈥檙e traveling with the family. There are lots of options out there, but Cotopaxi鈥檚 Cubo Packing Travel Bundle is a nice gift set because it includes three colorful cubes of different sizes (2L, 3L, 10L).

Each features a wrap-around zipper, carrying handle, and mesh sides for breathability. Some people prefer all-mesh packing cubes so they can easily see what鈥檚 inside, but I actually like those made with some solid fabric because they hide the mess within, and the fabric gives the cube a little more structure. These nylon-polyester cubes (made from Cotopaxi鈥檚 textile scraps) are also easy to wipe clean and throw in the wash.

Thule Urban Glide 3 Double Stroller

I loved our original Thule Urban Glide stroller so much that we upgraded to the Urban Glide 3 Double stroller last fall when we had our second kiddo. This updated double stroller includes all the same features I loved about the original鈥攕mooth steering, an easy and responsive handbrake, simple folding/unfolding, large tires and suspension system that easily navigate uneven and rough terrain, a generous storage basket, and a front wheel that can be locked for jogging鈥攂ut in a stroller that seats two.

It also includes some notable upgrades, like extended canopies (still with peek-a-boo windows) to provide more weather protection, extendable leg rests (great for short little baby legs), and an improved brake pedal design that鈥檚 more comfortable to engage with sandals on.

I originally hemmed and hawed over getting a side-by-side double stroller versus a front/rear double model; I was afraid a side-by-side beast like this one wouldn鈥檛 fit on some sidewalks or in the trunk of our car. But we haven鈥檛 found a sidewalk or path yet that isn鈥檛 wide enough for the Thule Urban Glide 3 Double, and it seamlessly fits into the trunk of our SUV when folded up (though without much room to spare).

Duer Performance Denim Lite Harbour Pant

For months after having each of my kids, I shunned denim; I didn鈥檛 want to wear anything as constricting, stiff, or uncomfortable as jeans. But these denim pants from Duer are not your average “jeans.” Made from a mix of cotton, polyester, and elastane, the Performance Denim Lite Harbour pants are as light, stretchy, and comfortable as a pair of thin, cotton sweatpants.

The cut is also equal parts relaxed and stylish, with a high-rise, drawstring waist, relaxed hip and thigh cut, and tapered leg. The best part about these pants: They鈥檙e flattering despite having a more relaxed cut, and they don鈥檛 sag in the butt like some other pants made from lightweight materials. These have become my go-to pants, even as temperatures rise into the 80s in my home of Boulder, Colorado, because they鈥檙e just so dang airy, comfortable, and versatile. Fit note: These run large, so I recommend sizing down.

Olukai Kawela

Every mom needs a pair of slip-on sneakers like the Kawela. Technically, these shoes were designed for golf, but I love them for everyday wear. The sporty look and drop-in heel make the Kawela super versatile and convenient, and the lightweight materials, stiff sole, and stellar traction make them ideal for sandy playground sessions with the kids, biking into town for coffee with girlfriends, and even casual hikes. Bonus: They鈥檙e water-resistant, so you can play around creeks and ponds without worrying about getting your feet soaked. A note on fit: I find that Olukai shoes tend to run small and narrow, so I size up half a size.

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Xpand No-Tie Shoe Laces

Alternative to buying slip-on sneakers: Turn her favorite pair of sneakers into slip-on shoes with elastic shoe laces. My husband replaced the traditional laces on my go-to sneakers with these as a Christmas present last year, and they鈥檝e made my life so much easier. This is a brilliant gift idea for moms who spend 20-plus minutes wrestling their kids into shoes and jackets but have no time to properly tie their shoes before having to run out the door because they鈥檙e late鈥攁gain.

You鈥檒l find lots of different brands of no-tie laces, and I鈥檓 sure they鈥檙e all very similar. I like the Xpand laces because they鈥檙e easy to thread, have stood up to longterm wear, and come in a variety of fun colors.

Marsh Wear Hagood Boxcut Shirt

Chances are, mom鈥檚 wardrobe needs a refresh鈥攊t’s likely she鈥檚 always buying cute new clothes for the kids but not for herself. The Boxcut Shirt would make a great new addition to any capsule wardrobe thanks to its laid-back yet stylish cut. Made from woven lyocell and featuring UPF 50 sun protection, this top is the perfect layer for beach and pool days, hikes and bike rides, and thanks to fun prints, is equally fit for backyard barbecues and around-town wear.

After having kids, I really began to appreciate the convenience of boxy, button-up shirts like the Hagood for nursing and layering (they鈥檙e the easiest layer to throw on over a tank or T-shirt when you have a baby carrier strapped to you). I love the Hagood in the Wheat color鈥攊t hides baby spit-up pretty well.

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If you鈥檙e looking for one stroller to rule them all, let me spare you the wild goose chase. There鈥檚 no such thing鈥攁t least, not for adventurous families.

When I became a parent two years ago, I swore our garage would not be full of specialty kid gear that would only see occasional or specific use, i.e. a jogging stroller for running and gravel use; a compact stroller for everyday errands and travel; and a wagon for kid and gear schlepping. Lo and behold, we now have every one of these kid conveyors in our garage.

While each is in steady rotation, there鈥檚 one that has seen a surprising amount of use: our Veer All-Terrain wagon.

Veer All-Terrain Wagon Specifications

Open dimensions: 37鈥� L x 20鈥� W x 23鈥� H
Folded dimensions: 37鈥� L x 20鈥� W x 14鈥� H
Capacity: 55 lbs per seat (2 seats)
Weight: 32.6 lbs (with wheels); 24.6 lbs (wheels removed)

Pros and Cons

鈯� Pushes and handles like a stroller
鈯� Rugged, durable design
鈯� Burly wheels can navigate off-road terrain
鈯� Sleek design for compact storage
鈯� Expensive
鈯� Most helpful accessories not included in base price
鈯� Doesn鈥檛 fit as much gear as some other wagons

I first learned about this wagon through my local mom group鈥檚 Facebook page. One mom鈥檚 post about it racked up at least 50 comments from other women. Most posted glowing reviews, a few criticized it for being overpriced, but the majority were moms who were eager to get their hands on one but were striking out finding used options on second-hand marketplaces.

I hadn鈥檛 seen this level of discourse in this mom group since someone posted about turning their leftover breast milk into jewelry, so I decided to try the Veer All-Terrain Cruiser for myself to see what all the fuss was about.

We originally got this wagon to take on a beach vacation, where we knew we鈥檇 need something to haul our one-year-old and all of our gear from our condo to the beach each day. There are lots of affordable kid wagons out there; most are fine for toting kiddos and gear short distances on smooth surfaces, but many of them are a pain to pull when fully loaded down, and uncomfortable for the little ones riding in them.

Our son was barely 30 inches tall at the time, too little to comfortably sit up in a hold-all wagon without getting tossed around. We wanted a wagon that would pull double-duty as a stroller and gear hauler on vacation, and that鈥檚 exactly what the Veer All-Terrain Cruiser is: a wagon that you can push and steer like a stroller, and securely seats two kids.

What I Love About the Veer All-Terrain Cruiser

Smooth Steering and Handling

The Veer鈥攕tuffed to the gills with beach towels, toys, soft cooler, sun shade, diaper bag, and our son鈥攈andled the 0.2-mile trek (a mix of pavement, gravel, and sand) right onto the beach with aplomb. The wagon can鈥檛 navigate loose sand with just the stock polyurethane foam tires鈥攜ou鈥檒l need to purchase Veer鈥檚 beach wheel kit ($250) for that. But the stock tires did fine on packed sand when not fully loaded down, allowing us to take our son, who wasn鈥檛 yet walking, along for beach strolls.

In the months since that beach vacation, the Veer also became our go-to for walks around our neighborhood and trips to our local pool and parks because our son preferred it over our regular stroller. He liked being able to see more of his environment and sit more upright on the wagon鈥檚 built-in bench, made cozier with Veer鈥檚 comfort seat for toddlers ($89). This seat also includes a five-point-harness, which added extra support for our little guy, who needed more than just the three-point-buckle that鈥檚 included to comfortably stay upright on rugged terrain.

On those outings, the All-Terrain Cruiser handled cracked pavement, wonky curbs, gravel, grass, dirt, and even snow with ease. Like all wagons, it doesn’t have the tightest turning radius and smoothly navigating around corners takes some practice. My husband and I both decided we prefer pushing the wagon like a stroller versus pulling it like a traditional wagon. Ergonomically, the height-adjustable handle is designed primarily for pushing the wagon; the extra wide handlebar, while nice for hanging bags off of to accommodate more gear, makes pulling the Veer like a wagon awkward.

That said, having the ability to choose how you steer the Veer is clutch. We inevitably found ourselves pushing it along as a wagon for stretches of our walks because the retractable canopy ($59) doesn鈥檛 provide enough coverage to block out low-angle sun. In early morning or late afternoon, the sun鈥檚 low angle dictated whether we pushed or pulled the Veer to keep glaring rays out of our son鈥檚 eyes.

Sleek Design for Easy Storage

The smart design of this wagon is what sets it apart from similar wagons on the market. For how rugged and bombproof it is, it鈥檚 sleek and incredibly streamlined, making it super simple to fold up into a relatively small package and stash on a shelf in the garage, in the trunk or roof box of a car, or even in a gate-check bag for flying.

Simply unlock the handlebar with the push of a button and fold down the four sides of the wagon like a box to collapse the wagon onto itself; you can also pop off the wheels by clicking the buttons in the center of each wheel to get the wagon to lay completely flat. The whole process takes 30 seconds, and unfolding it is just as quick and easy. Even without being fully collapsed and with the wheels still on, the wagon easily fits into the back of our Chevy Equinox. And at 33 pounds with the wheels on, it鈥檚 not back-breaking to lift it.

You do need to remove the optional accessories鈥攍ike the sun canopy and toddler comfort seat鈥攖o get the wagon to pack all the way down; this adds a few steps and a little extra time to the pack-down process, which is why we got lazy and usually just loaded the wagon into our trunk not fully collapsed.

Downsides to the Veer All-Terrain Cruiser

Limited Gear-Hauling Capacity

The Veer All-Terrain may bill itself as a wagon, but it鈥檚 really a stroller. By design, it鈥檚 better at conveying kids than hauling a pile of gear. Its two built-in benches (that don鈥檛 collapse) and short sidewalls mean this wagon can鈥檛 hold the amount of gear that other, more basic wagons can (like the affordable ones you see at Target and Walmart).

When our little guy was in the wagon, we could fit a couple of towels, a large beach bag, and a bucket of beach toys in the wagon with him. With two kids in there, there鈥檚 not a lot of room for anything else. With one kiddo seated on a bench and an infant car seat attached over the second bench (a compatibility feature that鈥檚 a huge plus of this wagon), there鈥檚 room for even less extra stuff (and what you do shove under the car seat is hard to access).

Veer鈥檚 foldable storage basket ($79) helps to increase the wagon鈥檚 gear-hauling capacity and easily attaches to the back of the wagon, but in my opinion doesn鈥檛 offer enough extra storage to justify the additional purchase.

Expensive, Best Accessories Aren鈥檛 Included听

This brings me to the biggest downside of the Veer wagon: It comes with a hefty price tag, and that doesn鈥檛 even include some of the most helpful accessories (like the comfort seat insert, the storage basket, or the canopy). Heck, Veer even sells a sun visor ($19) for the canopy separately.

The stock wagon only comes with two cupholders that attach to the handlebar, and a snack tray with two cup holders that can click anywhere onto the sidewalls so kids can snack on the go. These accessories are nice, but they鈥檙e not as essential and don鈥檛 add as much as some of the other optional accessories (like a sun canopy).

Is the Veer All-Terrain Wagon Worth the Price?

So, is this wagon worth the price? The answer depends entirely on what you鈥檙e looking for from a wagon, and how much extra cash you have lying around. If you鈥檙e in need of a wagon that can haul a lot鈥攌ids and gear鈥攍ook elsewhere. Similar stroller-wagons like the Wonderfold W2 Elite ($479) have more capacity.

But what has impressed me about the Veer All-Terrain Cruiser is its smooth handling over all sorts of terrain, and its smart and rugged design that makes it so easy to fold, unfold, and travel with. We now have two kids (a baby and a toddler), so anytime we go anywhere we have to cart around a stroller that can carry two. Because the Veer All-Terrain Cruiser is much more compact and packable than our Thule Urban Glide 3 double stroller, this wagon accompanies us on more road trips and outings that require us to hop in the car first. So for our family, this wagon is totally worth it.

At $699, it鈥檚 expensive and double the price of similar hybrid stroller-wagons like the . But like a Yeti cooler, the Veer is over-engineered to be extremely rugged and durable, making it a piece of gear that will stand up to kid abuse, travel, and years of family adventures. There鈥檚 a reason they鈥檙e so hard to come by on second-hand marketplaces.

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I鈥檓 driving a brand-new through the jungle of Puerto Rico, and I have the vehicle at such an awkward angle that one of my tires is hanging in the air. The rock obstacle I鈥檓 traversing on this particular four-wheel-drive trail is steep and off-camber, forcing the nose of the SUV down and the back right wheel to completely abandon the ground. I鈥檓 a 鈥渇our tires on the ground鈥� kind of driver, so I panic about how expensive rolling this vehicle will be. It still has that new car smell. I also think about the location of the nearest hospital. Typically in this situation, reason would take over and I would let off the gas, roll backward, and attack the obstacle at a safer angle, but a voice coming through my walkie-talkie tells me to trust the vehicle and apply steady pressure to the gas.

Watch: Test Driving the 2026 Honda Passport Trailsport SUV

I do what I鈥檓 told, powering through the rock slab (and my discomfort) only to come down smooth and safe on the other side. This is the beauty of the new Honda Passport Trailsport: Like a finely tuned full-suspension mountain bike, it irons out difficult terrain, making off-road trails more approachable for the masses.

This little debacle is part of my two-day test drive of the 2026 Passport Trailsport in Puerto Rico, where I had the opportunity to drive the mid-sized SUV over a variety of terrain, from winding two-lane roads to deep sandy beaches to an off-road course through the jungle designed to show off the vehicle鈥檚 adventure prowess. Honda is hoping the Passport Trailsport will win over hardcore fans of the Toyota 4Runner and Jeep Cherokee, and to be honest, the car made a hell of a first impression. Its rugged exterior, comfortable ride, and user-friendly off-road capabilities certainly won me over.

2026 Honda Trailsport Passport Specifications

Price: Starts at $48,450
Power: 285 horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine
Transmission: 10-speed automatic with paddle shifters
MPG: 18 city/23 highway

I am not a rabid off-road enthusiast. I don鈥檛 spend my weekends rock crawling through the desert, and my expendable income isn鈥檛 earmarked for after-market skid plates and suspension kits. But I do appreciate what a four-wheel-drive vehicle allows me to do. I鈥檝e driven open-aired ATVs on multi-day tours across Utah and Nevada, and spent countless nights camping out of the back of four-wheel-drive vehicles. I鈥檝e owned Jeep Cherokees, Toyota 4Runners, and Nissan Pathfinders. I currently drive an F-150 with an FX4 off-road package that includes a lift and enhanced suspension.

I鈥檝e liked all of these vehicles because they can get me deeper into the backcountry while carrying the gear I need. I like to camp deep in the forest away from the crowds, so I need a vehicle that can handle rough trails. But the truth is, I mostly use my truck for running errands on paved roads around town.

In short, I am the target audience for the new Honda Passport Trailsport鈥攕omeone who spends 90 percent of my drive time on paved roads, but occasionally wants an SUV that can handle snow, beach driving, and four-wheel-drive trails. Honda鈥檚 Trailsport development team says it was designed to be a daily driver that doubles as a gear hauler and off-road workhorse. Honda is touting the Passport Trailsport as their most capable off-road vehicle to date. It鈥檚 also damn pretty to look at and a super comfortable ride.

Off-Road Performance

Honda gave the Trailsport plenty of power with a standard V-6 engine and enhanced off-road capability with a new front and rear suspension system with increased lateral stiffness and forged-steel arms; the all-wheel-drive system also boasts 40 percent more torque than previous models. The Trailsport also has 8.4 inches of clearance, about a quarter inch more than the previous model, that鈥檚 maximized by a front overhang that is set back to increase clearance on steep terrain. The undercarriage has beefy protection from ground contact thanks to steel-armored plates protecting the fuel tank, transmission, and oil pan. Wide, 18-inch all-terrain tires (the biggest tires Honda has ever used on an SUV) and front and rear recovery hooks round out the standard off-road package.

I drove this vehicle across terrain that I normally would not attempt in any of the four-wheel-drive vehicles I have owned in the past, navigating a jungle course and trails through rock, off-camber angles, steep ascents and descents, and deep sand, all of which tested my own off-road skills. I think I was cantilevered with a wheel in the air more often during my two-hour jungle drive than in my entire adult life. And the Trailsport not only outperformed my expectations, but did so in total comfort, and with a user interface that is intuitive, even if you don鈥檛 have much experience driving off-road.

Simply use a button to choose which off-road mode you want (Trail, Sand, Snow, Mud), all of which calibrate the suspension and torque based on the conditions. For instance, if you鈥檙e in Trail Mode, which is the general four-wheel-drive setting, and you lose contact with the ground on one or more tires, 75 percent of the torque will be sent to the wheels that are still in contact with the ground; the system maintains 25 percent of potential torque on the airborne wheels, so there鈥檚 an immediate transfer of power once ground contact is regained. This is what allows you to carefully throttle through certain obstacles.

And while you鈥檙e in Trail Mode, the Trail Watch camera system is activated on the 12.5-inch touch screen, engaging four cameras so you have a complete view of what鈥檚 around your vehicle while you鈥檙e navigating the trail. This enhanced view gives uneasy drivers more confidence that they鈥檙e keeping their vehicle safely on the trail and allows them to see obstacles that might be hidden from their natural point of view. Gauges on the dash track your elevation, pitch, and rollover status on the driver display so you can keep an eye on key factors that keep you safe in rough terrain.

I also really liked the Downhill Descent feature: Click a button on super steep terrain and the Trailsport goes into 鈥渁utopilot,鈥� maintaining your speed on the downhill. A similar Brake Stop feature will keep you from sliding backwards on steep ascents.

None of this is ground-breaking technology, but the fact that it all comes standard in the Passport Trailsport is incredibly enticing, especially to a casual off-road enthusiast who isn鈥檛 quite sure what features he/she should add on to their purchase.

On-Road Comfort

That鈥檚 not to say the Trailsport is only an off-road workhorse. The truth is, most people that buy this SUV won鈥檛 test its limits the way I did in Puerto Rico. It is an easy, comfortable car to drive, whether you鈥檙e heading deep into the desert or taking kids to their Saturday soccer game. The cabin is plush, with synthetic leather seats that wipe clean, a panoramic roof that comes standard, and lots of easy-to-navigate tech with a large touchscreen as the infotainment hub. The seats are heated and there鈥檚 even a built-in wireless phone charger in the front console.

Cargo space is off the charts, too, thanks to the almost 84-cubic-feet of hauling space when the second row seats are folded down. That means you can fit two adult mountain bikes inside the vehicle. There鈥檚 also under-floor-storage that holds a spare, and is big enough for folded camping chairs or other camping gear even with the spare stored inside. Large side storage bins add dedicated spots for smaller items too. Even the cupholders between the two front seats are big鈥攍arge enough to fit 32-ounce Nalgene and Hydroflask bottles.

One of my favorite details is that every model of the Passport Trailsport comes standard with all-season rubber floor mats, which is typically my first purchase after I get a vehicle.

国产吃瓜黑料 Ready

Honda also created a new line of accessories that can be added at the factory or dealership, giving you a handful of packages that enhance certain aspects of the vehicle. There鈥檚 a Pet Package that includes seat covers and a separation barrier, and a Tow Package that adds a trailer hitch, hitch harness, and ball mount. My favorite is the Trailsport 国产吃瓜黑料 Package, which includes a platform roof rack, Molle storage panels in the trunk, a rear LED cargo light, and a cargo shelf that increases the hauling capacity in the trunk and can be converted into a picnic table with the screw-on legs that are stored next to the spare tire.

Another cool detail that won me over: There鈥檚 a garnish on the tail end of the roof that鈥檚 made of a resin material that allows you to lean skis or fly rods against the vehicle without scratching the body.

Final Thoughts on the Honda Passport Trailsport

Honda built the Trailsport to compete with the Toyota 4Runner, in hopes of gaining some die-hard 4Runner fans with its combination of off-road prowess and top-of-the-line styling. Normally, I鈥檇 say there is no chance that a new SUV would win the hearts of 4Runner devotees because of their cult-like enthusiasm for that rig (I say that as a card-carrying cult member myself). But I know that a lot of 4Runner fans are upset that Toyota has abandoned the V-6 for a 4-cylinder turbo engine, so I think there鈥檚 a window for Honda to pick up some ground in the mid-sized SUV category.

My two-day test drive of the Passport Trailsport was a winning experience, and if I were in the market for a new SUV, this would be at the top of my list. But the Trailsport is not perfect, at least not for my personal requirements. First and foremost, Honda is not producing a hybrid version of the Passport Trailsport. I want my vehicle to do three things: take me into the backcountry, carry my gear, and do as little environmental damage as possible. Hybrids and electric vehicles aren鈥檛 a silver bullet, but I do believe they鈥檙e a step in the right direction, and I think my next vehicle will be a hybrid (if not fully electric). That鈥檚 a personal preference, and I鈥檓 sure many will disagree with me in the comments.

Another thing to consider: the Passport Trailsport only has two rows of seats. This is less of an issue for me now that my kids are driving their own vehicles, but I know plenty of people who simply will not buy an SUV that doesn鈥檛 have third-row-seating. That鈥檚 a non-starter for them.

But the Honda Passport Trailsport is a badass vehicle. It will take you deep into the backcountry, handling a variety of terrain along the way. And with its superior cargo space and smart accessories, it will carry the gear you want to use once you reach your destination. And isn鈥檛 that exactly what we all want from an off-road vehicle?

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The post How Rugged Is the New Honda Passport? I Drove One Through the Jungle to Find Out. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

November is the time of year when we in the northern hemisphere get that sweet reminder of how shitty it feels to be too cold. If you are one of us who depends on a fire to stay warm through the winter, you know this fact: kindling is king. Whether it鈥檚 for your wood stove at 6:00 am when your house is as chilly as the dickens, or when you get off the river with frozen fingers on a fishing trip, the answer remains the same: If you want good kindling fast, you need a good hatchet. To help you find the right one for your needs, I tested some of the best models on the market. Here are my five top picks.

At a Glance

• Best Value:
• Best for Wilderness Survival:听
• Best for Precision Cutting:
• Most Ergonomic:
• Lightest:
• How I Tested

If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside. Learn more.

Best Value

CRKT Chogan Hatchet

听

Weight: 1.5 lbs.

Overall Length: 13.2 in.

Pros and Cons:
鈯� Insanely capable
鈯� Extremely affordable
鈯� Not powerful enough for most hardwoods

This one-and-a-half-pound, sub-14-inch hatchet proved small but mighty. The head is made from one solid piece of 1055 carbon steel鈥攌nown for its durability and edge retention鈥攚hich was heavy enough in relation to the glass-reinforced nylon handle to provide a hefty swing. This concentration of weight behind the blade allowed it to work its way through softer woods like cedar and fir, but it did find its limitations with the harder woods like madrone and oak. While I could get through the heavier woods, it typically took me at least a dozen strokes, with some feeling dangerously taxing on the nylon handle. It was a heck of a little hammer on the stakes, though, and I found it particularly easy to swing accurately; in fact, it’s about the same size and weight of the hammer I keep in my toolbox back home.

Best for Wilderness Survival

Gerber Bushcraft Hatchet

听

Weight: 2.4 lbs.

Overall Length: 15.3 in.

Pros and Cons:
鈯� Handle doubles as waterproof match storage
鈯� Heavy enough for hardwood
鈯� Rubber gets mangled if you miss a strike
鈯� Blade is small compared to rest of hatchet

My wilderness survival game is relatively tight, but I would by no means call myself a bushcrafter. (In other words, I can reliably make a good fire with a single match, but can鈥檛 use a bow drill for shit). Still, I found this hatchet a blast to play with, even with my novice skills. There are five feet of ever-useful paracord in the handle, which contains a hollow, waterproof compartment big enough to store five waterproof matches and half a handful of wood shavings. The Bushcraft鈥檚 hefty two-and-a-half-pound weight and more than 15-inch length allowed it to work through oak and madrone quite easily鈥攚hen it came to hardwoods, it felt more like a small ax than a hatchet. For all the advantages that extra weight gave for the Bushcraft in terms of swing, its heft didn’t do it any favors in the carrying test. This would be my last pick to take on a long hike. It also lacked some blade length compared to the Ono and James Brand options. That made it harder to get through the thickest pieces of wood. The back of the head was a proper hammer that drove even the toughest stakes. The rubber insets around the back of the handle felt good in the hand, but it did get pretty mangled after a few missed strikes on the stakes. While this didn鈥檛 hurt the overall performance of the hatchet, it did become a bit unsightly.

Best for Precision Cutting

Silky Ono Hatchet

听

Weight: 1.8 lbs.

Overall Length: 12 in.

Pros and Cons:
鈯� Crazy-sharp blade
鈯� Very sexy look
鈯� No real ability to hammer

鈥淥oooooh,鈥� my friend and I moaned audibly as we took this premium Japanese-crafted hatchet out of its hand-wrapped and -written-on packaging. I don鈥檛 fault us for our gratuitousness: this hatchet is sexy. It’s a big-ass piece of alloy steel with a perfectly grippy, textured, rubber handle and a four-and-a-half-inch blade. It looks like a meat cleaver you鈥檇 want by your side during a zombie apocalypse. The blade is so damned sharp鈥攔ight on par with the frighteningly sharp Hellgate below鈥攖hat I could shave pine logs as if they were giant bricks of Parmesan cheese. I really appreciated the superior grip of the handle while I made a 6:00 am fire with frozen fingers, and the swing weight from that large-bladed head let it crush through hardwood in spite of its kinda-short 12-inch length. I couldn鈥檛 really hammer tent stakes in with the back of it, which puts it at a disadvantage as a do-it-all camping tool. Still, I was willing to forgive the Ono due to how well it ate through wood to make kindling.

Most Ergonomic

The James Brand TJB Hatchet

Weight: 1.9 lbs.

Overall Length: 14 in.

Pros and Cons:
鈯� Ergonomic wooden handle
鈯� Great swing momentum for extended chopping
鈯� Too big to pack into the backcountry

The James Brand partnered with legendary German ax-making company Adler to craft this beaut. The delightfully contoured, U.S.-sourced hickory handle and big old C60 steel head combine for an incredibly classy-looking hatchet. The blade was plenty sharp enough to make matchsticks out of oak. The TJB also boasted the second-largest striking surface in the test at four inches. The combo of that large, efficient head; the dampening factor of the wood handle; and a nice texture at the base of the grip just felt so damned good, strike after strike. I could make kindling with it all day. In fact, on my camping trip, I got carried away splitting cedar for over an hour straight without feeling much fatigue. It a little on the larger side to bring camping, and is suboptimal to pack in anywhere at its nearly two-pound weigh-in, but this hatchet is definitely the one that will live next to my woodpile at home if The James Brand lets me keep the sample. It feels a little lame to complain about the packaging, but I found myself not knowing what to do with it: When I first received this hatchet, I thought the ornate wooden box it came in was a nice touch, particularly for the price. Unfortunately, I broke the box while transporting the hatchet to my camping trip and had to put it in a landfill pretty quickly into my testing process.

Lightest

Montana Knife Company Hellgate Hatchet

Weight: 0.9 pounds

Overall Length: 10 inches

Pros and Cons:
鈯� Beautiful craftsmanship
鈯� Perfectly balanced swing
鈯� Portable and lightweight
鈯� More than twice the price of most competitors

I know that comparing this hatchet to the others on this list is inherently unfair: It鈥檚 like bringing a gun to a proverbial hatchet fight. Or, perhaps more accurately, comparing a cottage-built ultralight thru-hiking pack to a clunky, big box-brand backpacking pack. Here鈥檚 the thing, though: I couldn鈥檛 leave this truly beautiful tool off this list because it was so remarkably capable. It weighs less than a pound but was still able to cut through softwoods like butter, thanks to its razor-sharp blade and perfectly balanced swing weight. The lack of swing weight meant that hardwoods like madrone put up a hell of a fight, usually taking half-a-dozen hits or more to split, but I wasn鈥檛 complaining about the reps thanks to the Hellgate鈥檚 aforementioned balance. The lightly textured handle has a slight curve on the back that made it feel like it was made for my palm. This is a very subtle detail that delivered a notable amount of comfort over extended use. I found myself using it consistently for 20- to 30-minute increments without really thinking about the fact that I had a hatchet in my hand. On top of that, the Hellgate was made for hiking. While walking the 60-acre property during my portability test, I barely noticed I was bringing it along. The biggest bummer: The $375 price tag is certainly worthy of sticker shock. Still, I stand behind it: It hit like a heavy weight in a bantamweight package.

How I Tested

I made an absolutely obscene amount of kindling for this test. Over the past three weeks I have offered my kindling-creating services to all the wood-stove users in my friend group (there are four) and invited myself over to chop away on their wood piles for as long as it took to get a feel for each axe. I also took these hatchets on an annual fishing and camping trip with friends. While my buddies fished, I stayed back at camp and played with the hatchets.

I tested each blade on five different kinds of wood (pine, cedar, fir, oak, and Oregon madrone) and created all different sizes of kindling, from curly-gossamer shreds to solid thumb-size chunks. I used the backside of each hatchet to hammer in tent poles at the beginning of the trip. I also carried these hatchets around the 60-acre campsite we stayed on to gauge portability, and I weighed them on a kitchen scale (when I got home of course) to compare each one’s weight to its manufacturer-listed specs. Here are the results.

The post The Best Hatchets for Camping, Homesteading, and Backcountry Survival appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Once you’ve experienced the magic of packing cubes you just cannot go back to throwing your clothes naked into a suitcase. I mean, how many pieces of gear both double your ability to bring stuff along with you and help you stay tidy? I know there are some fancy numbers we could probably crunch at the 国产吃瓜黑料 Gear Lab to quantify just how much more capacity cubes let you squeeze into a carry-on. But I’m going to shoot from the hip here and say I can likely double my packing capacity when I use cubes. As a dad who travels with a six-year-old often, every centimeter of that carry-on is precious space. You better bet I make the most of it.

Not all are cubes created equal, though. To help you invest in the right ones for you, I tested 23 different packing cubes and identified the six best systems on the market. Do yourself a solid, get a few, and take some of the stress out of holiday travel this season.

At a Glance

• Best Utility Player:
• Best for Families:
• Best for Big Trips:
• Best for Wet Gear:
• Best Value:
• Lightest:
• How I tested

If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside. Learn more.

Best Utility Player

Thule Compression Cube Set

听

Dimensions: Small (10.2 x 7.1 x 4.3 in.); Medium (14.0 x 10.0 x 5.9 in.)

Weight: 7 oz.

I have come to expect Thule products to be cleverly designed, simple to use鈥攁nd expensive. Fortunately, only the best two of those three attributes proved true for this cube set. Performance-wise, the two cubes did everything I could have asked for鈥攖hey provided solid compression for the two jean jackets and three pairs of jeans my daughter wanted to take on our trip. They also boast a nice, simple, clean look and a lightweight weigh-in: the two clock in at just over seven ounces put together. The 100-denier nylon was plenty hearty for our stress-testing, as were the large zippers with solid, straightforward pulls. The nylon was also water-resistant, which made these cubes a fine place to stash slightly damp bathing suits. While the semi-transparent material made it easier to spot key pieces of clothing (namely鈥攁ll of Josie鈥檚 denim), it wasn鈥檛 transparent enough to pick out small items like a floating toothbrush. Still a great option for the price, particularly for someone who travels alone a lot and needs just two straightforward cubes.

Best for Families

NOMATIC Compression Packing Cubes

听

Dimensions: Small (7.75 x 7.75 x 5 in.); Medium (11.5 x 7.75 x 5 in.); Large (11.5 x 11.5 x 5 in.)

Weight: 15 oz.

This set of three extremely durable cubes was perfect for organizing a carry-on bag for a family trip. A swath of mesh in the front of each one makes it easy to see what’s in them, while the rest of the compartment is made of a heavy-duty nylon. The result was a cube that could really withstand some squashing. I was able to cash in on the breathability of the mesh without worrying about these things feeling fragile. The big zippers and paracord zipper pulls also felt hearty. While all of this bodes well for a long life, it did result in a weight penalty: each was nearly a pound. That wasn’t noticeable when I was walking them from parking lot to hotel, but it would be too much weight to bear if I was trying to travel light on a big trip or absorb one of the cubes into my backcountry ski kit.

Best for Big Trips

Eagle Creek Isolate Carry On Set

听

Dimensions: Small (10 x 7 x 3 in.); Medium (14 x 10 x 3 in.)

Weight: 9 oz.

I audibly giggled with satisfaction when I realized how perfectly this set of cubes absorbed my daughter’s and my necessary gear. The four straightforward and thoughtfully built cubes not only fit all of our clothes and toiletries volume-wise, but they were also sufficiently water-resistant to keep wet bathing suits and sweaty running socks contained. The compression zippers were strong enough to squeeze piles of gear to half their original size when I brutally overpacked the cubes, and the lightweight nylon construction made it tempting to turn one of them into a first aid kit for my next backpacking trip. It’s definitely the most expensive set on this list, but it also has the most cubes, which does ease the sticker shock a bit. Plus, nine ounces for four cubes is pretty hard to beat.

Best for Wet Gear

Sea to Summit Hydraulic Packing Cube Set

听

Dimensions: Extra-small ( 5.7 x 3.7 x 2.4 in.); Small (8.3 x 4.3 x 2.8 in.); Medium (10.4 x 5.5 x 3.9 in.)

Weight: 4 oz.

These cubes are bonafide multitaskers: they’re at once highly water resistant and extremely packable while also still maintaining a very light weight. I came up in the outdoor world as a raft guide and then an editor for a kayaking magazine, so I gravitate toward water-compatible gear. These three cubes were the best for keeping the wettest and grossest pieces of clothing separate from clean, dry, clothes. That’s thanks to a TPU-laminate, 70-denier ripstop material that packed down small but repelled water like a light-duty drybag when full of completely soggy bathing suits. I would add any (or all three) of these cubes to a rafting, expedition kayaking, or backcountry ski kit without a second thought due to the incredibly light weight and fantastic water resistance. The only downside: they did not feature compression zippers like most of the cubes in this test, so it took some manual squeezing to compress them down to size. That definitely didn鈥檛 allow for as much volume add in my carry-on.

Best Value

GoRuck Packing Cubes

Dimensions: 5L (10 x 8 x 3 in.); 10L (15 x 10 x 3 in.)

Weight: 6 oz.

These heavy-duty packing cubes come in at a killer price ($15 for the 5-liter and $20 for the 10-liter) and definitely deliver in terms of packability and durability. The full-mesh front was a bonus in some ways鈥攍ike making tiny socks easy to find quickly鈥攂ut did not make these cubes a great option for my stinky run shorts or soggy swim trunks. The 200-denier nylon backers were nearly as thick as the fabric on the NOMATIC cubes, and the hearty zippers took all our abuse with aplomb. If you are looking for something simple, well-built, and at a very reasonable price, these cubes will serve you well.

Lightest

Peak Design Ultralight Packing Cubes 3-Pack

听

Dimensions: XX-Small (7 x 3 x 2.3 in.); Extra-small (9 x 4.3 x 3.5 in.); Small: (11.8 x 6.7 x 5 in.)

Weight: 3 oz.

Like pretty much every Peak Design product I’ve ever tested, these cubes are so damn smart. They were the lightest on the list and still were fantastic at dealing with moisture thanks to their internally taped seams, which made the cubes borderline waterproof. The durable #5 zippers were a huge bonus, but the stretchy zipper pulls were pretty stressful to watch Josie work over during the stress test. I have a very hard time faulting these cubes for that too hard because they are so incredibly light. I would use these to organize any number of things in my backpacking kit. The only downside to the featherweight construction: the 40-denier nylon was the least abrasion-resistant material in the test.

How I Tested

At first glance, it seemed like everyone who makes bags makes packing cubes. To help work through the myriad options available, I researched packing cubes online and picked the ones with the most compelling designs and materials. I reached out to the brands with the most positively reviewed packing cubes and received 23 packing cubes to test. I weighed all of the cubes together as a set on a kitchen scale to double check manufacturers’ numbers. It is also worth noting that the GoRuck cubes don鈥檛 come in a set, but I tested the two size options as one for congruence with the rest of these sets.

Packability

I then crammed tons of stuff in the cubes to test their packability. I packed every cube in this test 15 times with laundry in my house and fake-packed my Sea to Summit 65-Liter Duffel, which has been my go-to carry-on since I dragged it behind a car for a duffel test in 2016. The consistent repeatability of this experiment allowed me to zero in on the nuances of each cube and sniff out the smartest design details.

Real-World Use

For a real-world test, I took these packing cubes on a family road trip to Eugene and Portland, Oregon, that we had planned in celebration of my daughter Josie turning seven. This was a gear- and outfit-heavy trip since my daughter鈥檚 new favorite hobby is fashion, my wife and I prioritize getting exercise on these trips, and Josie and I are serious hotel pool enthusiasts. We brought three different carry-on-sized bags that I filled with cubes. We packed and unpacked them a full four times over the course of the trip with everything from toys to dirty clothes to wet bathing suits.

Durability

I spent an inordinate amount of time thinking of amusing ways to destroy these cubes. I was tempted to drag them behind my truck or create a wild pulley system in my garage to tear them apart. While those tests would have been fun for me, they really wouldn鈥檛 have given you much useful information, so in the end I stuck with a pretty vanilla but very realistic stress test. I overpacked each one and zipped it up 25 times when overpacked (a common cause of zipper failure). That was meant to mimic the most real-world stress test these would face. I also encouraged my six-year-old daughter to beat the living hell out of them because it was fun, cute, and a real-world way to test the durability of things like handles, zipper pulls, and tie-down spots.

The post The Best Packing Cubes to Help You Survive Holiday Travel appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The first time I pitched a performance flannel review to an editor was a little over six years ago. In the pitch, I made some snarky remarks about how the term felt like a light oxymoron. Like saying high-tech wool or hydrophobic down, talking about a flannel being a badass performance piece felt like an oversell. Well, sometimes even veteran gear reviewers eat their words. After diving deeper into the category, I discovered that they can indeed deliver the best of both worlds in terms of performance and style. Half a decade later, performance flannels make up about 45 percent of my wardrobe in the wintertime. I love that a single shirt can be perfect for a date, an on-camera work meeting, or a sweaty mountain bike ride. But which ones do it best? To help you choose, I tested more than a dozen options and rated the top eight.

At a Glance

• Best in Test: ($119)
• Best for Travel: ($95)
• Best for Mountain Jocks: ($95)
• Best Trail-to-Tavern: ($100)
• Most Versatile: ($89)
• Most Classic: ($65)
• Best Value: ($45)
• Quickest Drying: ($120)

If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outside. Learn more.

Best in Test

DUER Performance Flannel Button Down

Performance: 5/5

Comfort: 5/5

Style: 4/5

I鈥檓 used to DUER鈥檚 pants and shirts performing well stretch-wise, but I was shocked (in a good way) by how supple and soft the DUER Performance Flannel Button Down was. Next to skin, it was the softest of the bunch. At first look, the Button Down looks like a thick-weight wool, but thanks to its 40-percent synthetic content, it moved like a lightweight wicking layer in the gym and on my mountain bike ride. And even after I worked up a sweat on the ride’s big climb, it dried within the seven-ish minute descent. The Button Down was almost too thick for most other aerobic activities, though: I overheated while riding in temps above 55 degrees. But for slower-paced activities, it shone. The 60-percent cotton, 36-percent Lyocell, and four-percent Elastane fabric is some magic amalgam of stretch that felt unrestrictive during yoga stretches but still maintained a nice tight, clean-looking fit for days spent at my desk. It鈥檚 almost like an optical illusion: If you put it on with closed eyes, you could almost think it was some type of a soft-pile fleece rather than a flannel shirt. Between the fabric鈥檚 considerable stretch and next-level softness, it scored top marks both in comfort and performance.

Best for Travel

Stio Miter Stretch Lightweight Flannel

Performance: 4.5/5

Comfort: 4.5/5

Style: 5/5

I wrote 鈥渇eels like an old friend鈥� in my notes after my two days of wearing the Miter Stretch pretty much nonstop. That includes falling asleep in it at least once while reading my kiddo books at bedtime. The double-brushed weave鈥攎ade of 97-percent organic cotton and three-percent elastane鈥攔eally did wear like a beloved cotton shirt that you鈥檝e washed 200 times. It toed the line between casual t-shirt and dressy button-down. That鈥檚 in large part thanks to its cut, which was trim enough that it never felt sloppy, but boxy enough that it never constricted my back or shoulders on mountain bike rides. The small elastane content in the otherwise organic material was enough to boost the fabric鈥檚 flexibility鈥攕omething I appreciated during heavier physical activities, like digging a trench in my yard. This high level of comfort and versatility make it an ideal travel piece. In fact, this was the flannel I packed for a rainy work trip in Washington, and I鈥檓 glad I did: it鈥檚 really lightweight, was comfortable to fly in, and didn鈥檛 overheat under a rain jacket. It definitely looked more casual than the other flannels on this list due to its cut and cotton-like finish, though, so I wouldn鈥檛 choose it if you’re looking for something to wear to an office.

Best for Mountain Jocks

Flylow Handlebar Tech Flannel

Performance: 5/5

Comfort: 3.5/5

Style: 5/5

As an aging mountain jock, I can say with authority that the Flylow handlebar is aimed directly at my demographic. I particularly loved the arched cut at the sides of hem, which made the shirt easy to tuck in, but still looked handsome untucked. I also found the tailored cut flattering on my body, which trends on the Marge (medium-to-large) side of medium. On the practical side, I loved the two buttoned chest pockets, which each fit a pack of gummy bears鈥攁 perfect snack for my kiddo on errand runs, or for me on a longer ride. This was the only shirt in this test that had snap buttons, which made donning and doffing super easy (I also personally love how snaps look). The sleeves are a little longer than the other flannels on this list鈥攊deal for when my arms were extended on the mountain bike. It’s not the stretchiest of flannels, but it’s built with some extra length in the arms and some articulation in the elbows. That permitted effortless, unimpeded motion both on the bike and in the gym. In terms of next-to-skin feel, the Handlebar definitely trends more synthetic and less cozy than the Stio or Outdoor Research options, earning it a slightly lower comfort score.

Best Trail-to-Tavern

Royal Robbins Lost Coast Flannel

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Performance: 3.5/5

Comfort: 4/5

Style: 4.5/5

I had extremely high hopes for this offering from Royal Robbins since the Thermotech Drake I tested for this publication five years ago remains an all-time favorite of mine. The Lost Coast did not disappoint: its crisp lines made it wear like a fancy dress piece, and it was incredibly lightweight. It was breathable enough for warm afternoons but cozy enough for cool mornings and evenings. Extra material in the sleeves delivered a few extra degrees of movement in my arms on the bike, and it looked the nicest tucked-in of all the options in this test. That made it my go-to for important meetings. However, it’s a polyester-cotton blend, limits stretch. I felt the lack of elastane in the gym and during yoga sessions, but the fact that it got high marks on the mountain bike and could be worn in a boardroom kept me from getting too mad about it.

Most Versatile

Outdoor Research Ravenna Flannel Shirt

Performance: 4/5

Comfort: 4.5/5

Style: 5/5

Fit-wise, the Outdoor Research Ravenna’s cut straddles the line between a boxy and tailored, making it an ideal date-night top in a mountain town. I found myself grabbing for the Ravenna for mountain bike rides even beyond the testing period because its 8.6-ounce weight was enough to give me a slight thermal boost on brisk fall rides, but the 47-percent recycled polyester material moved moisture incredibly well when I broke a sweat on my climbs. The other 53 percent of the fibers are cotton鈥攚hich means it felt organic and super-soft next to skin, particularly after the first couple of washes. I really appreciated the light weight and moisture-moving qualities when I got into heavier yardwork jobs like raking or moving wood around. However, though it was a perfect weight for fall here in the Pacific Northwest, I’ll definitely need to layer over it as the days get colder. I also might be too thin for late fall in colder climes like the Rockies. If you live somewhere truly frigid, opt for the thicker Dickies or DUER flannel instead.

Most Classic

L.L. Bean BeanFlex All-Season Flannel Shirt

Performance: 5/5

Comfort: 3.5/5

Style: 4/5

OK, can we just stop for a second and love on L.L. Bean for naming a shirt the BeanFlex? The name is adorable (and almost even cool?) in a way that only a heritage brand like L.L. Bean could pull off. Everything about this shirt surprised and delighted me in a nostalgic way. The colorway I tested (Barley!) reminds me of looking through L.L. Bean catalogs in my childhood. And while nostalgia led me to love this shirt while testing, I was also happy with the pre-inflation look of the $65 price tag. The fit is definitely a classic flannel cut, but the flex is anything but retro. It lived up to its cute moniker during every arm exercise and yoga move I put it through. It also felt downright nimble on the downhill portion of my mountain bike test, despite clearly not being cut for cycling (there’s not a ton of of articulation in the sleeves or body). Next to skin, it skews more synthetic in feel and doesn’t have the softness of a classic cotton flannel like the Stio or Outdoor Research do. Still, this is a great lightweight, straightforward flannel, especially if you like a classic boxy cut.

Best Value

Dickies FLEX Long Sleeve Flannel Shirt

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Performance: 5/5

Comfort: 3.5/5

Style: 3/5

Of all the flannels I tested, the Dickies FLEX had the largest, most relaxed fit in both the sleeves and in the cut of the torso. I had to double check that this top was a medium because the top was so boxy, but I ended up not minding the extra fabric because it gave my arms and shoulders some more room to move on the mountain bike and in the gym. Its heavyweight, 4.6-oz stretch flannel was woven with one-percent spandex which made it flex really well (as the name would suggest). That said, I didn’t end up testing that flex too much: unlike other shirts in this review, the FLEX was too heavy to wear for vigorous exercise. I sweat completely through it on a mountain bike ride on a 60-ish-degree F morning and it proved slow to dry; it was still soggy when I took it off to shower 45 minutes after my ride. I will be grateful for that extra weight in the winter, though, and will likely be reaching for this when I harvest firewood during the first snowfall.

Quickest Drying

Fj盲llraven Fj盲llglim Shirt

Performance: 4/5

Comfort: 3/5

Style: 4/5

The Fj盲llglim has some of the smartest design details of any of the options in this test. Take the zippered pocket that hid underneath the regular chest pocket and fit my phone, which I loved for mountain biking. Or the button on the arm that allows you to fold it up into a short-sleeve shirt鈥攁dding to the versatility of this piece. I found it to be a great travel shirt because of the extra pockets as well as the fact that it can pull double-duty as a short-sleeve shirt and a long-sleeve shirt. Its 100-percent polyester material didn’t have as much stretch as the elastane- and spandex-infused tops above, but it moved better than a 100-percent cotton shirt of a similar weight would have. It also wicked moisture away from my body like a thick technical base layer so I rarely felt clammy. I also didn鈥檛 feel much impediment to my movement during the arm exercises, though I did notice some constriction along my back in downward dog.

How I Tested

As a longstanding flannel enthusiast, I started by researching the companies that have traditionally made great flannels. I looked for currently available offerings that had some technical fiber woven into them鈥攗sually some type of elastane or a stretchy polyester blend. These fibers enhance a flannel鈥檚 flexibility, durability, and drying time, making them a dead-giveaway that a shirt is going to be able to keep up with active outdoor pursuits. I ended up testing 13 flannels and whittled them down to the eight below.

The main factors that caused flannels to get cut from the roster were weight, lack of durability, or lack of stretch. Once I had my eight flannels to focus on, I wore each of them for two full days doing my everyday fall tasks like playing with my kiddo at parks, raking leaves and obsessively tending to my compost, and working in coffee shops. I also rode my out-the-front-door mountain bike route, Lower Wasabi, which is just shy of six miles round-trip from my yard. The ride has about a half mile of a technical climb and a fun, flowy descent (It鈥檚 both a great workout and downright hoot!).

To get a more distinct view of how each shirt moved, I also put together an exercise routine that included push ups, dips, and curls. I also did an extended downward dog-based stretching session in each of these flannels to see how the back flexed. At the end, I tallied the scores, reviewed my notes, and collated it all into the reviews you鈥檒l see below.

The post The Best Performance Flannels to Get You Through Fall appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Polar has long made some of the more affordable sports/adventure watches, but this year the Finnish company decided to swing for the fences and make a true flagship watch. It鈥檚 Polar鈥檚 most expensive wearable鈥攕tarting at $750鈥攂ut the has the nicest hardware ever featured in one of its watches. It鈥檚 just too bad the software can鈥檛 keep up.

The is being marketed as a 鈥淧remium Outdoor Watch.鈥� You might think of it as a direct competitor to line. It features a 1.39-inch touchscreen display with a generous 454 x 454-pixel resolution. The case and bezel are made of sturdy and attractive stainless steel, and the screen is a an ultra-hard sapphire glass, which is known for its strength and scratch resistance. It鈥檚 water resistant to 100 meters and it features Polar鈥檚 latest for heart rate monitoring, pulse oximetry, and even skin temperature. Over three months, I put the watch through its paces running, surfing, hiking, swimming, and wearing it 24/7.

Here鈥檚 what I found.

Polar Grit X2 Pro Review

Weight: 2.8 oz (including wristband)
Display size: 1.39 in
Display resolution: 454 脳 454

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听听 听听

Polar Grit X2 Pro at a Glance

Pros

• Good-looking hardware
• Accurate GPS tracking
• Excellent battery life
• Downloadable maps for offline use
• Comfortable to wear

Cons

• Menus and features aren’t intuitive to navigate
• Software has some major bugs
• Lacks powerful multisport functionality
• Expensive

Aesthetics

The watch comes together in a nice-looking package. The metal bezel looks absolutely great whether you鈥檙e wearing it on a trail or at a fancy dinner, and I鈥檝e had zero issues with scratching despite scrambling over boulders and haphazardly throwing it into a backpack filled with other metal electronics. The screen has a high maximum brightness, with excellent contrast, and it鈥檚 easy to read even in blazing direct sunlight. You can choose low or medium brightness if you want to save battery-life, and you can also choose between having the watch face constantly illuminated or for it to just come on when you lift up your wrist to look at it or touch a button (which will save even more battery). Personally, I kept it in high brightness and kept 鈥淒isplay always off鈥� turned off. Polar has a somewhat limited amount of watch faces to choose from (and you can鈥檛 download more, unlike with Garmin), but they鈥檙e attractive and they can be customized to display the information that鈥檚 most important to you at a glance.

User Experience

From the home screen, swiping to the left or right brings you to various widgets for your activity, sleep, cardio load, week at a glance, today鈥檚 training suggestions, navigation, sunrise/sunset times, weather, and media controls. These are generally well thought-out and display the information in easy-to-read layouts. There are even explainers for some of the metrics, which can be helpful because there鈥檚 a lot to sort through. The watch can give you suggestions for training or recovery, based on your sleep and the workouts you鈥檝e had. It will also tell you if you鈥檙e overtraining or undertraining, and the workout suggestions will be specifically tailored to you. (Though, the accuracy of these kinds of technologies is still hotly debated.) I was testing this watch as I was just getting back into running after a knee injury. The workouts it suggested tended to be lower intensity than I probably would have chosen for myself, but it helped me get back on the horse without re-injuring myself.

I鈥檓 not a big fan of the way the buttons are configured. The watch features three buttons on the right side and two on the left, but I found it to be a bit unintuitive. For example, rather than the common start/stop button for activities, you have to start on the right middle, and stop on the left bottom. Pressing once pauses the activity. If you want to stop it you have to press and hold for another three seconds. I often found myself hitting the wrong button during activities, which could be frustrating.

The menu layout also took some getting used to, as did discerning which features are accessible via watch. Sometimes, I found myself zeroing in on the correct feature, only to have the watch tell me the thing you seek can only be found on the app, which sent me on another quest. Unfortunately, the app isn鈥檛 very intuitive, either, and overall you鈥檙e left with fewer options for customization than you get with Garmin or Suunto watches.

Activity Tracking

When it comes to activities, the watch can store 20 different sport types at a time, which sounds like plenty, but I found this to be a bit misleading. A lot of the activities have the same exact data fields, even when it doesn鈥檛 make any sense. Surfing, for example, includes elevation data fields. Why? It would be really nice if it could recognize the difference between when you鈥檙e riding a wave and when you鈥檙e paddling back out and give you different metrics on it, which the Apple Watch and both do. In fact, both of those watches will sync with Surfline which will allow you to easily find videos of you surfing (if you鈥檙e at a spot with a webcam). It also just doesn鈥檛 have as many activities to choose from as those competitors, which have more than 80.

That being said, if you鈥檙e running, specifically, the watch is really quite good. You can easily flip through current stats, maps, and music controls, and it even has some unique features such as , making it a sort of wrist-worn power meter. Running Power is a mechanical work rate, measured in watts, similar to what you鈥檇 get on a power meter on a bike. I also found Polar鈥檚 recommended workouts to be good, and the coaching (which comes through your phone) was helpful, too, which can help you set your pace and manage intervals based on time or distance. One really nice feature is that you can use the watch as a Bluetooth Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) and have it send live data to other apps or devices, like Strava, MapMyRun, or stationary bikes or treadmills.

TheThe watch鈥檚 heart rate monitoring feature also performed admirably, though not perfectly. I compared it on several workouts to my trusty Wahoo Trackr HRM Chest Strap and most of the time it matched pretty evenly, putting it on the upper end of par with other smartwatches I鈥檝e tested.

Navigation

One of Polar Grit X2 Pro鈥檚 other banner features is navigation. The map is bright and colorful, and it鈥檚 easy to use your fingers to scroll around and zoom. It comes pre-loaded with very basic maps of North America, but you can download detailed maps in more specific regions through the Polar website. You just have to plug your watch into your computer to transfer it over.

You can download routes through Komoot and Strava Routes which work when you鈥檙e offline, which is convenient. But when using navigation modes this watch wants you to calibrate, and then re-calibrate the compass over and over again. This is liable to happen not just every hike, but sometimes multiple times per hike, and it involves twisting your wrist around into various uncomfortable positions until you have appeased the magnetic demons that live inside. Most other adventure watches do not ask you to do this ever, so this is definitely an oddity. (It鈥檚 also a known issue with the Grit X2 Pro, which means a software fix may be on the way.)

Guided Workouts

The Polar Grit X2 Pro doesn鈥檛 support importing workouts from apps like . That鈥檚 a pretty big deal for more competitive athletes, especially those working with coaches. You can export your workouts to TrainingPeaks and Strava after you鈥檙e done, but you can鈥檛 import them. Both Garmin and Apple Watches make this pretty seamless. Polar does have some of its own workouts pre-loaded that it kind of guides you through with animations, but if you need instructions it takes more button presses to get to the relevant info than you would think, meanwhile the timer keeps going. The animations aren鈥檛 as nuanced as those you find on Garmin or Fitbit watches, either. When in activity tracking, you鈥檙e limited to four data fields per page (e.g. elapsed time, distance, pace, heart rate, etc), which is fewer than most watches I鈥檝e tested (the Epix allows up to seven). The numbers are large and easily visible, but I prefer information density to scrolling through pages while I鈥檓 trying to keep my pace up.

Storage and Battery Life听

The watch is also somewhat more limited as an autonomous gadget than a lot of other flagship models. For example, despite the watch having 32GB of storage, you can鈥檛 download music to it and play it directly through a paired set of earbuds, which is unfortunate. That said, if you鈥檙e playing music off your phone the Grit X2 Pro does allow you to play/pause and skip tracks from your wrist, which is handy. Unlike other smartwatches, there鈥檚 also no mobile payment option鈥攁 bummer if you get caught out on a long run and need to grab a bite to eat or a taxi home.

I鈥檓 glad to say that battery life is excellent on this Grit X2 Pro. I kept the screen in high brightness and in the gesture-based wake-up mode (i.e. the screen isn鈥檛 always on, but it turns on when you raise your wrist or press a button), and doing that allowed me to average 10 days of battery life, which squares with Polar鈥檚 claims. Of course, that鈥檚 best-case-scenario. If you鈥檙e doing a lot of activities that use the GPS your battery life will drop considerably, but still, here it performed at least as well as my .

Polar Grit X2 Pro: Who Is It For?

Ultimately, this is a watch that I really wanted to like, and I did like it enough to wear it for three months, but I never came to love it, and the little annoyances never stopped being annoying. In my opinion, the UI and overall user experience falls short of other premium watches like the Garmin Fenix or Epix. And at $750 (or $870 for the that includes a leather wristband), I found the cost a little hard to stomach.

The hardware is really fantastic, however, and the watch is comfortable to wear. If you鈥檙e the kind of user who puts aesthetics first, want basic smartwatch functionality in an attractive package, and don鈥檛 mind the high price tag, this could make sense for you. But if you tend to prioritize function over fashion鈥攁nd want even more features at a lower cost鈥攜ou may want to look elsewhere.

The post Tested: The New Polar Grit X2 Pro Watch appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

I only wear now. Like all the time. I wear them around my office, to run errands, and while walking the dog. I wear them to the gym and when I鈥檓 going out to dinner or meeting friends for happy hour. I wear them on casual bike rides and short runs. I鈥檓 wearing a pair of as I’m currently typing, and I鈥檒l stay in these shorts for the rest of the day until it鈥檚 time for bed.

I don’t wear swim trunks all the time because I鈥檓 a lifeguard or even an avid swimmer (I can鈥檛 remember the last time I went to the pool). I wear them because they鈥檙e the most comfortable shorts I own. Period. It鈥檚 the summer equivalent of wearing joggers every day during the winter.

Does this mean I鈥檝e given up on life and I鈥檓 sacrificing style for comfort? My wife and kids certainly think so. But I鈥檇 argue that all men should consider making the same sacrifice; Life is better once you realize a good pair of trunks is the only couture you need for summer.

First of all, these aren鈥檛 the swimsuits of my youth, which were uncomfortable things made from a semi-rigid poly that bordered on plastic, with no pockets and a weird mesh liner that felt like my junk was trapped in a fishing net. The swim trunks I鈥檓 wearing now are high-performance layers with four-way stretch outer shorts and a silky, smooth boxer brief liner that鈥檚 as comfortable as the finest skivvies in my underwear drawer. That boxer brief liner is stretchy and doesn鈥檛 bind whether I鈥檓 sitting at my desk or knocking out a 15-minute yoga sesh.

All of the swim shorts in my quiver are comfortable enough to nap in but built for performance, so they can handle a workout. And they all have hand pockets, as well as a rear pocket, so I can carry my essentials as I run errands. Put all those attributes together and you have the perfect layer for summer (especially considering the unbearable heat waves we’re all living through). Moisture management is more important than ever. Can you think of any layer that can handle moisture better than a pair of swimmies? No, you can鈥檛, because these shorts are literally designed to get soaked and dry fast.

The swim-suit-all-day-life isn鈥檛 all roses, though. My wife complains that I鈥檝e adopted the mindset of a grade-school-aged kid who wears his soccer uniform everyday. But that鈥檚 not true. I have different suits for different occasions. A flower print suit听 is great for when I think I might actually go swimming, or at least get into the hot tub or sauna. My camouflage suit is for when I鈥檓 feeling rugged, and a retro striped suit for evenings out. Plus, I鈥檇 argue that these shorts are stylish because they make a bold statement to the world. They say I鈥檓 a guy that鈥檚 up for whatever. Maybe I鈥檒l take a nap or knock out some lunges or I could jump on a paddle board and head down the river. Who knows where the day will take me, but I鈥檓 wearing the shorts to handle whatever situation arises.

Carpe Diem; that鈥檚 what wearing swim shorts every day says. Carpe Diem.

Here are three of my favorite pairs of swim trunks that I wear all day, every day, no matter what my wife and kids say.

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Saxx Go Coastal 2N1 shorts

I have a lot of pairs of Saxx underwear because they fit so well that I forget I鈥檓 wearing them. The Go Coastal takes that same sense of comfort to swim shorts with a soft boxer-brief liner that comes complete with Saxx鈥檚 signature Ballpark Pouch. It鈥檚 the softest liner I鈥檝e tested. The only downside to these shorts is the back pocket doesn鈥檛 have a zipper, but the liner comes with a sleeve perfectly sized for your phone, so there鈥檚 a storage solution for whatever you need to carry. The floral print on these shorts is fun, but my wife says they鈥檙e not 鈥渄inner appropriate.鈥�

Bn3th Agua Volley 2N1 Swim Shorts听

Speaking of heat waves (and global warming), everything in the Agua Volley is made from recycled materials, all the way down to the elastic waistband. The liner is thin and breathable and includes Bn3th鈥檚 3D Pouch, which offers the most structural support for the family jewels of any liner I鈥檝e tried. I have the longer, 7-inch inseam shorts because I have chicken legs, but you can go with the 5-inch if you like the short-shorts look. The outer shell doesn鈥檛 have as much stretch as the other options in this article, but the longer cut makes them more appropriate in situations where swim trunks might look out of place, like on a date.

Chubbies Lined Classics Shorts

The Chubbies Lined Classics are my favorite swimmers in my quiver. The outer short has a brushed, next-to-skin softness that you don鈥檛 often find in the category. Also, the pair I own has a retro-striped aesthetic that gives the shorts a stylish edge over the competition. Pair the Lined Classics with a boat shoe and a well-fitting polo shirt and you could convince people that you just stepped off your schooner.

The post Why Our Gear Columnist Only Wears Swim Shorts Now appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

A听 of this article originally appeared on Pinkbike.听

What do you look for in a helmet? Price, style, weight, ventilation and comfort are all important considerations, but the main purpose of a helmet is to keep your head safe when it hits the dirt. One piece of advice you’ll often hear is to buy the best one you can afford. But are more expensive options any safer? And do anti-rotation inserts like MIPS reduce the risk of concussion? Do mountain bike helmets protect your head better than road helmets?

If you want to know how good a helmet is at cushioning your brain, it’s not a good idea to experiment on yourself. Fortunately, the engineering department at听听has a state-of-the-art, independent helmet testing lab. They’ve been testing all sorts of sports helmets since 2011 and have put 235 cycling helmets including 73 mountain bike lids through their repeatable but realistic testing protocol.

How are they tested?

Virginia Tech has developed a test that’s specific to cycling helmets. You can read the full details听 but the basic version is that each tester is fitted onto a standard dummy “head” complete with acceleration and rotation sensors. The helmet is then dropped onto a hard surface such that it strikes it at six different impact locations around it. This is done at two different impact speeds (4.8 and 7.3 meters per second, or 17.3 and 26.3 kph). The lower speed is designed to replicate the most common impact speeds seen in the real world and the second is the most likely speed that results in concussion鈥攖hese numbers are derived from helmets that had been recovered from real-world crashes.

This is repeated twice, resulting in 24 test impacts for each model. For each test, the linear acceleration and rotational velocity of the dummy head are measured, and an algorithm is used to convert these numbers into an overall score. The scoring system uses the rotation and acceleration measurements to estimate the risk of concussion for each impact, then these results are weighted depending on how common each type of impact occurs during real-world cycling. This produces a single score that is proportional to the overall risk of concussion during cycling.

The lower the score, the lower the chance of concussion.

Any score below 14 gets a five-star rating. A model has to score below 19 to get four stars and be considered recommendable by Virginia Tech.

Are More Expensive Mountain-Bike Helmets Safer?

Sort of.

Of the four helmets costing $50 or less, none got close to a five-star rating (a score below 14); of the sixteen models costing $200 or more, all but one got five stars. All of the helmets that cost more than $100 received at least four stars (scored below 19), making them at least worthy of consideration according to Virginia Tech.

More expensive options tend to be safer on average, but there’s a lot of variation and many outliers as you can see in the scatter chart.

So the old maxim that you should spring for the best helmet you can afford isn’t a bad rule of thumb, but if you start with the data from Virginia Tech you can pick a very safe model without spending too much.

Which Helmets Stand Out?

The safest mountain-bike helmet tested so far is the , a three-quarter style version which scored 8.41 and costs $270. But the biggest outlier on the price-to-safety spectrum is the , which scored 8.55 and costs just $110. Based on Virginia Tech’s testing, that’s the model I’d suggest if the style and fit suit your needs.

Are Mountain-Bike Helmets Safer than Road Options?

Not really.

Some of the best (lowest scoring) models tested by Virginia Tech are road helmets, as are some of the worst, which could reflect the fact that more road versions have been tested. Looking at the scatter chart above, there is an even weaker relationship between cost and safety in the road world, perhaps because high-end road helmets are chasing aerodynamics more than impact absorption.

Impressively, three road models costing $80 or less scored below a 10. Chapeau to Giant, Lazer and Specialized for those.

Are MIPS Helmets Safer?

According to this data, yes.

The lowest-scoring (safest) mountain-bike helmet without MIPS is the beautifully named 6D ATB-2T, which scored 10.03, putting it in 12th place for mountain bikes. It has a conceptually similar technology called Omni-Directional Suspension (ODS). The next best is the POC Tectal Race SPIN, which ranked 29th and scored 11.67. It too has a similar technology called SPIN (Shearing Pad Inside), which POC has since听 in favour of MIPS.

So, the 11 best-scoring mountain-bike helmets all have MIPS; only two of the best thirty don’t have MIPS, and both of them have something similar.

However, the vast majority of the models on test have MIPS, especially the more expensive ones, so this isn’t as surprising as it sounds. Even so, the nine poorest-performing mountain-bike helmets all lack MIPS, and five of those cost $99 or more.

Also, the Troy Lee A1 Classic MIPS scored a respectable 11.65, while the MIPS-free Troy Lee A1 Drone scored a damning 19.35.

Some have suggested that the benefit of a MIPS liner may diminished in the real world because the rider’s hair (for those who have it) creates its own slip plane which does a similar job. But even if a thick head of hair can allow the helmet to rotate relative to the skull, that’s not to say it works as well as a MIPS liner, especially in听combination with hair. According to MIPS, hair isn’t as slippery as you think once the G-forces are pressing your head into your helmet during a crash, whereas MIPS liners are designed to slide even under these huge compressive loads.

Besides, even if all that MIPS achieved was to improve outcomes for the bald, it would still be worth helmet manufacturers using it.

Are Full-Face Options Safer?

It’s not clear.

Virginia Tech isn’t testing face-on (chin bar) impacts, where full-face helmets obviously have an advantage. If you’re likely to land on your face, best to wear a full-face helmet. But when tested in the same way as open-face helmets, using the same six impact locations, the full-face helmets don’t score better. This is perhaps surprising given they are designed for downhill and enduro use, including racing.

Virginia Tech has only tested four full-face helmets so far, which isn’t enough to make broad conclusions, but they don’t stand out as you might expect鈥攖he best full-face helmet (Bluegrass Vanguard) ranks 15th among mountain-bike helmets. Having said that, all four received five stars (scored less than 14), and the average score was 12.2, slightly better than open-face mountain-bike helmets, which averaged 13.3. We would need more data to know if full-face helmets generally do better or worse on Virginia Tech’s test procedure, but the four tested so far are merely midpack.

So while full-faces offer better coverage, they’re not necessarily offering better protection when tested on the same impact locations.

Limitations and Conclusions

It’s worth underlining that Virginia Tech haven’t tested every helmet on the market and some on their database are older than others, so it’s probably not fair to make general comparisons between brands or to say that the best they’ve tested is the best there is.

As with any laboratory test, there is a tradeoff between repeatability and realism. Virginia Tech can’t simulate every type of crash, impact speed or head shape. A different test with different variables might come up with different rankings, but Virginia Tech’s is probably the best independent data that’s publicly available. How a helmet fits your unique head is important for safety as well as comfort so it’s a good idea to try a few helmets on in a real-life bike shop, then pick one that scores well and fits well.

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