Indholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2025 i Outside

TAKE OUR RECENT cover shoot with modern-day explorer Albert Lin. The original plan was simple: a bit of beach, some hiking, maybe a dirt bike or two. But then came a Zoom call with Albert, photographer Frankie Carino, art director Anton Ioukhnovets, photo editor Justin O’Neill, and me. The second that classic “I’m game if you’re game” energy started bouncing around, the plan leveled up—fast. We were suddenly chasing Albert’s idea of the perfect California adventure day: from water to desert, mud caves to mountains, highways to loose sand. Dusk to dawn. That’s how I found myself in a parking lot above Black’s Beach at 5 a.m., on a day I wasn’t supposed to be on set. But I’d never been to a mud cave before—so yeah, I said yes.…

IT WAS LAST fall when I realized that everything had changed. First there were the back-to-back high-country rides where my friends and I were the only ones on mountain bikes without motors. Then there was the eleven-mile climb where a hiker squinted at my crankset, exclaimed “No battery!” and began to clap. There was the exchange later that day with the only other cyclists we saw riding traditional pedal bikes, who shouted as they passed, “We’re a dyin’ breed!” Finally, there was the encounter at the top of an obscure peak in the Sierras, when an older man looked at my bike and said, “I remember riding this trail on my analog bike.” Depending on who you ask, we are approaching, at, or past a tipping point for eMTBs. This…

NONE OF MARCUS Samuelsson’s childhood memories took place inside. Growing up in Gothenberg, Sweden, the acclaimed chef, who was born in Ethiopia, spent much of his time on the water fishing or in the forests foraging for mushrooms or lingonberries. His uncles, professional fishermen, would take him with them for their daily catch. Surrounded by a vibrant food culture, Samuelsson apprenticed in kitchens in Switzerland, Austria, and France before moving to New York City in the 1990s. He channeled his love of soccer into long runs through Central Park and beyond, exploring the culinary mecca mostly on foot. He ran and in-line skated his way through Manhattan, first as an apprentice at Aquavit, a Scandinavian restaurant in Midtown, and then as its executive chef. There, Samuelsson became the youngest chef…

Therm-a-Rest Boost 32, $260 Backpackers are known for their sleeping bag collections. Weather is always changing, and no one wants a restrictive mummy while car camping. The Boost solves this age-old dilemma: Unzipped, it’s a roomy, semi-rectangular bag. Pull up the body-length center zipper, and the bag folds in on itself, creating a slimmer—and warmer—profile and doubling the insulation over your core. Add in zippered arm holes that let our testers stay engulfed while cooking a meal, and the result is the most versatile bag we’ve tested in years. Argali Alpine 20, $585 Hunting brand Argali’s first foray into the world of sleeping bags is a resounding success. The brand went ultralight in all the right places, with 850-fill down and a breathable fifteen-denier Pertex shell. (Thankfully, they didn’t skimp…

Gregory Paragon 60/Maven 58, $270 When we gave the Paragon/Maven a coveted Editor’s Choice award in 2020 for its comfort, load-carrying capacity, and impeccable organization, we were sure this pack was as good as it was going to get. But the newest version has proven us wrong. Some of our favorite improvements? A honeycombed mesh backpanel that combat sweat on a mid-summer 5,000-foot descent of Mt. Rainier, a rubberized coating on the hipbelt that held it in place to reduce chafing, and the 210-denier nylon body fabric, which stood up to an extended bushwhack in Idaho’s Panhandle National Forest. Wild Brush Glow 45L, $400 Most ultralight pack brands give you three color choices: black, white, or gray (yawn). But at Wild Brush—a woman-owned brand specializing in women’s packs—the options are…

Jetboil Fast Boil 1.0L, $130 When it comes down to outright ease and efficiency, the Jetboil Fast Boil System is the clear pack leader. The newest iteration of the integrated stove system can boil a liter of water in just two minutes—the fastest in our tests. We loved the easy-to-use ignitor and adjuster knob and low-profile construction. Even when we bring a full set of pots and pans for backcountry feasts (Jetboil isn’t built for nuanced cooking), we make sure to pack the Fast 1.0L for a quick cup of coffee or hot meal during early morning starts. Garmin InReach Messenger Plus, $500 The InReach Messenger Plus is the first device in over a decade to take satellite communication to a new level. It allows users to send 1,600-character messages—ten…

TWO SUMMERS AGO, I went shopping for a mountain bike group ride. I’d just moved to the Lake Tahoe area, and everywhere else I’d lived, races and group rides were how I’d made friends. I knew that if I could find a good weekly ride, I would find my new community. The first ride I checked out had only three participants, including myself. The next was attended by women who seemed mostly new to one another. Then I went to a ride hosted Wednesday nights by Rocky Mountain Underground, a bar/restaurant/gear shop in the North Lake Tahoe hub of Truckee. I arrived at 5 p.m. to find thirty or so riders milling around in front of the shop. Everyone seemed to know one another. I was standing alone, wishing for…

THERE ARE TIMES, more than I’d care to admit, an hour and a half into a trainer ride in my freezing garage, staring at my bike avatar move through virtual landscapes of Zwift, when my gear is growing moss and the walls are closing in the way do at Disney’s Haunted Mansion ride, that I suddenly feel the urge to shed the cloying comforts of home and go for some long trek through a foreign landscape. If only, I’ve often thought, I had an Adventure Buddy—someone who would always be there, nodding along as I detailed my latest hazily conceptualized scheme: I just read about the most remote pub in the UK. They’ll buy you a beer if you hike in. It takes a few days. You up for it?…

The Hike That Hooked Him: In September 2021, I went on a six-day, sixty-mile trek on the Tour du Mont Blanc. Here I am, supposed to be this expert on European travel, and I’ve never done a multiday hike in the Alps. I loved the rhythm of my feet on the trail. It’s therapeutic. It was something totally new to me, and now I want to tell everybody what a great travel option it is. On His Most Recent Adventure: This past summer we did the Bernese Oberland Traverse. I wanted to link together some of the most venerable lodges in the Eiger and Jungfrau areas. I used Grindelwald as the springboard and hiked deep into a valley. At one point we were on a ridge high above, looking at…

It’s hard to resist a playlist that you can vibe out to all summer long. Whether you need some pulsating beats to get you through an intense run, a mellow tune to help you wind down in your tent, or a melancholy ballad to lull you to sleep after training all day, we’ve got you covered. “What We’re Listening to This Summer” is a playlist curated and cosigned by your favorite editors. Search for it on Spotify, pop in your earbuds, and let the music take over. Here’s a sneak peek of the featured tracks and the editors who gave them the green light. “Hijos del Sol” by Hermanos Gutíerrez Play this when you’re on a long drive heading to a new trailhead. “Waterfall” by Mogli Turn this on when…

WITH THE EXCEPTION of Scotsmen in kilts, skirts tend to stoke controversy in the outdoors. The first women mountaineers—like Henriette d’Angeville, who, in 1838, became to second woman to ever successfully climbed Mount Blanc—didn’t have much of a choice but to hike in a skirt or dress, given the gendered fashion norms of the nineteenth century. In the 1900s, as women became more free to wear trousers, skirts were not the preferred choice on a mountain—and it’s easy to see why. One rain shower and the soaked, thick wool weighed the equivalent of a small child. Fast-forward another century—apparel technology advances exponentially, and hems are shortened by a good few feet. These days, almost every major outdoor retailer sells some version of the garment, whether it’s a stretchy skort made…

Night before the trail run: Nonalcoholic IPAs deliver punchy hop flavor with none of the hangover, and an explosion of new NA beer brands over the past five years means there’s more variety and quality than ever. Whether your preferred IPA tastes classic and bitter or hazy and tropical, store shelves are full of booze-free options that are ready to help you carb up and tackle the mountain feeling fresh. Afternoon mountain biking break: A mix of beer and carbonated lemonade, radlers have long been associated with German cyclists. It’s easy to see why: They’re sweet-tangy enough to toe the line between beer and juice. Today, radlers—and their British cousin, shandies—come in a rainbow of citrusy flavors from grapefruit to orange. Their thirst-quenching power, however, remains steadfast. Morning of a…

Durston X-Dome 1+, $379 Durston Gear, the hottest name in ultralight gear in recent memory, is best known for its reinvention of stagnant backpacking design, from trekking poles to packs. At just over two pounds, the brand’s latest X-Dome 1+ is one of the lightest freestanding one-person tents on the market, but still provides a generous twenty-three-square feet of sleeping space—enough for one 6'2" tester and his fully loaded pack. Unusually, the single hubbed pole clips to the outside of the fly like an exoskeleton, which allows for multiple pitch methods and kept the interior dry even after a rainstorm in Colorado’s Grand Mesa National Forest.…

NEMO Tensor Elite, from $200 At 8.5 ounces, the Tensor Elite is flat-out the lightest inflatable sleeping pad you can buy, rolling down to the size of standard diner coffee mug when packed. Unlike ultralight pads of yore, this one won’t shred instantly—the ten-denier Cordura nylon shell lasted a full PCT through-hike with care—and is warm enough for most backpackers in temps above freezing thanks to a single heat-reflective layer, with an R-value of 2.4. For ultralighters who struggle with foam pads, the Tensor Elite has been a long time coming. Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft, from $240 The NeoLoft is the only sleeping pad we’ve ever tested with the comfort of a proper car camping pad that’s light enough to use for true backpacking trips. The 4.6-inch-thick, twenty-five-ounce rectangular pad is so…

Redundant Clothes Pare your clothing down so that each item serves a purpose with no redundancies, like multiple pairs of hiking pants. A few exceptions: a dedicated pair of sleeping clothes to keep your down bag from getting oily and losing loft, and at least two pairs of socks. Large Knives While there’s nothing cooler than a hatchet strapped to a backpack, there’s little need for anything larger than a folding knife on most backpacking trips; any blade you carry will be used mostly for slicing cheese and cutting paracord. Camp Cookware The average backpacker stuffs their bag with dehydrated pouches, Minute Rice, and instant mashed potatoes. Those meals don’t require much cookware or clean up, so ditch the extra pots, plates, bowls, and dish soap. Too Much Water Outside…

Páramo Velez Adventure Smock, $390 While almost all rain shells rely on a waterproof-breathable membrane, this one asks a DWR treatment on its supersoft polyester face fabric to do the heavy lifting. If any drops do penetrate the surface, a second, quick-wicking liner pushes the moisture back out via tiny, hydrophobic “hairs” before it reaches your shirt. The result: Our tester stayed warm and dry with no clamminess through a cold, torrential hike at Cape Chignecto in Nova Scotia. The one downside to this heavy-duty alt-waterproofing? It’s best reserved for hikes in the fifties and below. Marmot SuperAlloy Bio, $175 This isn’t the absolute lightest rain shell on the market. But for most backpackers, the Super Alloy Bio delivers a stellar combo of protection, breathability, and features while still weighing…

Learn to navigate. Learn to use a map and compass with proficiency. Familiarize yourself with your route ahead of time so you can anticipate trail junctions and other decision points. Plan ahead. Scope out and mark water sources and camping options on your map, as well as any potential evacuation plans or alternative routes. If you can’t detail your entire hike before hitting the trail, consider investing in a paper guide for your area. Dial your kit. Think about everything you use your phone for (it’s a lot) and pack accordingly. You may want to carry a notebook, watch, book, deck of cards, camera, and an emergency communication device. Make friends—but don’t count on them. Self-reliance is key on any long hike, but striking up a conversation with other backpackers…

Not all social workout chatter is created equal. Sometimes you genuinely want to know somebody’s favorite sock brand. Sometimes you find yourself revealing your entire emotional landscape to a stranger in two-inch split shorts. Hey, we’re all out here to process something. Here, a range of icebreakers, from low-risk gear talk to full-blown existential forays into the conversational wild. Bike Ride Easy: What tire pressure you running? Medium: Are we stopping for pastries, or is this one of those joyless cults? Deep: If I pass out, just roll me into a drainage ditch with dignity. Run Club Easy: Are those zero drops? Medium: You know, this isn’t cardio. It’s eavesdropping at a nine-minute pace. Deep: You ever run so far your personality resets? Climbing Gym Easy: You mind if I hop on this after you? Medium: Falling is…

BACK IN 1969, naval researchers took blood samples from the crew of a Polaris nuclear submarine over the course of an eight-week patrol. Three-quarters of the sailors were smokers, so carbon monoxide levels were chronically elevated in the sealed confines of the sub. After a few weeks in this toxic miasma, the crew’s levels of hemoglobin, the crucial protein in red blood cells that ferries oxygen from the lungs to the muscles, had shot up by an average of 4.4 percent. Secondhand smoke had somehow turned the submariners into aerobic superstars. This finding, along with others like it, was filed away for decades. After all, smoking destroys your lungs, so any performance benefits are outweighed by the harms. But then, last year, the idea exploded. Scientists published fresh data showing…

UPON FIRST SIGHT, my younger daughter hugged the yellow Volkswagen ID. Buzz. Arms draped across its cheerful face, she said “Can we keep it?” A reasonable question for a car that looks like it time-traveled from Woodstock to Haight-Ashbury via Pixar Studios. The ID. Buzz is Volkswagen’s reinterpretation of its microbus—a car so entrenched in American counterculture that you would think it ran on patchouli oil. But this isn’t just an exercise in brute nostalgia that’s engineered to empty a former hippie’s pension. It’s a modern, all-electric machine that manages to embody the good vibes of its flower-power past. Heading north toward Dillon Beach, the first revelation hit: unlike its asthmatic ancestor, this bus moves. The all-wheel-drive version will get to sixty miles per hour in a very decent six…

COOKING WITH FIRE is as primal as food gets—it’s a foundational facet of our humanity. Evidence suggests that humans were only able to evolve our big, energy-hungry brains after we learned to use fire to transform food, making it more nutritious and easier to eat. Diverse methods developed around the world over many millennia offer myriad options for imparting the irresistible flavor of fire, and mastering these methods will make you a much better cook. We’re all familiar with grilling, where everything sits above the heat and receives a similar char. This meal uses an open flame to cook three different components, and each one has a completely different character. It will open your eyes to the many possibilities around live-fire cooking, whether you’re in the backyard or the backwoods.…

Get off the trail. Ensure your spot is at least 200 feet from the trail, both for your own privacy and to preserve the scenery for other hikers. Keep water close, but not too close. You’ll want easy access to a stream or lake to fill water bottles and cook dinner. But make sure to bed down at least 200 feet away to avoid fouling the water with your mess and minimize overnight condensation and insect life. Seek out level ground. Look for a flat area large enough to fit your tent. Make sure you’re not camping in a low spot where water might pool, and try to avoid slanted ground that’ll have you sliding off your pad. Camp on durable surfaces. Packed dirt, sand, and dry grass can recover…

Hoka Speedgoat 6, $155 For confident strides on slick terrain, we loved the newest Speedgoats, which, as one tester reported, “stuck like velcro to slopes.” Prime traction comes from a Vibram MegaGrip outsole with aggressive multidirectional five-millimeter lugs, split down the heel à la goats’ hooves. The new 6’s retain most of the goodness of previous versions, but with improved durability. The woven polyester and TPE uppers have less stretch—meaning they won’t deform over hundreds of miles—and hold up to brushy trails. And the new compression-molded EVA midsole, while firmer than in previous Speedgoats, will keep your favorite trail runners in rotation for longer. TESTER SPOT LIGHT Name: Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan Hometown: Missoula, Montana Favorite trail snack: Dried mangoes Must-Have Luxury Item: Book (I once brought Harry Potter & The Deathly…

As of 2025, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, aka PFAS (the primary chemicals that make rain gear waterproof), have been banned in apparel sales in New York and California—and in practice, for the rest of us, too. That’s a good thing: This family of “forever chemicals” has been linked to a slew of serious health problems and build up in the environment (and our bodies.) Unfortunately for gear manufacturers, though, PFAS are excellent at repelling water and oil. With the current alternatives, “you’re going to see a reduced durability of beading—it’s not going to last as long as it once did,” says Alex Lauver, senior director of materials, innovation, and sustainability at Outdoor Research. Better news: You’ll stay dry as long as you take care of your jacket. That means washing…

Hike Clerb The outdoors is for everyone—and that’s cute. This LA-based, BIWOC-led group, founded in 2017, is all about making getting outside inclusive and equitable. Its playful gear features smiley faces, flowers, and the club’s ladybug motif. hikeclerb.org Climb Out This queer-run nonprofit was formed in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties to make the outdoors a safer space for all communities. Classes, community events, and branded tees encourage you to climb with pride. climboutpride.org Ebony Beach Club Ebony Beach Club is an LA-based Black surf and art collective. Its products are stylish and aspirational, highlighting the artistry of it all. ebonybeachclub.com Black Girls Do Bike Founded in 2013, Black Girls Do Bike bolsters its community through regional chapters, advocacy efforts, education, and (you guessed it) merch. Branded cycling gear makes…

WITH ALL THE EXPEDITIONS HE’S BEEN A PART OF, all the technology he’s developed, all the discoveries he’s covered, I’m used to Albert Lin being one of the more interesting people in a room—or even the most well-known. But walking down the street in Quito, Ecuador, I didn’t realize he was this famous. We are headed to a coffee shop when a woman with her son recognizes him and hollers out the window of her car. “Excuse me!” she says. “We know you!” She barely comes to a stop before getting out to take a picture, but in her hurry forgets to take the car out of gear. It lurches forward, and she dives back in to put it in park. Fifteen minutes later, a young woman approaches to ask for…

LONG BEFORE it was a staple in garages across the country, the boogie board was an oddball piece of outdoor gear—one that waveriders to first use sandpaper, glue, and a saw. Tom Morey, the board’s inventor, originally sold the boogie board as a $25 kit that included two pieces of foam, two plastic “skins,” and an instructional booklet titled “How to Skin Your Boogie.” Customers had to build and then shape the boards themselves. The California Surf Museum still has a copy of Morey’s four-page handwritten (and hand-drawn) instructions, which are substantially more intimidating than that of a typical item from IKEA. “Buy only contact adhesive, not white glue, not rubber cement or anything else someone might suggest,” Morey warns. We’re stoked that the original Morey Boogie caught on—and that…