Sammy

I used to show up at the office with a sweaty t-shirt strapped against my laptop sleeve in a regular backpack. After two ruined keyboards and one very awkward laundry explanation, I finally started taking the best gym backpacks seriously. Over the past four months, our team put eight top-rated gym backpacks through real sweat … Read more

I learned the hard way that dehydration kills pace. On a 14-mile trail run last summer I bonked at mile 9 with a half-empty bottle bouncing in my hand. The next weekend I switched to a hydration backpack, drank on the move, and finished 22 minutes faster. That experience kicked off what became a four-month … Read more

I have been carrying a backpack to work every single day for the last 11 years. In that time I have gone through 9 different bags, ranging from a $25 campus sack to a $349 premium travel pack. I know the exact feeling of a strap digging into your shoulder on a 40-minute subway ride, … Read more

I have spent the last three months testing riding boots alongside our team of equestrian coaches and motorcycle instructors. We rode in 12 different pairs across dressage arenas, jumping courses, mountain trails, and city streets. Out of those, ten models stood out enough to make this list of the best riding boots you can buy … Read more

I still remember the morning a friend slid on diesel at a stoplight. His sneaker caught under the brake lever, his ankle folded, and the bike landed on his foot. He walked away from that crash with a fracture that took 14 weeks to heal. That was the day I started taking motorcycle boots seriously, … Read more

I spent the last three months rotating through 12 different pairs of platform boots on concrete, cobblestone, and dance floors to find the best platform boots worth your money this year. Some pairs lasted four hours before my feet gave up, while others carried me through entire festival weekends without complaint. The best platform boots … Read more

I’ve spent more than 60 days rotating through 12 pairs of knee high boots across coffee runs, office days, weekend hikes, and one memorable rainstorm. Out of those 12, three made it into my permanent closet, and two are at the top of my recommendation list in this guide. Fall and winter trends are leaning … Read more

I still remember the first time I rode with a regular backpack on the highway. By 70 mph, the thing was acting like a parachute, tugging at my shoulders and shifting every time I leaned into a curve. That day taught me what every rider eventually figures out: not all backpacks belong on a motorcycle. … Read more

I lost a MacBook to a “water-resistant” backpack during a Seattle downpour in 2019. That $2,400 lesson is why our team spent 90 days testing the best waterproof backpacks you can buy today. Not every bag marketed as waterproof actually keeps water out. After submerging, hosing, and rain-testing 8 contenders, we found the ones that … Read more

I have been wearing sling backpacks almost daily for the past three years, switching between models while commuting through Chicago, hiking in Colorado, and bouncing through European airports. The single-strap crossbody design clicked for me the first time I needed quick camera access while street-photographing in Lisbon. Since then, I have run more than a … Read more