About

About Trail Fit Guide

Trail Fit Guide is a small independent publication about hiking and outdoor gear and apparel. We write for US hikers who want the right pack, boots or layers without decoding marketing copy.

How we research

We are upfront about this: we have not bench-tested the products on this site. Our guides rest on three things.

• Manufacturer spec sheets. Key specs come from each brand's own product page. Each product card links to that page and shows the date we checked it.
• Arithmetic you can check. When we estimate or calculate, we show the formula and the assumptions.
• Public safety guidance. Trail safety guidance comes from the National Park Service, the USDA Forest Service and the National Weather Service, linked where we use it.

When a maker's own figure sounds optimistic, we label it as the maker's figure.

How we make money

Some links are affiliate links. If you buy through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Brands do not pay for placement and do not review our articles before publication. Read the full affiliate disclosure.

Corrections and contact

Spot a spec that changed or a mistake in our math? Email hello@trailfitguide.com and we will fix it and note the update date on the page.