Gear

Our favorite survival knife is the Gerber Bear Grylls 31-001901 Ultimate Pro Knife. It is a well made, durable and rugged knife that will last you for quite a while and should be able to do almost every outdoor job one could use a knife for.

Our top pick for the best rechargeable flashlight is the Anker Bolder LC90. It offers 900 lumens and a 3,350 mAh USB rechargeable battery that will last for a solid 6 hours with a full charge. Its 1000 foot maximum range should be more than enough for most people.

The best hydration pack for most people is the IBTXO 12L Hydration Vest. It comes with an insulated 2-liter hydration bladder and 12-liters of storage capacity. It’s designed for running but also works for most other use cases.

Our favorite tactical pen is the Impromptu Tactical Pen. It’s made in the USA, comes with a Cerakote coating and works with space pen refills. It looks sleek while still offering all the features you might want in a tactical pen.

Our favorite tactical backpack is the 5.11 RUSH12. It is made out of 1,050 denier nylon making it rugged enough for pretty much every use case. There is more than enough storage with a 24-liter volume, a 60-ounce hydration pocket and 16 compartments.

The best solar powered wrist watch is the Casio Pro Trek. It looks elegant while still being very durable, offering water resistance down to 100 meters. It comes with a digital compass, a barometer, an altimeter, and and a thermometer.

The best handheld GPS for hiking is the Garmin GPSMAP 64st. Great hardware as well as plenty of storage and the included 1-year BirdsEye Satellite Imagery subscription are hard to beat for this price.

The best filtered water bottle for the outdoors is the LifeStraw Go. It’s durable, filters up to 1000 liters of water and is very easy to use. It’s an amazing gadget to have on any backpacking or hiking trip.

After hours of research we chose the the Knox Electric Cooler and Warmer for our top pick. It offer plenty of storage space, its wheels make it easy to move even when filled up with food and beverages.

Our favorite solar charger is the RAVPower 24-Watt Solar. It can power up to three devices at once and it’s extremely portable thanks to its folding capabilities. It’s perfect for backpacking and camping.

The Streamlight 88040 ProTac HL 750 comes with 750 lumen, a range of up to 880 feet and is the overall best tactical flashlight on our list. Its build quality is excellent and it has an IPX7 water resistance rating. In case you are on a budget, we recommend checking out the Solaray ZX-2 instead.

The overall best multi-tool for the average user is the Leatherman Surge Multi-Tool. It’s reasonably priced and comes with 21 tools that will help you with almost any task or profession you might need a multi-tool for.

Great warranty, an outstanding trigger speed and the no glow IR system were the features that made the Reconyx HyperFire 2 HF2X Covert IR Camera our overall winner in this comparison and the best buy for most people.

The Suunto Core is the best tactical watch. It’s extremely durable and offers all the features you’d need, such as a storm alert and a barometer. If you want a watch you can really rely on, this is you best bet.

After looking at countless emergency radios, the American Red Cross Emergency Radio is the overall best buy. Solar panels, a charging handle and a huge 2600 mAh battery make it a radio you can rely on in extreme situations.