Alex Johnson

The best camping cots for bad backs are the ones that hold a flat, taut surface from head to foot, keep you high enough off the ground that getting in and out does not punish your spine, and are wide enough that a side sleeper never wakes up with a numb hip. Most of the … Read more

Most camping chairs are built for a 250 to 320 lb camper, which is why so many heavier campers end up with a chair that bows in the middle, twists side to side, or splits at the seam where the backrest meets the frame. I spent the last few months working through eleven heavy-duty models … Read more

Here is the short answer: the Okuma Ceymar is our pick for the best spinning reels for bass fishing in , carrying a 4.7 owner rating across nearly 4000 reviews while weighing only 6.8 ounces. For heavier cover where you need a bigger frame and more drag, step up to the Daiwa Legalis LT, and … Read more

The short answer is a 9-foot, 5-weight graphite rod. Anglers on r/flyfishing and r/MarylandFishing keep landing on that spec for one reason: a 9-foot 5-weight loads a standard weight-forward line, loops tight enough for a delicate dry fly, has enough backbone to turn a streamer around, and packs well enough for a walk-in. Almost every … Read more

Dawn is the only hour of the whitetail season that reliably hands you a buck you did not hear. Most of the movement happens in the last 30 minutes before legal light, when the canopy is black, the horizon is bright orange, and every stray photon that reaches your eye decides whether you count four … Read more

A good trail camera for deer hunting is a weatherproof, motion-activated game camera that fires fast enough to catch a buck mid-bound, carries night flash that does not spook the deer it is watching, and runs all season without a battery swap every three weeks. Those three things — trigger speed, invisible flash, and cold-weather … Read more

Most treestands are built for a rifle. A bowhunter pulls a 30-pound bow to full draw with the string near the corner of the eye, and the riser, limb and sight all sweep through an arc that a rifle stand was never designed to clear. The best treestands for bowhunting solve that problem with an … Read more

Opening morning in April is the hardest sit of the year. A gobbler is walking a ridge 40 yards out, the wind is wrong, and every step you take toward him is a step he can hear. A ground blind solves that problem, and the three I’d put my name on are the TIDEWE 270 … Read more

Three boots lead our field-tested shortlist for the best hunting boots for mountain hunting in . The MUCK Woody Max is the all-around winner for wet, cold backcountry work, the Kenetrek Mountain Extreme 400 is the choice when sidehill stiffness and heavy pack loads rule the day, and the TIDEWE is the budget pick that … Read more

Short answer: the best badminton rackets for doubles split cleanly by court position. Front-court players want a head-light, fast-handling frame, and the Yonex Astrox Smash is the one I recommend most often. Rear-court attackers get more out of a stiffer attack frame like the Yonex Astrox Lite 21I. Mixed pairs who cover the whole court … Read more