Editor's Letter
Welcome to our 2025 Summer Gear Guide! Below you’ll find dozens of reviews packed with the most impressive gear we tested this past year. Whether it’s hiking, camping, biking, running, working out, or traveling, we have it all right here. We also highlighted some of our favorite picks in Outside magazine’s May/June issue, which you can pick up at newsstands or read digitally with your Outside+ subscription.
To make these picks, we enlisted the help of nine editors, four dozen product category managers, and hundreds of testers who collectively spent months testing 800-plus products. Staff from Outside, Backpacker, Climbing, Run, Yoga Journal, Pinkbike, and Velo all contributed to the effort. We hope this guide helps make your journey on-trail and off that much easier.
Hiking and Camping
Chill out by packing these coolers full for your hottest car camping trips this year
Portable camp chairs that offer more than just the bare minimum
The best tents for stretching out, staying dry, and sleeping soundly under the stars
These sleeping bags aren’t the lightest or most packable, but they’re the coziest.
Bags, tools, and little extras to make camp feel like your home away from home
Our favorite knives, coffee presses, coolers, and cook sets for outdoor meal prep
Whether you’re hiking, paddling, or splashing around, these are the best water shoes for every kind of adventure
Running and Fitness
Ten minimalist running shoes that will make your feet stronger
These 14 best women's running T-shirts and tanks will keep you cool, dry, comfortable, and stylish
20 testers took dozens of trail shoes out on rocky singletrack, muddy forest paths, and sandy gravel backroads to find the top performers for every runner
Our test team of 25 runners put more than 100 road running shoes through their paces to find the best for every type of run.
The right marathon shoe can boost your performance and make the race more enjoyable
These 12 innovative running shoes will keep you stable without sacrificing comfort or holding you back
After 31 summits, 68-mile gravel rides, and five broken pairs, we’ve narrowed down 115 contenders to these top picks.
After more than 4,000 miles and hours of lab testing, we found the men's running shirts that will keep you cool, dry, and comfortable on all your runs
We tested over 50 pairs of running shorts to find the most comfortable and functional for every type of run
These 11 shorts will keep you cool, chafe-free, and feeling fast on every run
Kicks that will supercharge your ultra-season recovery
Eleven testers spent hundreds of hours working out in more than 50 sports bras to find the best-performing picks for every type of activity
Bike
We tested top-tier racers and budget-friendly road machines. These are our top picks.
Our favorite gravel whips of the year for every type of rider
These eMTBs are powerful, quiet, and handle techy trails as well as analog mountain bikes
Pinkbike writers and editors tested 25 trail bikes last year. These seven picks impressed us the most.
There’s no downhill too technical for these rides
From hitch racks to vertical racks, these eight options will transport your bikes securely, safely, and efficiently
Whether you want to carry gear on your back, your hip, or your frame, these are the best options.
These high-performance lids outdo the competition in road, gravel, and mountain biking.
Make it harder than ever for thieves to steal your bike with these 6 locks, from U-locks to home storage.
Travel & Tech
Pocket-sized cameras designed to go wherever adventure takes you
We put this season’s best outdoor Bluetooth speakers through their paces on road trips and tailgates, boat decks and beaches. These eight emerged as our favorites.
Nail the shot every time with these fully featured cameras
We tested 55 models on runs, swims, climbs, and commutes to find the best earbuds for every listener and budget
Rugged bags designed to go wherever adventure takes you
We tracked hundreds of diverse workouts and adventures during a year of testing to find the best sports watch for your favorite activities.
These setups will help you carry your gear safely and comfortably, no matter how rowdy the adventure.
Live like royalty miles from pavement with these kitted-out rigs