The Gear Our Editors Are Loving This Fall

Fall is arguably one of the best seasons to get outdoors—what’s not to love about 60-degree mountain biking weather and end-of-the-season camping trips with a fire? But that’s not to say fall doesn’t have its challenges (smoke, the first freezes, and mud, to mention a few). Our editors used the gear below to stay warm while huddled around a campfire, comfortable while backpacking in shoulder-season mud, and cozy while sleeping outside on cool fall nights.

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Thule Hullavator Pro Kayak Carrier

$900 at REI $900 at Backcountry

I generally cheap out when it comes to roof racks. As long as the thing is sturdy, I don’t mind using a budget bike rack setup, or simply battening down a surfboard with ratchet straps. When it comes to lifting kayaks, though, it’s another story. After some painful attempts to haul a new 70-pound tandem kayak over my head and onto the roof of my car this fall, I picked up Thule’s Hullavator Pro, which uses a lift assist to save your back from ruin. Just load the kayak into a waist-high cradle, and the gas-assisted struts handle the bulk of the work with a modest shove of the oversized handles. It’s an investment, but an absolute life-saver for anyone who kayaks solo, has a massive watercraft, or any sort of mobility issues. —Benjamin Tepler, senior gear editor

Wild Rye Payette Pullover and Pant

Pants: $159 at Wild Rye Pullover: $189 at Wild Rye

I received the Payette jacket and matching pants just in time this September for cold-weather camping in the Bridger Mountains this fall. Made with 100 percent post-consumer recycled materials like a synthetic polyester ripstop, I felt perfectly cozy in 40-degree temperatures when wearing baselayers underneath this set. The pullover and pants are definitely lightweight—I don’t recommend wearing the pullover in anything colder than 40 degrees unless as a midlayer, but it was the perfect addition as a topper on a cool night. The pants have a relaxed fit, and you can adjust the ankle with a hem cord, but I liked wearing them loose so I could easily pull them on and off over my leggings. I took them out near Hyalite for a night of camping, and received endless compliments on the stylish cut and caper color. —Kelly Klein, gear editor

Salomon Elixir Gore-Tex running shoe

$143 at Salomon $190 at Backcountry

Sometimes, we Outside editors aren’t able to properly test a piece of gear until it’s sat in our closet for a few months. Such was the case with my pair of Salomon Elixir Gore-Tex hiking shoes. I attended the Elixir product launch last November and went on a short two-hour hike in the foothills outside Boulder. The shoes felt fine, but what can you really tell about all-terrain footwear in two hours? The shoes stayed in my living room for weeks, until my wife shuffled them off into a closet, and I forgot about them.

Luckily, in early September I fished them out for my end-of-season fall adventure: a two-night backpacking trip in the Indian Peaks Wilderness with two other dads from the neighborhood. I wore them over three days and 18 miles of dirt, scree, pea gravel, roots, and river crossings, and I loved them. They gripped slippery slopes, weathered uneven rocks, and dried quickly after I splashed them in the creek. I recorded zero blisters or footaches.

The Elixirs reminded me of the footwear argument that Outside’s hiking columnist Grayson Haver Currin has long made, which is that a good pair of hiking shoes is just as good (or even better) than a true hiking boot. In the Elixir, you have all the grip and toe protection you need, with the comfortable, lightweight, and breathable upper of a running shoe. My only gripe is the earth-tone color options—I wish Salomon would spice up this model with sportier accents, like yellow, orange, or red. That way the shoes would never get lost in the closet. —Fred Drier, articles editor

Nestout Power Bank 15000mAh

$48 at Nestout

I spent a great deal of time living out of my truck this summer and fall. (And, no, my girlfriend didn’t dump me, I wasn’t evicted from my home, nor will I make a worthy subject for any country-music hit.) I was rock climbing and working from my truck camper.

The co-working spaces in Winthrop, WA, and Squamish, BC, were delightful but expensive, and I really only needed them to charge my laptop and cell phone once a day. Thankfully, I’d also packed a host of the Nestout Power Bank 15000mAh, which provided days of power at a time, and let me save my cash.

The Power Bank 15000mAh is seriously light at 12.8 ounces, making it equally suitable for car camping and multi-day trips where you’ll be using your phone as a camera, movie screen, and GPS in equal measure. It’s also remarkably durable, as I found out when I forgot to close the cabinet of the camper and peeled out onto the winding North Cascade Highway, causing my 15 gallon water jug to belly-flop onto the Power Bank and then slowly leak over it for an hour.

Shock-, dust-, and water-proofness aside, the Power Bank has three charging ports (2 USB-A and 1 USB-C) and delivers 32 W of power. You can recharge the 15000mAh in about three-and-a-half hours. The Power Bank is also available in a 5000mAh size and 10000Ah, for when you want to go ultralight for that backcountry rave. —Anthony Walsh, digital editor, Climbing

Tushy Classic 3.0

$129 at Tushy

I always thought bidets were wacky and weird. And I certainly never thought I’d be writing about them for Outside. Then I tried one as I was researching a story on the environmental impacts of toilet paper. Now, I’m hooked. In fact, I now find wiping with toilet paper pretty gross. This $99 add-on bidet can fit on any existing toilet; I installed mine in about 15 minutes. It’s pretty simple: you sit, you poop, you spin the dial, and a sprayer washes your butt clean.

You still need a bit of TP to dab yourself dry, but a bidet will drastically slash the amount of tissue you’ll need to buy over time. And if you’re concerned about the added water usage, don’t be (unless you live in a water-scarce area). Spritzing uses far less water than it takes to create toilet paper. Plus it saves trees and saves you money. So while they may be a bit wacky and weird to us Americans, they are decidedly not for the rest of the world. About 70 percent of the world uses them regularly. So what are you waiting for? Once you bidet, you’ll never go back. —Kristin Hostetter, head of sustainability and contributing editor

Tower 28 SOS Rescue Spray

$28 at Tower 28

After about two months of testing out this facial spray in the summer and fall, I’ve decided it lives up to its name. I’ve used plenty of other facial sprays in the past but the SOS rescue is a cut above. It helped reduce redness in my face after windburn, and is now a daily part of my routine. I love that it’s alcohol and fragrance-free free so I’m not spraying anything irritating on my skin and there are only three ingredients (water, sodium chloride, hypochlorous acid). The spray is the perfect travel buddy and has become my new go-to accessory for keeping my skin clean and hydrated. —Jamie Aranoff, digital editor, SKI 

Kork Goods Vilano Cork Convertible tote bag

$84 at Kork Goods

As an avid adventurer and a picky travel editor, I’m always searching for the perfect bag that I can shove underneath an airplane seat—and haul comfortably for long periods of time through airports and cities, and to trailheads. It has to be large enough to hold my laptop, books, water bottle, chargers, neck pillow, wallet, and passport for flights, or a pair of trail runners, my hydration vest, snacks, and ample layers for stopovers on road trips. Kork’s Vilano Convertible Tote tops any I’ve tried this fall.

Made from sustainable cork, it’s unusually lightweight but durable, and the extra 50-inch adjustable, removable strap lets me switch from shoulder bag to crossbody in seconds. I stash my phone, chapstick, and a Clifbar in the external side pocket and my I.D. and wallet in the zippered interior. Not so secretly, I love that it’s aesthetically timeless, so I feel put together even when I’m jet lagged, rocking workout apparel, or schlepping around a gear duffle. Each Kork piece is uniquely inspired by a Florida beach and stamped with its coordinates for a subtle design flare. The company is part of 1% for the Planet and donates a chunk of annual sales to environmental organizations.

Bonus Tip: Need something smaller? I’ve also tried ‘em all, and the equally lightweight, hands-free Anastasia Small Crossbody ($69) holds all of my essentials, plus a packable rain jacket. It’s my go-to for trips where I’ll need a real purse and a fanny pack won’t suffice. —Patty Hodapp, senior contributing travel editor

Rumpl Backcountry Puffy Blanket

$149 at Rumpl $149 at REI

Earlier this spring, inspired by a camping trip in Iceland, my husband and I scored a rooftop tent. We took it to British Columbia for most of the summer, where we quickly learned that our crappy, age-old comforter didn’t cut it for chilly, variable coastal temps. We toughed it out, and when we returned home to New Mexico, we vowed to get a real backcountry blanket designed for overlanding.

Enter: Rumpl’s new, two-person Puffy spread. Our mattress is just under the size of a full, so it fits perfectly in our rig—and now lives there semi permanently. (We only take it out to wrap up fireside during brisk fall evenings or toss it into the washing machine.) It’s super lightweight, with a water-repellant finish and ripstop outer shell that can take a beating from hiking boot removal, and the NanoLoft insulation keeps us plenty toasty, even on the coldest nights. Finally, we’ve got our roof tent Zzzs dialed like pros. If we wanted to bring it backpacking on warm summer nights, we could—it packs down into a roll-top stuff sack that’s smaller than our lightest sleeping bags. —P.H.

Simms Pursuit Shoe

$140 at Simms $140 at Scheels

After a summer of stubbing my toes, slipping around, and getting river-bottom muck between my toes, I finally decided to hang up the sandals and get a pair of close-toed wet-wading shoes for fly-fishing. Enter the Simms Pursuit, which I am deeply obsessed with. The rubber sole comes up high around the toes to offer extra protection as you’re feeling your way along a rocky river bottom, and the grip is really remarkable on both wet and dry surfaces. The shoes are comfy enough to hike in (wet or dry), and save me from wading in my trail runners on a long day of fall hiking and fishing. The fit is snug and secure, and an easy lacing system saves me from constantly re-adjusting. —Abigail Barronian, senior editor

Le Bent Targeted Cushion 3/4 Trail Sock

$24 at Le Bent

I left these socks at my parents’ house, and my mom conveniently “forgot” to tell me for a year because she liked them so much. I’m picky when it comes to socks: they need to be snug, cushioned but not bulky, made from natural fibers (ideally merino), and subtly cute. These socks check all the boxes. Merino, rayon, nylon, and elastane make for a cool-but-cozy blend up for sweaty summer runs and cool fall hikes alike, and the styling is great—a perfect mid-rise height, muted colors, and two little stripes at the ankle. —A.B.

Gunner Dog Bowl

$60 at Gunner

Why on earth would anyone pay for a dog bowl that’s five times as expensive as what you could buy from your local pet store? Because in addition to being a dog bowl, this is also a sealable dog food container, spill-proof water container, and a memento. Thanks to a rubber lid, the bowl serves as my favorite travel-friendly water dispenser that lives in the back of my truck with my dog for long road trips. Every time we stop, I pry off the lid and give him a solid drink before covering more miles. Whenever we get where we’re going it then turns into a food bowl that I can close if he’s being picky and not eating the entire meal.

Thanks to the nameplate on the front, the bowl will belong to my dog Waldo, and Waldo alone, so that it’s an important keepsake when he’s gone. I also love that the bowl is made in Tennessee, and not China. —Jakob Schiller, gear columnist and contributor

Garmin inReach Mini 2

$400 at Garmin $400 at REI

I’m a longtime inReach user, and have used the original unit for the past 5 years. I recently upgraded to an inReach Mini 2 for my Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) trip this summer and fell in love with the size and simplicity of the Mini 2. I relied on it most every day to stay in touch with my wife, and never had an issue sending or receiving messages, or pairing with the app on my phone. The Mini 2 also withstood being strapped to the top of the seat pack on my bike for 2700 miles, through blazing sun, plenty of rain, lots of dust and miles upon miles of vibrations courtesy of washboard roads. The fact that it still functions after that, let alone looks no worse for the wear, is a testament to how rugged it is.

Interestingly, I was also able to test the inReach Mini 2 alongside a first generation Mini for 10 days of the ride while my wife Sarah supported me. We found the Mini 2 consistently outperformed the Mini in terms of sending and receiving messages. It also couldn’t hold a candle to the updated device’s battery life—we had to recharge the Mini every night, whereas I only recharged my Mini 2 a handful of times during my 45 day trip. —B.A.

Maven B.7 Binoculars

$600 at Maven

I’ve been a fan of Maven Optics’s binoculars for years now, and own two pairs for hunting. The brand’s glass quality is second to none, and there’s no better value out there. The ones I own are great for dedicated pursuits like hunting or birding in the fall, but I’ve often found myself wanting to keep a set with me for everyday use, whether on a road trip, while riding my bike or even backcountry skiing—the ones I own are too large to keep on my person on a regular day.

Thankfully, Maven also makes the B.7s. At just 4.8 inches long and weighing only 12.4 ounces, they’re not only small enough to keep in the truck, but I even took them with me on a recent bikepacking trip—you never know when you’ll see a bird or big game animal worth taking a closer look at, and the mighty little B.7s were more than worth their weight. —B.A.

Specialized Stumpjumper 15

$3,000 at Specialized

It’s tough to say which part of mountain biking I like more, the uphills or the downhills. The flow or the tech. To be honest, I love it all, which means I need a bike that can handle it all. Enter the Stumpjumper, an iconic trail bike built for the vast majority of mountain bikers who dabble in all sorts of riding.

Specialized recently overhauled the legendary Stumpjumper, tweaking the geometry, suspension and chassis to create a more modern whip that handles technical terrain better than previous versions, thanks in large part to the new Fox Genie rear suspension system. I’ve been riding the Stumpy all over Pisgah National Forest this fall, which is known for its endlessly technical singletrack, fall-line descents, and long gravel climbs. It’s the kind of forest that demands a do-it-all bike, and is quick to highlight deficiencies in many rides that claim that very thing. But the Stumpy has been a dream to ride in every scenario. —Graham Averill, gear and travel columnist

Artilect M-Sprint Tee

$90 at Artilect

I’ve worn this 58 percent merino t-shirt far more often this fall than I ever thought one could wear a garment, both for running and casual wear. Usually I wore it casually for several days and then ran it for several days before putting in the wash, but more than once I grabbed it from the bedpost where it had dried after a sweaty run and wore it through the day, with no hint of odor or stiffness. The lightweight Nuyarn fabric is created by spinning merino around nylon without twisting it on itself, making the shirt highly breathable, quick drying, and stretchy without using elastane. The fabric has a lightly ribbed texture that keeps it comfortably away from the skin when wet and gives it a heathered appearance that complements the flat lock seams  running down the sides, embedded with a subtle silver-colored reflective tape.

The fit stays close to my body without being compressive or clingy, allowing ease of movement when exercising and a flattering profile when hanging out. Despite its light weight and airy feel, the fabric doesn’t seem fragile and I’ve seen no sign of wear or loss of shape after a couple of months of heavy wear. That versatile wear makes the $90 price tag not feel so steep, as I anticipate continuing to reach for it often through four seasons. —Jonathan Beverly, senior gear running editor