The process for identifying the best outdoor products each year is an arduous one. Over the course of three months, 150-plus testers receive thousands of products from brands big and small. The mission: test the products repeatedly, in all conditions, and then send feedback to our category managers, who select the highest-ranking items and review them for our bi-annual Gear Guides. The products that rise far above the rest earn a coveted Editor鈥檚 Choice award. Here they are.
Deuter Aircontact Ultra ($240)
Few packs blend ultralight-friendly design with comfort and features as well as this one. It鈥檚 feathery enough to please the gram-obsessed, yet does not come with huge sacrifices in the features or carrying-capacity department.
Hillsound PackStack ($17 and up)
It鈥檚 been a while since the lowly packing cube got an overhaul. This is the first one we鈥檝e seen in a while that鈥檚 truly different. The half-moon shape is designed to fit snugly into backpacks, maximizing your organization while minimizing dead space.
Anacapa Mid GTX Boots ($180)
The Anacapa Mid is a case study on not judging a book by its cover. This boot is shockingly light and nimble for how beefy it is, so you get all the shock absorption without most of the tradeoffs.
Alpine Parrot Ponderosa Pants ($139)
Finally, hiking pants made for鈥攁nd by鈥攑lus size women! Our testers were impressed by the attention to fit in the Ponderosa Pant, which is specifically cut for large bodies (read: no waist or crotch gapping).
Platypus QuickDraw Microfilter System ($45)
The QuickDraw may offer the best weight-to-size-to-speed ratio of any filter we鈥檝e encountered. It鈥檚 the size of a cigar, yet filters a full Nalgene in under a minute.
Privateer 141 Mountain Bike ($4,379 and up)
There鈥檚 hardly anything fancy about this bike鈥攏o carbon, only two spec levels, no frills. That just lets the geometry鈥揳n aggressive head angle, long wheelbase, and slack seat-tube angle鈥攕hine.
Allied Echo Road and Gravel Bike ($8,475)
Flip chips on the seat stays allow you to transform the Allied Echo from an endurance road bike into a gravel grinder in a matter of minutes. Many bikes have attempted this two-in-one versatility play, but this is one of the first to really impress our testers without serious sacrifices to either road or gravel handling.
Infinity Whiplash SUP ($3,495)
Hollow-carbon construction and impressive secondary stability make this one of the best SUPs we鈥檝e seen for paddling fast. It鈥檚 also among the lightest board out there, at just 20 pounds.
Hoka Tecton X Trail Running Shoes ($200)
Hoka鈥檚 new Tecton X is the first carbon-plated trail shoe that all of our testers鈥攏ot just the fast ones with ideal form鈥攍iked. Credit that to a uniquely shaped plate, which helps offer the spring-like benefits of carbon in a much more flexible, approachable package.
Swiftwick Flite XT Trail Socks ($27)
Four testers wore these socks for five days straight during a rainy, muddy, humid, river-filled backpacking trip in Panama. No one got blisters. No one鈥檚 socks were bunching up. They practically earned an award on the spot.
Indura Athletic Stay-Put Shorts ($58)
Indura鈥檚 shorts are specially cut to fit athletic bodies. A lot of products make this claim. This one actually lives up to it. Multiple testers with muscular thighs and glutes, who typically shy away from short spandex bottoms, were surprised at how comfortable and confident they felt, even after several sweaty hours shouldering heavy packs.
Lume Six Alta Bra ($100)
The extended sizing system (mix-and-match your cup size with a smaller or larger band) lured us in. But the fabric: a polyester-nylon weave that鈥檚 incredibly light, thin, and fast drying, won us over. Several testers wore the Alta for an entire four-day backpacking trip鈥攅ven slept in it鈥攚ith no chafing and no discomfort.
Bose SoundLink Flex Speaker ($149)
Most speakers with quality sound are large. This one impressed us because it offers top-notch audio in a much smaller package鈥攁bout the size of a brick.
Thermacell EX90 Mosquito Repeller ($50)
Don鈥檛 let the image fool you: this bug-repelling device fits in the palm of your hand. That鈥檚 a big deal, since it produces a 20-foot mosquito-free radius. It鈥檚 also powered by lithium-ion batteries rather than shorter-lasting isobutane canisters, which makes it great for traveling and camping.
Box Synergy Solar 7 Solar Panel ($85)
This solar panel balances weight, size, and power better than any other model we鈥檝e seen. It charged a smart phone in roughly two hours, despite the fact that it鈥檚 small enough to fit in a roomy pants pocket.