Brandon Foster

Last summer I finally pulled the trigger on a pool table for my basement. I spent three weekends reading forums, watching YouTube reviews, and pestering billiards shop owners before settling on a model. That research is exactly why I wrote this guide on the best pool tables for home in — I wanted to save … Read more

After weeks of cooking side-by-side in our test kitchen, we picked the 8 best gas ranges for home cooks in . We boiled water, simmered tomato sauce for an hour, baked three trays of cookies, and seared steaks on every model to see which one truly deserves a place in a busy home kitchen. If … Read more

Planning a day at the beach, a hike to a mountain lake, or a picnic in the park? I have spent the last three months hauling eight of the most popular soft coolers to every kind of day trip I could find, from shoreline sun to shady trailheads. I packed them with ice, drinks, and … Read more

Last summer, I dragged a flimsy soft-sided cooler into the backcountry and watched my sandwiches turn into a soggy mess by day two. That weekend cost me a full restock of ice and a ruined block of cheddar. I swore I’d never make that mistake again, so I spent the next three months testing rotomolded … Read more

A good portable grill for camping is the Weber Traveler Compact, a propane-powered stand-up grill that folds flat to fit a car trunk, sears beautifully on porcelain-enameled cast iron grates, and serves up to four people on 390 square inches of cooking space. After comparing ten models over three months of weekend trips in the … Read more

Hard coolers are rotomolded ice chests made from impact-resistant plastic with thick polyurethane foam insulation. Unlike cheap Styrofoam or injection-molded coolers, hard coolers feature freezer-grade gasket seals and pressure latches that create an airtight barrier, keeping ice frozen for 5-10 days in optimal conditions. After spending three months rotating 10 of the top hard coolers … Read more

Sitting on a cold log or damp ground after a long day on the trail is one of those little things that can quietly ruin an otherwise great trip. A good camping chair changes that in an instant, giving you a comfortable, supportive seat to relax around the fire, watch the kids play, or settle … Read more

I bought my first pair of trekking poles at a garage sale for $8, and they changed how I hike. That was seven years and roughly 2,400 trail miles ago. Since then, our team has tested dozens of pairs across the Rockies, the Sierras, the Adirondacks, and the Scottish Highlands, including 12 that ended up … Read more

I still remember the first time I fumbled with a dying flashlight while trying to set up a tent in the dark. That night is exactly why I started taking camping headlamps seriously, and why I keep testing new ones every season. After weeks of field trials and comparison work, our team pulled together this … Read more

I spent the last three months testing eight of the most popular spotting scopes with a herd of elk in Colorado, a marsh full of sandhill cranes in New Mexico, and a curious fox den behind my cousin’s cabin in Montana. Some scopes delivered stunning detail at 800 yards. Others left me squinting through blue-tinted … Read more