Brandon Foster

I have landed from a 14-hour flight to Tokyo with a stiff neck so painful I could not look over my shoulder for two days. That was the trip that made me obsessed with finding the best neck pillow for long flights, and I have been testing them obsessively ever since. Yes, a neck pillow … Read more

I spent three convention seasons testing water bottles across Comic-Con, CES, and a regional trade show circuit. After filling and emptying more than 60 bottles across hotel rooms, show floors, and airport lounges, I learned exactly what separates a winner from a leak-soaked disaster. The best travel water bottles for convention days need to keep … Read more

You land at the airport, suitcase already bursting at the seams, and you still have three more days of souvenir shopping ahead. I’ve been there more times than I care to admit. After one too many “we need another bag” moments on a trip through Tokyo, I started testing every packable duffel I could find. … Read more

I lost a credit card to digital skimming on a crowded Tokyo subway platform in 2018. A stranger bumped my back pocket, and within four hours someone ran a $1,400 charge at an electronics store. That was the day I started taking RFID blocking seriously. After eight years, three continents, and more than 40 wallets … Read more

After my 14-hour flight from Singapore last summer, I walked off the plane with swollen ankles and that awful pins-and-needles feeling that took two days to fade. A nurse friend saw my puffy legs at baggage claim and immediately asked, “Where are your compression socks?” That conversation sent our team on a three-month testing mission. … Read more

Last summer I shot a destination wedding in Sedona where my hotel room had exactly one outlet and four other photographers competing for it. By hour six my spare NP-FZ100 batteries were still dead, my laptop was at 8%, and I was panicking. That disaster is exactly why I started testing every portable charger for … Read more

When I covered my first dance competition with a 70-200mm lens strapped to my shoulder, my arms gave out before the second routine. That was the day I learned what most event photographers eventually figure out: a tripod is overkill in tight venues, handholding at slow shutter speeds is a recipe for blur, and the … Read more

I have spent more convention weekends than I would like to admit hauling around backpacks that bruised my shoulders and ruined my cosplay silhouettes. After three DragonCon trips and countless Comic Con weekends, I learned one thing fast: the best crossbody bags for hands-free con days are not just accessories, they are survival gear. A … Read more

I still remember the first time an airline clerk slid a $100 overweight fee across the counter at Heathrow. I had stuffed too many shoes into my checked bag, and the cheapest fix that day was a new pair of sneakers in London. A luggage scale would have cost less than the fee itself. That … Read more

After running eight basement dehumidifiers through real-world testing over the past three months, I’ve put together this guide to the best dehumidifiers for basements available right now. Our team set up each unit in the same 1,800-square-foot unfinished basement and tracked humidity changes, noise levels, energy use, and how often they needed attention. A musty, … Read more