How We Actually Are Minimalists

For people who write a lot about outdoor gear, it may be a little surprising that our staff generally are minimalists. We love the right piece of gear and often need certain items to make our adventures possible or more enjoyable, but gear is not the reason for being there. Being there is the reason for being there. Here are a few insights into that state of mind.

Running down trail in beautiful fall mountain foliage

Focus on Being Outdoors, Not Your Gear

Often the best outdoor gear is that which you essentially forget about. It serves its purpose and makes you as comfortable as possible given the circumstances, whether that be skiing down a mountain in the middle of winter, overnighting in the high alpine after a long day on the trail, or just exploring close to home. But the purpose of being outdoors is to unwind, be present, spend quality time with friends and family, challenge your body, and perhaps not think about the material world. Again, we have great appreciation for what our gear can help us to do, but the less you have to think about it, the better it's doing its job.

Bring What You Need

There are certain situations and activities when it’s fun to have extra toys to play around with, and occasionally we like to sneak some creature comforts deep into the backcountry as a reward for a long day on the trail. Hardcore enthusiasts might even have a full quiver of gear tailored to the specific conditions of the day. But for a lot of outdoor activities, the goal is to bring the right gear for your mission and not much more. And here’s the cool thing: Outdoor gear has gotten so good of late that you can really dial in your kit and feel like you don’t have much with you. Again, this helps make the outdoors stay about the outdoors.

Biking away from ferry terminal in ripped pants

All Frayed and Patched Up: Old Gear is Great

Old gear items become like a member of the family. It’s fun to think of all of the different adventures they’ve been on, and the frays and patches are badges of honor. In addition to saving money, the most sustainable thing you can do is use your gear to death, repair it as much as possible along the way, and buy new gear only when you really need it. Gear maintenance is covered in many of our guides to help extend its lifespan; in our sustainability ratings, part of our criteria is whether a brand repairs gear (many offer the service free of charge) and sells used gear.

When You Need It, New Gear Tech Can Be Really Fun

We all go through trail footwear, jackets can eventually lose their ability to do their job, and sometimes you want to upgrade your kit to take advantage of what’s been developed since your last purchase. The good news is that outdoor gear has evolved a ton over the last decade or so, aided by lighter and stronger materials and products designed to do exactly what they need to without overdoing it (we’re looking at you, massive leather hiking/army boots of the past). The net-net is that—if you need to purchase new gear—you’ll very likely be able to find a new kit that is less “stuff” overall than you’re used to, more comfortable, and does its job better.

Skiing in Flylow Patrol ski jacket and The North Face Build Up pants

Finding Great Budget Options

It can be pretty intimidating to go downhill skiing or backpacking from scratch—all of the price tags added up can make your head spin. One of our priorities with Better Trail is to make it clear that getting outdoors can be more economical than you may think, and there are different ways going about making that happen. In our gear guides, you can sort by price, which enables you to see products listed starting from most affordable to most expensive. Second, in popular categories we have dedicated budget articles, which provide an even deeper dive into the top handful of inexpensive product options and how they stack up. Last but not least, see our article on finding value in the expensive world of outdoor gear for our best tips and tricks.

Empowering You, Our Readers

We mentioned being minimalists, but whichever type of outdoorsperson you are, one of our goals at Better Trail is to empower you to get outside. With our innovative rating system, you can interact with our content and sort products based on the factors that are most important to you. And here’s a little secret: We have a very cool interactive experience coming down the pipeline soon that will personalize the gear research process even further.

How We Actually Are Minimalists

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