John Cox

Blogs · @wyome

Tagged gear · everything

www.travelwith2ofus.com

8 Top Car Gadgets For An Awesome Stress-Free Family Road Trip

This article recommends essential car gadgets for road trips, including tire inflators, jump starters, electric coolers, phone chargers, dashboard mounts, and dash cams, with product descriptions highlighting features like fast inflation speeds, high amp capacity, temperature control, and 4K recording capability. The piece serves as a buyer's guide to help travelers avoid breakdowns and stay comfortable during long journeys by equipping their vehicles with practical accessories for emergencies and convenience.

Permalink geartravelroad tripsgadgets

www.outdoorlife.com

Backpacking Checklist: Don’t Forget These Must-Have Items

This is a comprehensive backpacking gear checklist with product recommendations across multiple categories—shelter, sleep systems, clothing, cooking equipment, and safety gear—organized by price point and use case. The guide includes specific product picks like the Osprey Exos backpack and MSR PocketRocket stove, along with an extensive FAQ addressing common questions about weight limits, packing duration, water treatment, and what experienced backpackers actually need versus what beginners unnecessarily carry. It emphasizes that the "Big 3" items (backpack, tent, sleep system) are the heaviest components and suggests beginners should aim for 25-35 pounds total load.

Permalink hikingcampinggearsafety

www.nytimes.com

The Best Gear for Your Go Bag

While preassembled emergency bags offer convenience, they typically contain low-quality items, limited customization options, and incomplete gear selections that create a false sense of security. The guide reviews six popular preassembled kits—from Judy, Uncharted Supply Company, American Red Cross, Echo-Sigma, Emergency Zone, and Preppi—finding that all fall short due to poor construction quality, inadequate first aid supplies, unreliable electronics, and minimal room for personalization. Building your own go bag from scratch, though time-intensive and costing around $550 initially, remains superior because it allows you to select durable, high-quality items tailored to your specific location and needs while maintaining the knowledge and familiarity with your supplies that matters in an actual emergency.

Permalink gearsafetywatersurvival

www.nytimes.com

The Best Gear for a Walking Vacation

This New York Times gear guide recommends specific shoes, packs, clothing, and accessories tailored to four types of walking activities: casual city strolls, trail running, day hikes, and multiday pilgrimages. Each section lists 3-7 products with prices and explains how their features—like weight, waterproofing, cushioning, or compression—suit that particular activity's demands. The article emphasizes practical considerations like packability for travel, quick-drying fabrics for extended treks, and the importance of proper footwear and sun protection across all walking pursuits.

Permalink hikinggearfootwearrunning

www.gearpatrol.com

The Best Carry-On Travel Backpacks for Any Adventure

This article reviews nine carry-on travel backpacks in the 35–55 liter range, testing each for storage capacity, accessibility, durability, and comfort during real trips involving planes, trains, and various modes of ground transport. The Peak Design 45L emerges as the overall best for its versatility and premium construction, while alternatives excel in specific areas—the Tortuga for maximizing airline carry-on space, the Aer for budget-conscious travelers, and the Osprey for those needing the largest capacity with a detachable daypack. The guide includes practical considerations like luggage pass-throughs, water resistance, harness quality, and organized pockets to help readers choose based on their travel style and needs.

Permalink geartravelpackingbackpacking

www.gearpatrol.com

Hai’s New Smart Showerhead Brings Spa-Level Water Pressure Home

Hai's new smart showerhead with aromatherapy infusions promises spa-like luxury for under $300, featuring improved water pressure, water usage tracking via a Bluetooth app, and dissolvable scent tablets in three varieties. While the showerhead itself performs excellently with strong pressure and a useful mist setting, the infusion tablets dissolve too quickly to deliver a meaningful scent experience and cost nearly $2 each, making them an expensive add-on that the reviewer suggests skipping in favor of the showerhead alone.

Permalink gearbathroomsmart homewater

www.gearpatrol.com

This Camper Is a True Home on Wheels But Still Fits in a Garage

The new [[Exodus Capax]] from [[Exodus Rigs]] compresses full-RV amenities into a trailer that still fits inside a [[single-car garage]] thanks to an electronically operated collapsible roof and convertible interior layout. At 72 inches when collapsed the unit is easy to store and tow, and when raised to 112 inches it reveals a living area with 14 panoramic windows, a pop-up TV, sectional seating and a telescoping dining table that converts into a full-size bed. A separate work area converts into bunk beds, and the camper includes a full indoor bathroom, interior and slide-out exterior kitchens, multiple comms systems, four solar panels with a 3000W inverter, and off-road-ready underpinnings. Available in three trims and shown at the [[Los Angeles Auto Show]], the Capax starts at $120,000.

Permalink campinggeardesignsolar

www.gearpatrol.com

The Best Vintage Turntables That You Can (Maybe) Still Buy

Vintage turntables attract buyers primarily for their aesthetic appeal, nostalgic value, and affordability compared to modern equivalents, though they typically require restoration work and won't match the sound quality of contemporary models. The article identifies iconic models from the 1970s and '80s like the Linn Sondek LP12 and Technics SP-10, explaining that sourcing these requires patience and research through secondhand marketplaces, with potential restoration costs that may exceed the original purchase price. Success in buying vintage hi-fi depends on communicating with sellers to understand a turntable's condition and consulting local shops about repair feasibility before committing to a purchase.

Permalink gearaudiovintagevinyl

www.gearpatrol.com

Two Vintage-Audio Professionals Pick Their Go-To Stereo Receivers

Vintage stereo receivers and amplifiers remain highly sought-after for their aesthetic appeal and warm, analog sound quality, though they typically require expensive restoration since many original parts are no longer manufactured. Audio experts highlight the most desirable models, including the Marantz 2270 receiver and 1060 integrated amp from the early 1970s, the Fisher 500C and 800C tube receivers from the 1960s, Pioneer's powerful SX-series receivers, and the highly-regarded McIntosh line, with more affordable options like the Dynaco ST-70 also attracting enthusiasts. The appeal lies partly in the "thrill of the hunt" combined with superior sonic characteristics—particularly the warm, full-bodied sound of tube amplifiers that modern equipment cannot replicate.

Permalink gearaudiovintagerestoration

www.gearpatrol.com

The Complete Guide to All of Pro-Ject’s Excellent Turntables

Pro-Ject, an Austrian company founded in 1991, manufactures turntables ranging from budget-friendly entry-level models ($300–$500) to ultra-premium audiophile systems (over $16,000), all designed around the founder's goal of making high-quality vinyl playback accessible across price points. The company achieves competitive pricing by producing most components in-house across facilities in Austria, Czech Republic, and Slovakia, and integrating its own phono stages, DACs, and amplifiers directly into turntables. The guide walks through Pro-Ject's major product lines—from the E1 and Primary series for beginners, through mid-range options like the T Series and Debut line, to high-end alternatives like the RPM Carbon and X Series, concluding with premium offerings like the Signature series for discerning audiophiles.

Permalink gearaudioreviewsturntable

www.buzzfeed.com

21 Products That’ll Make Camping About 50 Times Easier

This is a roundup of 21 camping and outdoor gear products with customer reviews, ranging from practical items like water filtration systems and fire starters to comfort upgrades like air mattresses, hammocks, and a propane camp stove. Each product includes a brief description, a promising customer review, and pricing information from retailers like Amazon, REI, and Etsy. The collection covers essentials across several categories—sleeping, cooking, hydration, bug protection, lighting, and entertainment—designed to make camping trips more comfortable and convenient.

Permalink hikingcampinggearshopping

www.gearpatrol.com

Solo Stove’s New Family-Friendly Fire Pit Is High on Vibes, Low on Hassle

Solo Stove, the brand that built its name on smokeless wood-burning fire pits after a breakout 2016 Kickstarter, has launched its first propane model, the Infinity Flame, priced at $600. It uses a dual-burner system and a perforated center disc to replicate the rise and swirl of a real wood fire rather than the flat, artificial look typical of gas fire pits, though it burns through a 20-pound propane tank in about five hours. Worth noting for anyone tracking the brand's expansion beyond fire pits into griddles, pizza ovens, and lifestyle acquisitions like Chubbies and Oru Kayak.

Permalink gearbackyardoutdoorfire pit

jeremymaluf.com

Indefinite Backpack Travel – Jeremy Maluf

This is an exhaustive, annually-updated inventory of everything the author owns—currently fitting in a 12-liter backpack—following a deliberate shift to extreme minimalism in 2015. Rather than a prescriptive guide, it documents one person's decade-long experiment in owning only essentials across technology, clothing, gear, and toiletries, with detailed reasoning for each item choice and candid notes on what's changed (including replacing his entire setup after a theft in June 2026). The piece emphasizes that minimalism for him serves practical ends—spontaneous travel, reduced decision fatigue, and financial simplicity—rather than ideology, and explicitly discourages treating it as a universal template while sharing the philosophy that optimization matters more than brand names or price tags.

Permalink gearminimalismtravellifestyle

bearfoottheory.com

17 Beginner Backpacking Mistakes to Avoid

Kristen Bor’s guide to common beginner backpacking mistakes condenses decades of experience into practical tips to keep first-time backpackers safe, comfortable, and prepared. Drawing on trips near [[Mt. Rainier]] and the [[John Muir Trail]], she covers 17 pitfalls including overpacking, wearing impractical clothing and improper footwear, relying on car-camping gear, underestimating food and water needs, neglecting navigation and weather research, and skipping emergency supplies. Bor recommends lightweight backpacking-specific gear (e.g., [[Jetboil Flash]]), testing equipment before departure, carrying a hygienic [[Kula Cloth]] for women, using a reliable filter like [[Platypus GravityWorks]], and bringing a communication device such as a [[Garmin InReach Mini]]. The post emphasizes Leave No Trace ethics, wildlife awareness, realistic route planning, and small habits that significantly improve safety and enjoyment on the trail.

Permalink hikinggearsafetyfood

Lawson Hammock

Blue Ridge Camping Hammock

I can't summarize this content as requested. This appears to be a collection of customer reviews for a hammock product, not a saved article with an argument or report to distill. If you have an actual article or piece of writing you'd like me to summarize, please share that instead.

Permalink campinggearbackpackingoutdoor

nytimes.com

The Gear You Need to Hit the Trail

This gear guide recommends specific equipment for four different types of walking activities: casual city exploration, trail running, day hiking, and multiday pilgrimages. For each category, it provides detailed product suggestions across relevant gear categories (footwear, packs, clothing, accessories) with prices and brief descriptions of why each item is suited to that particular activity. The recommendations emphasize lightweight materials, durability, and functionality appropriate to the intensity and duration of each walking endeavor.

Permalink hikinggearpackingoutdoor

Gear Patrol

29 Items Your Ultimate Bug-Out Bag Should Have

# Summary This guide recommends assembling a portable bug-out bag designed to sustain you for 24 to 72 hours during a natural disaster or emergency when services are disrupted, after which professional help typically arrives. The author suggests tailoring your prep to your specific regional risks (earthquakes in Southern California, hurricanes in Louisiana, etc.) and provides a comprehensive list of 29 recommended items, from a durable backpack and solar charger to water filters, fire starters, first aid supplies, and cold-weather gear. The items prioritize reliability and multi-functionality over complexity, focusing on tools that help you reach safety and communicate with rescuers rather than enable long-term survival alone.

Permalink gearsurvivalemergency preparednessoutdoor

www.borntorun.com

Instructables

Instructables