Author: Jack Bogart

I laced the shoes up tightly in the parking lot and hit the trail, moving quickly, treating the singletrack dirt like a test track. The loose choss was flanked by ancient embedded rock as the trail quickly dropped in elevation. I pushed the pace, ramping up from a hike to jog to a run, and really dug in, feeling out my new La Sportiva Ultra Raptor 3 GTX shoes. Yet my footing stayed secure, and nothing shifted as the miles stacked up. After a few miles, I realized I hadn’t really thought about my footwear in a while. The Raptor…

30 March 2026 – DroneShield (ASX:DRO), a global leader in counter-drone and electronic warfare (EW) solutions, is pleased to announce the official opening of its new European Headquarters in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The establishment of the European Headquarters marks a significant step in DroneShield’s long?term commitment to Europe, one of the Company’s fastest?growing regions, and provides a strengthened operational presence to support its expanding footprint across EU and NATO-aligned markets. The new Headquarters will serve as an operational base for DroneShield’s EU Centre of Excellence and aligns with the EU’s ReArm Europe Plan / Readiness 2030 initiative, which seeks to boost…

Have your flights booked? We’ve got your backside covered with the best men’s travel pants on the market for 2026. From the Andean cloud forests to deep desert canyons, and from long backcountry road trips to Parisian markets, these pants have been tested to tackle any adventure and do it all in style. Our travel-worn team has worn these slacks on paths around the globe, and we’ve tested over 150 different pairs for almost a decade now. If it’s got the right stuff, we’ve saddled up in a pair. Guide author Steve Graepel leads our efforts, and he has traveled…

Idaho is home to more navigable whitewater miles than any other state in the Lower 48. There are more than 100,000 miles of flowing rivers and streams, and 3,100 of those miles are navigable whitewater. For paddlers, that’s an enormous playground to explore. If you’ve ever dreamed of floating through breathtaking landscapes, Idaho’s iconic rivers offer a memorable and exciting experience for all skill levels. Among all that whitewater are sections primed for multiday wilderness epics and others perfect for gentle day floats. Adventurous visitors can explore Class I to Class IV waters, starting trips from major cities or rafting…

Savotta – Lidded General Purpose Pouches Savotta has just released their new Lidded General Purpose Pouches. The design is basic, it’s a lidded pouch (with snow collar) for your general carrying needs with a buckled flap at the top for easy access. They come in two sizes: 3×4: 12 x 8 x 20 cm, with some tolerance for vertical overpacking. Three PALS channels wide and four PALS rows tall attachment. Great for water bottles and similar equipment. 4×5: 16 x 26 x 13 cm, with some tolerance for vertical overpacking. Four PALS channels wide and five PALS rows tall attachment.…

By Joe Woolley Posted in #Guns One of my favorite podcasts comes from the good folks at Hornady. Seth Swerczek frequently hosts with engineers Joe Thielen and Jayden Quinlan along with a wide variety of guests. They cover subject matters ranging from varmint hunting, rifle construction and PRS competition, to bullet design. While I have enjoyed listening to them reminisce about matches shot and animals hunted, some of my favorite topics have concerned bullets that Hornady has designed — the how’s, the why’s, the processes, the advances and the limitations. Earlier this year, Seth asked the group…

Erik Plakanis describes himself as a “believer” in REI. He’s been a member of the retailer and co-op for nearly 40 years. So when REI leaders reached out in 2007 to start partnering with Plakanis’s guiding business, A Walk in the Woods, he was ecstatic. REI not only promised to funnel customers toward A Walk in the Woods, but also shared in development costs and supplied gear for clients who signed up for the trips. Over the next 18 years, Plakanis greatly expanded his business through the co-op until it dominated his client list. He was one of many guides…

Equipping 100,000 troops across a war?torn territory is no longer just a supply chain challenge – it is a data challenge. Speed and accuracy in sizing and distributing uniforms and gear directly affect readiness, safety and cost. When thousands of military personnel are constantly moving between bases and front lines, every sizing mistake turns into wasted budget, delays and operational friction. This is exactly the problem Bodi.Me’s Size?Me technology is built to solve: giving defence organisations and their partners a fast, accurate and scalable way to collect size data, predict demand and deliver the right uniform size first time –…

“Military-grade elastic” is a well-known concept in the world of load-carriage today; but 15 years ago, it was a revolutionary idea. One that no one thought would work. Photo courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Isaac Cantrell The idea was born when the CEO of Blue Force Gear (“BFG”) was nearly side-swiped by a cyclist careening out of an alley. As the “10-speed” cyclist swerved to avoid a collision, the CEO noticed a pair of water bottles tucked into the spandex pockets on the back of his jersey and the idea materialized. The water bottle was heavy, but…

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. —   Defending the U.S. homeland is a cornerstone and the ultimate deliverable of the latest National Defense Strategy. It is also a task deeply intertwined with the specialized work of the AFCLC. The AFCLC delivers a contribution to homeland defense by strengthening security cooperation with partner nations on U.S. borders, a mission directly supported by LEAP Scholars and tailored curriculum. This partnership helps contain threats before they reach the homeland. “LEAP arms our Airmen with the linguistic and cultural tools that are essential for working hand in hand with Latin American mission partners,” said…