Author: news

CRKT is celebrating nearly 30 years of their flagship folding knife, the M16, with a couple of new variations releasing today alongside a major social media campaign and 4-part docuseries about the Kit Carson-designed classic. It’s hard to believe but the M16 has been around for more than 25 years – it’s old enough to vote, drink, and even rent a car. The first version released in 1999, and was an immediate hit. Although Carson, a career military man, envisioned the M16 as a tactical piece, the design spoke to users from all walks of life, and in the years…

Camp shoes are all about relief. After a long day in hiking boots, ski boots, climbing shoes, or trail runners, the best pairs give tired feet room to breathe, recover, and stay comfortable around camp. For this update, lead testers Chris Kassar and Ryan Kempfer tested 10 new pairs over 10 months on hut trips, backpacking trips, Teton campouts, and post-hike town stops. We focused on comfort, warmth, sock compatibility, packability, traction, and real camp use across snow-covered decks, muddy campsites, hut floors, wet grass, and quick trips outside in the dark. The Teva ReEmber Camp Slip-On stands out as…

A good hiking sock can be the difference between comfortable trail miles and a day cut short by hot spots, slipping fabric, or blisters. For this update, I retested every sock in this guide over a 12-month testing period, wearing them on quick afternoon hikes, long summit days, rugged trail miles, and multiday backpacking trips. Across that cycle, I paid close attention to breathability, cushioning, fit, stretch, moisture control, and how each pair held up after repeated wear and washing. Remaining our best overall, the Darn Tough Hiker Micro Crew Cushion nails the balance of comfort, durability, cushioning, and all-season…

Galvion, a world leader in the design and manufacture of innovative head systems, power and data management solutions, and integrated soldier systems, will showcase the continued evolution of its CORTEX™ architecture at SOF Week 2026 (Booth #1739, May 18–21), featuring the introduction of its CORTEX EVO™ system. First introduced at SOF Week 2025 as a new category of intelligent, headborne systems, CORTEX established a framework for integrating power, data and processing at the operator level. At SOF Week 2026, Galvion is extending that foundation with a more deeply integrated approach, bringing together multiple capability pathways within a single headborne architecture.…

It all started with the chirping of a mountain critter. Ten years ago, Washington native John Soltys was hiking with his two young daughters in Mount Rainier National Park when they heard the eep eep of pikas, a small mammal beloved by climbers and hikers. “They wanted to do nothing else but try to take pictures of the pika,” Soltys told GearJunkie. A computer engineer with a long scientific background, Soltys wanted to encourage his children’s curiosity. So he did some research and discovered American Scientists, a nonprofit based in Bozeman, Mont. The group trains volunteers to gather data that…

Wilson Combat has just launched the BULWARK, the company’s first internal hammer pistol.Wilson Combat’s staple product has always been 1911-style handguns, which, naturally, featured traditional external hammers. Now, the company has made a great departure from its norm with the new BULWARK, a double-stack 9mm midsize pistol that utilizes an enclosed internal hammer-fired operating system.Wilson Combat says the thought process behind the BULWARK’s internal hammer was to get the best of both worlds: the excellent trigger of hammer-fired pistols with the snag-free profile and protected action of striker-fired pistols. Speaking of triggers, the BULWARK features a 1911-style sliding trigger with…

By Tom Laemlein Posted in #History In early 1918, as the American Expeditionary Force prepared to face battle-hardened German troops in France, the bayonet was a vital component of the Doughboys’ combat equipment. It is difficult for many people today to understand the importance the U.S. military placed on “cold steel” during the Great War. Beyond the material components of a long blade fixed to the end of a battle rifle, the American concept of bayonet fighting was as much spiritual as it was physical. This feeling is described in the U.S. Bayonet Fighting Manual, prepared at…

Wing Group Showcases Integrated Maritime and Survival Systems at SOF Week 2026 The Wing Group is out in force at SOF Week in Tampa, with the Mustang Survival trailer located in the outdoor pavilion at booth 4313, Wing Inflatables on the pier at docks 26/27, and additional presence inside the convention hall alongside SOAL Marine and Kraka at booth 2500. Wing partner brands and products can also be found throughout the event across multiple exhibitor locations.  The portfolio spans combatant craft from Wing Inflatables—currently fielded by U.S. Army and Naval Special Warfare units—alongside aviation-grade life rafts from Patten, and flotation and technical apparel from…

H. Clay Aalders is a lifelong edged tool user. He spent the past 20 years as a woodworker and fishing guide in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Idaho, and Tennessee. While guiding in Idaho, Clay worked part-time writing for a local newspaper, and upon moving to Tennessee began writing for the blog The Truth About Knives – spending his last 5 years there as Managing Editor. His background is in fixed-blade hunting and bushcraft knives, but has jumped into the world of vintage slipjoint collecting with both feet since coming to work at Knife Magazine. Clay’s primary role is as Digital…

Beyond Clothing has introduced the Chosin Collection, a fourpiece L8 Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) system designed for operations in extreme cold environments where prolonged, stationary exposure makes heat retention crucial for survival. While the ECWCS 1-7 Layering System provides scalable protection across a broad range of conditions, it is not appropriate for sustained static exposure in the Arctic or High North Environments. The Chosin Collection was developed to fill that capability gap with additional insulation and protection for extended cold weather operations. Above: By Photo by Corporal Peter McDonald, USMC – [1] (originally uploaded to en.wiki by Raul654), Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index The…