The Best Outdoors and Fitness Features of 2018

Throughout the year, our outdoors and fitness team worked tirelessly to surface stories on some of the most important makers in the outdoor space, trends that are driving the industry and behind the scenes looks at some of your favorite brands. These stories are the peak of what we do at Gear Patrol. The stories below represent some of the best writing we published in 2018, and are worth a read on a quiet afternoon.

Ditch the Protein Powders and Enhance Your Training Regimen with Beet Pigment Instead

Professional soccer teams and record-holding marathon runners eat them. But does that mean you should?

Inside the Black Roses: NYC’s Fastest and Most Elusive Run Club

We ran with them to learn all the must-know details before joining.

Is Denim a Good Material for Outdoor Gear?

Big outdoor brands like Patagonia and Mountain Hardwear are getting into denim. Why? Is denim suitable for use in the outdoors?

This Is Where Some of America’s Best Hiking Boots Are Made

In the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Peter Limmer makes the most sought-after custom leather hiking boot in the world.

Inside the Mill Producing the World’s Toughest Sock

In a small town in central Vermont, Darn Tough, its team of loyal employees and a fleet of modified Italian knitting machines work around the clock to produce one of the best socks available.

Travis Hallmark

Behind the Scenes of Yeti’s Top Secret Innovation Center

For Yeti to stay ahead, it had to invest in its own future. Now backed by a 20,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art prototyping facility, the cooler giant is expanding its product lineup and reaching new audiences.

Inside the World’s Best Hiking Boot Repair Shop

When it comes to repairing and resoling hiking boots, Dave Page is the best in the business.

How Best Made Co. Became More Than an Axe Company

Peter Buchanan-Smith founded Best Made Co. with one product: an axe with a painted handle. Now the company is a lifestyle brand with a devout following.

The Complete Guide to Cyclocross, Your New Favorite Spectator Sport

Cyclocross is everything bike racing should be.

This Small Brand Is Making the Most Important Clothing in Running

Satisfy, a small brand born from fashion, is running’s new kid on the block.

This Retired Roboticist Used to Design Lunar Rovers. Now He Makes Beautiful Handmade Skis

Before moving to Jackson, Wyoming to build custom handmade skis in a dusty workshop, Mike Parris was a robotics engineer who helped develop Mars and lunar rovers.

Lifestyle Gear Is Changing the Outdoors, but Is It a Good Thing?

For the longest time, outdoor gear companies built products designed to summit Everest and get to the South Pole. Now, a new generation of companies is building less-technical gear to use at home and in…

This Year in Gear

Just like that, 2018 has come and gone. Take a look back at the best of what the past 365 days had to offer in This Year in Gear

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