About Trail Tested South
Written by a hiker.
Not a content team.
Trail Tested South exists because most gear review sites are written by people who've never touched the gear they're reviewing. We fix that.
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The Story
Why this site exists.
“I spent three weeks on the AT in 2019 making gear mistakes that this site would have prevented.”
It started with a pair of boots I bought after reading a review written by someone who clearly hadn't hiked a muddy mile in them. By day three in Virginia, my feet knew the truth. The reviewer didn't.
Trail Tested South exists to be the resource I needed but couldn't find — gear reviews written by someone who's actually hiked these trails, in these conditions, with this gear. Not lab tests. Not PR samples reviewed over a weekend in a parking lot. Real miles.
Every review on this site is written from personal experience on named Appalachian trails. If we haven't tested it on a real trail, we don't review it. If we haven't hiked that trail, we don't write the gear guide. It's that simple.
Our Rule
“If we haven't carried it on a real AT or Smoky Mountain trail, it doesn't appear on this site. Period.”
The Methodology
How we actually test gear.
Not lab conditions. Not a manufacturer's test protocol. Real conditions on real trails.
Tested on named trails
Every item gets tested on a specific trail, in real conditions. We record the trail name, weather, mileage, and date — then write from that experience. You'll see the trail name on every review.
Multiple weather conditions
We test boots in rain, jackets in wind, sleeping gear in cold. A jacket that performs on a sunny day tells you nothing. We deliberately hike in conditions that stress the gear.
Minimum miles before publishing
We have a minimum mileage standard before publishing. Boots need 50+ miles. Packs need a full overnight. Jackets need a full weather event. The miles-tested badge on every review card is real.
No paid placements, ever
We never accept payment to feature or recommend a product. Gear companies can send us items to test — we accept that — but they have zero editorial control. A bad product gets a bad review, full stop.
Recent test locations
By the Numbers
The work behind the reviews.
Miles hiked on AT corridor
VA, TN, NC, GA sections
Trail gear guides published
More added every month
Gear items personally tested
On real trails, real conditions
Years hiking the AT
Section hiker since 2019
Paid placements or sponsored rankings
Editorial independence, always
Average tested item rating
We test good gear — and say when it's not
Where We've Tested
The trails behind every review.
We don't review gear we haven't carried. Here are the trails that inform every word we write.
Editorial Stance
How we think about gear.
“The best gear is the gear that disappears — that you stop thinking about after the first mile.”
We rate honestly, including the bad.
A review where everything gets 4.5 stars is useless. We include what failed, what rubbed, what leaked. If a boot has a known break-in problem, we say so. If a jacket's zipper is poorly designed, it's in the review. Our average rating is 4.7 — not because we only pick winners, but because we don't review gear we wouldn't consider buying ourselves.
Budget options get equal attention.
We review gear across all price points. The $95 Merrell gets the same test protocol as the $350 Salomon. Sometimes the budget option wins. When it does, we say so clearly — even when it means a lower affiliate commission.
We update reviews when gear changes.
Manufacturers change materials, construction, and sizing without announcement. A review written in 2022 may not reflect the boot you'll receive in 2025. Every review shows its last-tested date. When we spot a material change, we re-test and update — or we flag it prominently.
How we make money. All of it.
Trail Tested South uses affiliate links. When you click a link to Amazon, REI, Backcountry, or another retailer and make a purchase, we earn a small commission — typically 3–8% of the sale price. You pay exactly the same price either way.
This commission is how the site funds itself — covering gear purchases for testing, hosting, and the time it takes to write reviews this thoroughly. Without it, the site wouldn't exist.
What it does NOT mean: we do not accept payment to feature products, rank items higher, or write favorable reviews. We have declined sponsorship deals from major outdoor brands to protect our editorial independence. A product we wouldn't use ourselves will not appear as a recommendation on this site.
Gear companies can send us products to test. They cannot influence what we write.
We always disclose affiliate links. If a link earns us commission, you'll know.
This disclosure complies with FTC guidelines for affiliate marketing. Last updated January 2025.
Get in Touch
Say hello.
Trail questions, gear questions, corrections, or just a trip report from the AT — all welcome.
🥾 Gear question or review request
Ask about specific gear for a specific trail. We answer everything.
📍 Trail addition request
We don't have every trail yet. Suggest one and we'll prioritize it.
🔧 Correction or update
Spotted something outdated or wrong? We genuinely want to know.
📦 Send us gear to test
Brands can submit gear for testing. Read our editorial policy above first.
Enough about us.
The gear reviews are what matter. Go find what you need for your next trail.
200+ items tested · 47 trail guides · Updated monthly