About The Equipment Guide

Feet Out Of Tent

Why we do it:

Ever been online looking at equipment reviews only to realise they are for the American market or clickbait? Here at The Equipment Guide we write reviews for the UK with the goal of providing a genuine personal assessment of the best products on the market right here at home.

Our mission is simple: To create the UK’s best outdoor gear reviews.

We aim to create reviews that help you select the right products for your budget and needs. We hope to ensure you never again buy a dud product.

How we do it:

  1. We spend hours researching the market.

  2. We select the top products across different price ranges and categories that we think will be the best.

  3. We buy, borrow or view all products in person ourselves. We do not accept free products from manufacturers.

  4. We field test key products and write reviews in a methodical and careful manner to assess them on the key features.

  5. We add all the results to our website so you can make an informed judgment and add awards where warranted.

The Equipment Guide is reader supported. On the individual product reviews some of our check price links help us earn money if you buy from that retailer. Please help us keep The Equipment Guide going by using those links if you decide you would like to purchase something. We will still recommend products even if we can’t find a retailer to partner with on it.

Our Process:

Once we have field tested the equipment we develop a set of metrics we best think describes the key qualities to look for and that will highlight the differences most clearly. We then test them side by side, putting them through their paces though real usage. Once we have a good understanding of the key features we look at other products in store to assess them in detail. Ratings are out of 100, 50 points are awarded just for making our shortlist for review.

Our Testers:

Our testers all have years of experience either in the retail sector or as outdoor guides, bringing a wealth of knowledge to understanding things like which materials are better, more durable or lightweight. For most of us questions like: aluminium or fibreglass poles, 40D or 210T Polyester, PVC or Vinyl, craftsmanship or budget can be a bit daunting. Through years of experience we know what to look out for and would love to help you navigate the market.

Disclaimer: While this outlines our typical processes and procedures, from time to time depending on our product experiences in a certain category we may sometimes deviate from this. For instance we may already have the pre-existing knowledge or expertise to complete a review of some products without purchasing them new or we may be able to rent the product. All reviews are opinions only. Testing situations may differ from your intended use of the products and if so, products may perform differently to how they are described in our reviews.