The 4 Best Skate Shoes of 2024 | Tested & Rated - GearLab
Dec 9, 2024 · Many skate shoes include heel protection to help avoid heel bruising and provide shock absorption for drops and landings. Another nice feature to look for is toe caps, which can improve the longevity of your shoes. Flip tricks can cause your shoes to take a beating, so having extra protection in high-use areas helps extend the shoe lifespan.
Paddling Gear Reviews - GearLab
If you need it on a river—or a lake—chances are we've reviewed it. Every year we buy hundreds of new items, then rate them to provide you with reviews of kayaks, top SUP boards, our favorite inflatable SUP boards and more.
The 7 Best Flat Pedals for Mountain Biking | Tested - GearLab
Oct 30, 2024 · The Waveform's 11 bottom load traction pins provide exceptional grip with various shoes, which helps keep your feet locked in on both the climb and the descent. The Waveform is made in two sizes, small and large, so you can dial in the right size for your foot.
The 7 Best Barefoot Shoes for Men | Tested & Rated - GearLab
Nov 7, 2024 · Shoes with a narrower toe box received a lower score in this category. One test that we performed was standing on one foot to balance. As you might guess, the narrower the toe box, the less balance we had. Shoes like the Xero HFS II, and the Xero Prio have a hybrid toe box that is wider than conventional, yet not as wide as we like.
The 8 Best Running Shoes of 2025 | Tested & Rated - GearLab
Nov 3, 2024 · Typical road shoes average around a 5 mm - 10 mm drop, and you can find shoes with a great or smaller drop that will be better for you depending on your running style and preferences. Higher drop measurements may be better for heel strikers, shifting impact force from feet/ankles to the knees/hips.
The 4 Best SUP Paddles of 2024 | Tested & Rated - GearLab
Nov 14, 2024 · For other essential gear to get out on the water, check out our write-ups on water shoes and life jackets. Editor's Note: Our SUP paddle review was updated on November 14, 2024, to include more recommendations in our award section.
The 9 Best Barefoot Shoes of 2025 | Tested & Rated - GearLab
Nov 8, 2024 · Then we took the shoes or a spin, walking and running on various surfaces and noting how they performed along the way. We took casual strolls and at-pace runs on various terrain. Being barefoot shoes, we noted how well we could feel the ground under our feet, whether it be twigs, rocks, or concrete. Our tests were divided into 5 key metrics:
The 10 Best Hiking Shoes of 2025 | Tested & Rated - GearLab
Nov 1, 2024 · The shoes weigh 1.99 pounds for a size 11, which is about average for our men's lineup. We don't necessarily think the weight of these shoes is a downside, considering the high-quality materials they are made from and the support that they provide.
The 7 Best Climbing Shoes for Women of 2024 | Tested - GearLab
Nov 12, 2024 · After many days of research, field tests, and analysis of female-specific climbing shoes, we've granted awards to the shoes that are the best in their class and often surpassed our expectations. However, our review comes with an obvious caveat: climbing shoe fit and performance is subjective; what fits one woman like it was custom-made might ...
The 5 Best Bouldering Crash Pads of 2024 | Tested - GearLab
Nov 19, 2024 · While you generally only need to bring shoes, chalk, and some water to go bouldering, if you're going to be hanging out for a while, it can be nice to pack some extra niceties. The pad that hauled the bulkiest, heaviest loads best is the Kinetik Newton 4.0. Its unique flap closure system lets you stuff it to the brim without anything falling out.