Gear is everywhere and it is hard to know what is “good gear” and what is “bad gear”. So, the editors at The Adventure Travel Network have teamed up to create a space highlighting the best gear we personally tested and liked each week. Without further adieu, we give you the best gear we tested this week:

Week Dec. 30th, 2024

Sonos Ace

The Sonos Ace headphones have quickly become an essential part of my daily life. Over the past three weeks, they’ve seamlessly transitioned between my writing sessions, workouts, and long flights. Beyond their superior audio quality, they’ve become a surprising companion for outdoor activities in snowy weather, doubling as ear warmers during chilly morning driveway shoveling or dog walks. It’s rare to find headphones that adapt so well to every facet of life, and the Sonos Ace has truly excelled in this regard. The only notable limitation is that they are not designed for endurance adventures like ski tours or running.

One of the standout features is the impressive battery life. These headphones endured a grueling 36-hour journey from Egypt to California with ease, still retaining 25% battery at the end. This reliability is invaluable for travel or long workdays when charging opportunities might be limited. Coupled with their comfortable design and durable build, the Sonos Ace effortlessly meets the demands of both everyday use and more strenuous activities.

My personal favorite realization with the Sonos Ace is that they’ve rekindled my love for music. The immersive sound quality encourages me to carve out moments just to listen—whether lying on the couch and savoring an album or rediscovering tracks I’d forgotten I loved.

Solo Stove Ranger

We have been driving around with the Solo Stove Ranger in the back of our converted Dodge 2500 Promaster for two years now and use it every chance we get. The Rangers is the smallest of the Solo Stoves making it the most portable. In other words, this was made for vanlife. Thus far, our favorite trip with the Ranger Solo Stove has been to Sedona, AZ where we camped in the free dispersed camping areas surrounding Sedona. During the day we went for rad adventures like UTV rides, helicopter rides, mountain biking, hiking to caves, and swimming in the river. That trip was a dream come true, but the cherry on top was returning to our campsite each night to have a campfire with the Ranger Solo Stove.

One of the most prominent memories from that trip was waking up and feeling dog tired. We had hiked in a rain storm the day before and were drenched to the bone, so we wanted to have a slow morning and a big breakfast. With the Ranger Solo Stove already set up, we put the cook top on it and started to boil water for coffee, fry some eggs, cook some sausage, and make some pancakes. That was a morning I don’t think I’ll ever forget! You can read about that stellar morning in this article.

Week of Dec. 23rd, 2024

Nike acg torre Mids

I’m not a sneaker geek, so when I say I had never heard of Nike’s ACG line, please don’t shoot me. For those of you like me, ACG means All Condition Gear and is an older line of shoes that flies under the radar, but are designed for heavy outdoor use. When the Nike ACG Torre Mids came into my life, I was uncertain at first. Their weight, the suede sides, and the fact that I had never heard of these really made me think twice before taking them outside for a hike. However, I bucked up and took these boots on a backpacking trip traversing Lake Tahoe’s Desolation Wilderness.

For two nights and three days, covering more than 30 miles with a heavy pack on my back, I explored the granite landscape.

I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of these shoes!

My feet never hurt. I didn’t get any blisters. The NIke ACG Torre Mids didn’t breakdown, but the suede did get a bit messed up. Also, the high ankle support saved me a few times while on the rock sections of the trail. Long story short, these boots passed my test and I would use them again for day hikes and shorted backpacking trips where weight doesn’t matter.

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Our standards for testing and reviewing at The Adventure Travel Network:

Here at The Adventure Travel Network we have a dedicated group of testers who are required to live the experiences and adventures to be allowed to recommend them. Our recommendations are not sponsored, unless noted, and speak from the heart about every experience and piece of gear. Our aim is to share both the good and the bad so you understand how the gear performs if you decide to buy it. The only exception to this rule is if it is a news story, but then the writer will interview the person who used the gear.

If you have any questions or comments about the products or reviews, you can write us at editors@the-adventure-travel-network.com