Hi, I’m Serge – the person behind Gear & Home.
I started this site for a simple reason: buying outdoor gear is confusing. Every brand claims to be the lightest, the warmest, and the most durable. Review sites often copy each other’s lists, and half the “buying guides” out there clearly haven’t looked past a product’s sales page. Meanwhile, real answers are buried across thousands of owner reviews, spec sheets, and forum threads.
Gear & Home exists to do that digging for you.
What we actually do
We don’t pretend to run a testing lab. Here’s how our recommendations are made instead:
- We aggregate real owner feedback. For every guide, we read through hundreds of verified buyer reviews across multiple retailers, looking for patterns – what breaks, what lasts, what surprises people after six months of use.
- We compare manufacturer specs side by side – weight, materials, temperature and load ratings – and flag where marketing numbers don’t match real-world reports.
- We listen to experienced hikers and campers in communities like r/Ultralight and r/CampingGear, where people are brutally honest about their gear.
- Where we own the gear ourselves, we say so directly. Personal experience is clearly labeled as such – and if we haven’t used something, we won’t claim we have.
You can read the full breakdown of our process on the How We Pick Gear page.
A bit about me
I’m not a professional athlete or a thru-hiking legend. I’m a regular camper who got tired of wasting money on gear that didn’t live up to the hype, and decided to research properly before every purchase. This site is that research, published.
How this site makes money
Gear & Home is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission – at no extra cost to you. That’s the entire business model: no sponsored reviews, no paid placements, and brands can’t buy a spot in our guides. Full details are on our Affiliate Disclosure page.
Get in touch
Spotted an error? Disagree with a pick? Have a product suggestion? Email me at info@gearandhome.com – I read everything and correct mistakes quickly.
