David Austin Photography Blog: The Making of Gear of the Year

Gear is the lifeblood of the 50 Campfires office. There is seldom a week that goes by during which we’re not unboxing the latest and greatest something. We’re blessed with the fairly unique opportunity of demo’ing, testing, and abusing some of the best outdoor gear on the planet for a living – and it’s a job we take pretty seriously.

We’ve come to one of my favorite times of the year. It’s when we unveil our selections for the 50 Campfires : Gear of the Year Awards.

To be honest, I couldn’t be more excited. The following pages showcase what’s become our favorite go-to gear from the past year. Each product has followed us into the woods, onto the water – or across the country to help us appreciate our adventures in unique and stand-apart ways.

Reclaimed lumber, hand craftsmanship, devoted personal attention – an award worthy of the honor.

Even more exciting, is the physical awards that we’re sending to each of the winning companies. I personally took a trip to Central Minnesota this past fall, to source reclaimed wood from a barn that was being leveled. I spent weeks with the wood: cleaning, drying, sanding, clear coating to make what I believe is the most unique trophy that we’ve ever come up with. Each award is truly individual – much like the gear that receives it.

I hope that you enjoy checking out our selections this year – and even get a chance to try many of them yourself. In our estimation, the gear that follows … is the GOOD STUFF!

Now, the mission starts again. We start searching and testing next year’s winners.

To all the manufacturers – congratulations.

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