Editorial Standards

We want you to be able to read Pack Your Tent and know exactly where the information came from — whether it's a trail we walked, a tent we slept in, or a spec sheet we pulled from a manufacturer.

Gear reviews

Every gear review is tagged as one of two things:

Tested. We (or a named contributor) have used the gear on a real trip. The review names the tester and includes conditions, duration and any failure modes we saw.
Research-based. We've analysed spec sheets, long-term owner reviews, teardown videos, and material data, but we have not used the product ourselves. We say this at the top of the page.

Ratings are on a 10-point scale weighted across build quality, fit-for-purpose, weight, durability, value, and customer-service track record. The scale is the same across categories; a 9/10 tent and a 9/10 headlamp have cleared the same bar.

Trail guides

Every trail page lists the source of its key data — distance, elevation, difficulty and season. Where we've walked it, you'll see a trip-report note with the date. Where we're citing park-agency or AllTrails data, we link to the source.

We don't use AI-generated photos and we don't restage photos from other sites. Hero images are either licensed (Unsplash, commissioned) or our own.

Use of AI

We use AI tools to help draft, summarise and edit — the same way most publications now use spell-check and grammar tools. Every piece is reviewed by a human editor before publication, and any factual claim about a trail or product is verified against a primary source. We do not publish AI-written content without human editing.

Corrections

If you spot a factual error — wrong distance, outdated permit rules, a discontinued product, anything — email [email protected]. We correct quickly, and for material changes we add a dated correction note at the bottom of the affected page.

Gear reviews

Trail guides

Use of AI

Corrections

Sponsored content and gifted gear