There are a lot of gear reviews and they often reflect gear that has a specific niche.
Other times they are more like catalog entries than reviews.
Now for my rambling notes.
Starting with tents
Start with this (very honest) example: https://thetrek.co/rei-half-dome-2-tent-review/?ref=slider. This reviews the half dome by someone who uses it for their outfitting business.
The Half Dome 2 is great for short overnight trips and would be perfect for car camping.
That captures my thoughts too.
However, this review also illustrates the weaknesses or limits of reviews. The tent at issue is great for many purposes—just not for long hikes or much beyond short trips.
(Which is how most tents are used).
I can say that about its use because I own one. I’ve used it on section hikes. But it went into the gear closet until I set it aside for my car camping daughter.
Now, rain jacket reviews
For comparison I give you the next review.
It is https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/best-rain-jacket. “Best” meaning “you pick a category and we have an affiliate marketing link.”
For example, I’m pretty unconstrained by budgets. I even own an Arc’tryx. So does my wife. We even sometimes wear them around town and have worn them on trail. Would I use one for backpacking now—no. They are too heavy.
Not surprisingly, none of the jackets in the review are ones I would recommend to a thru-hiker.
In case you wondered what people hiking the Appalachian Trail actually use—actual current use numbers for a trail with a lot of rain. (What gets used changes over time, 2018 choices aren’t the same as 2024).
Just for comparison, another review:
https://www.switchbacktravel.com/best-rain-jackets—this one at least includes the Visp. You can also see what it doesn’t include.
Compare those reviews to one with analysis
Now this is the type of review you used to be able to find (quoting from years past at that same source):
Quoting from:
https://sectionhiker.com/secti…
Top 10 Backpacking Rain Jackets
The most popular rain jacket purchased by the backpackers we surveyed is the Marmot Precip Jacket, perhaps the best known waterproof/breathable outdoor recreation jacket ever made. An astonishing 28.8% of our survey respondents own this rain jacket, far more than any other, as shown in the table below.
Rain JacketBrand%tage of hikers using
This jacket.PriceSatisfaction 1-5Marmot Precip Jacket28.8100.004.07Frogg Toggs UL Suit13.224.994.10Outdoor Research Helium II8.14159.004.04Patagonia Torrentshell2.7129.003.44The North Face Venture2.499.003.60Marmot Essence2.4199.953.43Columbia Watertight II1.490.004.00Mountain Hardwear Plasmic1.4139.953.80Columbia Pournation1.490.003.75Lightheart Gear Rain Jacket1.499.004.00What do these results tell us?
…
First, slightly over 50% of our survey respondents purchased one of three rain jackets: the Marmot Precip, the Frogg Toggs UL Rain Suit, or the Outdoor Research Helium II rain jacket. Knowing backpackers, it’s incredible that so many would share such a strong consensus about these three items.
Second, none of the top 10 rain jackets are made with a Gore-tex or eVent waterproof/breathable membrane. It would seem that having a Gore-tex or eVent membrane is unimportant to most backpackers when purchasing a rain jacket. That’s an eye opener.
Third, the backpackers who own these jackets are fairly satisfied with them (on a scale of 1-5, where 5 is the highest level of satisfaction,) but most of the ratings fall between 3 and 4, not approaching a 5. If you were reading customer reviews on an online retailer’s web site, I doubt these ratings would have a big impact on your decision-making for or against a product. This tells me that cost is probably the most important criteria behind the purchase decision to buy one of these jackets, not performance or features. We see further evidence of this below.
You go to that link now and all the satisfaction and such data is gone. Just recommendations and links to buy.
Or backpacks
As for backpacks, you can Google reviews.
Then go to Halfway Anywhere.
CDT hikers tend to have a lot of experience. While they lag a little behind on trends (since they are often using gear they bought a year or two ago for other hikes) they reflect knowledgeable and experienced hikers.
Not surprisingly, their choices somehow do not match reviewers.
So many packs in the reviews aren’t even used by a single backpacker.
Bottom line
Hikers, especially on the Appalachian Trail, may not always be the best source of reviews and suggestions.
That is because sse often reflects popularity, especially for people on their first long trail.
However, what people are using will tell you if gear is sufficient, since the statistics are mostly for finishers. It will also tell you how real hikers responded to reviews.
Then you get to trails that are generally hiked by people who have completed more than one prior trail. Their use will also give you an idea of what successful and repeat hikers as a group have decided on and use.
The wisdom of crowds is not always right, but it is definitely worth considering. You can also use the surveys to reality check reviewers.
For surveys start with https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/trails/continental-divide-trail/cdt-gear-guide-2024/
It is also useful look at past years to compare shifts over time. Looking at changes from 2019 to 2024 can often tell you something.
It will also let you appreciate reviews by a serious hiker like P Mags. https://pmags.com/topics/gear
It can also give you some perspective on my recommendations and gear choices. Wish you luck.