For brands
Get your gear field-tested on real hikes.
I'm Ray Kootstra, founder of HikeLoad. I test hiking gear the way it's meant to be used: on my own day hikes and multi-day trips, weighed on my own scale and photographed on the trail. Then I write an honest review, downsides included.
Request a reviewWhat you get
- An honest, in-depth review with my own photos, a score out of 10 and a clear verdict: who it's for and who should skip it.
- Real measurements. What your gear weighs on my scale, next to your spec and to similar gear.
- A "Field-tested" badge in HikeLoad's gear weight database (1,280 products), linking to the review.
- Links from my trail diaries for every hike your gear came along on.
- A long-term update after months of use, dated, in the same review.
- Permission to quote the review with a link to it. Want to use my photos? Just ask.
How it works
- Send me a short message: your brand, the product and why it suits hikers.
- If it fits my hikes, I'll say yes and send you my shipping address. I only take on gear I would actually use.
- I use it on real hikes before I write a word. That usually takes a few weeks, depending on the gear and the season.
- The review goes live and I send you the link.
Where I test
Trails I have walked myself, each with a trail diary.
- Geul South Limburg, Netherlands · 3 days
- Veluwe Zoom Veluwe, Netherlands · 3 days
- Pieterpad Netherlands · 6 days
- Veluwe Veluwe, Netherlands · 6 days
- Sörmlandsleden Södermanland, Sweden · 6 days
- Cape Wrath Trail Scotland
Gear I have reviewed
How I test gear
- On real hikes. Every item comes with me on my own day hikes and multi-day trips, the same trails you can read about in my trail diaries. I only write a review after I've used the gear properly, and I add dated updates as it ages.
- Weighed on my own scale. Each review shows what the gear weighs on my scale next to the brand's claim, and compares it with similar gear from HikeLoad's gear weight database.
- My own photos. Every photo in a review is mine: on the trail, packed, and up close.
My review policy
- Brands never see a review before it goes live, and they have no say in the verdict.
- No one pays for a review or a score. HikeLoad doesn't sell rankings or placements.
- The downsides always go in. If something annoyed me on the trail, you'll read about it.
- If a brand sent me the gear for free or on loan, I say so at the top of the review. Links to the brand are marked as sponsored.
- Some shop links are affiliate links: HikeLoad earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. That never decides what I write. Affiliate disclosure