It’s time to look back on 2024 in gear, one of the GearJunkie edit team’s favorite assignments. In the last 12 months, we tested hundreds of products selected from thousands of launches, pitches, and cold-call emails.
As with every Gear of the Year roundup, some wonderful products had to be left out to winnow everything down to 10 winners. There was plenty of deserving gear, but this list represents the most innovative and forward-looking products our editors got their hands on.
That includes all the outdoor sports we cover, from hunting and fishing to hiking and climbing. We even make time for gear aimed at airline travel, skiing, and much more.
Everything on this list hit consumer shelves this calendar year, and it’s all available to purchase right now. If you are looking for any last-minute presents or post-holiday gifts, be sure to check out our list of Gift Guides, where you will find some of our editors’ favorite gear from any year!
Enjoy the list, and we’ll see you again in 2025!
Garmin inReach Messenger Plus
The Garmin inReach Messenger Plus earns a well-deserved spot on our gear of the year list by taking the concept of “off the grid” and flipping it into “off the grid, but always connected.” Imagine sending a picture of your campfire masterpiece or a 1,600-character text about how much you miss Wi-Fi — all from the middle of nowhere.
This device’s ability to send images and voice messages over the Iridium satellite network adds a touch of civilization to even the most rugged wilderness adventures. It’s a huge step up from the tried-and-true (160-character-max) inReach Messenger we know and love.
But it’s not just about showing off your sunset shots. The inReach Messenger Plus is built like the multitool of communication devices. With up to 600 hours of battery life in low-power mode, IPX7 water resistance, and a dedicated SOS button for when adventure turns into misadventure, it’s got your back.
Whether you’re summiting peaks, paddling through rapids, sending an image of your exact location to emergency services, or just trying to impress friends with your epic outback storytelling, this is the gadget that says, “I’m here for the journey, but also appreciate the safety net.”
Coast RL35R Headlamp
You can talk to this headlamp. Yes, you read that right. The Coast RL35R is the first headlamp that you can control with your voice. And yes, it really works.
We tested the Coast RL35R and found its voice-control features to be remarkably functional. By giving this headlamp voice commands, users can turn it on and off, adjust the color, change from spot to flood light, and vary the light intensity.
It’s both intuitive and easy to use. So, it could be hugely impactful for people who heavy gloves, need to keep both hands occupied, or cannot use their hands to adjust a headlamp for any reason. Beyond that wild new capability, this is just a solid $80 headlamp with 1,100-lumen peak output and up to 80 hours runtime.
Phaenom FS01 Ski Boots
New ski boot brands are rare. So when a startup comes to market with a compelling and unique design, it raises eyebrows. Fortunately for phaenom, its first entry into the complicated world of ski boots really performs.
The phaenom FS01 120 is a hybrid of a cabriolet and an overlap design. It has two large buckles and very big rubber power strap. Unlike other ski boots, phaenom intends users to remove the lace-up liners, putting them on first, and then sliding the whole package into the shells.
The liners even have a modest outsole for wearing around ski lodges and base areas. That alone is pretty unique.
But how do they ski? We put them to some brief tests in spring 2023 and liked them. These are a solid entry by a new boot brand, and they’ll shift the playing field for moderate or advanced skiers looking for in-bounds performance boots. These hit the North American market in fall 2024 and add a new design vision to the ski boot market.
Osprey Archeon Carry-On Kit
The Osprey Archeon Carry-On Kit — a combination of backpacks and customizable travel pack accessories — surprised us for two reasons: Its deft ability to “hack carry-on rules” and the fact that readers made it one of the most-read reviews on GearJunkie all year. Wow!
But it’s plain to see why. Osprey’s Archeon is a veritable Voltron outfit designed to organize and carry as many travel necessities as possible without running afoul of carry-on rules at the airport. The kit centers around a carry-on backpack of your choosing (24, 30, or 40 L), complemented by a variety of extras: Pouch, Sling, Laptop Case, and our personal favorite, Chest Rig.
When deployed as a full unit, we found the setup made TSA checkpoints a little easier. It also makes carry-on limitations a little more forgiving. What’s more, after deplaning, the Archeon options make for terrific daily carry travel options that are both secure and convenient.
Rocky Talkie 5-Watt Radio
There is a reason this radio was named Best GRMS Radio on our guide to the Best Walkie Talkies. GearJunkie’s climbing editor, hunting editor, and ski editor all used the 5-Watt radio for different activities, from hunting elk in the Colorado Rockies to backcountry skiing in Grand Teton National Park and ice climbing deep in Alaska’s backcountry wilderness. These radios excelled for all of us.
They have a built-in 7.5cm antenna, which allows for a maximum range of 35 miles, according to the brand. The rechargeable battery can last 5 full days, even in cold conditions. If used infrequently and in warmer conditions, that battery lasts even longer.
This powerful little communication device also accesses 11 different weather channels and NOAA weather alerts. It has a General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) designation that unlocks eight repeater channels that can relay and extend your transmission range significantly. (Just make sure you get the required FCC license to operate a 5W GRMS radio, as there’s a $10,000 FCC fine for transmitting a GRMS radio signal without one.)
In our testing, the Rocky Talkie 5-Watt Radio also proved it can take a beating. It has IP67 waterproofing standards, as well as a shatterproof LED screen.
“The radios were treated astonishingly roughly in consistently below-freezing conditions, [without breaking]. Over the decades, I’ve destroyed many sets of cheaper, big-brand FRS radios, and I’m never going back,” Seiji Ishii, GearJunkie’s product tester, said. “These radios were gladiators against poor treatment and environments.”
Shop 5 Watt Radio at Rocky Talkie
Edelrid Pinch
The 30-year reign of the Petzl GRIGRI as the de facto belay device may be at an end. GearJunkie’s climbing editor anointed the Edelrid Pinch his “new go-to belay device.”
Though similar in many respects to the wildly popular GRIGRI, the Edelrid Pinch offered up some key advantages. It’s considerably shorter, it connects directly to your harness belay loop, and the anti-panic function can be disabled.
In testing, the Edelrid Pinch showed off even more convenience and safety. It greatly reduced the “brake hand shenanigans” required by the GRIGRI, offers ambidextrous operation, and helps prevent rope twisting and tangling. Overall, the Pinch levels up the ease and safety climbers need without reinventing the wheel.
Fenix LD45R Flashlight
Zooming flashlights are nothing new. But digital zooming flashlights are a whole new category of lighting. And with the LD45R, Fenix gives us the first small, EDC-style zooming flashlight that uses digital dispersion to adjust the beam.
Why does this matter? Because, while zooming flashlights are super for allowing versatile beam patterns, they historically have relied on moving lenses and bezels to change the beam pattern. This makes it very difficult to water and dust-seal the lights, so few high-end manufacturers make many zooming lights.
With digital zoom, there are no moving parts! Instead, a digital projection adjusts the beam pattern, resulting in a fully sealed light. Yes, other brands have made a couple of these before. But none were small, affordable lights aimed at everyday use.
The Fenix LD45R hits the market at $160 with an ideal 1,000-lumen high range (and turbo up to 2,800 lumens). It redefines what flashlights can accomplish with digital zoom.
Graphene-X Aerograph Puffer Jacket
Of all the gear on this list, the Aerograph Puffer from Graphene-X is the only item GearJunkie has not tested. And not for nothing, we had to fly to Germany just to see it up close!
GearJunkie’s editor-in-chief attended Europe’s ISPO trade show (think Outdoor Retailer, but much bigger) to catch some of the gear and tech the U.S. hasn’t seen. Graphene-X is a Hong-Kong-based brand some might know from Kickstarter campaigns, but don’t let its crowdfunding hustle fool you: Graphene-X has some cutting-edge outdoor technology that rivals the big brands.
This fall, Graphene-X unveiled the Aerograph Puffer jacket, the latest and most robust piece to carry the brand’s proprietary WAI, or weather-adaptive insulation. This novel spin on aerogel insulation is effectively a series of tubes that are flattened inside the jacket’s baffles at warmer temps (think of smashing a paper towel tube flat). As temps cool, the molecules constrict that material so that the tubes open, creating an added insulating air barrier.
But that’s not all. This WAI aerogel membrane sits inside another Graphene-X innovation (and its namesake): a synthetic insulation fill that’s infused with Graphene-X. Dubbed “GRAPHTHERMAL,” this high-tech insulation adds both water resistance and thermal conductivity.
According to the brand, this allows the Aerograph puffer to keep the wearer comfortable across a vast temperature range, from as warm as 68 degrees Fahrenheit down to a frigid -4.
Shop Aerograph Puffer at Graphene-X
Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft Sleeping Pad
Packing a warm, comfortable sleeping pad on the trail typically means packing some extra weight. The Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft sleeping pad offers the best sleeping pads of both worlds, though. It’s very light, extremely packable, slightly stretchy, and has an R-value of 4.7 — making it a solid all-season sleeping pad. It rivals the comfort of almost any car camping pad.
When inflated, the NeoLoft offers 4.6 inches of plush, soft-to-the-touch loft. Therm-a-Rest’s 3D construction allowed it to attach the vertical sidewalls directly to the top and bottom fabric, eliminating tapered edges and adding 20% more surface area than non-3D pads.
The material’s stretchy properties also help it conform to the shape of your body, minimizing pressure points when you’re lying down. And, side rail baffles built into the mat itself are supposed to cradle you and help keep you situated while you snooze — even if you roll around.
The real draw of this sleeping pad, though, is its size and weight. The NeoLift Sleeping Pad is just 1.9 pounds, and it rolls down to slightly larger than a 32-ounce water bottle. It’s easy to pack on a backpacking trip and a pleasure to fall asleep on in the comfort of your tent. While reviewing this sleeping pad, our tester concluded, “The Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft is the total package sleeping pad I’ve been waiting for.”
X-Bionic TerraSkin X00/C Trail Running Shoe
The X-Bionic TerraSkin X00/C are the wildest trail running shoes released in 2024. A small run hit the U.S. market and immediately sold out, fueling a buzz about this freshman shoe release from a brand known for its socks, base layers, and apparel.
What makes the X-Bionic TerraSkin X00/C so exciting is its unique approach to shoe design. The brand started with the socks first, and built the shoe out from there. The highly engineered sock locks the foot into the shoe well, with minimal rolling or play.
Then, a secure upper marries the foot to a firm yet responsive midsole guided by what the brand calls a Speed Frame. The result is a well-cushioned shoe that won’t roll off rocks, even with its relatively pliable outsole.
All this comes with the goal of building a shoe for very fast descents and technical trails. GearJunkie has a pair in testing now and (spoiler alert) these are some really fun shoes. Expect a full review soon!
