Ben grew up in Portland, Oregon, where he learned to love adventure. After spending time in Massachusetts for college, a semester abroad in Nepal, and a summer leading outdoor trips in Colorado, he now resides in Southern California. Now, with a full time office job, he feels the need to spend all his free time outdoors. Whether he spends it climbing, surfing, hiking, backpacking, or just playing Spikeball on the beach, you can bet that he's being active somewhere. Fun facts about Ben: he spent 8 years playing the tuba and grew up with pet goats!
Author Profile
Ben Skach
Ben Skach
Review Editor
Showing 1-6 of 6 by Ben Skach
Best Budget Backpacking Pack of 2023
We know not everyone wants to pay for a top-tier backpack, so we've ranked some of the best budget backpacks on the...
Best Buy
Teton Sports Scout 3400 Review
Available for a fraction of the price of other packs that we reviewed, the Teton Sports Scout 3400 is a very cheap...
Gregory Stout 65 Review
This is a simple pack in the best way possible. There's nothing amazing about it, but we like most of the features and...
How to Choose a Budget Backpacking Pack
Cost is often a barrier to entry for backpacking, and that starts with the pack. In this article, we will walk you...
Top Pick
REI Co-op Ruckpack 65 Review
Built half for travel, half for Backpacking, the REI Co-op Ruckpack 65 serves both purposes well. Although it's a...
Montem Ultra Strong Review
The Ultra Strong poles are a versatile pole with unbeatable value. They had the second lowest price of poles in this...Ad-free. Influence-free. Powered by Testing.
GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison.
Learn More