The world's most in-depth and scientific reviews of outdoor gear

Author Profile

RJ Spurrier

RJ Spurrier

Senior Review Editor

Randy "RJ" Spurrier is a father of two, and an avid outdoor enthusiast. He is the co-founder of both OutdoorGearLab and rock climbing guidebook publisher, SuperTopo. RJ's hobbies include hiking, climbing, and mountain biking. In the category of climbing, RJ considers himself a kindred spirit to poseur climbers and wannabes everywhere, people like him who seek out climbs with great views, heroic photo opportunities, easy climbing, great pro and a one-move crux. RJ has a Bachelor's degree in robotics from UC Berkeley.

Showing 1-30 of 41 by RJ Spurrier

The Hunt for the Best Headlamps

Lighting May 28, 2018

The Hunt for the Best Headlamps

Need a headlamp? Our comprehensive review is here to help. We researched over 50 models before subjecting the best 27...

How to Choose the Best Headlamp

Headlamps May 28, 2018

How to Choose the Best Headlamp

How do you determine the right headlamp for you? After putting 27 top headlamps through a detailed side-by-side review...

How to Layer Clothing for Each Season

Backpacking Mar 15, 2017

How to Layer Clothing for Each Season

Layering Systems In the last part of our three-part series on layering clothing we explain how to layer for winter...

The Best Bike Light Review

Lighting Jun 18, 2014

The Best Bike Light Review

What's the best bike light? We combined extensive laboratory testing with a year of field testing in four U.S. cities...

Vitchelo V800

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Vitchelo V800

A light that stacks up poorly to the competition. Below average performance. Not recommended.

Black Diamond Spot

Editors' Choice

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Black Diamond Spot

Winner of our Editors' Choice award and one of our favorite lights for general purpose use. Excellent performance at a...

Black Diamond Storm

Editors' Choice

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Black Diamond Storm

The Black Diamond Storm is a robust and full featured headlamp that offers a bright beam, a fully waterproof...

Petzl e+LITE

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Petzl e+LITE

This micro headlamp, the size of a small stack of quarters, is the lightest headlamp we know of and by a large margin...

Black Diamond ReVolt

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Black Diamond ReVolt

The ReVolt wins our Top Pick award as the best rechargeable headlamp for travel, and an overall excellent product. It...

Zebralight H600w Mk IV

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Zebralight H600w Mk IV

With a bright wide beam, amazing battery life, and a durable design the Zebralight offers top performance that does...

Yalumi LED 140-Lumen

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Yalumi LED 140-Lumen

A quality light offering better than average performance at a good price.

Black Diamond Iota

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Black Diamond Iota

A good-enough solution for runners that sells for half the price of the much better BD Sprinter.

Petzl Tikka

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Petzl Tikka

A quality-built and easy to use light that will serve well for many years. But, the Petzl Tikkina offers slightly...

Black Diamond Ion

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Black Diamond Ion

The first version of the Black Diamond Ion was the first micro headlamp we ever used. At the time, it was hard to...

Petzl Tikkina

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Petzl Tikkina

Clearly the best value in headlamps today. For around $20 you get lighting performance that is surprisingly good...

Black Diamond Wiz

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Black Diamond Wiz

Your kids love headlamps, and they want their own. This is the perfect light for them: not too bright so as to avoid...

Black Diamond Sprinter

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Black Diamond Sprinter

Our Top Pick award for Runners, this is a light that is very thoughtfully designed to be perfect for urban use running...

Fenix HP25R

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Fenix HP25R

Sometimes you just need a super bright light. For those times, little else matters. It doesn't matter if the light is...

Princeton Tec Sync

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Princeton Tec Sync

With a red light, spot mode, floodlight, and good battery life, the Sync is a full-featured light that is high...

Petzl Actik

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Petzl Actik

An excellent quality light, that is super-easy to use but it doesn't stack up well against similarly priced competitors

Petzl NAO+

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Petzl NAO+

The Petzl NAO+ is impressive, but at $200 list, it is hard to justify. Competing lights like the Zebralight offer...

Black Diamond Cosmo

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Black Diamond Cosmo

A good light offering solid performance, but strong competition leaves the Cosmo caught in between better lights and...

Coast HL7

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Coast HL7

A compelling light that offers an excellent long-distance spot beam, and very good flood optics, but faces strong...

Black Diamond Icon

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Black Diamond Icon

The Black Diamond Icon is one of the top 5 highest scoring headlamps in our trail finding test and a competent...

Energizer Vision HD

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Energizer Vision HD

This headlamp from Energizer offers good performance, and you might find it at check out at your local Home Depot or...

Black Diamond Astro

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Black Diamond Astro

An attractive price and excellent close-proximity lighting make the Astro a compelling light so long as you don't need...

Princeton Tec Vizz

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Princeton Tec Vizz

The Princeton Tec Vizz provides solid beam brightness, but for $50 it faces some stout competition from models that...

Princeton Tec Remix Plus

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Princeton Tec Remix Plus

Built with quality construction, but at $50 list the Remix is far too expensive for the performance it delivers. For...

Petzl Reactik+

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Petzl Reactik+

This headlamp comes with great promise. It is the most compact and inexpensive headlamp in Petzl's fleet that offers...

Petzl Zipka

Headlamps May 28, 2018

Petzl Zipka

A good solution for backpacking, the Zipka'a unique design balances small packed size and weight, with quality...

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