Randy "RJ" Spurrier is a father of two, a tinkerer, 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, mountain biking, and doing robotics projects with his kids. 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. He was formerly a Vice President at Adobe Systems, working there for five years after they acquired his Emeryville-based imaging software company.
Author Profile
RJ Spurrier
RJ Spurrier
Senior Review Editor
Showing 1-15 of 43 by RJ Spurrier
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 to a gauntlet of hands-on, side-by-side tests. Each product was...
How to Layer Clothing to Keep Warm
Overview Enjoying the mountains to the fullest extent requires knowing how to dress. With the right clothes, an afternoon alpine thunderstorm can make for a surreal and magical experience...
How to Choose The Perfect Headlamp
How do you determine the right headlamp for you? After putting 27 top headlamps through a detailed side-by-side review over multiple years, we developed a clear picture of the competing...
Editors' Choice
Black Diamond Spot
Winner of our Editors' Choice award and one of our favorite lights for general purpose use. Excellent performance at a reasonable price, but facing strong competition from both lower cost...
Editors' Choice
Black Diamond Storm
The Black Diamond Storm is a robust and full featured headlamp that offers a bright beam, a fully waterproof enclosure, and provides good close proximity and trail scores. It is Black...
Top Pick
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. It wins our Top Pick award as the best Ultralight weight headlamp...
Best Bike Light Review
There's great debate on exactly which is the very best bike light. So who stacks up against who? We combined extensive laboratory testing with field testing in cities and rural areas, on...
Top Pick
Black Diamond ReVolt
The ReVolt wins our Top Pick award as the best rechargeable headlamp for travel, and an overall excellent product. It offers solid performance across the board, and the convenience of USB...
Top Pick
Zebralight H600w Mk IV
With a bright wide beam, amazing battery life, and a durable design the Zebralight offers top performance that does not disappoint.
Best Buy
Petzl Tikkina
Clearly the best value in headlamps today. For around $20 you get lighting performance that is surprisingly good, rivaling much more expensive lights, and will meet or exceed the needs of...
Top Pick
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 blinding eyes, a child-proof battery area, and fun color option.
Top Pick
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 or hiking at night
Top Pick
Fenix HP25R
Sometimes you just need a super bright light. For those times, little else matters. It doesn't matter if the light is heavy, or if the batteries don't last very long. In those contexts...
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 and different outdoor conditions. We provide details and examples on...
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