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Top Outdoor
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Run for the hills with clothing & gear from the best outdoor brands.
Ever had the urge to escape the rat race and never look back? If so: you’re either a hiker or could do with becoming one (even if just for the weekend), meaning you need to know your outdoor brands.
So, whether you are about to attempt the Kokoda Trail or whether you just plan on wearing outdoor clothing around the city to increase your ‘ rugged gentleman ‘ street cred, these are the best outdoor brands to get into your life (and hiking pack) this year.
Since 1974, Marmot has been producing high-quality mountaineering and outdoor equipment. They have been the choice of equipment for the films ‘Eiger Sanction’ as well as the National Geographic documentary ‘Journey to the outer Limits’. Marmot was one of the first outdoor brands to use Gore-Tex fabric and have been innovating ever since.
Since 1938 Colombia has been producing equipment for all types of outdoor activities. Tested in the rugged and tough conditions of the Pacific Northwest, they can handle anything you can throw at it, making Columbia one of the best outdoor brand on the market.
Arc’teryx’s name refers to one of the earliest known birds, the Archaeopteryx and it embodies the company’s vision of creating innovations that are disruptive and ‘evolutionary’ in the outdoor brands and equipment industry. Arc’teryx is a brand you can count on even in the most extreme conditions.
The North Face is a name synonymous with high-quality outdoor brands and equipment and derived from the notorious north face of Mt Everest. They have produced equipment that has ascended the worlds highest peaks as well as catered for ‘Hypebeasts’ of the world, no matter your intended use, anything from The North Face is bound to keep you warm, dry and stylish.
Literally founded as a result of frostbite, Outdoor Research produces gear to keep you warm and dry even in the most outlandish conditions. They are constantly testing their gear and innovating on all aspects to ensure they provide the highest quality product. They even provide a ‘Lifetime warranty’, now that is confidence in your product you won’t get from all outdoor brands.
Mountain Hardware is an outdoor brand that focuses on producing high quality, high-performance equipment for outdoor enthusiasts and athletes alike. They sponsor several athletes that have climbed all of the world’s 8000m+ peaks, who have tried and tested the gear to ensure it will cater to anyone’s needs.
Patagonia is now a brand synonymous with the outdoors and adventure. The outdoor brand’s gear is made to extremely high standards and they have committed to sourcing all their materials from sustainable and ethical sources. To further bolster their ‘activist’ status Patagonia gives 1% of its annual profit to charity organisations that focus on conservation and sustainability. Patagonia is the brand for you if you’re looking for high quality gear that looks good whilst saving the environment.
A close relative to Patagonia, Black Diamond was founded by the same man, Yvon Chouinard, a mountaineering legend. Black Diamond focuses on climbing, skiing and mountain sports equipment with a focus on making the best gear possible. From rain jackets to carabiners, they draw on decades of knowledge of the mountains and snow to ensure their gear performs to the highest standards.
Danner is an American boot manufacturer that specialises in both handcrafted leather boots as well as specialist hiking, hunting, law-enforcement and military boots. Safe to say these boots are about as tough as it gets, whether your about be deployed in a war or needs some boots for Aspen Apré Ski, Danner has a pair to suit your needs.
Most famously known for their ‘Kånken’ backpack, Fjällräven also produces a range of other outdoor equipment. Designed and made in Sweden, the outdoor brand’s gear is designed to handle the cold of a Swedish winter and the heat of their summer aka just about anything you can possibly think of. Their gear is all made sustainably and they support various wildlife charities.
One of the top outdoor brands since the very first jolly swagman put his billy on to boil (pretty much), Kathmandu is much loved across Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. It is solid, reliable and has some pretty decent muted prints to complete your look (all while keeping you warm or cool, of course).
Originating in New Zealand, MacPac is known for their camping and travel equipment. Their backpacks, in particular, stand heads above other outdoor brands and have been used by backpackers as well as ascenders of Everest. Whatever you throw at your MacPac gear, they are sure to cope with it.
Forsake build high quality waterproof, leather shoes for hiking, travel, and casual use. Built to give you freedom wherever you go, their boots are inspired by the mountains and fit for every journey; hence their inclusion on our outdoor brands list.
From South Korea, BlackYak has been producing superb outdoor garments under the radar for the last 40 years. Their testing and innovation takes place in the Himalayas to ensure quality and durability. They have sponsored several expeditions and has won several ISPO awards for their efforts.
Traditionally an outdoor equipment retailer, Backcountry has seen it all, from the best raincoats to the best boots. This deep understanding of what makes the best, well, the best has enabled them to create their own collection of gear to suit all budgets, whilst ensuring top quality.
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June 8, 2022
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After the past couple years of very-outdoor activities, you might be a little tired of the standard park picnic or beach hang. Beach and lawn games can add some much-needed structure to those endless afternoons in the sun, and they’re great for keeping kids and teens entertained. To find the best games for all kinds of people — wannabe tennis pros , college Ultimate Frisbee champs, and even those more reluctant players who’d probably rather be inside — we consulted event planners, camp counselors, and toy-store owners for their top picks.
Number of players: Because the typical size of your group will influence what kind of outdoor game suits you best, we’ve taken note of games that are more suitable for larger families and groups of friends as opposed to one-on-one players. Some of the games here are more flexible, with rules that can shift to accommodate larger teams or casual bystanders who swap in and out.
Terrain: Classic lawn games like croquet really are best suited to actual lawns, but these days many outdoor games will work on a variety of surfaces, from concrete to sand to packed snow. Our best overall game comes in two versions: one that can be set up semi-permanently in your yard, and another that’s more portable. For lawn games, we looked for solid workmanship and classic aesthetics. For beach games, we also put an emphasis on durability and lightweight materials for maximum portability.
Difficulty: We’ve also noted the relative difficulty of our outdoor games, most of which are fairly intuitive to learn, with a few (literal) curveballs. You’ll find recommendations for classic cornhole as well as two more grown-up versions of the game — while everything on our list should be appropriate for kids, we’ve noted which games are quicker and easier to pick up than others.
A simple yet addictive lawn game that anybody can play and enjoy, cornhole is the stuff of happy childhood memories. We love this game because it’s as competitive or casual as you want it to be. Plus, the learning curve is practically horizontal. Played one-on-one or in teams of two, the game requires players or teams to take alternating turns throwing their four bean bags at their opponent’s boards. Each round ends once all bags have been thrown; every bag that makes it onto a board earns one point, while any bags that are thrown (or pushed) into the hole earn three points. The first to 21 points wins. Event-planner Justine Broughal says it’s “an intergenerational game that provides low-stress backyard entertainment,” while event-planner Lauren Schaefer simply calls cornhole her “favorite outdoor game” because “it provides a healthy dose of competition and takes no time to set up.” And if you’re playing with adults only, event-planner Jordan A. Maney says you can even “add in a drinking element to keep the game interesting.”
2 players or teams | Easy | Lawn and beach
If you’re walking or taking public transport to the park, here’s a lightweight collapsible fabric cornhole set made by the same reputable brand. Setup takes about a minute, and both boards fit into the same convenient carry case, which weighs just ten pounds. The fabric-and-plastic boards are much more durable for use on the beach.
2 players | Medium difficulty | Beach and lawn
A time-tested beach game that’s basically like playing tennis on the sand, Pro Kadima is a classic for a reason. It’s “super easy to put in your beach bag and just go,” says Stacey Fauci, owner of Runnin’ Wild Toys in Carroll Gardens. “We sell out every summer.” This lightweight game doesn’t require a net, making it perfect for train trips to the beach, and it can include as many players as you have racquets for. Gameplay can be as simple as hitting the ball back and forth, making it instructional for kids developing hand-eye coordination. A scoring system can be added where players or teams get a point for each hit, restarting the game whenever the ball hits the ground. Kate Salop, co-owner of Tisbury Toy Box in Martha’s Vineyard, also recommends Pro Kadima: “It’s a game that we always have tucked into our beach bag,” she says. “Our family enjoys spirited — and mostly friendly! — competitions. We began playing when the kids were young, and they continue to enjoy it as teenagers.” Just try not to send it sailing at neighboring beachgoers.
1-2 players | Easy | Concrete, sand, snow
Although Kadima is beloved, it’s not for everyone. If you didn’t grow up perfecting your tennis serve, it can be hard to get a rally going — and even if you do have a killer backhand, the people you’re picnicking with might not. The solution, as our contributing writer Ivy Pochoda explains , is Street Racket. It’s a paddle sport played with an oversize yellow ball that is allowed to bounce, reducing the need for constant volleying. The rectangular playing field (which can be drawn with the game’s included chalk sticks or simply marked out in sand or snow) is divided into three squares. “Players stand in the two outer squares and compete over the middle square, which essentially functions as a net,” says Pochoda. “You score a point when your opponent either misses your square or is unable to return your shot from within their square, kind of like tennis.” The game, which can expand endlessly as you add more players and racquets and can also be played solo against a wall, is surprisingly fast-paced and fun; Pochoda is a squash pro and found it suitably challenging. If you tire of the usual rules, it even includes an app with more than 100 variations and exercises to complete.
4 players, 2 teams | Easy | Beach and lawn
I’ve already seen happy families playing Spikeball on the beach this season, and expect to see plenty more as the months go on. Salop says Spikeball has “quickly turned into a summertime staple,” growing in popularity over the past several years. Spikeball is like volleyball — but instead of hitting the ball over a net, you bounce the ball off of one. To play, you need four players divided into two teams of two, with the objective being to bounce the ball off the net in a way that prevents the other team from being able to bounce it back. Susan Hay, owner of Long Beach Island-based toy store The Haymarket , adds that “a team is allowed up to three touches to return the ball,” and a round, or rally, continues until a team can’t return it. She’s a fan, and Amazon reviewers are also near-unanimous in their praise, with one calling Spikeball “the greatest lawn game ever invented,” and another writing about playing it with both 5-year-olds and 65-year-olds.
1-8 players | Easy | Lawn and concrete
If you’re tired of playing giant Jenga, you’re tired of life. The outdoor version of the classic game-night staple is even more fun than the real thing, requiring exactly zero athletic skill but plenty of bluff. Liam Macleod, the director and head camper at Camp No Counselors , notes that it’s as fun for a few as it is for many: “Giant Jenga is inclusive of everyone — you can play with two or 20 people.” Ellen Hockley Harrison, the founder of Greater Good Events , says it is “super-popular,” and Steve Hozan of Arcade Specialities adds that the “classic game of block-stacking, balancing, and tumbling, is simple and nostalgic.” Broughal agrees, calling it “low-key fun.” As with the indoors version, an easy way to customize the game, according to Maney, is to write questions on each block that encourage conversation. This makes it a great icebreaker for groups of new friends.
2 players | Easy | Lawn and concrete
As with giant Jenga, giant Connect 4 is another way to take the living room outside. This classy-looking oversize wooden version of the beloved game will last forever and is surprisingly easy to transport with the included nylon carry case. It is a favorite of both Harrison and Steve Hozan of Arcade Specialities , who say it would make a great choice for anyone spending their outdoor time with little ones. “Everyone knows how to play this classic: Insert red or black chips with the end goal of connecting four of your chips in a series before your opponent,” explains Hozan.
6 players | Medium difficulty | Lawn
Whether your cultural reference point is Bridgerton , Heathers , or family vacations on Martha’s Vineyard, there’s something delightfully kitsch about playing croquet. People have enjoyed this quintessential lawn game for centuries — and still do. “Dating back to the 1800s, it’s not as common anymore, but figuring out how to play the game is half the fun,” says Schaefer . The main objective is to hit your balls through a course of hoops that you design, scoring points along the way as you hit the balls through them in the right order. Schaefer’s favorite croquet set comes from (where else?) L.L. Bean, and its painted-wood mallets and balls are carried in a durable cotton case that resembles the brand’s iconic Boat and Tote bag .
2-26 players | Medium difficulty | Lawn
Here’s a less-preppy wooden lawn game with Scandinavian charm. Strategist editor Maxine Builder discovered the Finnish take on pétanque, Mölkky, while traveling in Europe. She describes it as “a cross between bowling, billiards, and blackjack, with a mix of strategy, skill, and luck.” I’ve taken this game camping before, and it’s a nice one for standing around with a few drinks in the afternoon. To play, you first arrange the numbered pins on the ground in a diamond shape. Then, from about ten feet away, you take the “throwing skittle” and toss it underhand, toward the diamond. If you knock down a single numbered pin, you get points equal to the number displayed on it; if you knock down several pins at once, you get one point for each you knock down. In other words, “to earn five points, either you knock down five pins in one toss, or you take out the one pin with the number five etched on top,” says Builder. To win, a player must score 50 points — if you accidentally take down too many pins, your score goes back down to 25 and gameplay resumes. As with billiards, you start the next player’s turn “by standing the numbered pins upright exactly where they landed,” making each round more challenging than the last. Though it may sound complicated, each game goes by pretty quickly, and first-timers will have no trouble picking up the rules.
4 players, 2 teams | Medium difficulty | Lawn
For more higher-intensity outdoor parties and gatherings, Bottle Bash offers the simple yet addictive joys of hurling a Frisbee at a pole, in order to knock a large plastic bottle off the top of it. Drew Griswold, the director of adult summer camp Camp Halcyon , says that this game has given his staff and campers “countless hours of hilarious memories,” requiring “coordination, skill, a little danger, and a lot of teamwork.” Best played with at least two teams of two, it involves players taking turns throwing the Frisbee at their opponent’s pole to earn points, while the defending team works to catch the Frisbee and the bottle before they fall and hit the ground. If you fail to catch one or the other, the opposing team is awarded points. The other catch: You can only use one hand for the entirety of the game. Traditionally, the first team that scores either 15 (for shorter games) or 21 points (for longer games) while holding at least a two-point lead wins. The game can be played on a 20-, 30-, or 40-foot court depending on the players’ skill level. And never fear: The game’s bottles, though weighted similarly to standard beer bottles, are empty and made of plastic.
2 players or teams | Medium difficulty | Lawn
Another team-based Frisbee game is Kan Jam. The name kind of says it all: Four players split up into two teams of two, and teammates work together
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