Best Beginner Swim Goggles (2026): 3 Picks That Won’t Leak

Best Running Hydration 2026: Handheld vs Vest (Nathan & Salomon)

Once your runs stretch past an hour, carrying water stops being optional — but how you carry it depends almost entirely on how long you run. A handheld flask covers the daily training run most people do; a vest is what you want when you start going long or hit the trail. Here's how to choose, and why belts have fallen out of favor.

Best Running Watch for Beginners 2026: Garmin Forerunner 55 vs 265 vs 965

A GPS running watch gives you accurate pace and distance at a glance — the one piece of running tech that genuinely changes your training. They're all Garmin Forerunners here (the series owns running), and the only real question is how much watch you need: the essentials, the training metrics, or the maps. For most new runners, the cheapest does everything.

Best Beginner Mountain Bikes: How to Choose Your First Hardtail

Your first mountain bike should be a quality hardtail from a real bike brand — not a big-box “bike-shaped object” that falls apart on the trail. These bikes are sold through bike shops and the brands’ own sites (not Amazon), so we link you straight to the source. Here’s how to choose, how we picked, and what to expect.

Best Mountain Bike Helmets for Beginners

The helmet is the one piece of mountain-bike gear you should never buy used and never skip. A good trail helmet covers more of your head, includes rotational protection, and costs far less than a single emergency-room visit. Here are three worth your head, how we chose them, and what to expect.

Best Mountain Bike Gloves for Beginners

Gloves are the cheapest, most useful thing to add after a helmet: better grip, less vibration, and saved skin when (not if) you go down. Full-finger, always, for trail riding. Here are three worth pulling on, how we chose them, and what to expect.

Best Hydration Packs for Mountain Biking

Once rides get longer than a quick loop, you need water you can drink without stopping — plus room for a spare tube, tools, and a snack. A hydration pack carries it all hands-free. Here are three, how we chose them, and what to expect.