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Tag: buying guides

  • 11 Best Tents (2024): Backpacking, Family, and Ultralight

    11 Best Tents (2024): Backpacking, Family, and Ultralight

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    There are hundreds of tents out there. If none of our top picks quite works for you, here are a few things to consider while doing your own research.

    Know how you plan to use your tent. Are you a car camper? Backpacker? Bike packer? All of the above? If you’re primarily headed to established campgrounds there’s no need for an expensive ultralight tent. By the same token, if you’re not happy until the trail head is 20 miles behind you, it might be worth sacrificing living space to save weight. The unfortunate truth is that there are very few tents that work well in the backcountry and the campground. It’s often worth buying a good backcountry tent and something cheap for campgrounds to spare your expensive tent the added wear and tear.

    Keep the weather in mind. “Three-season” or “four-season” usually refers to how much ventilation (that is, mesh) the tent has. A three-season tent will offer better ventilation but will have a harder time retaining heat. For most people, a three-season tent is fine. But if you’re planning to snowshoe into the backcountry, or if you live in northern climes and want some protection against the occasional early or late winter squall, then a four-season tent might be appropriate.

    What specs are important?

    • Floor space: We look at all the dimensions, rather than the four-person or six-person designations. Those tend to assume that all campers are pint-sized people. Remember that you will probably want to keep spare clothes or a backpack in the tent itself and that you need it to be long enough to stretch out comfortably for your height. Be aware though that there are some restrictions on tent size, be sure to check out the regulations at the campground you’re planning to visit.
    • Headroom: Can you stand up in the tent? How steep are the walls? The steeper the side walls the better, since that gives you more space to move around.
    • Storage areas: Are there plenty of pockets to stash your smaller items? The more mesh pockets the merrier, especially higher pockets that won’t reduce sleeping space. We love corner pockets for stashing headlamps to give the tent a nice even light to read by.
    • Vestibule: Does it have one? Two? Is it big enough to store boots and other gear that you want to stay dry but don’t want to have in the tent with you? If you’re backpacking, is it big enough to safely cook under?
    • A Footprint. What kind of tent, in the year 2024, doesn’t come with a footprint? Quite a few it turns out. We suggest them in most cases, so you’ll want to factor in the added cost if the tent you’re interested in doesn’t have one.
    • Materials: These days, most tents are made from nylon that’s coated in polyurethane, silicone, or acrylic to help it shed water. Most, but not all, tents come seam sealed so water doesn’t leak in, but if yours isn’t, REI has a great guide to doing it yourself. We also like to look for more eco-friendly, possibly healthier fabrics that have certifications like bluesign.

    How Heavy Should a Backpacking Tent Be?

    Is a 6 pound tent too heavy for backpacking? How about 5 pounds? Four? The answer is that it depends how much everything else you’re carrying weighs, but a good rule of thumb is that your tent should weigh about 2.5 pounds per person on the trip. So for two people, a five pound tent would be fine. Split the weight by having one person carry the tent and stakes while the other carries the poles and rain fly. That said, obviously a 4-pound tent is going to be even lighter divided like this. If you can afford it, go with the lighter tent, your back will thank you. It also may well be possible to shave some weight off the rest of your backpacking kit, thus making a 6 pound tent acceptable so long as you split the weight with your partner.

    Less weight means more money. This isn’t always true, but unfortunately, it usually is. If you want to go ultralight, you’re going to have to spend more. But before you fork over the big bucks, ask yourself: Do I really care about saving 6 ounces? Are you going to notice those 6 ounces at the end of a 20-mile day? If the answer is yes, then rejoice. There is an internet subculture of people who obsess over saving ounces. The r/ultralight Reddit is a good place to start your research.

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  • 21 Best Wireless Headphones (2024): Earbuds, Noise Canceling, and More

    21 Best Wireless Headphones (2024): Earbuds, Noise Canceling, and More

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    Whether you’re listening to the latest episode of the Gadget Lab podcast or hitting the trail with Taylor Swift on repeat, the right pair of wireless headphones can make your day. The only problem is that there are so many to choose from. WIRED’s Gear team is constantly testing new models, and these are the very best wireless headphones we’ve found.

    Be sure to check out all our audio buying guides, like the Best Wireless Earbuds, Best Workout Earbuds, Best Smart Speakers, and Best Bluetooth Speakers, for more music nirvana.

    Updated March 2024: We’ve added the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, and Sony WH-CH720N headphones.

    Special offer for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com, full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

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  • Best Theraguns and Other Therabody Tools (2024): Massage Guns, SmartGoggles, and TheraFace

    Best Theraguns and Other Therabody Tools (2024): Massage Guns, SmartGoggles, and TheraFace

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    Theraguns are massage guns, but not all massage guns are Theraguns, even though the name has become synonymous with the category. Therabody, the brand behind the massagers, has evolved beyond muscles and now makes gadgets for soothing your eyes, cramps, and skin. We haven’t tried everything the brand makes, but we have tried a bunch, and these are our favorite tools.

    Theraguns are expensive, but you can get a great massage gun for less. If you’re not married to the brand, see our Best Theragun Alternatives guide. If you decide to get a Theragun, there are accessories available. Most importantly, you can buy foam tips separately, so don’t think you have to buy the Theragun Pro to get the relief you need. Just be sure to check each one’s compatibility.

    Updated February 2024: We now have a separate guide for non-Theragun massage devices. This guide is for all our favorite Therabody tools.

    Julian Chokkattu and Jaina Grey also contributed to this guide.

    Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you’d like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

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  • 12 Best Instant Cameras (2024): Instax, Lomography, Polaroid

    12 Best Instant Cameras (2024): Instax, Lomography, Polaroid

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    smartphone cameras have only gotten better with time, but there’s an impermanence to digital photos that simply can’t compete with instant, physical photos, like the Polaroid pictures of old. There’s a wealth of printing cameras on the market from manufacturers like Fujifilm, Polaroid Originals, Lomography, and even Leica. We’ve also checked out a few printers that can make instant photos of your smartphone pictures.

    If you can’t get enough of unique camera gear, be sure to check out our guides to the Best Compact Cameras, the Best Action Cameras, and the Best Mirrorless Cameras.

    Updated February 2024: We’ve removed some of our older picks that are no longer available, and updated prices and info throughout.

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  • 5 Best VPN Services (2024): For Routers, PC, iPhone, Android, and More

    5 Best VPN Services (2024): For Routers, PC, iPhone, Android, and More

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    Mullvad offers apps for every major platform, as well as routers. The applications are all open source, and you can check the code yourself on GitHub. The service has been independently audited as well. Advanced users can download configuration files and use them directly with OpenVPN or Wireguard.

    In my testing, speeds were very good. I never encountered a situation where I couldn’t get a fast connection. Over the years Mullvad remains the VPN I rely on day-to-day.

    Mullvad VPN costs 5 euros (around $6) per month, cash or charge.

    Best Free VPN

    Proton VPN is part of a suite of privacy tools from Proton, which is most famous for its encrypted email service, ProtonMail. The company is based in Switzerland, which has no data retention laws so Proton VPN can have a no-logs policy. It has been independently audited and maintains a warrant canary page. All the usual features of a good VPN are here, including support for multi-hop connections, a kill switch in the app, split tunneling support, pretty good geo evasion for making Netflix work, and support for torrents. There’s also support for ad-blocking, custom DNS, and high-speed streaming.

    One thing Proton VPN offers that others do not is a free plan that gets you full access to all the regular plan’s features. But it is limited to a single device, and there are only three server locations (Japan, Netherlands, and the US). If your needs are limited and you want to keep costs down, this is a good option.

    Proton’s pricing structure can be confusing, since you can combine it with other services to lower the rates. For purposes of testing I used a one-year Proton VPN Plus plan that’s $6 per month. If you use other Proton services, Proton Unlimited pricing is a better deal ($10 per month gets you access to all five Proton services).

    Proton’s VPN app is open source and available for macOS, Linux, Windows, Android, and iOS. With the Plus plan, 10 devices can connect simultaneously. Proton VPN uses a mix of IKEv2, OpenVPN, and WireGuard for connections. By default the app chooses for you, but you can select yourself in the settings. I also like the Permanent Kill Switch, which prevents your device from reconnecting to the internet without a VPN even after a reboot.

    In my testing over the past few months, speeds on Proton VPN vary considerably by server and time of day. Over all Proton VPN is very fast, dropping my speed by only around 7 to 8 percent versus unprotected speed. I also did not detect any DNS leaks through any of the servers I tried.

    Proton VPN costs $5 per month if you buy two years upfront, $6 per month if you buy one year, and $10 per month if you pay monthly.

    Best for Circumventing Geographic Restrictions

    Surfshark wouldn’t be my top pick if my life depended on my VPN, but for most of us that’s not the case. If you just want a way to get around some geographical restrictions on content (aka access Netflix) and protect your traffic while using an open Wi-Fi hot spot, Surfshark is a good choice. It’s secure, and it provides a great value for the money if you pay for two years up front.

    In my testing over the years, Surfshark has consistently had some of the best speeds of any VPN I’ve used. Yes, it is slower than not using a VPN, but I have never had any problem streaming HD content through Surfshark. It’s fast enough that in most cases you won’t notice any speed degradation at all.

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  • 12 Best Amazon Echo and Alexa Speakers (2024): Earbuds, Soundbars, Displays

    12 Best Amazon Echo and Alexa Speakers (2024): Earbuds, Soundbars, Displays

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    Amazon’s family of Alexa-enabled devices is vast. From the spherical Echo to the swiveling Echo Show 10, you can get Alexa into your home in many ways. These devices can answer your questions, help you order essentials, set timers, play all sorts of audio content, and even function as the control hub for your growing smart home. These are our favorite Echo- and Alexa-compatible speakers for every home and budget.

    The best time to buy any Amazon speaker is during a major sale event like Black Friday or Amazon Prime Day, as there usually are steep discounts. If you’re trying to decide which smart devices might be best for you, be sure to check out WIRED’s picks in our roundups: Best Smart Speakers, Best Smart Displays, and Best Bluetooth Speakers. We also have guides on setting up your Echo speaker, creating Alexa routines, and Alexa skills that are actually fun and useful to help you get started.

    Updated February 2024: We’ve added the Echo Show 8 (3rd Gen) as our new smart display pick. We’ve also added advice for controlling content shown on your Echo Show device.

    Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com and our print magazine (if you’d like). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

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  • 7 Best Pillows (2024): For Side Sleepers, Orthopedic, Travel

    7 Best Pillows (2024): For Side Sleepers, Orthopedic, Travel

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    Finding the best pillow for your needs can be an agonizing ordeal. Get something that’s too firm, too soft, or just not quite right for your head, and you can wake up with a lot of pain the next day. Never fear, WIRED is here. We’ve tested nearly a dozen pillows, using each one for several weeks if not longer to get a sense of how comfortable they are, how well they hold up to repeated use, and what sleeping styles they’re best suited for. These are our current favorites, but there are an innumerable number of pillows out there. We’ll update this guide as we test more. All of the prices below are for the queen-size version unless otherwise specified.

    If you want to get even better sleep, be sure to check out our Best Mattresses, Best Organic Mattresses, Best Sheets, Best Bed Frames, and Best Weighted Blankets guides.

    Special offer for Gear readers: Get WIRED for just $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access to WIRED.com, full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.

    What Kind of Pillow Do You Need?

    You might think a pillow is a pillow. It just has to be soft and fit under your head, right? Your head, neck, and back disagree. Whether you get a good night’s sleep can depend heavily on your pillow, so when choosing one, here are a few key questions to ask yourself.

    What kind of sleeper are you? Do you sleep on your back, your side, or your stomach? Do you stay relatively still, or do you toss and turn a lot? Do you usually just have one pillow under your head, or do you cocoon yourself into a pillow chrysalis? This is probably the most important thing to keep in mind when deciding what pillow works best for you.

    What is the pillow made of? These days, pillows come filled with a pretty wide variety of materials. Down and synthetic down are fluffy clusters of fiber that can feel soft and comfortable, whereas memory foam is designed to compress with the weight of your head, but still return to its previous shape. There are also hybrid pillows that use multiple layers of different materials to customize how they feel.

    How firm is it? However you sleep, you’ll want a pillow that keeps your spine straight and your head aligned with your back. That means you want something firm enough to support your head, while still being soft enough that it doesn’t dig into your face or skull.

    How lofty is it? “Loft” is a term that’s often used to describe how high off the bed the pillow keeps your head. If a pillow is too tall, for example, you might end up with your neck tilted upwards, straining it throughout the night. Most pillows have different size options so you can find the fit that’s right for you.

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  • 7 Best Theragun-Alternative Massage Guns (2024): Portable, Affordable, and Heat Therapy

    7 Best Theragun-Alternative Massage Guns (2024): Portable, Affordable, and Heat Therapy

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    Lyric Massager for $172: Lyric’s massager was one of our top picks. As of this writing, the brand’s website is down to prepare for “a whole new Lyric experience,” but it was like that the last time we checked in November. Hopefully it actually does come back. If you happen to find it in stock, it’s a great massager that also looks pretty. The small touchscreen explains each of the four attachments and walks you through guided massages—or you can use it manually. Plus, it has an extension handle you can click on to get hard-to-reach areas like your back.

    Bob and Brad D6 Pro Massage Gun for $250: This massage gun feels very high-end. It’s heavy in a good way, with nice attachments. I also like that the brand was started by two physical therapists. But it’s pricey compared to our other favorites, and I found the noise it makes to be quite annoying.

    Turonic GM5 Massage Gun for $160: I really like using the Turonic. It’s light (much lighter than the LifePro Sonic above) and has one of the lowest intensity levels. That’s good for people who generally feel that “low” isn’t quite low enough on massage guns. It’s still quite powerful too. It has seven attachments.

    Dr Massage Prowlr Massage Gun for $100: The Prowlr looks a bit like you’re putting a floor sander on your body. The large head spins, instead of the hammering-like motion of other guns. It feels more like a traditional rubbing massage, rather than a device that pounds into deep muscle knots. The handle is great for gripping and getting difficult-to-reach areas, but the attachments feel cheap. I also wish there was one smaller head for working on areas like your neck.

    Hyperice Hypervolt Plus Bluetooth for $229: If you can find the Hypervolt on sale, it’s a good option that has a Bluetooth-connected app like Therabody’s devices. It’s heavy and doesn’t come with a carrying case, though it has a small case for its five attachments.

    Yunmai’s Slim Elegant (SE) for $180: Like the Lyric, Yunmai’s Slime Elegant was our favorite non-Theragun device. It lived up to its elegant name with its soft coating on the attachments and charging stand. However, it’s nearly impossible to find on sale.

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  • 23 Best Wireless Chargers (2024): Pads, Stands, iPhone Docks, and More

    23 Best Wireless Chargers (2024): Pads, Stands, iPhone Docks, and More

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    Does my phone support wireless charging?

    Not all phones support wireless charging, but most brands have models that do, so look up your phone model first. You’ll usually see “Qi wireless charging” (the default standard) or simply “wireless charging” if it does. Phones that support the latest Qi2 standard, bear the Qi2 logo and have a ring of magnets for easy alignment (just like Apple’s MagSafe).

    Do wireless chargers work if you have a phone case?

    Yes, most wireless chargers can charge through cases, unless it’s a particularly thick case. Check the product listing—there’s usually a case thickness limit in millimeters. Phones can get hot when charging wirelessly, so don’t worry if your phone is really warm when you pick it up. Most smartphones have limits to stop accepting a charge if they get too hot.

    Yes, cords will charge your phone faster

    Some manufacturers like Apple and OnePlus make wireless chargers that recharge their respective phones faster than others, but if you’re looking for speed, you’re better off sticking with a cord. Wireless charging is best for desks or nightstands when you’re not really using your phone or in a rush to recharge it.

    What’s a fast wireless charging speed?

    We said this at the beginning of our guide, but you’ll see “Compatible with iPhones and Android phones” under each slide, and that means the charger has a standard charging speed of 7.5 watts for iPhones or 10 watts for Android phones (including Samsung Galaxy phones). The latest MagSafe and Qi2 chargers can go up to 15 watts, and there are a handful of proprietary wireless chargers for specific phone models that can charge even faster. It’s worth noting that, even where phones support them, the maximum charging rates are only reached some of the time (the charging rate is automatically adjusted to preserve battery health).

    Is wireless charging safe to use?

    There’s no definitive evidence that it’s harmful. You may worry the phone’s battery might degrade faster with wireless charging, but manufacturers set safe limits for phone batteries, stipulating how much a battery can be charged and how far it can discharge. Regardless of the charging source you use, whether you plug into a wall adapter or use a wireless charging pad, these limits can’t be overridden. There’s no risk of overcharging your phone by leaving it on a wireless charger all night.

    How do I keep my phone’s battery healthy?

    However, try to keep your battery between 50 and 80 percent for optimum battery health. Keeping your phone fully charged or fully discharging the battery will degrade it slightly faster, and regularly swinging between full and empty will shorten its life. Battery technology has improved in recent years, and phone batteries are more reliable than ever. If you switch phones every two to three years or don’t mind paying a modest fee for a battery replacement on that timescale, it’s not worth worrying too much about how often or when you charge your phone.

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  • 20 Best Portable Battery Chargers (2024): For Phones, iPads, Laptops, and More

    20 Best Portable Battery Chargers (2024): For Phones, iPads, Laptops, and More

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    There are a few things worth thinking about when you’re shopping for a portable charger.

    Capacity: The capacity of a power bank is measured in milliampere-hours (mAh), but this can be a little misleading because the amount of power you get out depends on the cable you use, the device you are charging, and the charging method (Qi wireless charging is less efficient). You will never get the maximum capacity. We try to provide an estimate of what you’ll get in terms of charges for devices.

    Charging speeds and standards: The charging rate for devices like smartphones is measured in watts (W), but most power banks list the voltage (V) and the amperage (A). Thankfully, you can calculate the wattage yourself simply by multiplying the voltage and amperage. Unfortunately, getting that maximum rate also depends on your device, the standards it supports, and the charging cable you use. Many smartphones, including Apple’s iPhones, support the Power Delivery (PD) standard, meaning you can use higher-power power banks to recharge the device with no issues. A few phones, such as Samsung’s Galaxy S range, support a supplementary PD protocol called PPS (Programmable Power Standard) that goes up to 45 W. Many phones also support Qualcomm’s proprietary Quick Charge (QC) standard. There are also other proprietary fast-charging standards, but you won’t generally find power banks that support them unless they come from the smartphone manufacturer.

    Pass-through: If you want to charge your power bank and use it to charge another device simultaneously, it will need pass-through support. The Nimble, GoalZero, Biolite, Mophie, Zendure, and Shargeek portable chargers listed support pass-through charging. Anker discontinued support for pass-through because it found that differences between the output of the wall charger and the input of the device charging can cause the power bank to cycle on and off rapidly and shorten its lifespan. Monoprice does not support pass-through charging, either. We would advise caution when using pass-through, as it can also cause portable chargers to heat up.

    Travel: It’s safe to travel with a power bank, but there are two restrictions to keep in mind when you board a flight: You must have the portable charger in your carry-on luggage (it cannot be checked in), and it must not exceed 100 Wh (watt-hours). If your power bank has a larger capacity than 27,000 mAh, you should check with the airline. Below that should not be a problem.

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