Alex Walker

I got into gear research the hard way—by buying the wrong stuff. Back in 2016, I dropped $280 on a "highly-rated" travel backpack that fell apart in Thailand after three weeks. The zipper broke, the laptop compartment had zero padding, and the hip belt was a joke. That trip taught me something important: most product reviews are written by people who've used the gear for maybe a week.

Since then, I've made it my mission to dig deeper. I spend hours every week on r/onebag, r/HerOneBag, and r/BuyItForLife, tracking what happens to products after 6 months, a year, two years of real use. I read the 3-star Amazon reviews—that's where the honest feedback lives. I cross-reference Reddit complaints with warranty claim patterns. It's borderline obsessive, but it works.

I've visited 32 countries with a carry-on only, and I've personally tested a lot of the gear I recommend—especially backpacks, chargers, and coffee equipment (I'm a bit of a pour-over snob, I'll admit). But I'm upfront about what I've actually used versus what I've researched. No fake "I tested 47 products" claims here.

When I'm not deep in a Reddit thread about backpack zippers, you'll find me hiking somewhere in Colorado or dialing in espresso shots at home. My philosophy is simple: the best gear is the stuff you forget you're carrying—because it just works.