This page sets out how Backpack and Gear decides what to publish, how we handle mistakes, and where our money comes from. If anything on the site falls short of what is described here, tell us and we will fix it.
Last updated: October 1, 2026
Independence
No brand, retailer, or agency pays us for coverage, for a place in a roundup, or for a particular verdict. We do not publish sponsored posts or paid guest articles. We do not accept payment to remove or soften criticism.
We earn through affiliate commissions, which are paid on purchases readers choose to make — not on what we say about a product. Commission rates are not a factor in how we rank or recommend. Where two products are close, we say they are close.
What we claim, and what we do not
Most of our guides are research-led: built from manufacturer specifications, published standards, retailer listings, and owner feedback gathered at volume. Where we have not used a product ourselves, we do not write as though we have.
You will not find invented test results, fabricated measurements, or staged photographs presented as our own on this site.
Bylines and authorship
Every article carries the name of the writer responsible for it, with a short biography and a link to everything else they have written. Writers work to the standards on this page; an editor reviews each guide before publication.
Keeping guides current
Gear categories move. Models get discontinued, revised, or replaced, and a guide that was right last year can quietly go stale. We review published guides on a rolling basis and update them when:
- a recommended product is discontinued or replaced by a new version;
- a specification we relied on turns out to have changed;
- a pattern of owner feedback contradicts what we wrote;
- a reader tells us something is wrong.
Updated articles show a modified date. Substantive changes to a recommendation are noted in the article rather than made silently.
Prices
We do not publish prices. Retail pricing changes constantly and a number printed in an article is wrong more often than it is right. Where price matters to a recommendation we describe it in relative terms — entry level, mid-range, premium — and leave the live figure to the retailer.
Corrections
If we get something wrong we correct it rather than delete it. Factual errors are fixed as soon as they are confirmed, and a correction note is added to the article where the error changed the advice.
Spotted a mistake? Email Contact@backpack-and-gear.com with the article link and what is wrong. Corrections are the fastest way to improve this site and we are glad to receive them.
Use of AI tools
We use software to help with research, drafting, and spotting outdated information across a large library of articles. A named writer is responsible for every article, and an editor reviews the content before it is published. Nothing goes live unreviewed.
Reader data
What we collect and why is set out in full on our Privacy Policy page.