Black Diamond
3 guides tagged Black Diamond
Buyer's Guide
The Best Hiking Gear for Bad Knees (2026)
Bad knees do not end hiking careers; unmanaged descents do. We built the six-piece kit that attacks downhill load from every direction, shock-absorbing poles, compression, a patella strap, a supportive insole, and a max-cushion shoe, from a ~$14 strap to a ~$155 HOKA, and explain the load math that makes each piece earn its place.
Read the guide →~12 min read
Buyer's Guide
The Best Headlamps for Hiking (2026)
Four lamps that cover every honest use case: the AAA classic that never leaves you stranded, the hybrid that runs on either battery type, the sub-50-gram ultralight, and the flat-front design that finally killed headlamp bounce. Ranked on the things that matter at 9 p.m. on a trail: light quality, battery reality, and weight.
Read the guide →~12 min read
Buyer's Guide
The Best Trekking Poles (2026)
Four poles that cover the whole market, from the cork-gripped benchmark that survives everything to the $40 aluminum pair that made poles a default rather than a luxury. We rank them on grip, locks, durability, and honest value, because a pole's whole job is to be trustworthy when your knee is not.
Read the guide →~12 min read