ProKit is for the selective minimalist. Good equipment is important. But you’d rather a few pieces of essentials that are top quality, than a closet full of mediocre gear. And you take care of gear so items last a long time.

Unlike other gear reviews, ProKit examines functional, durable equipment that can withstand the rigors of outdoor professionals and competitive athletes and  as well as many days of pure clean fun. In other words, it must be sufficient for work and play.

At ProKit we have a few rules. Our equipment must light, compact, durable, and simply built. We give nary a nod to price: let’s face it, if you spend $10,000 to climb Kilimanjaro or spend an entire night searching for a lost hiker, plunking down a few bucks extra on a lighter, brighter, more compact  headlamp is worthwhile. Saving a life in the Mount Hood Wilderness or successfully traversing the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt on skis makes the cost of ski crampons somewhat moot. The gear must be functional, but not over-designed.

This equipment is reviewed by mountain rescuers, guides, ski patrollers, mountain doctors and nurses, and professional outdoor equipment experts. It’s been used on the Inca Trail, atop Kilimanjaro, on the Everest Base Camp trek, skiing in Chile and Italy, surfing Central America, and practicing medicine in Haiti.