During the past decade of overseeing gear testing at Outside, I’ve had the pleasure of handing off items to amazing athletes who can quickly suss out whether something is well made or not. But if I were to pick my favorite gear testers of all time, the ones who truly put gear through its paces to provide thoughtful and thorough reviews, I would have to choose my kids. I have four of them, and every single day they head out and unintentionally torture test everything they use.
No other piece of gear endures more abuse than their footwear. My kids, bless their hearts, don’t give a shit about their shoes. They’re not worried about keeping them clean or making them last. They just want their shoes to protect their feet and stay out of the way, no matter what they’re doing.
In just one day, my kids will drag their shoes on the pavement while biking to school, beat them up playing soccer for two hours in a dirt field, splash them in puddles at the park, and then leave them outside all afternoon in the scorching New Mexico heat. This summer they’ve added backpacking, camping, and skateboarding to the list of ways…
