My Outdoors Life has published outdoor gear reviews, camping advice and trip guidance since 2016. This page sets out how we decide what to publish, who writes it, and what we do and don’t do for money. It exists so you can judge our recommendations for yourself rather than taking them on faith.
Last updated: August 2026
Who we are
My Outdoors Life is owned and operated by Digital Media Equipment. We are an independent publisher. No gear manufacturer, retailer or brand holds any ownership stake in this site or any editorial control over it.
Who writes here
Every article carries a named author with a linked biography setting out their relevant experience. We don’t publish anonymously and we don’t use collective bylines to obscure who wrote something.
Our writers are outdoor practitioners first. Where a writer has formal credentials, training or professional qualifications relevant to a subject, those are stated in their biography. Where they don’t, we say that too, enthusiasm and long experience are legitimate qualifications for a lot of what we cover, but they aren’t the same thing as being a wilderness medicine instructor, and we won’t let one look like the other.
How we decide what to cover
We cover subjects where we can add something to what’s already available. In practice that means:
- Gear categories where we can test, compare, or draw on direct field experience
- Skills and techniques our writers have actually used
- Questions readers are genuinely asking, rather than topics chosen purely because they rank
If we can’t say something more useful than the existing top results, we’d rather not publish. That standard is easier to state than to hold to, and we don’t always get it right, but it’s the one we’re working to.
How recommendations are made
Product recommendations are made by the writer on the basis of testing, direct use, or documented research, never on the basis of commission rate, affiliate program availability, or a brand relationship.
We recommend products that aren’t available through any affiliate program we participate in, and we decline to recommend products that are, when they don’t merit it. If the best option in a category is one we earn nothing from, that’s the one we name.
Our How We Test page explains what level of hands-on assessment sits behind each recommendation, and how we label the difference.
Advertising, affiliate links and sponsored content
Affiliate links. We participate in the Amazon Associates Program and other affiliate programs. If you buy through a link on this site we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Full detail is on our Earnings Disclosure page.
Advertising. We carry display advertising. Advertisers have no input into, or advance sight of, editorial content. Ad placement is not coordinated with editorial subject matter, and no advertiser has ever been given the ability to alter, delay or remove an article.
Sponsored content. [Delete this section entirely if you do not publish sponsored content.] Where a brand pays for content, it is labelled “Sponsored” or “Paid Partnership” clearly at the top of the article, before the body text. Sponsored content is never presented as an independent review, and sponsored products are not eligible for inclusion in our “best of” recommendations.
The separation. Commercial arrangements do not influence editorial verdicts. We say this knowing it’s the standard claim every site makes; the checkable version is that we publish our corrections, we name products we earn nothing from, and we label everything commercial. Hold us to those rather than to the claim.
Free products and press samples
We accept manufacturer samples for testing, because buying every product in every category outright isn’t possible for an independent publisher.
Where a review is based on a product supplied free by the manufacturer, we say so within the article. Accepting a sample carries no commitment to review it, to review it favourably, or to review it at all. We keep, return or donate samples and no manufacturer sees a review before publication.
Accuracy
Factual claims are checked before publication under our Fact-Checking Policy. When we get something wrong, we fix it visibly under our Corrections Policy rather than editing quietly.
Safety content
Some of what we cover, wilderness first aid, survival technique, remote travel carries real consequences if it’s wrong or misapplied. Our writing on these subjects is general information for people making their own decisions, not a substitute for professional training, medical advice, or current local conditions. We say so on the articles themselves, not just here.
We will not publish a technique we cannot source or have not seen used, however well it performs as a headline.
Use of AI
AI used in support: Our articles are written and edited by named human authors. We use AI tools for support tasks such as research assistance, outlining and copy-editing. No article is published without a human author taking responsibility for its accuracy, and no product verdict is produced by an AI tool. Author biographies, testing results and first-hand experience are always the author’s own.
Updating older articles
Outdoor gear changes. Products get discontinued, revised, or superseded. We update older articles rather than leaving them to go stale.
When we substantially update an article, we show both its original publication date and the date of the update. We don’t change the publication date on an article that hasn’t been meaningfully revised.
Reader feedback
If you think we’ve got something wrong, tell us at [email protected]. We read everything and we correct what needs correcting, see our Corrections Policy for how that works.