The holidays are coming, and in my humble opinion, the best gift you can give is adventure.

Today we're talking about the gear that makes the best gifts, for ourselves, for family and partners,

or even for that one friend who wants to try backpacking or cross-country skiing.

If you're planning on buying outdoor gear for your loved ones,

you want to get it right. As any adventurer knows, quality gear can make a big difference,

whether you're camping in the wild, hitting the slopes, or going for a run in your neighborhood.

Today we're talking with REI expert advice gear tester, Emily Pennington, about which outdoor equipment is

actually worth your investment. I'm Shelby Stanger, and this is Wild Ideas Worth Living,

an REI Co-op Studios production presented by Capital One and the REI Co-op MasterCard.

You might remember Emily Pennington from a previous Wild Ideas episode

where she talked about the year she spent traveling to every single U.S. National Park.

In her work as a gear tester, Emily has evaluated and reviewed a lot of equipment for outdoor gear lab, CNN underscored, and currently REI.

Emily is all about finding that sweet spot between gear that's lightweight, durable, and practical.

So whether you're shopping for someone else or for yourself, Emily has advice to help you dodge the duds and find the best gear for your

adventures.

Emily Pennington, welcome back to Wild Ideas Worth Living. It's been a while. When we last spoke,

you just written your book, Farrell, which is fabulous, and you moved to Boulder. So what's been

up since then and just catch us up for people who don't know who you are? What was Farrell about? And why did you move to Boulder? What's going on? Yeah, I'm stoked to be here. I am probably, yeah, most known for my work with the National Parks. I work as a journalist and a writer specializing in the National Parks. I've been to every U.S. National Park, and that's what my book, Farrell, is about.

And I, last time we spoke, I was in Los Angeles, and I was not stoked on where I lived.

And so I was like, you know what, I'm going to pack up my van and move across the country.

So I went for the literally greener pastures of Boulder, Colorado. I can see the flat irons out my window right now. And I'm so happy here. I feel like as far as wild ideas go, Shelby, I feel like this will be right up your alley. But I just, I started dating someone who's like an amazing guitarist. And I was like, you know what? I'm in my late 30s. I'm just going to like start a rock band and learn guitar. Well done. So I'm in this band now. I mean, I also write. I mean, I still write. But when I'm not writing and hunched over my laptop, I'm in this folk rock band called Troubles Braids, which is super exciting.

So like we're just, you know, running around, having fun on the side.

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