Ethan Caldwell

Finding the best riding helmets for jumping can feel overwhelming with so many brands, safety standards, and features to sort through. I have spent months testing and comparing helmets to help you make the right call without the confusion. Every helmet on this list meets ASTM F1163 or equivalent safety certification, because compromising on head … Read more

When I started looking for the best gun safes for home protection, I realized how overwhelming the options can be. From compact bedside pistol boxes to full-size rifle cabinets with biometric scanners, the market is packed with choices that serve very different needs. After spending months researching, testing, and comparing 13 of the most popular … Read more

When you are trying to connect on a steel target at 800 yards, even the smallest wobble turns a good shot into a miss. I learned that the hard way on a prairie dog shoot in eastern Colorado, watching round after round land low because my cheap bipod could not handle the recoil impulse. That … Read more

Picture this: you are sitting at the edge of a tree line at 2 AM, and you hear rustling in the brush about 80 yards out. Without night vision, you are staring into a wall of black. With the right night vision monocular, you can clearly see the deer moving through the clearing. That single … Read more

There is something about standing at a ridge overlook and wanting to see what is on the next mountain. Maybe it is a deer moving through the tree line, or a trail switchback you need to find. That is where a good hiking monocular changes the entire experience on the trail. Yes, monoculars are excellent … Read more

Picture this: you are 22 feet up in a treestand, the morning light is just starting to filter through the hardwoods, and a mature buck is working his way along the ridge below you. You range him at what looks like 30 yards, draw back, settle your pin, and release. The arrow sails over his … Read more

Predator hunting after dark used to mean relying on moonlight, red lamps, or a good set of night vision goggles. But when a coyote is skulking through tall grass at 200 yards in pitch black, those tools fall short. That is exactly where thermal scopes for predator hunting change the entire game. I have spent … Read more

Feral hogs cause over $2.5 billion in agricultural damage every year in the United States alone. If you live in Texas, Arkansas, Florida, or any of the other states where wild pigs have taken over, you already know the destruction a sounder of hogs can do to a property in a single night. You also … Read more

Finding the right riflescope for deer hunting can be the difference between filling your tag and watching a buck walk away at last light. I have spent countless hours in tree stands, ground blinds, and still-hunting through thick timber testing optics in every condition Mother Nature throws at you during deer season. The best rifle … Read more

Elk hunting pushed me to think harder about my optics than almost any other pursuit. When you are crawling up a ridge at 5:30 in the morning, barely able to see your hand in front of your face, and a bull bugles 300 yards away across a drainage, your scope either gives you a shot … Read more