Become Our US Hiking Footwear Tester
OutdoorAdept ranks hiking shoes and boots on what happens to them on real trails. Most of our readers hike in the United States, and we want more of our test miles on the trails they actually walk. So we are looking for a US-based hiker with a proven track record to put new pairs through their paces and tell us exactly what happened.
- Every pair in your size
- Yours to keep
- Credited as the tester
This is a freelance role, done from home and on your own trails. You hike, you log it honestly, and our in-house writers turn your field data into the review, with your name on it as the tester. You do not need to write the review yourself. If writing is what you are after, our Join Our Team page is the right door.
What testing for us looks like
Up to one pair a month
We offer you a short list of hiking shoes or boots that suit your feet and your terrain. You pick one, we buy it at retail and ship it to your door, in your size. Each test runs for roughly four weeks.
Real miles on real trails
At least 50 trail miles80 km of trail per pair, over mixed terrain and whatever weather the month brings. Hikes you would be doing anyway count.
An honest field log
A short structured entry after every test hike, using the template we send you. Ten minutes per hike, not an essay.
Photos from the trail
The shoes in use, plus the outsole when new, halfway, and at the end, so readers can see the wear for themselves. A phone camera is fine.
What you send us for every pair
Our reviews stand on specifics, so this is what we ask for each test. We send a template, so you never have to guess the format.
- Your GPS tracksFrom AllTrails, Strava, Gaia GPS, a watch, or any app that records distance and elevation. They show the miles are real.
- A log entry per hikeTrail and location, distance, elevation gain, terrain, weather and temperature, pack weight, and how the shoes behaved: fit, hot spots, grip on wet rock, water getting in, how your feet felt at the end.
- Your photosOn-trail shots plus the outsole at the start, midway, and at the end of the test.
- A closing verdictA few paragraphs in your own words: who this shoe is for, who should skip it, and whether you would buy it with your own money.
- Follow-up questionsThe writer working on the review may email you a few questions. Sometimes we also check back months later to ask how a pair is holding up.
Bad news is as useful to us as good news. If a pair gives you blisters on day two or the sole starts peeling in week three, that goes in the log exactly as it happened. Nobody here will ask you to soften it.
How you are paid
You keep the gear. Payment for this role is the products themselves: every pair you test is bought in your size and is yours once the test is done. Keep it, sell it, or give it away; that is up to you. There is no cash fee.
You choose what you test. Nothing turns up unannounced. For every round you choose from a short list matched to your feet and your trails, and you can pass on a round whenever a model does not suit you, or when an injury, a busy month, or winter gets in the way. Passing never counts against you.
We buy everything at retail. Brands do not send us shoes for this, they do not know who you are, and they have no say in what the review concludes. That is how all of our testing works, and it is why your log can say exactly what happened.
Your name on the review. Every review built on your testing names you as the tester, so readers can see who actually wore the shoes. The review also states that you kept the pair as payment, because readers deserve to know.
The fine print. This is a freelance arrangement, not employment, and you can stop whenever you want. Products you keep count as compensation, so if their total value in a calendar year passes the IRS reporting threshold, we will ask you for a W-9 and send you a 1099.
Who we are looking for
- You live in the United States, have a US shipping address, and are 18 or older
- A proven hiking track record you can show us: logged hikes, trip reports, or GPS history from the past twelve months
- You hike most weeks, year-round if your region allows it, on more than one kind of terrain
- You can put 50 trail miles80 km of trail or more on each pair you take on, within about four weeks
- You notice things and write them down plainly, including what went wrong
- No current paid or free-gear deal with a footwear brand or retailer (if you have one, tell us; it does not rule you out automatically, but we need to know)
You do not need to be a sponsored athlete, a guide, or a writer. A thru-hike or a long list of summits helps, but steady, honest miles matter more to us than big names on your resume.
How to apply
Email us these four things:
- About you and your trailsWhere in the US you live, the trails and terrain you hike most, and roughly how many miles you covered in the past twelve months.
- Proof of your hiking recordLinks to your AllTrails, Strava or Gaia profile, a blog, trip reports, or an outdoor Instagram account. Anything that shows the miles.
- Your feetYour shoe size (US), width, and anything worth knowing about your feet: wide forefoot, narrow heel, high arches, orthotics.
- A short field note200 to 400 words about a pair of hiking shoes or boots you own: one specific hike, what happened, and what you learned about the shoes. This tells us more than any resume.
Send your application with the subject line “US product tester”.A real person reads every application.
Email your applicationApplications that are clearly bulk-sent, AI-written, or come without any proof of hiking will not get a response. We know that is strict; your name goes on our reviews, and our readers trust them because of the people behind them.
Where to go from here
Meet the people you would be working with on our About page, and read the rules every review lives under in our Editorial Standards.
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