FTC Disclosure
In accordance with the United States Federal Trade Commission's guidelines on endorsements and testimonials (16 CFR Part 255), Trekax discloses that this website contains affiliate links. When you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, Trekax may receive a commission from the retailer at no additional cost to you.
This disclosure applies to all pages on trekax.com that contain product recommendations or retailer links. Individual articles also carry an affiliate disclosure notice at the top of the page.
Affiliate Programmes We Participate In
Amazon Associates
Trekax is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and related Amazon sites. Links identified with Amazon on this site are affiliate links.
REI Affiliate Programme
Trekax participates in REI's affiliate programme. Links to REI product pages may be affiliate links. REI is one of the most respected outdoor gear retailers in North America and is frequently included in our recommendations on merit.
Other Outdoor Gear Affiliate Programmes
Trekax may from time to time include affiliate links to other outdoor gear retailers including but not limited to: Backcountry, Moosejaw, Bergfreunde, and brand-direct affiliate programmes. These links will be disclosed in the same manner as Amazon and REI links.
How Affiliate Links Work
When you click a link marked as an affiliate link (or any product link on Trekax) and make a qualifying purchase within the retailer's cookie window, Trekax receives a small percentage of the sale price as a commission. The price you pay is identical to what you would pay if you navigated to the retailer directly — affiliate programmes compensate the referring site from the retailer's margin, not by charging the buyer extra.
Commission rates vary by retailer and product category. Typical rates for outdoor gear range from 3–8% of the sale price.
Editorial Independence Statement
Affiliate relationships do not influence Trekax gear reviews, rankings, or recommendations. Our editorial process is as follows:
- Testing first: Every product featured in a Trekax buying guide has been field tested by our editorial team or a vetted tester. We do not write reviews of products we haven't used.
- Rankings based on performance: Products are ranked by field test performance, value, and suitability for the stated use case. Commission rates play no role in ranking decisions.
- No paid placements: We do not accept payment to include a product in a buying guide, to rank a product higher, or to write a positive review. No brand has ever paid for coverage on Trekax.
- No free gear in exchange for coverage: Trekax does not accept free gear from brands in exchange for reviews or mentions. All gear in our guides was purchased at retail price by Trekax or by testers independently.
- Negative findings reported: If a product we tested has significant flaws, those are reported in full in the Cons section of our verdict boxes. We do not suppress negative findings because a product has a higher commission rate.
Why We Use Affiliate Links
Trekax is an independent publication with no corporate ownership, investor funding, or advertising revenue. Affiliate commissions are the primary means by which we cover operational costs: hosting, domain registration, gear testing expenses, and editorial time.
The alternative to affiliate revenue would be display advertising — banner ads, programmatic ad networks, or sponsored content — all of which we consider more disruptive to the reader experience and more likely to create editorial conflicts than the transparent affiliate model we use.
If you find Trekax useful and want to support the site, buying through our links costs you nothing extra and directly supports independent gear journalism.
What We Will Never Do
- Accept payment for placement in gear recommendations
- Rank a product higher because of its commission rate
- Write a positive review of a product we haven't tested
- Accept free gear in exchange for coverage or a positive review
- Suppress a negative finding to protect an affiliate relationship
- Recommend a product we wouldn't personally use on a long trail
Questions
If you have questions about our affiliate relationships, our testing process, or how a specific recommendation was made, contact us via the contact page. We are happy to explain how any product in our guides was evaluated.
For information about how we handle visitor data and privacy, see our Privacy Policy.