A time-tested favorite in the outdoor community, the Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket may be the most well-known synthetic layer on the market.
Written by Chris Carter
Expertise
Education & Certifications
Experience
Wrought from a somewhat unconventional childhood in rural Kenya, Senior Editor Chris Carter derives his journalist inspiration from a life lived under the brutal but beautiful African sun. From a young age, he was exposed to an adventurous, nomadic lifestyle in the purest sense — and he strives to reflect that in his writing, art, and videography.
After moving to America for college, Carter threw himself into the outdoor community as a way to connect with his roots overseas, and craft relationships with like-minded adventurers. Climbing, hiking, slogging through the rain — you name it. As long as it got him outside.
Since coming to the States he has thru-hiked the Triple Crown of long trails — the Pacific Crest Trail (2018), Continental Divide Trail (2021), and Appalachian Trail (2021) — and continues to pursue long-distance trekking and exploring around the world. Aside from hiking, he is an avid big-wall rock climber, motorcycle rider, and ultra-marathon runner.
His background in Africa not only gave Carter a desire to vehemently pursue unique, diverse experiences but also showed him the value of traveling light and efficiently. To that end, he is perpetually streamlining his kits and loves helping others make informed, wise decisions about the gear that keeps them comfortable and safe in the wild.
Carter comes from a history in video production and journalism in the outdoor industry. As a Senior Editor for GearJunkie, he is responsible for managing and creating content in the backpacking, hiking, and rock climbing categories. These days you can expect to find him dangling off tiny sandstone crimps, bopping along dusty trails, hopping planes — and trying to capture it all with either a lens or pen.
Career Highlights
A Word From Chris Carter
From pastime to profession — a gift not everyone receives. Writing and videography always served as conduits for my creative self, and the opportunity to stretch those muscles in my career, nestled within the outdoor community, has been one of my greatest joys.
We all want our stories to be heard, and we rack up some darn good ones when romping around the far-flung corners of this world. So I suppose that’s how I started. Writing, painting, filming … whatever I could do to tell my story, and in doing so, cement the abstract ideas and memories that live in my head into digestible art.
When I’m not clacking at the keyboard, testing gear, or scrubbing through the timeline of an edit, you can find me chipping away at the legion of unfinished drawings in my basement, or combing the verdant hills around Chattanooga in search of rolling single-track and bullet sandstone.
A time-tested favorite in the outdoor community, the Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket may be the most well-known synthetic layer on the market.