The Practical Travel Gear blog is the most popular gear review blog on the web by Alexa rank and we appear on the front page of search engine results for 77 keyword phrases (and rising). We review a new useful item every weekday, almost always based on real-world tests in the field.

The original Practical Travel Gear blog was a one-man show at this location for many years, but this is a new and improved version launched in May of 2009. Four frequent travelers bring you first-person reviews of great travel gear that won’t cost you a month’s income.

Here’s who is checking out all the great travel clothing, travel shoes, gadgets, and gear. Reach any of us with [firstname] @ practicaltravelgear.com. Follow this blog’s Twitter stream @practravelgear or you can become a fan at our Facebook page.

Tim Leffel is author of several travel books (including The World’s Cheapest Destinations) and is editor of Perceptive Travel, an award-winning webzine with stories from book authors on the move. He has a second home in Mexico and frequently travels internationally on assignment. See more at Tim Leffel’s portfolio site. (And you can follow Tim Leffel on Twitter.)
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Amy Whitley is a freelance creative and travel writer and founding editor of the family travel website Pit Stops for Kids. An avid lover of the outdoors, Amy makes her home in Southern Oregon, where she, her husband, and three school-aged children spend much of their time backpacking, camping, skiing, and hiking. When not exploring her own backyard, Amy and her family hit the road for travel reviews of resorts, tour operations, and hotels across the country and abroad. Follow Amy Whitley on Twitter and Facebook.
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Ramsey Qubein is a travel journalist who has visited 123 countries covering the hotel and airline industry from every corner of the globe. His work appears in consumer and industry publications like Travel+Leisure, Business Traveller, Airways, Singapore Airlines’ Silver Kris, US Airways magazine, Northstar Travel Media, and Expedia’s AirfareWatchdog. He serves as the National Hotels Travel Examiner and writes for numerous blogs and web sites. He travels more than 300,000 miles a year and is highly recognized as an expert in loyalty programs, business travel and the luxury travel segment. Follow him on Twitter at DailyTravelTips or at www.RamseyQ.com.
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Jill Robinson is a freelance writer who lives with her husband and chocolate Labrador in a small California beach town near the big wave surf spot, Mavericks. She divides her time
between writing about travel, running a kayak business and trying to wring awe-inspiring adventure out of every day. Her articles have been featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, Journey, World Hum, Lonely Planet, Frommer’s, AOL Travel, Washington Times Communities and more. Catch up with her adventures on dangerjillrobinson.com, her Facebook fan page, or Twitter.
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Pam Mandel is a freelance writer and photography enthusiast from the land of Goretex and caffeine — Seattle, Washington. She’s a proud co-founder of Passports with Purpose, the Travelbloggers Fundraiser.  She loves old stones and far away places but never underestimates the value of a road trip with her Austrian husband. You’ll find her travel stories across the web and in print but she’s easiest to locate at Nerd’s Eye View, her blog about travel, life in the Pacific Northwest and her love affair with the ukulele. She’s on Twitter, too, @nerdseyeview.
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Kara Williams makes her home in the Colorado Rockies with her husband and two young children. She and her family regularly hit the road to explore the U.S. Southwest — particularly in the warm-weather months with a pop-up camper in tow. Annual family vacations include sun, surf and palm trees, typically in Mexico or Hawaii. Kara is a longtime freelance writer and blogs with her friends about all things travel related at The Vacation Gals. (And you can follow Kara Williams on Twitter.).

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Former contributor John Gordon is a Texas-based video producer who travels extensively in search of interesting stories. Technology plays a big role in his work, from digital recording to uploading photos and videos from far-flung places. His work includes television broadcasts, corporate and training videos and multimedia web content.

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