Affiliate Disclosure
Effective Date: October 1, 2026
I run HikerNerd on my own in New Hampshire, through HikerNerd LLC. Some links on the site go to outdoor retailers, and if you buy something after clicking one, the retailer pays me a commission. It costs you nothing extra, and it helps pay for the forecasts, maps and conditions data that keep the site running.
Which links
Most gear links go to Backcountry.com, through the Impact affiliate network. A few items Backcountry doesn't carry, like hand warmers, mittens and blaze orange, link to Amazon instead. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Paid links are marked where they appear. Links to trail maintainers, land managers, weather services, huts and other non-retail sites are never paid links.
How I pick gear
The "What to bring" picks on peak and weather pages and in the weekly email come from the summit forecast, by fixed rules:
- Microspikes when summit lows reach 32°F, because wet rock and the upper trail ice up.
- A waterproof shell for daytime gusts of 45 to 59 mph, or a likely rain or snow day.
- At gusts of 60 mph or more, or when a peak is rated Dangerous, advice to plan a below-treeline hike instead, with no store link. I don't sell gear into a warning.
- Snowshoes after 6 inches of new snow, or 8 inches on the ground.
- A headlamp when there are under 12 hours of daylight.
- Mittens, a face covering and goggles when the wind chill drops to 0°F or below.
Each pick gets one store link, never two. A brand or model is named only when it's the standard choice on White Mountain trails; everything else links to a category so you can choose. Prices appear only when I've checked them by hand recently. Incident and safety pages never carry gear links.
What commissions never change
Conditions ratings, summit forecasts, trail reports and the safety and incident database are built from data and are never influenced by any retailer or commission. No retailer pays for placement or sees what I write before it's published.
Why I tell you
You should know when someone might earn money from a recommendation. This disclosure follows the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's guidance on endorsements.
Questions
If anything here is unclear, email me. See also the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.