Hi Bill,

I'm the owner of one of the sites you list (https://outlifeexpert.com).

My initial idea with the site was to share under appreciated hiking gear from cheap Chinese vendors (most stuff is produced in China these days anyways...).

I am not trying to scam anyone, and I only make a small (2-5%) commission if you actually buy something through the links.

This "affiliate" along with display ads is used by 99% of internet sites these days - including the one you are on right now! (Look to the corner and sidebar - clearly sponsored by Backcountry Gear and Amazon!).

Anyways, heres what I earn from helping 1000s of people saving money on their gear.

For example this post: [deleted link]

I make about 10$ a year from that post and I literally spent days writing it. Not sure how you feel exploited here?

I admit some of my early posts are a bit messy (i'm a scientist not a journalist...), but I have got a lot of positive feedback on collecting a list of all ultralight tents in one place.

I would love your feedback on any of my posts. Any suggestions for improvements are very welcome. I have a contact page where anyone can contact me and I will gladly reply.

I started the site by basically listing the gear I'm using to easily share it with friends (who would always ask me about my weird Chinese gear...).

I own and use (or know someone who does) most of the gear I talk about and genuinely appreciate it.

I admit that I am not a native speaker - does it really matter?

But I have been hiking for +20 years in Scandinavia (Sweden and Norway) where I live. We have a strong hiking culture here, albeit slightly different than in the US perhaps. I would love to include the US audience more.

Thanks,
Andy