Ryan Whitaker

I learned the hard way that a bungee cord and a prayer don’t cut it on the highway. Two summers ago, I lost a tailgate and a cooler of fish on I-90 because I trusted a $6 net from a discount store. That mistake sent me down a rabbit hole. I spent 9 weeks testing … Read more

If you’ve ever wrestled with a stubborn trailer jack at a showground before sunrise, you already know why this matters. The right jack turns a 15-minute hitching struggle into a two-minute task, and the wrong one can leave you stranded on a gravel lot with aching shoulders. I spent six weeks hauling a two-horse bumper … Read more

I learned the hard way that leaving a jet ski uncovered through a Vermont winter destroys seats, fades hulls, and welcomes black mold under every seam. After watching two PWCs suffer through one unprotected season, I spent 90 days testing eight PWC covers for winter storage, measuring how each one handled snow load, freeze-thaw cycles, … Read more

I rolled my first bike into a standard garage parking spot and watched it tip toward the workbench. That was the night I started taking motorcycle chocks for garage parking seriously. After testing nine different models over six weeks in my own shop, I can tell you which ones actually hold a 900-pound cruiser upright … Read more

I built my outdoor kitchen three summers ago and quickly learned that an indoor drink dispenser doesn’t last six months under patio conditions. After testing dozens of units across heat waves, thunderstorms, and backyard parties, our team picked the ten best stainless beverage dispensers for outdoor kitchens worth your money in . An outdoor rated … Read more

Our team spent 8 weeks testing the best frozen drink machines for poolside entertaining, and the results surprised us. After making roughly 200 frozen margaritas, frosé batches, and virgin slushies across eight machines, we found the one that turned our backyard into the neighborhood hangout spot. The Ninja SLUSHi Professional FS301 earned our editor’s choice … Read more

When I’m parked at a stadium lot with the tailgate down and the sun beating down, nothing hits the spot like a frozen margarita poured straight from a machine. After spending the last three summers testing frozen drink machines for RV tailgating across tailgates, campgrounds, and boondocking sites in the Southwest, I’ve learned what actually … Read more

Running a busy concession stand means every minute of downtime costs money, and every hour of slushie sales prints cash. I spent 90 days testing the best slushie machines for concession stands, putting eight commercial models through 200+ service hours, peak-rush simulations, and cleanup drills. What follows is the real-world breakdown of which machines actually … Read more

Last summer, I hosted a patio dinner where I served a white Burgundy that was so warm it tasted flat. I went searching for the best single-bottle electric wine chiller with digital controls and ended up testing eight different models on my own countertop for 30 days. What I learned changed how I entertain. A … Read more

I learned the hard way that an unsecured dump trailer load can ruin a Saturday. Three years ago I hauled a half-ton of wet mulch in a 5×8 dump trailer without a cargo net, and a chunk slid off the back end right onto a county road at 45 mph. The pickup behind me swerved, … Read more