Current Engearment Reviewers
Sean Sewell
Owner and Director of Stoke (dog dad, pirate joke teller, and dirtbag)
When Sean was a young boy, he had a paper route. His first purchase from his paper route money? A Swiss Champ knife. He was officially hooked on gear. That was 30 years ago and the knife is still getting used! After thousands of days in the field, testing gear in all kinds of climates, conditions, and activities he is ready to help you get into the best gear for your adventures!
When not obsessing about gear, Sean is a certified personal trainer and owner of Colorado Personal Fitness and Mountain Fitness School. He loves training clients to get into shape to enjoy all outdoor activities and adventures and loves getting them into the right gear so they can make the most of the experiences! If he’s not training his clients in the gym and in the mountains, Sean is consumed with research into the best gear technology and testing it on adventures. Sean is TRX-FORCE, NSCA-CPT, NPTI, NSNF, FMS1, AIARE Level 2 and a 100% certified gear enthusiast.
He also wrote the book on Splitboarding.
Instagram – Sean Sewell Mountain Man
Aaron Rose
Amir Alrubaiy
“I didn’t want to work at Pizza Hut, and I didn’t want to join the Army. So I just decided to go out and be awesome.” – Henry Rollins.Eri
I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up; I just knew I wanted it to be rad. That simple pursuit has directed most of my life. Dad started me skiing at 5 yrs old. I got a skateboard at 11 and an electric guitar at 12. My first mountain bike at 18 squared the circle of passions.
I was a competitive freeskier during the salad days of the U.S. Extremes. I lived through the evolution of fat skis and twin tips and saw the backcountry explode with the invention of the BCA Trekker.
I’ve also been riding, racing, and wrenching on mountain bikes since the early nineties. I’ve raced the Leadville 100 a few times and lined up at my share of XCO and CX races. Suspension forks on road bikes…not new. Tubeless tire plugs…ever heard of a rubber band?
Finally, teaching architecture and design at The University of Colorado for 13 years helped me develop a keen appreciation for the simplicity and effectiveness in all scales of products. I’ve seen a lot of technology come, go, and come back again. The new stuff is great, but I still regularly wear the green windbreaker I got in ’96…stuff that works is better.
The radness, for me, now runs through Axistence: Training For A Life Of Adventure, where I help coach an amazing community of athletes in functional fitness. Preparing them with strong, resilient bodies so their gear breaks before they do. Hefty doses of Van Halen and barbells can prepare you for nearly anything.
Performance and products come and go…radness is forever.
Andrew Piotrowski
Andrew is a trail runner, climber, paddler, snowboarder, marketer, and most importantly a dog dad. Andrew grew up in suburban Philadelphia and now lives on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
While he lives pretty far from the mountains, he puts a heavy focus on preparing for them and inspiring others to do the same. He first fell in love with the mountains on family trips to the White Mountains and the Adirondacks. He spent the majority of his early life competitively running and leisurely paddling, however after college he began focusing on learning to climb, snowboard, and backpack.
Over the past ten years since then, he has been fortunate enough to gain some amazing experiences exploring North America. Some of the most memorable thus far are alpine climbing in the Sierra, trail running in Alberta, learning to splitboard in NH, countless days hiking in the Catskills, or a plethora of mellow days paddling the Chesapeake Bay with friends.
When he can’t be in the mountains Andrew is often running or hiking with his favorite training partners, his two rescue dogs Calvin and Enzo. Andrew is also a self-proclaimed gear junkie and confessed that his gear loft is the most organized place in his home.
Blog: Flatcityclimbing.com
Instagram: pack_mule_piotrowski
Cai Rickards
Despite his age, Cai Rickards has managed to spend upwards of a decade and a half exploring nature. The first time he slept through the night was in a tent during a thunderstorm. He started his exploits before he could talk. Skiing almost as soon as he could walk, climbing not long after, hiking trips became a weekly occurrence before he was 2, and he began canoeing, climbing, and kayaking before he was 3.
Alongside a heavy presence of outdoor activities in his life, Cai has spent his free time being a nerd. From a very young age, he began learning about different world histories and mythologies, in particular, the legends of Camelot and history surrounding pirates. Later on, those interests shifted to fandoms such as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, with academics and music (particularly violin) becoming central to his life.
Currently, Cai attends an arts school, climbing on a regular basis, playing D&D, and dressing in a manner preppy enough to annoy his father on a regular basis. Despite being a teenager he still does leave his room to see the world, with ski adventures and backpacking trips being the major perpetrators. He lives at 5280 with his dog, Baggins, and his father, Wil, both of which have and continue to support and further his interests in the outdoors.
Cai Rickards and Baggins
Clay Farnsley
“Hello, I’m Clay Farnsley, a passionate advocate for the great outdoors, and my journey has been shaped by the rugged landscapes I call home. Growing up in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky, I spent most of my formative years exploring the rolling hills and dense forests, fostering a deep connection with nature.
Now nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, my love for outdoor adventures has only grown. From hiking, camping, and biking to the thrill of backcountry snowshoeing, I embrace the full spectrum of outdoor pursuits.
My interests extend beyond the trails to encompass everything from evaluating shelters, tents, and sleeping bags to exploring facets like food, nutrition, fitness, and technology. If it aids you in getting outside, having fun, and making the most of your outdoor experiences, then it’s a subject I’m eager to review!
Join me on this journey as we celebrate the beauty of the outdoors and share insights into gear, techniques, and innovations that enhance our connection with nature. Together, let’s explore, learn, and ensure that the joy of outdoor recreation is accessible to all who seek it.”
Derek Toshner
Derek Toshner is an accomplished mountain man and teacher. He is StrongFirst Master Instructor.
Luke Cunningham
36-year-old outdoor enthusiast. I spent seven years in the Army as an infantryman, obtaining the rank of SSG. While in the Army I spent 27 months deployed to Iraq. Awarded bronze star for valor and Purple Heart.
Post military life I attended the University of Central Oklahoma, graduating with a degree in industrial safety with a minor in criminal justice. I am currently a physical security consultant.
Mattis Sessel
While growing up in St. Louis, MO, Mattis spent his summers with his family in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). The trails of RMNP became his favorite stomping ground and he went to summer camp in nearby Estes Park first climbing Longs Peak as a 13-year-old camper.
He shared this passion for the Rockies with his wife, Deb, and ultimately they decided to imprint the Rockies on their three daughters by spending their childhood summers in Estes Park camped in a travel trailer. This love affair with the Rockies continued while Mattis pursued his business interests for 25 years on the East Coast. Winter ski trips and summers spent in RMNP stoked the fire to ultimately make the move to pursue his passion’s full time in Colorado in 2015.
Hiking, skiing, biking and fly-fishing were the activities of choice and Mattis decided to build any future businesses around these pursuits. He’s come a long way since he caught his first fish in Kentucky Lake as a 3-year-old with a bamboo pole.
His first fish caught on a dry fly was in the Indian Peaks and he quickly took to hiking to alpine streams and fishing for wild trout. He’s fished throughout Colorado and into New Mexico, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. He’s always got his fishing gear in the car and has created the concept of the “double,” skiing / biking in the morning and catching some fish in a nearby river in the afternoon.
He maintains his fitness on his road and mountain bikes and is known for his all-seasons, all-weather, “always train outside” approach to his physical training sessions with Sean Sewell at Colorado Personal Fitness. His passion for gear that enhances his pursuits and allows for more time outdoors is reinforced in a favorite Colorado adage, “there’s no bad weather, just bad gear!”
Michael Clemente
Michael loves to ski. No, seriously, Michael loves to ski. Let’s qualify this.
Growing up on the East Coast he found NYC and DJ culture. While working for a massive tech company during the day he played and mixed electronic music at night. Somewhere amid this excess, he found skiing. It was enough to inspire a transfer to Denver. And, after driving over Loveland Pass on his way to ski at Arapahoe Basin for the first time, he realized how good his decision was. He also took up yoga.
60lbs lighter and tons of fun later he recognized how skiing had started him on a journey. He gave up the corporate job, bought a truck and a multi-resort ski pass and took off. #trucklife is like #vanlife only smaller and more frugal. A winter touring the US, Canada, and AK was inspiring. But, he wanted to be home in Colorado, so he moved to Summit County and started working in Outdoor Retail.
Did you guess you can find him skiing in the winter? Backcountry or resort its all good. In the summer he is thinking of skiing, riding a mountain bike, or hiking in the mountains.
You can find out more about his trip skiing 22 resorts or some of his other adventures at www.othersidemtn.com or Instagram @michaelclemente
Michael Cooper
AKA “Super Cooper, the QA Adventurer”
At 50+ years of age, Michael Cooper is enjoying amazing adventures around the globe and testing out the latest gear! After three decades of leading Quality Assurance teams at global corporations, this active father of three has decided to combine his passion for technology and love for the outdoors by embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!
Mike’s (AKA QACooper) professional career included executive roles in companies such as Transamerica, T-Mobile, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Healthcare IT Leaders. He’s been a regular speaker at conferences and industry events around the globe, wrote articles and blogs, and even hosted a podcast. He is forever curious, a lifelong learner, always striving for the highest level of quality and commitment. 
So, it comes as no surprise that for his Sabbatical, Mike chose to explore the only continent that he hasn’t set foot on before – Antarctica November 2024. And as a true Quality Engineering professional, he is going to be doing some testing while he is at it. You can call it Performance Testing – but instead of checking how software withstands high user loads, he is going to explore how well his gear is going to perform under extreme conditions.
Mike values safety, performance and function over price.
While living in Colorado for four years, Mike trained in mountain sports with the Engearment Co-Founder Sean Sewell, and the Engearment writers – Ryan, Dan, Deven, Amir, and several others. And for this “bucket list” trip to the bottom of the world, Mike decided to join their ranks.
Mike is living proof that even tall, bald stocky guys can be avid outdoorsmen and is going to be putting his XL and XXL outfits and gear to the test!
Mike first gained an appreciation for being in nature as a Boy Scout. After he earned his Eagle Scout rank, he continued to volunteer with the scouts as a District Executive and Camp Director, passing on his love for camping, hiking, skiing, climbing, cycling, mountain biking, fishing, and strength training to the new scouts.
Mike currently lives in Roswell, GA with his kind and beautiful wife Andrea and his trusted outdoors sidekick – goldendoodle Sandi. Mike has earned a new moniker, “Super Cooper, the QA Adventurer”!
Mike Opland
Mike is an aeronautical engineer, father, road and mountain biker and all around badass. Fun fact, he is also the 2nd place Red Bull World Champion for Paper Airplanes. Not making that up. Do NOT challenge him to a paper plane competition, unless you want to lose!
Mike builds rockets, sensors and all sorts of things that hurt our brain to think about. He is damn smart and good with his hands. We once built an impromptu rocket out of a beer can and fire. It was quite the party trick!
When Mike is not on dad duty or building things to go into space, he enjoys working on his 1940s Ford truck, named Atlas. We have enjoyed more camping adventures with Mike and his wife Brandi than we can count. If you get a chance to have a beer with Mike, ask him about the escaped donkey of Vail Pass.
Nikita Bagg
Paul Gallaher
Paul grew up in Minnesota where he learned to love the outdoors, riding his bike, fishing and canoeing in the summers and skiing in the winters on Minnesota’s 300 foot-tall “mountains”.
After finishing college, he was commissioned as an officer in the USAF eventually becoming a special operations and reconnaissance instructor navigator flying and serving around the world for twenty-two years.
Living and traveling around the world has given Paul opportunities to explore outdoor passions. He is an advanced scuba diver, a pilot, a sailor and has skied in the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland.
Reid Pitman
I was raised skiing, camping, hiking and playing in the woods that surrounded my childhood home near the Canadian boarder in the foothills of the Cascades. But as soon as I was given the option to just stay home I did. I hadn’t ridden a bike in years, slept outside since I was a preteen, or skied in over a decade until I started working at Crystal Mountain in 2008. This began a whole new chapter to my life. Due to years of struggle with alcoholism, I’m happy and proud to be 11 years sober and am living proof that people can go from the gutter to the top of Rainier.
Ryan Humphries
Growing up in southeast Missouri, Ryan spent most of his days playing in the woods, swimming in creeks, capturing wildlife, and dreaming of adventure. His asthma kept him from playing a lot of sports as a kid, but it didn’t stop him from achieving the ranks of both Eagle Scout and a Black Belt in Taekwondo by the age of 16.
Samantha Sewell
Colorado Native and Seeker of Happiness
I am so fortunate to have been raised in Colorado and some of my favorite memories are camping with my Dad and family.
We would set up huge camping areas (tent camping with designated kitchen areas and community spaces) and camp for a full weekend. We rode dirt bikes and getting dirt under my nails was the best part.
Today I live in Denver with my best friend (aka Husband) and our two dogs (Chloe & Riley). I work as a professional downtown & retreat to the mountains as often as possible.
I am so lucky to continue to camp (side note: my gear is much lighter now compared to when I was a kid), hike, ride my bike on the Cherry Creek Trail, raft & snowshoe often.
My hubby is my adventure partner and our two pups tend to be our compass.
Follow my reviews for honest feedback on products you are curious on, have not seen a review on a piece of gear let me know and we will do our best to get our hands on it!
Talia Sessel
Nurse, Strength Coach, Health Nut, and “Mom” to her 8-year-old son and two cloud babies (Samoyed pups).
Often found somewhere outdoors in Florida or Colorado, Talia takes advantage of both mountain and coastal lifestyles. In her “free” time, she enjoys powerlifting, running, hiking, horseback riding, and skiing.
By role-modeling an active, healthy lifestyle, Talia believes it’s possible to inspire others to join in and do the same. Not a day goes by without some sort of physical activity and inspirational post on Instagram.
Active rest days often include skateboarding with her son, training the dogs, or practicing breathwork with hot/cold therapy to improve mental resilience.
This year, Talia completed her nursing degree at Barry University’s School of Nursing and most recently joined the respiratory intensive care unit at Broward Health in Fort Lauderdale.
Talia has previously worked as an EMT and continues to run her own personal training gym (Backcountrygym.com). Her motto…TRAIN FOR LIFE!
Wade Lancaster
Wade grew up hunting, water skiing/wake boarding, and riding dirt bikes in West Texas. When he moved to Colorado in the early 2000s, he knew he had found his forever home, discovered snowboarding and mountain biking, and now spends as much time as possible outside with his family and friends enjoying all that our amazing state has to offer.
The Lancaster Family is excited to add a rooftop tent to their outdoor gear this season and bring Engearment readers the best in gear reviews from splitboarding, mountain biking, and camping in the mountains of our wonderful state.
Wade’s big boy job is as a private health insurance advisor and takes great pride in protecting the outdoor community from the “what ifs” in life.
Wil Rickards
Wil was born in North Wales and steeped in its rich maritime, mountain and river folklore. In response to the request to “get a real job” he became first a teacher then professor of adventure education.
He then emigrated to where the sun shines for 300 days and snowfalls for 100 (Colorado). During more than 25 years as an outdoor educator, he worked Scottish winter seasons, taught canoeing, climbing, kayaking, and skiing throughout the States, Europe, and Australia. He also regenerated the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Outdoor Education program. His biggest adventure (by far) is fatherhood. It has also been the inspiration for his website www.wherethefruitis.com.
Things he likes to do include (middle) aging gracefully, and skiing (telemark) aggressively. He is happiest outdoors with a good view, good company, good weather/snow and the residue of self-powered adventure; sweat, a manic grin, and wild eyes.
Will Trail
Will grew up in Idaho (fifth generation!) where he enjoyed the outdoors, riding his bike, participated in multiple sports, and working on the family ranch from time to time.
During college at Montana Tech, he played football for a few years and worked as a wildland firefighter during the summers. He met his future wife, Erin Trail, there and after graduating with a degree in Geophysical Engineering, they moved to Texas where he was involved with racing his Subaru WRX, camping and powerlifting.
Yoseph Lakein
Growing up as a kid in Brooklyn, NY, my first-time skiing was at age 9 at Loveland ski area.
After that first time I was hooked, I would come back to Colorado to ski with my uncle every winter, eventually moving to Colorado.
I enjoy spending the winter months ski touring in Colorado, I spent two winters in the Baker Backcountry area taking pictures and skiing the best the PNW has to offer.
I lived for a winter season, ski touring in Les Arcs France And skiing in Switzerland.
When the snow is all gone, that’s when the MTB season is open, I have been downhill biking for over 20 years, I have traveled all over the world for skiing and biking, the best summer I can recall was in 2006 when I spent the entire summer in Whistler and traveling all over the MTB freeride spots in BC.
I spent 3 months living in Nepal trekking all over and even made it to Everest base camp in 2012.
My true passions are outdoor sports, that’s what keeps me alive and has shaped the person I have become today!
I also meet Sean the founder (of Engearment.com) in my AIARE 2 class in Estes Park back in 2015 and we have been friends since then, speeding each winter touring Jones Pass, thanks to him, I have met all the other amazing people in the Backcountry community!
