Richard Forbes

Richard Forbes grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where he spent his childhood playing in local creeks and learning photography on a variety of dinky cameras. As he got older, he discovered mountains and headed West as soon as he could. He's dedicated his life to conservation, outdoor education, and storytelling, and is constantly trying new jobs that let him combine these passions in new ways. He's currently living and working in Seattle, WA, where he works outreach for a conservation nonprofit, guides climbing and mountaineering, and writes reviews for OutdoorGearLab and TechGearLab. Whenever he gets a free moment, he rushes into the Cascades, which are his favorite mountain range ever.

He's absurdly detail-oriented and has been known to research items of gear for literally years before purchasing them. However, he's certain that all this research is responsible for his bomber gear collection. And since he knows the review-world so well as a consumer, he began writing for OutdoorGearLab three years ago and has recently been moving into the TechGearLab world. He loves dissecting products to find out which work the best and appreciates the chance to let his research obsession run wild.