Affiliate disclosure.

What this disclosure covers

ActiveGearDen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We may also participate in other affiliate programs from time to time.

This page explains how affiliate links work on ActiveGearDen, what we earn, and why our editorial recommendations are independent of those earnings.

How affiliate links work

When you click a product link on ActiveGearDen and make a qualifying purchase on Amazon (or another affiliate retailer), ActiveGearDen earns a small commission — typically between 1% and 10% of the purchase price, depending on the product category. This commission is paid by the retailer, not by you. You pay exactly the same price whether you click through our link or navigate to Amazon directly.

Affiliate links are identified on ActiveGearDen by:

• “Check Price on Amazon →” buttons throughout review pages
• Product name links in review body text (these appear in a rust/orange color)
• The disclosure statement at the top of every review page: “We earn a commission when you buy through our links.”

What we earn does not affect what we recommend

Our affiliate commission rate is essentially the same across all products in a category. Recommending a $500 jacket over a $150 jacket doesn't meaningfully increase our earnings — the commission percentage is the same. We have no financial incentive to recommend expensive products over affordable ones.

More importantly: we never accept free products from manufacturers. Every product reviewed on ActiveGearDen was purchased at full retail price. This eliminates the primary mechanism through which affiliate and review sites develop conflicts of interest.

Products we recommend that aren't on Amazon

Some of our editorial picks don't have Amazon listings — Patagonia, REI Co-op, Arc'teryx, and several specialty outdoor brands primarily sell direct-to-consumer or through specialty retailers. We include these products in our reviews when they're genuinely among the best options in a category, even though we earn nothing when readers buy them.

When a product has no affiliate link, the “Check Price” button appears grayed out. We still write the same review we'd write if it had an Amazon listing.

FTC compliance

This disclosure is provided in compliance with the Federal Trade Commission's guidelines concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising (16 CFR Part 255). ActiveGearDen discloses the material connection between our site and the products we link to on every page that contains affiliate links.

Questions

If you have questions about our affiliate relationships or how we handle editorial independence, you can reach us at the Contact page.