Ian Atkinson is a contributing gear tester with GearJunkie. He has been writing about backpacking, hiking, and mountaineering gear for 5+ years. Prior to GearJunkie, he was a product developer and the head of customer experience with Gossamer Gear. Based in Durango, Colorado, Ian is an avid trail runner, high-altitude peak connoisseur, and master ultralight backpacker.
Number of Products & Number of Hours Expert Has Tested: 100 products, 150+ hours
Education & Certifications
Education: Bachelor’s of Education, University of Texas at Austin
Years of Writing: 10+
Certifications: EMT-Basic
Club or Association Memberships: American Alpine Club, Colorado 14ers Initiative
Experience
Ian has been a lover of nature since his childhood days of collecting rocks and getting lost in his backyard in Austin, TX. After earning a degree in Education from UT Austin, Ian spent a number of years working as a product developer and director of customer experience in the ultralight backpacking industry.
During a thru-hike of the Colorado Trail in 2017, he fell in love with the state and decided to make the permanent transition in 2021, where he finished climbing all 58 Colorado 14ers, and became one of the few people in the world to complete Colorado’s 100 Highest Centennial Peaks.
Ian now resides in Durango, CO, where you can find him climbing at a crag or hiking one of the local trails. He’s looking forward to learning as much as he can about mountaineering, rock climbing, trail running, guiding, photography, and wilderness medicine while developing a community of like-minded outdoorsy folks. He is a big believer in the trail as a common ground to heal and develop strong bonds and can often be heard extolling the virtues of his favorite mantra — “one step at a time.”
Career Highlights
Completing the Colorado Trail
Thru-hiking the Camino de Santiago and Great Outdoors Challenge in Scotland
Completing the Colorado 14ers and 100 Highest Colorado Centennials
Finishing the Grand Canyon R2R2R in a single day… twice
Adventuring near Mexico solo and self-supported along the Big Bend 100 to secure a Fastest Known Time
A Word From Ian Atkinson
As a budding writer for GearJunkie, I’m stoked to combine my industry knowledge of product development with the creativity of crafting stories about the gear I adventure with. Passion, purpose, and skill blended into an outlet that keeps me playing in nature – talk about alignment.
My career began in a windowless warehouse constructing trekking poles and folding groundsheets, and evolved into front-office opportunities through sheer enthusiasm and self-education. Writing is a continuation of this path and a journey that guarantees helping others find the perfect piece of kit to bring outside.
When I’m not playing in nature, you can find me reading a book, throwing darts, or enjoying some much appreciated downtime with my partner.
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