Michael Taft – Creator, Owner & Curator of the Gear My Son and I Actually Use
Every category on this site starts with something my son and I are actually doing—hunting, fishing, hiking, playing sports, or tinkering at home—and the gear we’d trust for those days. Products For Our Lives started the same way a lot of good gear stories do: a dad and his kid heading outside. I’ve been an avid outdoorsman my whole life, and most of my favorite memories are taking my son fishing, hunting, hiking, and exploring new trails. Over the years we’ve burned through a lot of GPS units, radios, optics, and backyard sports gear—some excellent, some… not so much.
I originally built this site just to share what actually works for us in the field—what my son and I trust when we’re miles from the truck, on the lake before sunrise, or timing pitches in the backyard. The goal was simple: honest evaluations from real use, not marketing copy.
What started as a father-and-son gear log slowly turned into a full-fledged review site with structured testing and comparison. Now we treat each guide like a serious project: we look at specs, long-term owner feedback, and our own hands-on experience before a product earns a spot on the list. Not only does it help people pick the right gear, it gives us a built-in excuse to get outside together.
