Welcome to The Life Crux
Your fire-lit home for the best camping tents, brutally honest gear reviews, wild tales from the trail, and everything that smells like freedom and fresh pine.
Who the Heck Is Josh Wayne?
Let me tell you a story.
Name’s Josh Wayne, and no, I’m not your average outdoor blogger sipping matcha in an Instagram-ready van. I grew up scrappy — born into a messy, broken family where nothing came easy and peace was something I had to chase. And somehow, I found that peace out in the woods. At first, it was just me sneaking off to sleep under the stars behind our broken-down trailer. Eventually, it became who I am.
I was that weird kid who felt more at home in a muddy tent than in my own house. I’d piece together busted gear from yard sales and army surplus bins. I learned how to cook with a campfire, tie knots like my life depended on it, and navigate by the stars when GPS was nothing but a luxury. I didn’t have much, but I had the wild, and that was enough.
That raw, burning hunger to explore and survive turned into a full-blown obsession. Over the last decade, I’ve camped across six continents — desert floors in Namibia, misty mountains in British Columbia, snow-choked valleys in the Alps, rainforests that swallow the light whole. I’ve slept through sandstorms, thunderstorms, even curious grizzlies sniffing at the tent walls. And through it all, I’ve been fueled by one mission: find the best camping gear, test it like hell, and tell people what’s real.
Why I Started The Life Crux
The Life Crux isn’t just another camping site with top-10 lists written by someone who’s never set foot on a trail. This site was born out of the belief that gear matters — not just because it makes camping more comfortable, but because in the wild, your gear is your lifeline. It needs to hold up when things go sideways. It needs to feel like home when you’re miles from anywhere.
I started this blog for people like you — folks who want the best camping tents, stoves that won’t crap out after two uses, sleeping bags that actually stay warm, and honest, field-tested advice from someone who’s been there. Whether you’re hiking solo into the backcountry or setting up camp with your kids by the lake, the goal is to give you real reviews, solid recs, and no BS.
The Crux Crew — More Than Just a Team
I don’t ride solo anymore. Over the years, I picked up a tribe — a rugged little crew of friends who’ve become my extended campfire family. We’re gear junkies, dirtbags, adventurers, backcountry chefs, overlanders, and wild-at-heart souls who live for the next challenge. Each of us brings something to the table — different skills, different stories — but we all share the same fire.
We camp together, we test gear together, and yeah — we argue about tents sometimes like old married couples. But that’s how we know we’re doing it right. Everything we write, film, or share comes from real-world experience. No sponsors twisting our words. No sugarcoating.
Just honest opinions from a crew that’s tried, tested, and torn through it all.
What You’ll Find on This Site
At The Life Crux, we cover:
- The Best Camping Tents – Backpacking, car camping, family tents, rooftop rigs — if it keeps you dry and lets you sleep, we’ve tested it.
- Best Camping Equipment Reviews – Stoves, lanterns, knives, cookware, packs, sleeping systems — the stuff that makes or breaks your trip.
- Adventure Stories – Real tales from the trail. Not always pretty, sometimes a little crazy, but always 100% real.
- Tips & Know-How – From how to cook a full meal on a campfire to surviving your first snow camp, we teach what we’ve learned — sometimes the hard way.
- Overlanding Gear Reviews – For those who like their camping with a side of off-road madness.
We break things down by real categories: not just specs, but how a tent feels when the wind’s howling, how fast a stove sets up in the rain, how much gear a pack actually holds when it’s day 4 in the backcountry and you’re exhausted. You won’t find sugarcoated Amazon reviews here. If it fails us, we tell you. If it impresses us, we shout it from the mountaintops.
Why “The Life Crux”?
In the climbing world, the crux is the toughest part of the climb — the move that tests your limits, that defines your success. That hit me hard the first time I heard it. Because life’s the same way, isn’t it? You find yourself in a jam, heart pounding, trying to figure out your next move — and then you make it through.
Camping, for me, is the crux of life. It’s where things get real. Where you learn who you are. Where you stop scrolling and start living. That’s what this site is all about.
So if you’re tired of fluffy “top 5” lists and want to dig into the best camping gear reviews written by real, dust-covered, trail-worn humans who live for this stuff — you’ve found your spot.
Grab a coffee. Or a whiskey. Kick back and explore.
We’ll be out there, somewhere in the wild — testing, cooking, laughing, and living the crux.
See you out on the trail,
Josh Wayne
and the Crux Crew