Transparency and commissions
Last updated November 9, 2026
Bardy suggests the gear that fits the real weather of your trip. So that you can trust it, here is exactly how it chooses, where the numbers come from, and what it doesn’t do yet.
How Bardy chooses
Always in the same order:
- What you need to carry. From the estimated weather and your route (elevation, elevation gain, type of night, water points), Bardy works out the gear categories you need and a numeric threshold for each: for example “sleeping bag, comfort temperature 25°F or lower”, or “jacket, 20,000 mm waterproof rating minimum”.
- What hikers actually carried. On each line, Bardy shows how many hikers who did this trek had that item in their pack, and what they missed or were disappointed by, with a link to the exact moment in their video. An item the weather doesn’t require but most of them had is added as “recommended”, with the same thresholds as the others.
- Which product. Among the products that reach the threshold, Bardy picks the cheapest and shows the others as alternatives. If the cheapest doesn’t publish its weight, a model with a published weight that costs $6 more at most goes first, and the line says so: that way the weight of your pack stays a real total.
- Deliverable before you leave. Bardy takes the longest delivery time each merchant publishes for the United States (its shipping page), adds the weekends (5 business days make 7 days), and drops a product that would arrive after your departure date. When a merchant doesn’t publish a delivery time, the product stays and the line says “delivery time not published by the merchant”.
- Men’s, women’s or both. You choose who the gear list is for; when there is no model for that choice, the line says so.
- Gear you already own. Tap “I already have it” under any line: Bardy checks your item against the trip’s thresholds and, if it works, takes it out of the pack and the total. Your closet stays in this browser.
A product whose manufacturer doesn’t publish the number we need is never suggested: we don’t guess a comfort temperature or a waterproof rating. When no product fits, the line in the pack stays empty and we tell you why.
Where the numbers come from
| Data | Source |
|---|---|
| Weather, trip within the next 9 days | MET Norway forecasts (Norwegian Meteorological Institute). What they don’t provide (gusts outside Scandinavia, UV beyond 2 to 3 days) is taken from the month’s normals, and it says so |
| Weather, later start date | 10 years of ERA5-Land and ERA5 reanalyses (2015-2024, Copernicus), adjusted to the elevation of your nights and of your highest point. Gusts are not estimated when the ridge stands more than 3,281 ft (1,000 m) above the weather grid cell: we then recommend a 4-season tent to be safe |
| Rain | Recalibrated on the WorldClim 2.1 climatology, built from weather station records (grid of about 0.6 mi). A day counts as rainy from 1.5 mm (0.06 in) in the reanalyses, which count too many drizzle days: this threshold is the one that, while staying cautious, matches the 1 mm (0.04 in) days measured by 53 weather stations (GHCN-Daily, 2015-2024) |
| What hikers carried | YouTube videos in which hikers show the pack they carried on this trek, picked one by one. We read the captions to pick out the items and their feedback, summarized in our own words: nothing is copied or republished, and each piece of feedback links to its author’s video. A hiker with no commercial link counts in full; a video with affiliate links or a partner brand counts half; a product given by a brand doesn’t count. Complaints aimed at a brand are not shown. Fewer than 3 comparable hikers: we show nothing |
| Product specs | The brand’s own product page, read by hand, each number with its source. A number the brand doesn’t publish means the product is not suggested |
| Prices | Products and prices read on November 6, 2026 on the brands’ U.S. stores, in dollars. When a price couldn’t be read, the line says “price to check at the merchant”. The price that counts is the merchant’s at the time you order |
What Bardy doesn’t do yet
- Real-time stock and delivery time: the delivery time is the one the merchant publishes, not the one for your order. Check stock and delivery date with the merchant before ordering.
- Shipping costs: not included in the prices shown.
- Storm risk: the historical records used can’t estimate it. We show it as “not estimated” rather than announcing a false 0%. It is given when your trip falls within the next 9 days.
- Destinations: 5 major routes for now.
How Bardy will make money
As of today, no link is paid: Bardy earns nothing when you buy an item. Later on, links to merchants may go through affiliate programs: the merchant would then pay us a small commission on your order. Paid links will be disclosed in line with the FTC rules (FTC Endorsement Guides). Here are the rules we hold ourselves to from now on:
- The commission changes neither your price nor the choice of products: the product suggested remains the one that reaches the threshold at the best price.
- If products are ever sponsored, they will carry a clearly visible “Sponsored” label, be shown separately, one per category at most, and have to reach the same thresholds as the others. A brand could pay to be seen among suitable products, never to be suggested in their place.
- Products a brand sends us to test will always be flagged as such.
- We count clicks to each product, knowing nothing about you (see privacy). These totals may be shown to merchants and brands; never any personal data.
An important limit
Bardy helps you prepare your pack; it does not replace official weather bulletins or the advice of a mountain professional. Before you leave, check the forecasts from the weather service of the country and the conditions on the ground, and adapt your gear.