Trust + transparency
How affiliate links work here.
FTC-compliant, editorially independent, and held to the same brand-voice standard as the rest of the site. The short version: we only recommend what we use, every link is disclosed, and cash doesn't move the editorial.
The short version
Some of the gear, books, memberships, and services mentioned on /learn, /journal, and the program pages contain affiliate links. If you click one and buy something, Elk Glade may earn a commission — at no additional cost to you.
We only link to products we’ve actually used or recommend in good faith. The commissions help underwrite the site, the cron drafter, the photography, and the time it takes to keep the content fresh — they don’t determine what we say about anything.
We are also required by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to disclose any “material connections” between our editorial and the brands we mention. This page is that disclosure.
Editorial principles
Four rules we keep, in plain English.
We only recommend gear we use
Every product mentioned by name in a journal post, gear list, or trip planner has been used on this ranch by Andre, Jamie, Lauren, one of the wranglers, or a guest we trust. We don't recommend anything we haven't worn out, broken, or lived with through a season.
Cash doesn't move the editorial
Brands cannot pay to be added to a gear list, journal post, or pillar guide. Affiliate-network commissions never determine which product gets recommended. If two products are equivalent, we'll usually link the one with the better affiliate program — but if one is meaningfully better and earns no commission, we link that one.
Every affiliate link is disclosed
Each post that contains affiliate links carries a disclosure at the top, and the first affiliate link in any post is labeled inline. Cloaked redirects (e.g. /go/[slug]) resolve to the affiliate destination via a short URL and are marked the same way.
Pricing is honest
When we cite a price on a gear page or in the journal, it's the public price the day we checked. We re-check on a quarterly cadence and update the post. Affiliate-network commissions don't change what you pay.
The networks we participate in
Who pays us, and how much.
These are the affiliate networks Elk Glade actively links to. Approval cycles vary; some networks below may be pending approval at any given time. We update this list when the status changes.
AvantLink
Master account for outdoor/hunting brands — Sitka, First Lite, Stone Glacier, Mystery Ranch, REI, Filson, Pendleton, Black Ovis, Sportsman's Guide, and others. ~6–10% commission on most categories.
GoHunt (direct)
Highest-EPC affiliate program in the hunting category. 10% on products; up to 33% on Insider membership subscriptions.
Harvest Hosts
35% revenue share on Harvest Hosts memberships. We're also a Harvest Hosts location, so we eat our own dog food.
Bookshop.org
Independent-bookstore network for Western, ranch, and field-craft titles. Bumps our commission from 10% to 30% and the publisher's affiliate cookie is 365 days.
Impact Network
Tecovas, Boot Barn, Backcountry, Public Lands. Standard 4–8% commission on most categories.
How affiliate links look on the page
You’ll see one of these markers.
- Disclosure banner.Posts that contain any affiliate link carry an italicized disclosure under the byline: “This post contains affiliate links. We earn a commission if you buy through one of them, at no cost to you. Read why.”
- Inline label. The first affiliate link in a post is followed by a small affiliate chip the first time it appears.
- Cloaked redirects. Outbound links may route through a short Elk Glade URL like
/go/sitka-mountain-pants. The redirect adds the affiliate tracking parameters and sends you to the destination. The visible label still names the destination.
Sponsorships + paid placements
Different from affiliate. Disclosed the same way.
A few brands sponsor specific journal series — a season-long gear test, a wildlife camera deployment, an event recap. When that’s the case, the post header carries a “sponsored by [brand]” line above the byline, and the brand has no editorial control over what we write. They get to set the topic and ship us the gear; we write what we find.
If a brand asks for a paid placement that violates any of the four principles above (most commonly: “you have to call it the best” or “please remove the negative comparison”), we decline. We’ve declined three such asks in the last twelve months.
Questions
Spotted something that looks off? Tell us.
If a link isn’t labeled clearly, a disclosure is missing, or you’re curious about why we recommended a specific piece of gear, send a note and we’ll answer. Trust is the part of the operation we’re least willing to spend.
