What every piece must clear
Nothing is published on Track & Canopy until it passes a simple audit: every number is checked against a primary source or a measurement we took ourselves; every claim is one we would make to a mate at the fire; every recommendation survives the question “would this still be here if it paid us nothing?” If a piece can't clear that, it doesn't run.
How we test & verify
- Field use first. Products are bought or borrowed by us and used on real Australian trips — dust, rain, 35°C nights and salt air — before we rate them. A spec sheet is a claim; a season of use is evidence.
- Published specs checked, not copied. We verify manufacturer figures (mass, dimensions, water ratings, power draw) against our own measurements where we can, and we say which is which.
- Honest nulls. Where a price, rating or spec could not be verified at time of writing, it is left blank or marked unverified rather than guessed. An absence on our pages means we couldn't confirm it — not that it's fine.
- Calculators show their working. Every tool documents its assumptions and formulas openly on the page, so you can check the logic and disagree with it.
How ratings & verdicts are formed
Ratings reflect suitability for stated Australian use cases, not brand prestige or commission rate. A verdict always names its trade-offs and who should look elsewhere — a review with no limitations section is not finished. Comparisons rank on the merits we can demonstrate in the text; if the prose can't justify a position, the position goes.
Review dates & updating
Every article carries a fact-check date, and each piece is scheduled for a real re-review rather than a date change. When we revisit a guide, prices are re-checked against live listings, discontinued products are flagged or replaced, and material changes are noted in the text. Stale content is corrected or taken out — an old confident answer is worse than no answer.
Corrections
We get things wrong sometimes, and we fix them visibly. If you spot an error — a spec, a price, a broken link, a claim that no longer stands — email hello@trackandcanopy.com.au with the page address and what you believe is wrong. Confirmed errors are corrected promptly, and on significant pieces we note the correction so readers who saw the original know it changed. No proof of purchase, no gatekeeping: pointing out our mistakes is a public service.
Editorial independence
- Commercial partners never see, approve or influence content before publication — including which products make a shortlist.
- We do not accept payment for placements, reviews of specific products on request, or “contribution” articles dressed up as testing.
- Drafting may be assisted by software tools, but every claim, number, link and verdict is checked and signed off by a human editor who has used the gear or consulted primary sources.
- We publish our funding model in full on the affiliate disclosure; where money could surprise a reader, it is named before the click.