About
Hanna Merzbach is an independent journalist, copywriter and fact-checker who started writing gear reviews for Task & Purpose in late 2021. An outdoors lover and gear junkie, she reviews gear for hiking, backpacking, running and more.
Experience
Hanna is an independent journalist, copywriter and fact-checker, based in Bend, Oregon. As an outdoors lover and gear junkie, she primarily reviews hiking, backpacking, climbing and running gear for Task & Purpose. She brings years of experience scaling rock walls and backpacking in the mountains and prides herself on finding the best gear for the cheapest price.
In addition to writing outdoor gear reviews, she writes everything from breaking news to magazine features. Her stories illustrate systemic issues related to housing and homelessness, health equity and the uneven effects of climate change. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, High Country News, Mother Jones, Portland Monthly and NBC stations across the county. She also fact-checks features for Eater, Harper’s Magazine and the Solutions Journalism Network.
Education
Hanna attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She majored in international affairs and dove into the journalism world by running the student newspaper. She spent a semester abroad in Tanzania, where she studied declining press freedoms and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.
Highlights
- Avid climber, hiker, backpacker and skier
- Published by The Atlantic, High Country News and NBC stations nationwideÂ
- Studied international affairs at Lewis & Clark College
Favorite Product
You won’t catch Hanna in the morning without her YETI Rambler mug, which keeps her morning tea hot for hours. When it comes to waking up early for climbing trips or ski adventures, having this to-go mug by her side makes all the difference.
