These terms govern your use of vanguardloadout.com and any related properties operated by Crawford Medical LLC ("we," "us," "our"). By using the site, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the site.

Effective date: May 16, 2026.

1. About this site

Vanguard Loadout is an editorial publication that reviews and recommends health-optimization gear. The site is published by Crawford Medical LLC. The site is supported in part by affiliate commissions; full details are on the disclosure page.

2. Not medical advice

Nothing on this site is medical advice, and using the site does not create a doctor-patient relationship with Kris Crawford, MD or any other clinician. See the medical disclaimer for the complete statement. The medical disclaimer is incorporated by reference into these terms.

3. Acceptable use

You agree to use the site lawfully and in good faith. You will not:

  • Scrape, crawl, or harvest content in violation of our robots policy or in a manner that overburdens the site.

  • Republish our content in whole or in substantial part without written permission, except for short, attributed quotations consistent with fair use.

  • Use the site to distribute malware, phishing, or other malicious content.

  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the site, its infrastructure, or other users' accounts.

  • Use automated systems to submit comments, newsletter signups, or other inputs.

  • Misrepresent your identity or affiliations when contacting us.

4. Intellectual property

All content on Vanguard Loadout — articles, reviews, guides, photographs, illustrations, page layouts, code, and design — is owned by Crawford Medical LLC or licensed to us, and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. The names "Vanguard Loadout," "Vanguard Optimization," and "Field Notes," together with associated logos and visual identity, are trademarks of Crawford Medical LLC.

You may link to our content. You may not republish our content in whole or in substantial part without our written permission. Short, attributed quotations consistent with fair use are welcome; please credit "Vanguard Loadout" and link to the underlying article.

The site contains affiliate links. Clicking an affiliate link will route you, sometimes through a redirect path, to a third-party merchant site. We are not responsible for the content, products, terms, privacy practices, or conduct of third-party sites. Your transactions with merchants are between you and the merchant. We are not a party to those transactions and we make no warranty regarding any merchant's products, services, return policies, shipping, or customer service.

6. No warranty on recommendations

We work hard to give accurate, honest recommendations based on hands-on use and the best available evidence. We do not, however, guarantee that any product we recommend will:

  • Perform identically for you as it did for us.

  • Be a fit for your specific medical condition, training program, or lifestyle.

  • Continue to be sold, supported, or priced as described.

  • Comply with all laws, regulations, or warranty terms in your jurisdiction.

Use our recommendations as a starting point for your own decisions, not as a guarantee of outcome. Read the methodology page for how we evaluate gear, and the medical disclaimer for the medical-context limits.

7. Newsletter and communications

If you subscribe to our newsletter (Field Notes), you authorize us to send you the newsletter and occasional related communications. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any newsletter email or by writing to field-notes@vanguardloadout.com.

8. Comments, submissions, and feedback

If you submit comments, feedback, suggestions, or other materials to us — through email, newsletter replies, or any other channel — you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual license to use, reproduce, modify, and publish those materials in connection with the site and our editorial work. You represent that any materials you submit are your own work or appropriately licensed, do not infringe third-party rights, and do not contain confidential information you are not authorized to share. We may decline to publish anything for any reason or no reason.

9. Disclaimer of warranties

The site and its content are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis, without warranties of any kind, express or implied. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, and any warranty arising from course of dealing or course of performance. We do not warrant that the site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses or other harmful components.

10. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Crawford Medical LLC and its members, officers, contributors, and affiliates will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages arising out of or related to your use of the site, including without limitation damages for personal injury, lost profits, lost data, or business interruption — even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Our aggregate liability arising out of or related to the site, on any theory, is limited to one hundred United States dollars (US$100).

Some jurisdictions do not permit the exclusion or limitation of certain warranties or damages. In those jurisdictions, the exclusions and limitations above apply to the maximum extent permitted.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Crawford Medical LLC and its members, officers, contributors, and affiliates from any third-party claim arising out of your use of the site, your violation of these terms, or your violation of any law or third-party right.

12. Termination

We may suspend or terminate access to the site, in whole or in part, at any time, with or without notice, including for violation of these terms.

13. Governing law and venue

These terms are governed by the laws of the state where Crawford Medical LLC is organized, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or related to these terms or the site will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts of competent jurisdiction in that state, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

14. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will update the "last updated" date and, where appropriate, give notice in a forthcoming Field Notes newsletter. Continued use of the site after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

15. Contact

Questions about these terms — write to field-notes@vanguardloadout.com or kris@vanguardloadout.com.

Vanguard Loadout is published by Crawford Medical LLC.