Custom Post Type Query, Groupped by Categories

gistfile1.phtml

// Add Shortcode
function equipment_list_shortcode( $atts ) {

	// Attributes
	extract( shortcode_atts(
		array(
			'trip' => '',
		), $atts )
	);

	$equipment_table = "";

	// Code
	if ( !isset( $trip ) ) {
		return '';
	}else{

		$equipment_table .= "<script type='text/javascript' src='" . plugins_url( 'jquery.printElement.min.js' , __FILE__ ) . "'></script>";

		$equipment_table .= "<style type='text/css'>
		
		.equipmentTable table td {
		    vertical-align: top;
		}
		.name {
		    width: 15%;
		}
		.guidesPick {
		    width: 30%;
		}
		.items li {
		    list-style: none;
		}
		.items {
		    margin-left: 0 !important;
		}

		@font-face {
			font-family: 'print';
			src:url('" . plugins_url( 'fonts/icomoon.eot' , __FILE__ ) . "');
			src:url('" . plugins_url( 'fonts/icomoon.eot?#iefix' , __FILE__ ) . "') format('embedded-opentype'),
				url('" . plugins_url( 'fonts/icomoon.ttf' , __FILE__ ) . "') format('truetype'),
				url('" . plugins_url( 'fonts/icomoon.woff' , __FILE__ ) . "') format('woff'),
				url('" . plugins_url( 'fonts/icomoon.svg' , __FILE__ ) . "#icomoon') format('svg');
			font-weight: normal;
			font-style: normal;
		}

		.icon-print {
			speak: none;
			font-style: normal;
			font-weight: normal;
			font-variant: normal;
			text-transform: none;
			line-height: 1;
			-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
			-moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale;

			text-decoration: none;
			float:right;
			position: relative;
			top:25px;

		}

		.icon-print:after {
			font-family: 'print' ;
			content: '\e600';
			font-size: 2em;
		}

		</style>";

		$equipment_table .= "<div class='equipmentTable'>";
		$equipment_table .= "<a class='icon-print' href='#' onclick=\"javascript:jQuery('.equipmentTable').printElement({overrideElementCSS:[{href:'" . plugins_url( 'print.css' , __FILE__ ) . "',media:'print'}],leaveOpen:true,})\"></a>";

	    $post_type = 'equipment';
		$tax = 'gear';
		$tax_terms = get_terms($tax);

	    foreach ($tax_terms  as $tax_term){	

			// WP_Query arguments
			$args = array (
				'post_type'              => $post_type,
				'trip'               	 => $trip,
				'pagination'             => false,
				'ignore_sticky_posts'    => true,
				"$tax" 			 => $tax_term->slug,
				'post_status' 		 => 'publish',
				'orderby'			 => 'menu_order',
				'order'			 => 'ASC'
				);

			// The Query
			$equip_query = new WP_Query( $args );


			// The Loop
			if ( $equip_query->have_posts() ) {

				$equipment_table .= "<h4>" . $tax_term->name . "</h4>";
				$equipment_table .= '<table border="0" bordercolor="" width="100%" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="3">';
				$equipment_table .= "<tr><th class='name'>Gear</th><th class='description'>Description</th><th class='guidesPick'>Guide's Pick</th></tr>";

				while ( $equip_query->have_posts() ) {
					$equip_query->the_post();
			
					$equipment_table .= "<tr>";
					$equipment_table .= "<td class='name'>" . get_the_title() . "</td>";

					$excerpt = get_the_excerpt();

					if( $excerpt != '' ){
						$equipment_table .= "<td class='description'>" . $excerpt . "</td>";						
					}else{
						$equipment_table .= "<td class='description'>" . get_field('description') . "</td>";
					}
					
					if( get_field('products') ){

						$equipment_table .= "<td class='guidesPick'><ul class='items'>";

						while(has_sub_field('products')){

							if( get_sub_field('link') ){
								$equipment_table .= "<li><a target='_blank' href='" . get_sub_field('link') . "'>" . get_sub_field('name') . "</a></li>";
							}else{
								$equipment_table .= "<li>" . get_sub_field('name') . "</li>";
							}
						}

						$equipment_table .= "</ul></td>";

					}else{
						$equipment_table .= "<td></td>";
					}
					
					$equipment_table .= "</tr>";
				}

				$equipment_table .= "</table>";

			}

		}

	}

	$equipment_table .= "</div>";
	wp_reset_postdata();
	return $equipment_table;	


}
add_shortcode( 'equipment_list', 'equipment_list_shortcode' );