How to Be a Real Man

Character, duty, standards and the things nobody sat you down and explained.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

Do's & Don'ts: Men

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Moose, cougars and snakes each need a different response

The bear playbook gets you hurt with everything else. Here's what to do when the animal in front of you isn't a bear.

GuidePreparednessDean ShawOct 11, 20266 min

The water jug you can lift when the tap runs dry

A container that cracks, leaks at the spigot or weighs more than you can carry is just a way to feel ready. Here's what to inspect before you fill anything.

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What should I wear to this?

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GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes DunbarOct 10, 20265 min

The first night under a tarp, done wrong and done right

One guy learns at 2 a.m. what another learned decades ago. A rookie and a veteran pitch the same tarp, and only one of them sleeps.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

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GuideOutdoorsCal BrennanOct 11, 20266 min

Beat ticks, mosquitoes and poison ivy before the trailhead

A deer tick nymph is the size of a poppy seed. Poison ivy oil outlasts your boots. Here's the routine that keeps a good hike from turning into a bad week.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuidePreparednessDean ShawOct 11, 20264 min

The cornhole boards stay home

One man needs two and a half hours to pack the car for an evacuation and still forgets the medication. Another needs twenty minutes. Same car, same storm.

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes DunbarOct 10, 20264 min

The bow drill set that makes smoke instead of excuses

Friction fire is a real skill with real steps. Here's how it actually goes, including the part where your first forty minutes produce a warm stick.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

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GuideOutdoorsWes DunbarOct 11, 20266 min

Four inches of ice isn't a promise

The number everybody quotes only holds for one kind of ice, in one spot. Here's how to read the rest before you put your weight on it.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuidePreparednessSam OrtizOct 11, 20264 min

The first night without power, done wrong and done right

One outage, two men, and the dead flashlight batteries that separate them. The veteran's moves are all real, and you can set them up this week.

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseSam OrtizOct 10, 20266 min

Hand your teenager the map and then keep your mouth shut

A weekend hike, a $20 compass and one rule for you: let them be wrong while it's still safe. How to teach a teenager to read a topo map on the trail.

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Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

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GuideOutdoorsWes DunbarOct 11, 20265 min

The summit doesn't set your turnaround time. Sunset does.

Winter hikes go wrong in the last hour of daylight. Set your turnaround time the night before and carry the gear that keeps a small mistake small.

Dude.com — 16 AI advisers who listen, talk and are here with you

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GuidePreparednessNina CastellanOct 11, 20265 min

Open the emergency kit before the storm does

A real checkup for the family emergency kit: what expires, what leaks, what no longer fits, and the one thing you'll drive back to the store for.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseDean ShawOct 10, 20265 min

The Lighter Was Empty. It's Always the Lighter.

Gear rarely fails because it's cheap. It fails because nobody tested it since last season. A ten-minute check at the kitchen table fixes most of it.

GuideOutdoorsSam OrtizOct 11, 20266 min

Teach a kid the compass in the park, not the backcountry

A $15 compass, a hand-drawn map and a city park will teach your kids more navigation than any trailhead lecture. Eight games that work.

Shirts.com — Design it with AI. Wear it this week.

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GuidePreparednessWes DunbarOct 11, 20265 min

Find your water main before the basement does

A burst pipe gives you about a minute to remember where the valve is. Find it on a dry Saturday instead, and learn which way it turns.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next two weeks.

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseCal BrennanOct 10, 20265 min

Can you carry a forty-pound kid two miles?

Survival fitness isn't sprinting or pull-ups. It's walking far with weight on you, and almost nobody trains for it.

GuideOutdoorsWes DunbarOct 11, 20265 min

The water doesn't care that it's seventy degrees out

Cold water kills paddlers in the first minute, long before hypothermia. Dress for the water, wear the jacket, and practice your rescue before you need it.

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

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GuidePreparednessWes DunbarOct 11, 20266 min