Outdoors in Guides, Checklists & Courses

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The shed plan is right about everything except the ground

A good set of shed plans gives you a cut list and a roof pitch. It won't tell you how to make the floor flat, square and still there in ten years.

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20265 min

Purify Backcountry Water Without Guessing What's In It

Pick the source, strain the grit, treat it right, and keep the dirty bottle away from the clean one. The order matters more than the gear.

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

Ask it

GuideGearWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

What actually fails on a camp stove

Spend on the pot, the lid and the fuel plan. The $20 burner is right more often than the gear shop wants to admit.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

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Woodworking6 min read

Build a picnic table with your kids in one weekend

Five boards for the top, four bolts per leg, and a job list a seven-year-old can actually do without you hovering.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

How to get a fire going when every stick is soaked

Wet wood isn't wet all the way through. Here's the order of operations that turns a soggy woodpile into a fire that stays lit.

GuideGearWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Buy a six-person tent for your family of four

Capacity ratings lie, fiberglass poles snap, and the stakes in the bag are garbage. What to spend on, what to skip, and when the $140 dome is the right call.

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

PartnerCancerDefying.com

GuidePlayMarcus ValeSep 23, 20265 min

The cheapest way to spend more Saturdays outside is a used camera

A camera won't make you an artist. It will get you standing in a wet field at 6:15 in the morning, which is most of the point.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Finding north with a stick, a watch and the Big Dipper

The sun gives you west in twenty minutes, Polaris gives you north in ten seconds, and neither one needs a battery or a signal.

GuideGearWes DunbarSep 23, 20265 min

The whole beginner fishing kit fits in a shoebox

One rod, one reel, eight-pound mono and about a dozen pieces of terminal tackle will out-fish a 187-piece bargain kit every weekend.

Ask BRO

Pressure-test my business idea

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GuidePlayMarcus ValeSep 23, 20266 min

How to paddle a canoe as a pair and still like each other

The stern steers, the bow sets the pace, and the single-carry rule saves your weekend. What to pack, how to portage, and where it usually goes sideways.