The Outdoors

Camping, hiking, paddling and the skills that bring everybody home.

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

What To Do When Somebody Gets Hurt Two Miles From the Truck

Sprains, blisters and burns are what actually happens on trail. Here's how to handle them, and how to know when the day is over.

Hiking Alone as a Woman Starts the Night Before

A trip plan somebody actually reads, a turn-around time you keep, and the gear that earns its weight when the light goes early.

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

The First Hour After You Realize You Are Lost

Most search-and-rescue stories are decided before the sun goes down, by what you do in the sixty minutes after the trail stops looking like a trail.

Ask BRO

Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

Ask it

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Leave No Trace Before Somebody Turns It Into a Rule

The fastest way to lose a free, unpermitted, gate-open campsite is to leave it worse than you found it. Here's the practical version.

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

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6 min read

The Ground Steals Your Heat Before the Air Ever Does

Below zero, warmth is a system you build in daylight — pad R-value, a dry sleeping layer, hot water at your feet, and a stove that actually lights.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Read a Topo Map and Shoot a Bearing Before Your Phone Dies

Lithium batteries quit in the cold and GPS quits under cliffs. A paper quad and a $40 baseplate compass never do. Learn them now, not in the fog.

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20265 min

How to Buy Hiking Boots and Break Them In Before the Trip

Most trail misery starts in the store, with a boot that fit fine on carpet and failed on the descent. Fix it before you leave.

Ivermectin.com — Tracked USPS delivery, no clinic visit

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GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Your First Overnight Backpacking Trip and What to Leave Home

Pick a camp four miles from the car, carry under 30 pounds, and know where the water is. Everything else is negotiable.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Your Truck Is Already an Overland Rig

Skip the $3,000 rooftop tent. The gear that actually keeps you out of trouble on a forest road fits in a milk crate.

GuideDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

National Parks Worth the Long Drive and How to Beat the Crowds

Seven parks that reward a real drive, plus the timing tricks that get you a parking spot and a trail to yourself.

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

Ask it

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Six Knots You Should Be Able to Tie in the Dark

A canoe that shifts at 65 mph, a tarp that sags at 2 a.m., a line you can't untie with cold hands. All knot problems. All fixable.

PartnerCoconut.com

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

The Weather That Kills Hikers and How to Read It in Time

Lightning above treeline, brown water in a slot canyon, 45 degrees and rain. The three that actually kill people, and the calls that keep you out of them.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Bear Country Rules That Actually Keep You Out of Trouble

Spray on your hip, food in a certified canister, and a clear plan for the ten seconds when a bear decides to close the distance.

GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

The Ten Essentials and Why Veterans Still Carry Them

The list is ninety years old, weighs about four pounds, and has pulled more people off a mountain alive than any piece of advice ever printed.

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

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GuideWes Dunbar23 Sept 20266 min

Canoe Basics That Keep You Dry and Pointed Straight

Four strokes, one loading rule, and a capsize plan. Everything else about paddling a canoe is decoration.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

6 min

How to Light a Campfire the First Time and Put It Out Cold

6 min

Your First Family Camping Trip Should Be One Night

Ask BRO

Plan a cook for eight people

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Your First Kayak and Your First Calm Lake

Rent twice, buy used, and paddle into the wind first. What a beginner kayak setup really costs and where to find people who'll paddle with you.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

Play5 min read

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.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

Older articles

The Outdoors

What To Do When Somebody Gets Hurt Two Miles From the Truck

The Cold Comes From Under You, Not Around You

The Gym Is Not the Crag

Hiking After Sixty Without Trashing Your Knees

The Car Camping Kit That Fits in a Trunk and Sleeps Like Home

How Far Kids Can Really Hike and How to End the Day Happy

Hiking Alone as a Woman Starts the Night Before

The First Hour After You Realize You Are Lost

Leave No Trace Before Somebody Turns It Into a Rule

The Ground Steals Your Heat Before the Air Ever Does

Read a Topo Map and Shoot a Bearing Before Your Phone Dies

How to Buy Hiking Boots and Break Them In Before the Trip

Your First Overnight Backpacking Trip and What to Leave Home

Your Truck Is Already an Overland Rig

National Parks Worth the Long Drive and How to Beat the Crowds

Six Knots You Should Be Able to Tie in the Dark

The Weather That Kills Hikers and How to Read It in Time

Bear Country Rules That Actually Keep You Out of Trouble

The Ten Essentials and Why Veterans Still Carry Them

Canoe Basics That Keep You Dry and Pointed Straight

How to Light a Campfire the First Time and Put It Out Cold

Your First Family Camping Trip Should Be One Night

Your First Kayak and Your First Calm Lake

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