The Outdoors

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

The BRO Survival & Preparedness GuideThe printable family manual: a kit and go-bag builder, water and food calculators, the core skills and a family emergency plan.Get ready, calmly

BRO TakeWes DunbarNov 8, 20266 min

Wind will beat you before rain ever does

Everybody packs for rain. The thing that actually ruins a night out is moving air, and it's cheaper to fix than a wet sleeping bag.

The hut rules nobody posts on the wall

From the Outdoors archive

Older stories

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20265 min

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

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

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

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

The Ground Steals Your Heat Before the Air Ever Does

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Leave No Trace Before Somebody Turns It Into a Rule

GuideWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

The First Hour After You Realize You Are Lost

GuideNina CastellanSep 23, 20266 min

Hiking Alone as a Woman Starts the Night Before

Outdoors on video

Worth an hour of your evening

From channels we rate. Plays on YouTube.

REIApr 25

How to Build a Fire || REI

Nicole CoenenApr 10

How To Make Campfire Builds and Layouts

StoneAgeManApr 10

How to Make a Fire: Simple to Intermediate (The Basics)

Outdoor BoysAug 12

How to build a fire!! Best fire starter, fire safety & a one-match campfire in the rain

The Joyful WarriorAug 30

25 Camping Tips to Feel Like a Pro

Little CampfiresJul 27

Tent Camping for Beginners (Planning, Setup, Campfire, Cooking)

Woodsbound OutdoorsSep 14

20 + Camping/Outdoor Tips and Hacks to Level Up your Skills

Where We WildAug 3

TOP 15 CAMPING HACKS YOU'LL WISH YOU KNEW SOONER

Grim GraniteJan 11

How To Start Camping in 2025

Useful KnowledgeApr 3

Camping 101 for Beginners | Useful Knowledge

Little CampfiresNov 7

7 Mistakes While Tent Camping | For Beginners

InstantAcresFeb 9

25 Camping Hacks! that every camper should know. Grow your outdoor skills with these tips & tricks!

IzzythrillsJun 7

Your Complete Guide to Camping for Beginners! + Camping Tips and Advice

The Bear EssentialsMay 25

Top 13 Camping Hacks that ACTUALLY work

Outdoor EmpireMay 24

How to Camp: The BEST Way to Start Tent Camping

Outdoor EmpireJul 20

The Gear You MUST HAVE To Start Camping

Outdoors quizzes

Quiz yourself, then your friends

All quizzes

StoryWes DunbarOct 12, 20264 min

The camping aisle on the Thursday before a long weekend

Ten lines from the tent aisle, each with the correct answer, so you're not the one saying them on Friday.

GuideDean ShawOct 12, 20265 min

The headlamp that belongs in every go-bag

A flashlight needs a hand. When the power's out and a kid's holding yours, you don't have one to spare.

Ask BRO

Plan a cook for eight people

Ask it

StoryWes DunbarOct 12, 20266 min

The baseplate compass has never needed an update

A chunk of clear plastic, a needle and a bubble of liquid. It still beats every gadget that claims to replace it.

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

PartnerCoconut.com

6 min read

A backpack lasts as long as its zipper does

The fabric gets the marketing. The zippers, seams and buckles get the blame when a pack dies on the trail. Here's how to inspect them before you pay.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideWes DunbarOct 12, 20266 min

The family tent that's still standing in ten years

A tent rarely dies in a storm. It dies from zippers, sunlight and a damp stuff sack. Here's how to buy one that outlasts the kids' growth spurts.

StoryDean ShawOct 12, 20266 min

Nobody has improved on the hatchet, and plenty have tried

It's a wedge on a stick, and it's been doing the same job at campsites and woodpiles for generations. Here's how to buy one that outlives you.

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

PartnerNames.com

StoryWes DunbarOct 12, 20265 min

Nobody has beaten the wool blanket, and plenty have tried

It's heavy, it itches a little, and it has outlasted every gadget sold to replace it. Inducting the wool blanket into the Garage Hall of Fame.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

GuideWes DunbarOct 12, 20265 min

The needle points north. You're headed somewhere else.

A rookie follows the needle into a tree. A veteran sets declination, picks a boulder and gets to the lake before the rookie finds his compass.

GuideWes DunbarOct 11, 20265 min

Flames are for show. Coals are for cooking.

A rookie and a thirty-year veteran cook the same campfire dinner. One eats at 6:40. The other eats at 7:30 and enjoys every bite.

Ask BRO

Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

Ask it

GuideWes DunbarOct 11, 20265 min

Blaze orange won't save you, but it keeps you from being mistaken

Hunting season shares your trails for months. Dress right, pick the right ground, and make yourself obvious to anyone with a rifle or a bow.

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

PartnerCancerDefying.com

GuideWes DunbarOct 11, 20265 min

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.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideCal 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.

GuideWes 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.

PartnerWhackAWoke.com

GuideWes 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.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

6 min

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

5 min

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

Ask BRO

Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

Ask it

GuideSam OrtizOct 11, 20265 min

Every Kid Gets a Pack, and Four Things Go in It

A whistle, a snack, a warm layer and a card with your number. It weighs almost nothing and it's built for the worst twenty minutes of the day.

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

PartnerDude.com

5 min read

When your kid disappears on a trail, stop before you run

The first three minutes decide how this goes. Most parents do the one thing that makes it worse: they sprint.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

Older articles

Older Outdoors stories

The Outdoors

Wind will beat you before rain ever does

Scout with a kid before you ever hunt with one

Leave Your Own Rod in the Truck

Carry two ways to make water safe, not one good filter

Skip the paracord bracelet and carry a real hank of cord

The hut rules nobody posts on the wall

From the Outdoors archive

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

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

The Ground Steals Your Heat Before the Air Ever Does

Leave No Trace Before Somebody Turns It Into a Rule

The First Hour After You Realize You Are Lost

Hiking Alone as a Woman Starts the Night Before

Worth an hour of your evening

Quiz yourself, then your friends

The camping aisle on the Thursday before a long weekend

The headlamp that belongs in every go-bag

The baseplate compass has never needed an update

A backpack lasts as long as its zipper does

The family tent that's still standing in ten years

Nobody has improved on the hatchet, and plenty have tried

Nobody has beaten the wool blanket, and plenty have tried

The needle points north. You're headed somewhere else.

Flames are for show. Coals are for cooking.

Blaze orange won't save you, but it keeps you from being mistaken

Moose, cougars and snakes each need a different response

Beat ticks, mosquitoes and poison ivy before the trailhead

Four inches of ice isn't a promise

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

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

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

Every Kid Gets a Pack, and Four Things Go in It

When your kid disappears on a trail, stop before you run