Hiking in The Outdoors

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Latest news · Hiking

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GuideWes Dunbar1 Oct 20267 min

Your Kid Doesn't Care About the View

The best family hike is short, wet and slow. Pick the trail for what's at ankle height, and let the kid set the pace.

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.

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.

Ask BRO

Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

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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.

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

PartnerNames.com

6 min read

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.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

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.

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.

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

PartnerCoconut.com

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.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

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.

Your first mountain is a timing problem, not a fitness test

Pick the right peak, start stupid early, and set a turnaround time you actually honor. The summit is the easy half.

Ask BRO

Pressure-test my business idea

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GuideHunting & ShootingWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

Dressing for the stand when you won't move for six hours

Sitting still in the cold is a different problem than hiking in the cold, and most hunters dress for the wrong one.

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

PartnerGermProof.com

GuideBRO for HerNina Castellan23 Sept 20266 min

Start at the barn or the trailhead, not the gear store

What an adult beginner actually signs up for with riding lessons and hiking, what to spend money on first, and what quietly goes wrong in month four.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar23 Sept 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.

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes Dunbar23 Sept 20267 min

Stay Put and Get Found When a Day Hike Turns Into a Night

The unplanned night outdoors is survivable and usually boring. What kills people is walking after dark, and the fix costs about sixty dollars.

Ivermectin.com — Tracked USPS delivery, no clinic visit

PartnerIvermectin.com

GuideTravelDean Shaw23 Sept 20266 min

Your first Grand Canyon trip, without the rookie mistakes

Which rim, which trail, where to sleep, and the turnaround rule that keeps a great day from becoming a rescue.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

Skills6 min

Read a map and compass in the order you actually use them

Survival & Self-Defense6 min

What to do in the first hour you're lost in the woods

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

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GuideCity StyleTobias Reed23 Sept 20266 min

Rain gear that doesn't look like hiking kit

What to wear in the wet when you've got a desk, a meeting at nine, and no interest in arriving dressed for a mountain.

PartnerWhackAWoke.com

Gadgets5 min read

Getting a Message Out When There's No Signal

Your phone's GPS still works with zero bars. Its maps don't. That gap is where people get into trouble, and here's what actually fixes it.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

Older articles

Hiking in The Outdoors

Latest news · Hiking

Your Kid Doesn't Care About the View

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

Hiking After Sixty Without Trashing Your Knees

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

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

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

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

Your first mountain is a timing problem, not a fitness test

Dressing for the stand when you won't move for six hours

Start at the barn or the trailhead, not the gear store

Purify Backcountry Water Without Guessing What's In It

Stay Put and Get Found When a Day Hike Turns Into a Night

Your first Grand Canyon trip, without the rookie mistakes

Read a map and compass in the order you actually use them

What to do in the first hour you're lost in the woods

Rain gear that doesn't look like hiking kit

Getting a Message Out When There's No Signal