Outdoors in Play

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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.

GuideFishingSam OrtizSep 23, 20265 min

Take a Kid Bluegill Fishing and Be Home in Ninety Minutes

A five-foot rod, a red-and-white bobber, half a nightcrawler, and a hard stop before anybody gets bored. That's the whole program.

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What should I wear to this?

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GuideHobbiesDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Your First Bow Should Be Lighter Than You Think

Two numbers, one lesson, and about $350 gets you shooting arrows this month. Most beginners buy the wrong bow before they figure any of that out.

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Outdoors5 min read

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.

Poll

How often do you see your closest friends?

GuideHunting & ShootingWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Fishing With Kids Without Ruining It For Them

Ninety minutes, a dock, a box of worms and a bluegill. That's the whole plan, and it works better than anything ambitious.

GuideHobbiesNina CastellanSep 23, 20266 min

Birdwatching Is a Pair of Binoculars and a Slower Walk

Spend about $150 once, learn to raise the glass without losing the bird, and your own backyard turns into somewhere worth standing still.

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

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GuideOutdoorsSam OrtizOct 11, 20265 min

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.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

GuideOutdoorsDean ShawOct 1, 20267 min

The Best Treehouse Isn't in a Tree

Build it on posts, keep it under five feet, and hand your kid the drill. They'll remember the building longer than the fort.

GuideHobbiesDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Where You Can Legally Metal Detect and What You'll Actually Dig

National parks are out, your buddy's back pasture is in, and the ratio of pull tabs to silver is about what you'd expect. Start anyway.

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Rewrite my CV so it actually gets read

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GuideOutdoorsWes DunbarOct 1, 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.

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

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GuideOutdoorsDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

The Family Gear That Survives Twenty Weekends a Year

What to spend real money on, what to buy cheap on purpose, and the four items that quietly end more family trips than weather does.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideOutdoorsDean ShawSep 23, 20266 min

Camping Gear That Survives the Outback and Everything Else

Australian brands build for corrugated roads and 110-degree afternoons, and that standard is why their gear outlasts yours.

GuideOutdoorsCal BrennanSep 23, 20266 min

The Gym Is Not the Crag

Six months of plastic will get you up the wall. It won't tie the knot that keeps you off the ground.

Delicious.com — Nine thousand recipes and a plan for tonight

PartnerDelicious.com

GuideOutdoorsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Hiking After Sixty Without Trashing Your Knees

The climb isn't what hurts you. It's the walk back down, and a few grams of aluminum in each hand change everything.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

Outdoors6 min

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

Outdoors6 min

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

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Give me something to do with my kids this weekend

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GuideOutdoorsNina CastellanSep 23, 20266 min

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.

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

PartnerShirts.com

Outdoors6 min read

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.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

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