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Nobody has improved on the combination square

A steel rule, a sliding head and a locking nut. It's been doing the same jobs for over a century, and the fancy replacements keep losing to it.

GuidePreparednessDean ShawOct 11, 20266 min

The camp stove that still lights in fifteen years

A good camp stove is simple, fixable and fed by fuel you can actually find. Here's how to judge one before you buy, and where it can safely run.

Ask BRO

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

Ask it

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes DunbarOct 10, 20265 min

The spark was never the hard part

A ferro rod throws a fat shower of sparks. The rookie still ends up in the dark. The veteran lights it on the first strike.

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

PartnerNames.com

Tools & Organizing6 min read

The tape measure has earned its spot on the wall

The hook on the end is loose on purpose, the blade is curved for a reason, and nobody has beaten the design in about a century and a half.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

GuidePreparednessDean ShawOct 11, 20266 min

The water jug you can lift when the tap runs dry

A container that cracks, leaks at the spigot or weighs more than you can carry is just a way to feel ready. Here's what to inspect before you fill anything.

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes DunbarOct 10, 20265 min

The first night under a tarp, done wrong and done right

One guy learns at 2 a.m. what another learned decades ago. A rookie and a veteran pitch the same tarp, and only one of them sleeps.

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

PartnerShirts.com

StoryCarsDean ShawOct 10, 20266 min

The tire gauge nobody has managed to improve on

A small metal tube with a needle has outlasted every gadget built to replace it. Here's why it earned a spot in the Hall, and how to buy one that stays accurate.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

GuidePreparednessDean ShawOct 11, 20264 min

The cornhole boards stay home

One man needs two and a half hours to pack the car for an evacuation and still forgets the medication. Another needs twenty minutes. Same car, same storm.