Outdoors in Play

Only Outdoors: the latest headlines first, then BRO’s own Outdoors stories and video. All of Play →

Buy the sleeping pads first and the tent second

A family of four can camp well on about eight items. Everything else is optional, and half of it is a trap the store wants you to walk into.

GuideGearWes DunbarSep 23, 20265 min

The whole beginner fishing kit fits in a shoebox

One rod, one reel, eight-pound mono and about a dozen pieces of terminal tackle will out-fish a 187-piece bargain kit every weekend.

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Rehearse the raise conversation with me

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GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Finding north with a stick, a watch and the Big Dipper

The sun gives you west in twenty minutes, Polaris gives you north in ten seconds, and neither one needs a battery or a signal.

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

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Travel5 min read

Ask these questions before you wire the fishing lodge deposit

The nightly rate is maybe two-thirds of what you'll actually pay, and the answers to six questions decide whether the week is worth it.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideGearWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

Buy the pad first, then buy the sleeping bag

The number printed on a sleeping bag is the temperature you'll survive, not the one you'll sleep through. Here's how the system actually works.

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

The Axe Work That Drops a Small Tree Where You Want It

Read the lean, cut the notch wide, leave the hinge alone, and be twenty feet away before it lands. Then limb it without burying the bit in your boot.

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

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GuideBRO for HerNina CastellanSep 23, 20265 min

The hill is your sled and the stroller is the load

Three days a week at the playground, with the brake on and a toddler on the mulch, will do more for you than another skipped gym session.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

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

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

How to Teach Your Kids Real Survival Skills in One Weekend

Two nights, one campsite, and a handful of cheap gear turns a normal camping trip into the best training your kids will ever get.

GuideSkillsWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

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

Set declination, orient the map, walk a bearing, and find yourself again when the trail disappears. No battery required.

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Plan a cook for eight people

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GuideMen's GroomingTobias ReedSep 23, 20265 min

Sunscreen that survives sweat, a hard hat and eight hours outside

A forty-second morning, one stick in the truck, and the four spots almost every outdoor guy forgets until a dermatologist finds them.

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

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GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseNina CastellanSep 23, 20266 min

Gear that fits and nerves that hold on your first solo trip

One night, three miles from the truck, with a pack that actually fits you. The kit list, the fit details nobody explains, and the class worth $250.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideTravelDean ShawSep 23, 20265 min

Your $80 park pass and the parks worth using it on first

What the America the Beautiful pass covers, what it quietly doesn't, and the arrival window that decides whether the day is any good.

GuideDadsCal BrennanSep 23, 20266 min

You get about 936 weekends, so spend a hundred of them well

The hundred-item dad bucket list is only a guilt trip if you never do the math on it first.

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

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GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes DunbarSep 23, 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.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

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

Preparedness6 min

Three Blasts, Then Wait

100 Things6 min

100 Things Every Kid Should Do Before Twelve

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

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GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes DunbarSep 23, 20266 min

PLB or satellite messenger, which one belongs in your pack

One is a government rescue signal with no monthly bill. The other texts your wife that you're just running late. They're not the same purchase.

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Preparedness6 min read

Teach Your Kids to Hug a Tree Before They Ever Need To

Three rules a six-year-old can remember, and a pocket kit that costs less than a pizza, for the day one of your kids walks the wrong way.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

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