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How to Safely Use a Life Jacket
Life Jackets are designed to keep you safe. These personal flotation devices (also called life vests or PFDs) are essential equipment whenever you’re on the water. It’s important that properly fitted...
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How to Buy Good Sunglasses
If you bought your last pair of sunglasses in a convenience store or got them free somewhere, they’re probably fun to wear, but they might not be protecting your eyes. Glare reflecting off snow, sand,...
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Tent or Tarp? How to Pick the Right Camping Shelter
Whether you pick a tent or tarp, these shelters will guard you from the elements. Tents and tarps both have advantages. How you want to sleep, the environment and how you want to use it can all factor...
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How to Use a Compass to Orient a Map and Find Your Way
If you were to pull out a smartphone and open a maps app, it would show where you were and which direction you were facing. Can you get the same useful information without a digital aid? Absolutely....
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How to Buy a Good Pocketknife or Multitool
Opinel’s No.07 My First Opinel Folding Knife ($17, opinel-usa.com) is sharp but without a point. The 3.5-inch blade is made from Sandvik stainless steel, and it holds an edge. The outdoors version...
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How to Gear Up for Winter
DECATHLON’S FORCLAZ MT500 AIR BACKPACK Winter camping is a great way to have fun outside. It’ll also help you learn to stay warm and dry when you’re out in the elements. “Everyone hates being cold,”...
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Use a Dutch Oven to Make Philmont Ranger Cobbler
Dutch ovens make baking at camp easy and expand your menu options. You can make biscuits, cornbread, pizza, lasagna, stew and a whole lot of desserts. A Scout favorite is peach cobbler. Here’s how to...
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5 Tips to Avoid Mosquito Bites
Mosquitoes are annoying, and they can be dangerous, too. They are responsible for transmitting blood-borne illnesses and serious diseases. Here are a few tips to keep mosquitoes away: • Wear insect...
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How to Prevent Fire Damage When Building a Campfire
Campfire building is an important camping skill, but do not be careless with a campfires. Overuse of campfires and an increasing demand for firewood has degraded the natural appearance of many areas....
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Protect Your Head With These Functional, Fashionable Hats
Hats are among the most underappreciated pieces of gear. They can let people know if you’re a fan of a certain sports team, what brands you like or that you’re a Scout. More practically, they can...
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How to Treat Your Water to Stay Healthy in the Backcountry
Sickness-causing microorganisms in the water, called “pathogens,” are top reasons hikers bail on a big trip, says Chris Casserly with Outdoor Gear Exchange, an outdoor sports store in Burlington,...
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How To Buy Snorkeling Gear for an Underwater Adventure
The underwater world is magical. With snorkel or scuba gear, you can observe fish, coral and other aquatic life in this wondrous environment. Snorkeling offers the most affordable and accessible way...
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How to Communicate Underwater When Scuba Diving
When you’re scuba diving, you obviously can’t talk to others underwater. That’s why it’s important to know hand signals so you can communicate. They’re helpful both above and below the surface. Here...
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Pick the Best Backpack With These Expert Buying Tips
Your backpack and boots are the two pieces of gear you’ll use the most on the trail. “A pack that fits poorly can make or break your trip,” says Ryan Wichelns, editor-in-chief of Trails Magazine, a...
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How to Safely Use a Camping Stove
Cooking with a camping stove offers many advantages: They’re reliable, convenient and allow you to be more self-sufficient. Camping stoves use different types of fuel. Propane is the most popular, but...
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10 Funny Campfire Skits
Need knee-slapping funny campfire skits? Skip the invisible bench, and try some of these entertaining ideas. Whether you’re at summer camp, a pack meeting or a weekend camporee, these funny campfire...
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How to Use an Ice Ax to Self-Arrest on a Snowy Slope
When you trek uphill, a hiking stick or trekking pole helps you keep your footing. If you’re trekking up a snowy mountain, you’ll want to carry an ice ax. Not only can an ice ax help you as you climb,...
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How to Cook a Tasty Foil Dinner In the Campfire
You can create a tasty meal with just heavy-duty aluminum foil and hot coals from a campfire. Food wrapped airtight in foil cooks like it’s in a miniature pressure cooker. PREPARING THE INGREDIENTS...
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Clever Curious Corvids: Learn About This Family of Brainy Birds
Blue jay Crows, ravens, magpies, nutcrackers and jays — these songbirds are all corvids, a family with many of the world’s smartest and most social birds. Their intelligence exceeds that of all other...
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How to Set Up a Dining Fly
A dining fly is a useful part of any campsite. It provides shelter for your equipment and the people in your unit in case it rains, and it can serve as a meeting place and hub to set up your camp...
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