For the outdoor adventurer, knowing how to read and use a topographic map effectively is an invaluable skill. Whether you’re planning a hike or looking for a place to set up camp in an unfamiliar area, being able to use this type of map will make you a safer, more confident, and better informed explorer. [...]

On those bone-chillingly cold days in the outdoors, it’s essential to know how to choose the right winter clothes. Even if you’ve stuck to the key tenet of layering for cold weather, doing it with the wrong materials will eventually leave you cold, miserable, and feeling totally exposed to the harsh elements. So whether you’re [...]

America’s National Parks have a unique, interesting history. The first one, Yellowstone National Park, was established in 1872 under President Ulysses S. Grant. Since then, the national parks have expanded to a level of reverence and prestige unmatched by any other natural wonder. They span all across the contiguous United States, from the ancient Smoky [...]

Depending on what you like most about the outdoors, the five best places to camp in the winter cover a variety of attractions and activities. Whether you want to brave the harsh cold up north or have a mild, comfortable winter camping experience in the south, the contiguous United States has campgrounds that meet and [...]

For many campers, one of the least pleasant things about “roughing it” is having to forgo a nice hot cup of coffee in the morning. With the rise of automatic coffee makers and instant grounds, the art of making old-fashioned, campfire roasted coffee has unfortunately been lost on many. Luckily, there’s no reason you have [...]

Telling good campfires stories is a delicate art form. It’s no easy task to keep people’s attention for an extended period of time – especially after a full day of tiring outdoor activities. You can, however, use a few storytelling tricks to make your own campfire tales vivid and outstanding. They’re pretty easy to remember, [...]

Though the experience itself is often unparalleled, camping in the snow presents some unique challenges. In general, water (especially frozen water) is not a camper’s friend unless it’s in a bottle. And when the cold temperatures necessary for snow to persist are added in, it becomes clear that extra measures are necessary to guarantee a [...]

Fake Christmas trees are, in a word, easy. You take them out of storage, assemble them in a matter of minutes, and stand them up – job done. But they don’t capture the spirit of Christmas like a real tree that you’ve chopped down yourself. It might be the smell, the natural look, or the [...]

As far as vacationing goes, camping offers one of the best opportunities for fun and cost effective trip-taking. With no nightly hotel fees, less travel expenses, and zero restaurant bills, you can have a great time without draining the bank account just by enjoying the great outdoors. For the super savers out there, learning how [...]

Few things can dampen the fun of a camping trip faster than adverse weather conditions. If you’re ill prepared, even intermittent periods of rain may cut your trip unnecessarily short. If you know how to camp in the rain, however, you can prevent weather conditions from controlling your camping experience. The things to remember are [...]