Camping
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I'm getting ready for a two-month trip around Asia and I need luggage that can hold up to serious abuse. What do you recommend?
The extreme polar explorer on rock lifting, noodles, and scheduling conflicts
Sending your kids to camp may not be the best way to keep them active in the warm months
I’m going backpacking through South America in a few months. I expect to get kind of grubby, and won't have regular access to showers. What’s the best way to stay clean and not stink without taking a bath every couple of days?
Introducing an ultra-high-end, ultra-light mountaineering tent that's also great for flush thru-hikers, backpackers with fat wallets, and adventure racers with generous corporate sponsors
I’m looking for a pair of quick-drying pants for hiking in the slush and rain over the next few weeks. I need to look presentable if we stop at a brewpub on the way back. What have you got for me?
I'm looking to upgrade my camera, but I don't want to lug around a heavy—and pricey—DSLR. What are my options?
I love to grill—steaks, veggies, sausages, anything. How can I bring my grill camping with me?
I'm looking for a sleeping bag for extreme cold temperatures. I'm talking Arctic. What's my best option?
I'm looking for a good, stable lantern to light up my campsite. What do you recommend?
Camping cure-all. Photo: Katie Arnold Happy new year! The exclamation point feels a little forced this morning as I saddle up to my computer with a mix of dread and anticipation. Something tells me I’m not the only one. For 10 days, the whole country has…
Photo: Sam Moulton When my colleague and friend, Outside’s executive editor Sam Moulton, emailed this photo to me, I was pretty sure I was looking at the birth of a new adventure sport: sidecountry stroller camping! Like backpacking with kids—only less lugging, more…
Sunset/moonrise over Canyon de Chelly. Photo: Katie Arnold [This is the third in a series about roadtripping around the Southwest. Read parts I and II here.] On our first morning in Chinle, I woke full of hope for Canyon de…
In the rough: Road 7950 out of Chaco Canyon. Photo: Katie Arnold. There’s no direct route from Chaco Canyon, in northern New Mexico, to Canyon de Chelly, across the border in Arizona. Rugged badlands, sandy washes, and vast tracts of…
Airstream in repose, Gallo Campground, Chaco Canyon (note trash bag window). Photo: Katie Arnold This year we decided to do something different for Thanksgiving. Instead of traveling to be with extended family or entertaining them here, we opted to stay put in Santa Fe and keep…
When it comes to holiday giving, you should never have to choose. This year, our editors have pulled together 68 perfect ideas—priced from $4 to $50,000—guaranteed to make anyone on your list feel like a million bucks.
Game for adventure: The Cairns-Locke girls cozy up in the Yukon. Photo: Peter Mather When I opened the latest Patagonia catalog and saw this picture by nature photographer Peter Mather, I was instantly filled with envy and awe. Lying on…
This week Raising Rippers is launching a new feature. It’s called Picture of the Week and every week—or as often as we’re inspired—we’ll post a particularly riveting or rad photo about adventuring with kids and give you the backstory behind the shot. What were they thinking? How'd they…
While Nemo’s Hunker won't stand up against the toughest conditions, after you’ve been out hiking or skiing all day, it can be rejuvenating to duck out of the wind or weather. Nemo’s Hunker let’s you sidestep the elements quickly and easily so that you can rest,…
In many cultures, your life depends on your knife. A knife is the tool you use to prepare food, hunt and dress animals, work skins, cut firewood, clear brush and vegetation. In southern cultures that knife is a often a machete. In northern Europe, the indigenous…
First things first: your pack will be heavier. You’ll be packing more food, fuel, and layers. As for shelter, if you’re not expecting high winds or heavy snowfall, you probably don’t need to upgrade to a four-season tent; a sturdy (read: not ultralight or mostly mesh) three-season model should see you through.
It makes no difference to Mother Nature whether you’re a few hundred feet outside the resort boundary or deep in the backcountry. At a minimum, if you plan to ski any uncontrolled slope, you need four things: a buddy, a beacon (worn over your midlayer, not stuffed in your pack), a shovel, and a probe.
Make sure to bring these emergency items on your next camping or hiking trip
October solitude on the Rio Chama. Photo: Katie Arnold Last weekend we went camping on the Rio Chama in northern New Mexico. This wilderness canyon is one of our favorite places in the Southwest, and we figured it would be one of the last warmish weekends…
Whether you’re night riding, hiking, skiing, cooking or just rummaging around your tent, a bright and long-lasting lamp can make a big difference between loving the great outdoors and cursing it. Light and Motion’s new USB-rechargeable Solite 250 will help you choose the former.
Package deals aren’t always winners, but this one is. To celebrate its 100th birthday, Stanley—celebrated manufacturer of insulated mugs and bottles used around the world—is giving you a present. It’s a stainless steel, vacuum-insulated travel mug that slides inside a leak-proof, BPA-free water bottle, meaning…
Gear Tester Andrew Forsthoefel has just finished his cross-country walk. It took him nearly a year. At approximately 2,000 steps per mile—he’s had plenty of chances to count—Andrew has taken more than six million steps on his way from Pennsylvania to the Pacific. Forsthoelfel sent us notes on his shelter…
Boyscout blades are a dime a dozen, but SOG’s Blade Light Folder (BLT-50N) takes camping knives to a new level. This steel-blade folding knife has six LED lights, three molded into the handle on either side of the blade, to…
Dog, kids, river fun. Photo: Katie Arnold Before we had kids, my husband, Steve, and I swore that we’d never be the kind of parent that neglects their dog when a baby comes along. We’d heard stories of people giving away their pets because of the…
Conundrum Hot Springs party people, mid-August. Photo: Will McGough By Will McGough, Wake and Wander Sitting in the nearly 100-degree water, among several naked bathers in the Conundrum Hot Springs near Aspen, Colorado, I looked around at the pine…
Nothing says autumn like campfire s'mores. There is a certain delight in getting little bits of bark in your mouth from the stick you jammed your marshmallow on, and in the sticky fingers that come from smooshing your marshmallow, chocolate and graham crackers together. Unless, that is, you are camping…
Rigging the raft for hands-free floating is key. Photo: Katie Arnold You know how sometimes you ask other parents, including your own, for advice or insight about kid-related quandaries, and so often people scratch their heads and mumble, “Uh, I can’t remember?” And you find this…
The quiver at Oh Be Joyful Campground. Photo: Katie Arnold There are few places in the Rockies more beautiful than Crested Butte. The Colorado mining town-turned-mountain-biking-nirvana sits at the dead-end of a wide, lush valley in the exact middle of the state. Ringed…
It’s not the first inflatable tent, but it might be the most affordable and easiest to use. By replacing traditional poles with inflatable “AirPoles,” Kelty’s family camping-sized shelters set up in under a minute with a dual-action floor pump, the kind you’d use to pump up an…
Want to look at maps on your tablet instead of your phone so that they're bigger and easier to comprehend? Trimble Outdoors just released its MyTopo Maps app for the Kindle Fire and other Android-powered tablets. Now you can plot your next outdoor adventure on the big…
I heard about the BioLite stove, which supposedly makes electricity from wood. Does it work?
Light-is-right fanatics take heed: don’t bother cutting the handle off of your toothbrush just yet. If you’re going on a multi-day trip, look to your sleeping system to shave some serious weight. After 2,700 miles on the road, our cross-country walking tester Andrew Forsthoefel gave us the scoop on his…
Telluride Mountain School students explore the Needle Mountains. Photo: Jamie Salem By Emily Brendler Shoff The older kids get, the easier it is to take them into the backcountry. This is even true for teenagers, who, despite getting a bad rap for being addicted to all…
If you’re like me, no matter how much you plan, the Wing It factor always comes into play when you go camping with children. Somebody sprouts a new tooth; you forget the salt; nobody sleeps. That's why it's called adventure. But now there's a book that can help you tame…
Never worry about being stuck in the wilderness with nothing to eat again—as long as there is a healthy river nearby. Last year, Washington State-based Fikkes introduced the world’s first fishing pole/trekking pole. The contraption houses a fishing rod blank inside a hollow aluminum trekking pole. With just…
You are, no doubt, already familiar with the mini power plants known as camp stoves. The ReadySet is a different kind of mobile energy source that generates and stores electrical power generated by the sun or pedal power. While it wasn't originally designed for outdoor recreation, it…
Put some wheels on this thing and you've got your ideal adventure home
Alberto Rosselli's Expandable Living Container. Photo: SHFT on Facebook In May of 1972, MOMA put on a five-month show highlighting some of the world's best new mobile environments. It was called “ITALY: THE NEW DOMESTIC LANDSCAPE” and featured a…
San Francisco views at Angel Island State Park. Photo: John Trippe/FecalFace.com If you're all about eating locally-produced food and being active in your community, consider staking claim to some nearby dirt or sand, too. Here's a quick (and coastal-centric) list of camping options.
By Emily Brendler Shoff It’s easy to find an outdoor adventure in the Rockies. What’s not as simple is finding an adventure base camp for the whole family. For mountain biking, there may be no better place than Boggy Draw. This camping and biking Mecca, located in southwestern Colorado’s…
I'm in the market for a small, light backpacking tent that won't break the bank.
Therm-a-Rest made the first self inflating mattress in 1971. Sleeping in the backcountry suddenly became way more comfortable and pleasurable for most campers. Next spring, the brand, which is part of Cascade Designs, claims it will radically improve your sleep again with a new…
In the flow, finally: Conejos River, Colorado. Photo: Katie Arnold Whenever you take young children on outdoor adventures, there will invariably come a moment when you’ll ask yourself, head in hands, between clenched teeth, possibly on the verge of tears or mental breakdown: How could this…
Last fall, when pro riders Eric Porter and Kelly McGarry needed a vacation, they decided to do a raft trip down Utah's Green River to look for unridden, Red Bull-style lines. Because they're pros, they brought along a videographer, a photographer, and hired…
Alite Designs cofounder Tae Kim at the Ranger Station library. Photo: Mary Catherine O'Connor Tae Kim grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, where, he says, “your crazy uncle teaches you how to go camping.” (His crazy uncle really did teach him how to go camping.) But…
Photo: Kalakutskiy Mikhail/Shutterstock This fall, Hal Herring plans to go backcountry hunting with his son near his Montana home. If they both take an elk, they'll be able to provide the family with enough meat for the following year. But should House…
Calling all connoisseurs of fine foods. Just because you're camping, hiking, skiing, riding or otherwise adventuring doesn't mean you have to suffer terrible treats. Leave the Slim Jims behind on your next outing and snack on one of these tasty boutique jerkies instead. Slantshack Jerky, which scored…
Helle of Norway has made knives since 1932—beautiful knives, knives that are handcrafted works of art as well as practical tools. Each Helle knife a unique wood handle and a triple-laminated razor-sharp stainless-steel blade that won't corrode or break. But the company has never made a folding…
High on the trail in the Acadia backcountry. Photo: Kurdistan/Shutterstock By Michael Lanza Day Hiking Acadia National Park, MaineAges: All (depending on hike) Acadia seems designed for hiking with kids: Numerous trails deliver constant views many of the best hikes are…
We’ve all heard of prodigal athletes—the seven-year-old ripping free skier, the two-year-old boulderer, teen mountaineers, the baby who starts skiing before she can walk, and the 12-year-old skateboarder who becomes the first athlete ever to land a 1080. Some of these…
Rhode Island School of Design student Cam Brensinger came up with the idea for NEMO (New England Mountain Equipment) and his college senior project, high on the flanks of New Hampshire's Mount Washington. One weekend Cam went camping and got caught in gale force winds. Cam recalls:…
Dodging grizzlies and calving glaciers in John Hopkins Inlet, Glacier Bay National Park Yesterday I caught up with Michael Lanza, author of the season’s must-read new memoir about bringing up adventure kids in the age of climate change: Before They’re Gone: A Family’s Year-Long…
Frank Quan at China Camp Village Photo: Mary Catherine O'Connor I found Frank Quan at a picnic bench, just off the beach, as the waters of San Pablo Bay lapped gently on the shore. It was an unseasonably warm, windless April afternoon and…
Badlands bison Photo: National Park Service photo archive The Oglala Sioux Tribe may be granted management of the South Unit of Badlands National Park, which would create the country's first tribal national park. The…
Trailer bliss in the big empty. Photo: Pablo H Caridad/Shutterstock Earlier this month we drove our vintage Airstream to Marfa, Texas, for its maiden voyage. We knew zilch about driving or camping with a travel trailer before we left, so it…
First, assume an Australian accent. It'll help when you pronounce the name of this snazzy bike trailer setup: Midget Bushtrekka. This pimped out bike trailer has “duallies” (kind of) and is designed to pivot and absorb shock. It can be adjusted to fit on a range of bike…
The Minnow has landed! Texas is so vast it makes New Mexico feel as crowded as wall-to-wall suburbs back in Jersey. Two hours after leaving Truth or Consequences, we crossed the state line north of El Paso and saw a sign: “Beaumont: 831 miles.”…
The Silver Minnow, in repose We were barreling south on I-25 doing 70 when we felt it: a weird shuffling sensation in the tires. The truck hitched slightly to the right and began to decelerate. I looked over at Steve to see…
Photo: Flikr/tkd540 With their commercial use permits on hold, horse pack operators in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks aren’t taking trip reservations and are nervously awaiting a May 23 hearing at which U.S. District Court Judge Richard Seeborg will outline…
Pinnacle Camper: Gourmet Kitchen on the Go According to the company, the specially-designed Radiance nonstick Teflon pots heat up 25% faster than regular nonstick pots “while withstanding absurd levels of abuse.” I can’t say that I tested either claim, but I was impressed with…
All aboard who's going aboard. Photo courtesy Linx Co-op In our May issue we rounded up 12 amazing off-the-beaten path National Park adventures. Trekking into Yellowstone National Park (oh, you've heard of it?) didn't make the cut. But that doesn't mean you should avoid the 3,472 square…
Let’s just say you’ve pitched your tent at a campsite neighboring a crew of rambunctious teenagers. They have Theophilus London blaring out of their mom’s SUV, and who knows what else going on. The Kelty lantern will not only illuminate your tent…
I've got a confession to make. During my lifetime, I've purchased a fair amount of crappy gear that I found, for one reason or another, appealing. And because it was cheap. These days, I've got less stuff and I'm more selective about what I buy. I try to only spend…
Little yurt in big woods photo: Katie Arnold My husband, Steve, and I have been living and skiing in northern New Mexico for 16 years. We’ve had epic powder season, when we skied Taos nearly every weekend and drought seasons when we had to settle…
Kate Kernerman on her way to a campground. Photo: Ryan Branciforte It was a brisk and sunny morning, typical for the dry winter we're having in San Francisco. As I locked my bike up to a sturdy fence and started down the escalator to the 24th…
If you're currently on the Outside Blog reading this, then it's more than likely that at one point in your life you've happened upon Dick Proenneke's Alone In The Wilderness on PBS. (Or you've seen it on all those blogs and Tumblrs on the ol' Internets.) My…
My first reaction to SylvanSport’s Go was… meh. I’m not really a trailer guy, and the Go seemed a bit overpriced and gimmicky. Then the company loaned me one.
[all photos: Emily Shoff] Soon it'll be mud season–time to escape to drier ground. And there's no better remedy to the tail end of winter than dropping a thousand feet into the canyons of southern Utah. My husband, Andy, and I have traveled with…
Left: Horsetail Falls, 2011. Photo: Joe Azure Right: The Firefall. Photo: National Park Service The window is closing on a yearly glimpse of a natural phenomena at Yosemite National Park, during which the angle of the sun and the flow of water off…
If you know someone who thinks eating backcountry ramen with a fork seems culturally inauthentic, yet does not have the patience to finesse campsite mac and cheese from a bowl to mouth with chopsticks, GSI has the ultimate utensil for them. The titanium Kung…
The Bureau of Land Management is getting an earful over its tentative approval of a lease to Alton Coal Development LLC, a group of Florida investors that want to expand an existing coal mining operation into public lands close to Bryce Canyon…
Let's cut to the chase. Here are a few of the most eye-catching new survival tools we saw at the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City. Wenger Hypex Jewelry: Having a multitool on hand at all times is ideal. But with airline restrictions and general paranoia about people carrying…
It’s that time of the year again—time to start fantasizing about summer river trips. Many of the best stretches of family-friendly whitewater are regulated to prevent overcrowding, and if you want to lead your own multiday trip, rather than go with a commercial outfitter, you need to…
Do you ever get tired of fiddling with your headlamp in an attempt to get just the right amount of light? You need more, but not so much that you drain your battery before your adventure is over? Now your headlamp can do that for you. Petzl,…