Sleeping Outside Since Forever
Hard-won tips from people who have made most of the classic mistakes so you don't have to make them in the dark.
Start Here
Whether you're sleeping in a tent for the first time in years or you've logged hundreds of nights outside â these fundamentals never get old.
Wind, rain, damp wood â fire is the most important camp skill, and most people can't do it without a lighter and dry conditions. Here's how to do it right: tinder bundles, feather sticks, fire triangles, and why you should always practice at home first.
The water in that beautiful mountain stream might look perfect and give you giardia that ruins your next month. We cover filter types, chemical treatment, boiling protocols, and how to source water when there isn't any obvious water nearby.
Map and compass navigation is one of those skills that takes a few hours to learn and a lifetime to keep sharp. We cover the basics: how to orient a map, take a bearing, and triangulate your position using two landmarks.
Mountains make their own weather. The forecast is not always right. Learn to read cloud formations, know the 30-30 lightning rule, and understand why ridge lines in afternoon thunderstorms are never where you want to be.
The Classic List
The Ten Essentials system was developed by The Mountaineers in the 1930s and has been refined ever since. It's not ten individual items â it's ten categories of preparedness. Every pack should cover all ten.
Whether you're doing a one-hour nature walk or a three-week expedition, the principles are the same. The tools just scale with the stakes.
Eat Well Out There
Camp food doesn't have to mean dehydrated meals eaten from a pouch (though those have their time and place). Here are some recipes that are actually good.
The classic: thick-cut bacon rendered first, then eggs cooked in the fat, then sourdough bread toasted in what remains. Add hot sauce. Serve with cowboy coffee (grounds straight in the pot, then cold water to settle them).
Required gear: 10-inch cast iron skillet, tongs, thick gloves
Dice potatoes, carrots, onion, and whatever protein you have. Season heavily with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried herbs. Wrap tight in double foil. Nestle in coals for 25â35 minutes. The simplest campfire dinner and always hits right.
Required gear: Heavy-duty aluminum foil, oven mitts
Use a boxed brownie mix (no shame). Grease the Dutch oven, mix the batter per instructions, pour in. Place 8 coals underneath and 14 on the lid. 25â30 minutes. Let cool slightly before opening. Every campsite within 100 yards will come investigating.
Required gear: 12-inch Dutch oven, charcoal or wood coals
From best to worst (personal ranking, deeply held): Aeropress > Moka Pot > Cowboy Coffee > Pour Over > Instant. We'll tell you how to do all five and why we're right about the ranking.
Opinion: The Aeropress is the most useful camp item that costs under $40.
The Only Rule That Matters
We are not the first people to love these places, and we won't be the last. The seven Leave No Trace principles aren't a bureaucratic ruleset â they're the minimum standard for caring about the places that make our adventures possible.