UCO Outdoor Essentials Blog

What is Wish Cycling?

Wish cycling starts with the best of intentions — but it often does more harm than good. Learn more about this hope-driven recycling habit and to avoid it both at home and on the go. 

Fire Starting Skills for Campers and Survivalists

A fire is a basic tool of both comfort and survival yet many people are frustrated in their attempts to build one by their impatience to use wood that is too large at the beginning. Just like most things in life you have to start small and grow.

10 reasons To Carry Waterproof Matches

There are times when the ability to start a fire is much more than that. In a survival situation, being able to start a fire means warmth. It means you can cook food and boil water to ensure that it's safe to drink.

10 Ways to Light Up Your Campsite at Night

If you’re going to be heading out for a camping trip. One critical thing you don’t need to forget is your source of light. Think about this scenario – bonfires, tents, and a flashlight – what could be better?

3 Knots You Need To Know While Camping

With thousands of knots it’s tough to decide what ones are important to know. Someone on a sailboat is going to answer much differently than someone who is climbing a mountain. Luckily, the knots used when camping work perfect for tasks around the house.

The Cheapest Camping Food Options for a Tight Budget

Food is key when you’re camping. You can’t live on hot dogs all week if you want to keep your energy up—and it’s easy to get tricked into thinking you have to spend tons of money on freeze-dried meals so that you can eat well while in the rough.

How to Sharpen Morakniv Knives

Sometimes all you need is a positive attitude and a sharp knife. Whether you are a backpacker, survivalist, hunter, fisherman or boy scout you know the importance of a sharp knife...

Disaster Prepping For The Rest of Us

You don’t have to be a complete Doomsday Prepper to want to be prepared in the event of a grid down emergency. A grid down emergency doesn’t necessarily mean Armageddon or anything like that....

10 Bushcraft Hacks To Improve Camp Life

When it comes to camp life, two words we need to remove from our vocabulary are struggle and hassle. Every problem we face in the outdoors can be solved with the help of Mother Nature. Sometimes, you just need to know where to look!

Chickpea Salad Recipe from Pow and Chow Book

Chickpea Salad is everything you look for in a friend: Easygoing, you can bring them along anywhere or enjoy time with them in the comfort of your own home. Healthy, they are positive influences in your life that will give you the energy to get outside the box and live your life...

Winter #VanLife Camping Done Right

When the seasons change and the weather has you more inside than out, it’s time for a getaway. What are your options in the winter? You can rough it and sleep in a tent, which I will opt for in optimal conditions, or you can get fancy...

How to Have a Backcountry Happy Hour

When it comes to happy hour, there’s no better way to do it than in the backcountry, surrounded by amazing vistas and nature. Here’s our guide to having the best backcountry happy hour...

How to Sharpen Knives the Easy Way

Keeping your knife sharp may seem like a daunting task. There are dozens of different techniques and tools to get the job done. Simplicity though, proves to be one of the best practices!

Beginners Guide To Winter Camping

Summer and the warm weather that goes along with it may be over but that doesn't mean you have to retire your house for the year. Make your next outing a little bit more comfortable...

Cooking Wicked White Chili in the Woods

Everyone loves a great meal at camp. It doesn’t get much better than a cool evening, sitting next to the campfire, eating a hearty meal. Wicked White Chili is one of our camp favorites and we wanted to share it with you!

Ultralight backpacking tips

So – you’re ready for your first backpacking trip where weight really matters. Maybe you’ve done a few short-distance trips, but you’re now ready to cover 10+ miles a day...

How I live in my Toyota Truck

Everyone and their mom is moving into a van - everywhere you go there are sprinters and sweet VW buses and smiling people spilling out of them. And it seems for good reason - the type of life that comes with it is very attractive...

How to Prepare for a Day at the Crag

Washington is blessed to have so many climbing areas in close proximity to the Seattle metro area. Vantage, Index, the Exits, Leavenworth and Mt. Erie are some, just to name a few...

Ferrocerium Rod Basics

Ferro rod is referred to as the ultimate emergency fire starting device is because it is impenetrable to all weather and has an extremely long lifespan...

#TrashTag Makes a Major Comeback

Back in 2015, the UCO #TrashTag Project started and encouraged the public to clean up litter. Nearly 4 years later, the #TrashTag Project has made a major comeback...

How To: Camp Cooking With Kids

Don’t just ask kids if they want to help - tell them you need their help! Nothing will make kids feel more grown up or more excited about campfire cooking...

How To Cook Over a Camp Fire

Whether you’re in the desert, jungle, forest or on the sand, the natural experience of cooking under an open night sky and against a warm blaze is as primal as it is gratifying and hunger-quenching.

Make Cold-Weather Camping SO Much Warmer – 7 Tips

Ahh, cold-weather camping. There’s so much to love about it: uncrowded trails and parks, getting the first choice of campsites anywhere you go and enjoying fresh, Hot coffee as you watch the morning fog lift right outside your tent.

How to Start a Fire the Right Way

Knowing how to start a fire is one of the most important survival skills you can learn. Whether your're a survivalist, a backpacker or just a person who wants to be prepared...

Holiday Stocking Stuffers People Actually Want

As the Holidays quickly approach, it’s time to begin finding gift ideas that will be a hit with even the most tricked-out gear junkie. We’ve put together a list of some of our favorite items that we know will make you a hit with your family and friends:

Trashtag Project Ambassadaor Profile

In early October, we officially launched our #TrashTag Project. We’ve signed on an ambassador crew that has done a stellar job helping us clean up, spread the word and encourage others to pack out trash spotted on the trail.

A Boulderer’s Wishlist

We asked our resident climbing fanatic, and Product Design Engineer, to spell out his most favorite climbing gear. So if you've got a climber, or any outdoor adventurer on your shopping list this holiday season, read on.

#TrashTag Project

We’re so eager to introduce the brain child of UCO + Steven Reinhold, the #TrashTag project. Here’s how it came to be:

UCO and Big city Mountaineers

Light My Fire, a UCO partner is a very proud supporter of the Big City Mountaineers, and their Summit for Someone charity climbs. UCO People member, Steven Reinhold, reflects on his experiences with the program