Category Archives: Camping Hacks & Guides

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.

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.

Tips for Hiking and Backpacking with Kids

Sharing your passion for nature, exercise, and eco-responsible recreation with your kids is a great opportunity to bond, educate, and start them on a “path” to success.

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!

3 Bushcraft Camping Cooking Systems You Can Totally Make

Campfire cooking can make or break your trip. Let’s face it, everyone loves a good meal, and when you spend the day outdoors, that good meal becomes the pinnacle of camp life...

Camping In The Alpine – Stuff You Should Know

Alpine ecosystems are typically defined as those areas occurring above treeline. As unique as the different climates, so is the list of gear you need...

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!

Gifts under $25 for the Outdoorsy Person In Your Life

at the heck do you get the person who has everything? Hard to say but we think it's safe to say that this outdoorsy person will appreciate any and all the gifts below...

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...

Prepare for a Power Outage with Candle Lanterns and Candles

when a major event occurs, the average household can be without power for 20 hours. This is only an average and depending on the natural disaster...

10 Useful Tips for First-Time Car Campers

Do you have (or have access to) a car? Do you have a desire to wake up in a park? Well, good news: you've already covered the two most essential requirements for car camping!

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 I roast my own coffee from the back of my truck

Coffee roasting used to be widespread, and many households would roast their own on a regular basis. With the rise of modern conveniences, most people now buy stale coffee in stores. But you don't have to....

How To Build Simple Survival Shelters

Shelters come in all shapes and sizes with the most important being the home we live in. Creating a home away from home will provide safety, security, and comfort...

How To Build A Self-Feeding Campfire

Avoid crawling out of your sleeping bag, scavenging for firewood, and battling the cold while camping. Learn how to build a the self-feeding fire.

Eight ways to prepare for the perfect road trip.

Go ahead, grab some friends and hit the road. These tips are sure to help you enjoy the experience more!

The 5 W’s of Wilderness Survival

The 5 W's to help you stay safe in the wilderness.

How to Meal Prep When You Are A Weekend Warrior

Your guide to meal prep to conquer your weekend adventure goals.

Your 7 Step Guide to Fire Safety

Following these simple steps can quickly and easily diminish the chances of causing any forest fire.

Quick and Easy Anti-Inflammatory Oatmeal in Two-Minutes

This quick campfire oatmeal recipe is a heart and muscle-healthy backpackers choice.

How to Cook The Ultimate Campfire Paella

This campfire cooking recipe is for a flavor and protein-rich paella.

Campfire Safety in the Wake of a Record-Breaking Fire Season

Simple steps you need to know for campfire safety.

Wilderness Survival Priorities You Need to Know to Stay Safe

Learn the survival priorities to make sure you are staying safe on your next adventure.

Camp Recipe: Quick and Easy Creamy Tuna Pasta

This easy-to-make camp recipe combines comfort food with high-protein tuna.

How to Choose a Headlamp

Our guide to headlamps helps you understand power, fit, brightness and projection to help you know what to buy.

FIRE STARTING 101 – LESSON 4 – TIPS & TRICKS 

Know these tips. There are a few, "outside the box", tricks that anyone at any skill level can use.

Lantern Buyers Guide – LED vs. Propane

Which type of lantern is for you? Sound complicated? Don’t worry. Here, we shed light on the details.

Fire Starting 101 – Lesson 3 – Natural Fire Starters

It is difficult to distinguish every plant and tree in nature. Dan tells you which plants to use to start a fire.

How to Keep Your Electronics Charged While Camping and Hiking

Even if you only follow some of these tips, you'll see a major boost to the battery life of your devices on your next camping trip! 

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...

Fire Starting 101 – Lesson 2 – Choosing the Right Fire Starter & Creating Sustainable Fire

Creating a sustainable fire is the challenge, it’s the need, and it’s the want to be near something we can’t live without. 

10 Mistakes People Make While Camping and How to Avoid Them

Numerous things can go wrong when you are camping and sometimes it’s completely out of your control, but other times it’s your own mistakes that can ruin your trip.

Camp Cooking Tips & Amazing Spicy Chicken Trail Taco Recipe

Blow your friends away with your amazing trail tacos and general tips on camp cooking.

Fire Starting 101 – Lesson 1 – The Basics of Starting a Fire

Fire is at the core of human existence as it provides warmth, utility, and comfort. Enabling us to cook food at camp, keep warm on a cold night, and purify water; learning to start a fire is essential.

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...

#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:

The 10 C’s with Dave Canterbury

Noted survival expert Dave Canterbury shares his 10 C's for survival at the 2015 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Show.