Courtney moved to Boulder, Colorado, to pursue her dream of hiking, biking, skiing and writing about it. So far, things are working out. In the past four years, she’s transitioned from 100-mile days on her road bike to backpacking with a stuffed rabbit, Tonka truck and toddler in tow. Her husband comes too. She confesses to preferring Diet Coke to craft beer. REI member since 2011.
Getting out into the wilderness, or even just your neighborhood park, offers a great excuse to leave tech at home. After all, depending on where you’r...
“Gosh, he’s growing up so fast.”
I can’t help but think in clichés as I watch my 6-year-old pedaling up the dirt path. He sets the pace as we ride over small...
Runners tend to categorize our outings by the terrain we cover. Road runs follow asphalt streets, concrete paths and cement sidewalks. Trail runs incorporate sw...
When Dick Swenson logs on for the video call his daughter Linnea arranged for us, he grins widely, the smile extending up to the laugh lines etched around his e...
Sometimes we go camping to sate a hunger for adventure. Other times, we pack up our tents and camp cooking supplies simply to sate our hunger for good food. Aft...
Editor's note: This story was originally published on June 21, 2021, and was updated on April 29, 2025.
You’ve undoubtedly seen them around, standing near t...
We might all put our pants on the same way, but the type of lower layer we wear makes us all unique flowers. Sometimes they can even say something about who we ...
We expect a few simple things from our tents these days: a domed roof; two vestibules, two doors and two vents for two people; poles that guide you through easy...
Welcome to Ask an Outsider. We are here to answer your most pressing questions about enjoying time outside, like how to make outdoorsy friends, tips on going No...
Many things have changed since Lloyd and Mary Anderson first began importing high-quality Austrian ice axes in the 1930s. Over the years, the co-op has grown fr...
Some of us grew up camping. Maybe it was an annual sleep-in-a-tent event at the closest state park, eating hot dogs and s’mores cooked over a campfire. Or perha...
Autumn, with its crisp mornings and sunshine-on-your-shoulder afternoons, brings a special kind of magic—particularly when the maples, dogwoods and aspens burst...
