Family of 4, looking for fairly last minute planning backpacking or car camping with some hiking. Willing to drive up to 6-7 hours and already know the local Starved Rock, Devil's Lake type of situations. Hit me with something new! 🙂 ... View more

Any recs? They've done up to 8 miles in a day as high as 12,000 feet elevation, but with no pack. They could probably do up to 3-5 miles loaded up.    I would love some recs ... View more

Thought this was cool... https://www.outsideonline.com/2399070/make-your-own-dog-leash?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Gear-Fix-06282019&utm_content=Gear-Fix-06282019+Version+B+CID_0af3095c4c343dad6a7b27a2e1c68629&utm_source=campaignmonitor%20outsidemagazine ... View more

I don’t have a dog, don’t have a van, and I don’t identify as female, so I figured I’d put this here until there is a forum for “Solo Outdoor Adventures” What are some trials and tribulations you’ve gone through as a result of going solo on a trip? Sometimes the solitude of the outdoors is best experiences alone. Eating cheese alone in a tent during a thunderstorm or enjoying a scenic payoff on a long hike is all well and good, but what do you do when it’s the end of the day, it’s too dark to read, and you get a bit bored? ... View more

I actually bought a 4runner which was a total piece of junk so I sold that pretty quickly. We found land for $12k and built a tiny cabin out of a shed for about $5k all in. I think I'm happy with my decision but I would get more use out of an adventure van for sure. Anyone in the midwest have a van but wish they went the cabin route? haha ... View more

Sometimes you need to figure out how to occupy some kids quick. Have them go find one of each from this list.  1. Pine Cone 2. Acorn 3. Moss 4. Stick that looks like a wishbone 5. Five pieces of trash (To throw away!) 6. Smooth Rock 7. Rough Rock 8. Clover 9. Tinder/kindling (This one can be it's own activity) Sometimes, at the end of he activity, they can build little fairy villages with the stuff they found which my kids seem to enjoy Obviously adjust depending on where you are at. You may not find a pine cone in the badlands, or an acorn in an all pine forest. A lot of times I just give them something new to find each time they bring me the thing I asked for. Also adjust for age as well. My kids are 5 and 11 and they are the perfect age to start collecting fire wood and the older one is able to help set up camp which is great.  ... View more