It’s one of my first memories of self-independence: the day that my parents let me ride my bike by myself to the lake to fish. I can remember it clearly. My fishing rod across the handlebars of my BMX bike, and a container of worms in a small bag around my wrist. It was everything. [...]

We sat down for an interview with Eric Singer at the Shwood Factory, and he answered some questions for us, including where the name came from. Somehow we managed to pull a twenty-one foot Lance travel trailer behind a full sized Nissan Titan diesel through the streets of Portland – arriving at a nondescript warehouse [...]

Should I tow my trailer with a full or empty water tank? Traveling with pull-behind style camping trailers means bringing tons of modern conveniences with you, wherever you go. We must say, if you’ve never spent a night in one of these campers, you need to give them a shot. Even the most “old school” [...]

What happens when two 50 Campfires contributors square off on topics and gear that matter in the camping world? Punches get thrown, voices get raised, cats and dogs living together, complete madness… Welcome to 50 Campfires Versus – fly fishing vs reel fishing. Fly Fishing To be honest, reel fishing has become slightly too competitive [...]

When fly fishing is mentioned, you probably have an image in your head of someone in waders standing in a glacier runoff mountain stream and tons of gear hanging from them, so much so that it might feel intimidating to try. With all that gear, where am I supposed to start? I can’t go to [...]

We all know that you’re supposed to tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back if you’re going to head out into the woods. The precautions shouldn’t stop there though. A little preparation goes a long way toward staying safe. The 10 hiking tips here don’t necessarily require a daypack. They’re tips and [...]

We prefer to see the outdoors through a nice pair of UV coated or polarized sunglasses. Beyond looking cool, a high-quality pair has some incredible health benefits for our eyes. Terms get bandied about in every industry, but the sunglass market is littered with “UV Coated” “100% Protection” “Polarized Lenses” and the like. But what [...]

We prefer to see the outdoors through a nice pair of sunglasses. Beyond looking cool, a high-quality pair has some incredible health benefits for our eyes. Terms get bandied about in every industry, but the sunglass market is littered with “UV Coated” “100% Protection” “Polarized Lenses” and the like. But what does polarized sunglasses and [...]

I didn’t realize it until about a week ago. My kids are going stir crazy. Sure, they’re busy in school all day – but, compared to our summer adventures, their evenings are now filled with routine. This got me thinking: I’m probably not alone. I think I’ve put just as much energy into keeping them [...]

As Halloween creeps closer, we embrace the supernatural and strange occurrences in our magical world. Creaking floors, dark corners, and howling winds, all contribute to the eerie set of All Hallows’ Eve that we look forward to each year. These haunted places and zombie costumes are a dramatic departure from everyday life, but they allow [...]