I still remember the day I pulled three seed ticks off my shins after a short loop in the Berkshires. I had done almost everything right and still came home hitchhikers in tow. That moment convinced me that learning how to avoid ticks while hiking isn't about one magic trick. It's about stacking several small […]

If you have ever sat behind the wheel of a tow vehicle staring at a boat trailer and felt your stomach drop, you are not alone. I still remember my first attempt at backing a 21-foot bay boat down a busy Texas ramp, with a line of trucks waiting and a few seasoned anglers watching […]

I've been freezing my own catch for over a decade, and the question I get asked most often is simple: how long can you freeze fish before it goes bad? After hauling salmon, halibut, and steelhead from Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and the Great Lakes, I've learned that the answer depends on what you're freezing […]

If you only remember one number about walleye fishing, make it this: you will catch most of your fish somewhere between 5 and 30 feet of water. I have spent the last three seasons logging depth and catch data on four different lakes with my team, and the 5 to 30 foot range is where […]

How deep do fish go in summer is one of the most common questions our fishing inbox gets every July. After logging hundreds of hours on lakes, ponds, and reservoirs over the past decade, our team has seen the same pattern repeat itself year after year. Fish almost always trade the shallows for cooler, deeper, […]

I've been testing marine batteries on my own boats for over a decade, and the question I hear most often from fellow anglers is some version of "how long does a marine battery last?" The honest answer is: it depends on what you bought, how you use it, and how well you treat it. From […]

How long does an inflatable paddle board last? After testing and tracking boards across five years of paddling in saltwater, freshwater, and everything in between, I can give you a straight answer: most quality inflatable paddle boards last 5 to 10 years, with premium models pushing past a decade when cared for properly. Budget boards […]

If you're planning a paddle trip, knowing how many people can a canoe hold safely is the single most important question before you load up. Most recreational canoes are built for 2-3 adults, but the real answer depends on the boat's length, width, and how you balance everyone inside. I run a paddling rental out […]

I've spent more than a decade paddling everything from 9-foot recreational boats to 17-foot sea kayaks, and the single most common question I hear from new paddlers is some version of: how much weight can a kayak hold? The honest answer is "it depends on the boat" — but it also depends on you, your […]

Learning how to care for a climbing rope is one of those skills nobody teaches you when you buy your first line. I learned the hard way after my gym rope started feeling fuzzy and soft at the same time, and I had no idea what to do with it. Since then, I've washed ropes […]