Sitting on the tailgate of my truck, I fire up the new Optimus Gemini II dual-burner camp stove in order to make some coffee and oatmeal to start the day. With a scenic backdrop of snowcapped mountains piercing a pale blue sky, I twist the knobs on the slim silver stove to get the heat settings just right. Moments later, I’ve got oatmeal simmering in one pot while my coffee water boils in a mug next to it. The new Optimus stove, which fits perfectly into my truck-camping regimen, is considered compact. The stove has two burners, making it a…
Toronto sure looks like a rough place these days. Not even by Canadian standards, but ours. Even the U.S. Consulate isn’t safe, as we found out last month.Yeah, that gun control is going just swimmingly, isn’t it? However, I apparently need to give the Toronto cops their due. They made two arrests in the incident, which is good. It’s everything else they announced about the arrests that has me scratching my head.Toronto police announced the arrests Thursday of a 19-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy in the second shooting at the U.S. Consulate in five…
After a long day in the sun paddling the Missouri River, I hopped off the canoe, walked along the sandbar, and began to set up my tent. As I unfolded the poles, I began to hear the clinking and clanking of knives chopping vegetables and metal spoons hitting the side of a mixing bowl. Soon, the crackle and smoke of fire began to spread over the campsite, and I got my first inkling that something tasty for dinner was on the way. I walked over to the fire with my camp chair in hand, and took a seat to watch…
Violent crime is down across the country, and that’s a very good thing. Our homicide rate hitting record lows is something that we should all be celebrating, and we’re on pace to see it even lower this year. Again, a very good thing. However, the only acceptable number of homicides is zero, and that means there’s always work to be done. We need to be realistic, though, which is why gun control is still a non-starter.But maybe the answer is to not let dangerous people walk around on our city streets? I’m just putting that…
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point has dropped its fight against a court-imposed ban on its policy of limiting what professors can publicly say and write. Tim Bakken, the school’s longest-serving law professor, brought the original suit, claiming the academy’s policy violates his constitutional right to freedom of speech. He challenged West Point’s policy implemented in early 2025 that barred faculty members from publishing papers, speaking at conferences, or even appearing on a podcast without first seeking approval from higher-ups in their department. The faculty speech rule appeared to be in response to President Donald Trump issuing an executive…
Is summer over yet? Doesn’t look like it, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start gearing up for fall. After all, many kids and young adults are already heading back to school, and many of the daypacks featured this week are tailor-made to transition seamlessly from the classroom or workplace to the trail or bike path. So there’s plenty of fun stuff to peruse, especially the new offerings from beloved backpack brands like Gregory and Cotopaxi. But there are also some interesting alpine-specific packs from Berghaus and the “dry out your wet phone” options from a brand named (you guessed…
Iowa’s always been pretty decent when it comes to gun laws, but the state has made a couple of major improvements over the past few years. In 2021, the state’s permitless carry law kicked in, and the following year voters approved an amendment to the state constitution that declares firearm ownership a fundamental individual right and mandating that courts apply “strict scrutiny” to any future gun control legislation. Those advances could be in danger, though, unless Iowa gun owners turn out in force this November. While Democrat candidates like Christina Bohannan and Josh Turek don’t…
A veteran with mobility issues who served in Operation Desert Storm said he has lost more than $150,000 after a construction project went awry. Ed Smith, 73, of Kansas City, and his family claim they began building another home on their second lot last year. But the family alleged the contractors they hired to complete the project took the $157,000 and did not complete it after over a year. The money was reportedly was paid from Smith’s retirement funds. “In exchange for $157,000 of my dad’s complete retirement funds, we have a hole in our backyard in the wrong place,”…
Support us! GearJunkie may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More It can be tricky to find a reliable pair of hiking shorts — especially for women like me. In fact, I’ve been trying for years to find a pair of outdoor shorts with the right fit. I have bought, tried on, and returned so many pairs of women’s shorts on REI’s website that I wonder if I’m flagged in their system. My body isn’t proportional between my hips, waist, and butt, and women’s clothing sizes are wildly inconsistent across brands, making it close to impossible…
While we are being told the war is all but over because the United States and Iran have agreed to a memorandum of understanding to end it, other news surfaces that makes it appear that it isn’t quite done. U.S. President Donald Trump recently asked Congress for $88 billion to continue the war against Iran. The White House has formally requested $87.6 billion, mostly to replenish the Pentagon after the US started and lost a war against Iran. This proposal comes as btoh democrats and republicans rejct further military action. The administration said it is requesting $67 billion for the…
A flesh-eating parasite is back in U.S. animals, and federal agencies are asking people who spend time around livestock, pets, and wildlife to watch for suspicious wounds. The parasite is the New World screwworm, a fly whose larvae feed on living tissue. The first U.S. animal case in the current outbreak was confirmed on June 3 in a calf in Texas. As of June 22, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 16 domestically acquired animal cases in the United States. The CDC says no locally acquired human infestations have been reported in the U.S. The agency also said…
This is shaping up to be a banner day for Second Amendment advocates. On Thursday morning, the Supreme Court drove a stake through the heart of Hawaii’s “vampire rule” banning concealed carry by default on all private property accessible to the public. And on Thursday afternoon, Second Amendment advocates secured an injunction that will hopefully stop Virginia’s ban on “assault firearms” and “large capacity” magazines from taking effect next Wednesday. 🚨BREAKING🚨GOF, @GunOwners, & @VCDL_ORG secured a Preliminary Injunction in our lawsuit against Virginia’s so-called Assault Weapons Ban.This prevents state police from enforcing this tyrannical law while…
The U.S. Supreme Court handed gun owners another major Second Amendment victory Thursday, striking down Hawaii’s so-called “Vampire Rule” and making clear that states cannot flip centuries of property law to sidestep Bruen. In a 6-3 decision in Wolford v. Lopez, the Court ruled Hawaii violated the Second and Fourteenth Amendments by prohibiting licensed concealed carriers from bringing firearms onto private property open to the public unless the owner gave express permission. Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, was rather direct. This regime hobbles what the Second Amendment protects: the right of Americans to carry arms for self-defense as…
Persona 5 is officially collaborating with Call of Duty: Mobile for the FPS’s upcoming Season 6, featuring Operator skins inspired by the Phantom Thieves and other limited in-game content. Though Persona 5 has seen its fair share of crossovers with other video games, this is the first time that the JRPG will be teaming up with the Call of Duty franchise. Since its release in 2016, Persona 5 has become one of the series’ most popular titles, and many fans consider it one of the best RPGs of all time. Its enhanced 2019 version, Persona 5 Royal, also earned high…
Most SUVs, crossovers, and light trucks spend most of their time on pavement, despite what we see in advertisements or social media. But sometimes those of us who enjoy the great outdoors need more traction than a highway tire can provide. This is where BFGoodrich has aimed with its new Trail-Terrain T/A+. It’s a more capable tire than your vehicle’s highway-centric rubber, but not as aggressive off-road or as durable as a full-blown all-terrain or mud-terrain tire, such as BFGoodrich’s KO3 or KM3. Most buyers don’t need the level of off-road performance or durability that all-terrain or mud-terrain tires provide,…
On Wednesday, I wrote about how the mayor of Montreal jumped immediately to call for gun control after a maniac killed a police officer and kicked off an incident that resulted in three deaths. It wasn’t surprising, of course, but it’s still sad. We all know that gun control doesn’t do what proponents claim.After all, Canada has a ban on so-called assault weapons now, and they have a freeze on handgun transfers. They also, in a somewhat unrelated field, also have strict laws about methamphetamine.In Regina, which is the hometown of Ryan Reynolds and probably…
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with additional context reflecting developments since the report’s publication in October 2025. The report’s $21.7 billion estimate covers U.S. military assistance provided through September 2025. WASHINGTON — The United States under the Biden and Trump administrations has provided at least $21.7 billion in military assistance to Israel since the start of the Gaza war two years ago, according to a new academic study published Tuesday, the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel that provoked the conflict. Another study, also published by the Costs of War project at Brown…
United States ruler Donald Trump has accused oil giants of price gouging the American public, as fuel prices soar. The major spike in price occurred after the US, along with Israel, struck Iran and started a war in the Middle East. Oddly enough, a lot of the horrible war decisions made by the US seem to revolve around oil. It is difficult to see what the US thinks the endgame is when Americans are at their breaking point with prices, and the fault lies squarely on the shoulders of the ruling class. It’s All About The Oil: Trump Wants “Oil…
Homesteaders are champs at finding ways to repurpose and upcycle things that other folks would consider junk. Making do with what you have and stockpiling useful materials is a major part of the homesteading credo. This list of 65 things you should stop throwing out and start reusing or upcycling will help you do just that…without costing you a single dime. Not only will the repurposed items on this list save you money, they’ll save you time, as well. Note: For each item, I included links where you can learn more about how to repurpose or upcycle them. Now on…
As a decade-long backpacker, I used to scoff at the idea of bringing a chair with me. Why on earth would you add so much weight to your pack for an entirely unnecessary item? (Just sit on the ground!) But on a backpacking trip in Washington that involved long miles, I felt a severe pang of jealousy when I watched a friend set up her Helinox chair at camp. I sat hunched on the wet ground with an achy back, while she reclined in comfort. After that trip, I immediately went out and bought Helinox’s Chair Zero L, the lightest-weight option…
Hawaii’s default rule banning lawful concealed carry by default on all private property was one of a handful of similar measures adopted by New York, Maryland, and California in the wake of the 2022 Supreme Court decision in Bruen, and the only one to survive a legal challenge at the appellate court level. The Supreme Court struck down the law earlier today in Wolford v. Lopez, and as Second Amendment advocates celebrate, we can also relish the reaction from gun control groups like Giffords and Brady, who appear to have lost their everloving minds over…
