The days of choosing substance over style are far behind us. Once upon a time, you could only get a pair of good hiking boots in brown or dark brown. The outdoor industry has expanded massively since those days, and now there are loads of fun (and beautiful) designs for gear that’s also functional and reliable. We’re highlighting several new collaborations this week that do exactly that, including gorgeous new binoculars inspired by bird species, backpacks with a Wes Anderson aesthetic, running and swim gear co-designed by Olympic athletes, and tons more. Find the latest and greatest of the outdoor…
For the first time in U.S. history, a parent has been convicted of murder for their role in their child’s violence. Colin Gray, the father of the student who shot and killed four people and injured seven others at Apalachee High School in Georgia in 2024, was sentenced to 15 years behind bars on Thursday. Gray purchased the rifle that was used in the shooting for his son as a gift even after an earlier police investigation into his son for allegedly threatening a school shooting as well as his documented history of mental health…
One of the most consistently underused benefits available to service members and their families is also one of the simplest to access: free, confidential, nonmedical counseling through Military OneSource, up to 12 sessions per issue, with no referral, no diagnosis and no reporting back to anyone’s chain of command. What It Actually Covers Military OneSource counseling is designed to be short-term and solution-focused, aimed at the everyday pressures of military life rather than clinical mental health treatment. That includes relationship and marital communication problems, parenting challenges, grief and loss, stress management, deployment and reintegration adjustment, anxiety, self-esteem, loneliness and working…
Skinny sport ropes feel great until they don’t. When I go sport climbing these days, I usually want a skinny cord. I want one that is easy to clip and feeds lightning fast out of my belayer’s GRIGRI, so I waste no time on hard redpoint attempts. But I’ve started to realize those thin ropes often wear down pretty quickly. They get soft spots from too many big whippers, turn fuzzy from running through draws, or end up with core shots after a hard season of projecting. Enter the Petzl Arial 9.5 ($280-350). This rope feeds nicely, but it comes…
When the VA announced its first-ever MDMA-assisted therapy clinical trial for veterans with PTSD this spring, it was treated, reasonably, as a single, discrete story: one drug, one trial, one company’s compound moving through one arm of a massive federal health system. What that framing misses is that the VA is not running just one psychedelic research program right now. It’s running several, involving different drugs, different sponsors and different points of entry into the same veteran population — and at least one of those programs is being built with direct help from a company that is also quietly preparing…
It’s a debate as old as time: Are expensive sunglasses really worth it? In one camp, there are those who believe sunglasses are bound to break or get lost, so why spend more than $20-30 on them? The counter to that reasoning posits that not only are expensive sunglasses a better product, but the very fact that they cost so much means you will take care not to break or lose them. To be sure, there are klutzes out there (no shame), and if misplacing or mishandling things is in your nature, then cheap is the way to go. But…
Buying and leasing both have their advantages, but the cheaper option depends on how long you plan to keep the vehicle, how much you drive, and whether you’re expecting a PCS, deployment, or other life changes. Before you sign on the dotted line, here’s what military families should consider. How Does Leasing Work? Leasing a vehicle is similar to renting it as you pay a monthly fee for the ability to use the car for a certain amount of time, which is typically two to three years. During that time, your lease agreement will dictate how you can use the…
A climbing rope made entirely from recycled materials has no business handling this well. The Mammut Crag Recycled 9.8mm Dry Rope ($200) looks and feels surprisingly similar to some of the thinner ropes I already own. That caught my attention because it had been a long time since I’d been interested in using a 9.8mm rope. The more experienced I became as a climber, the lighter I wanted my ropes to be. Lighter and thinner ropes have several advantages. They’re easier to feed out of a belay device, faster to clip, and lighter to carry. But they lose points in…
Homicides hit historic lows in 2025, and all indications seem to suggest that we’re going to set a new low here in 2026. That’s fantastic news, especially as this drop has coincided with the fearmongering among anti-gunners following the Bruen decision. The problem is, though, that anti-gunners don’t actually care about reality. All they need is enough of a perception that there’s a problem to sort of justify them doing stupid things, like, say, calling for a special legislative session to pass gun control in one of the most anti-gun states in the nation.The Delaware-based…
If someone tells you to skip the new trucks and look for something older, something with proven reliability, selling at a low price, that’s good advice. Unfortunately, if we’re talking diesel, it’s getting harder and harder to find old Ram 2500s and Ford F-250s cheap. Put simply, the people who own these trucks know exactly what they’ve got. Let’s Take A Look At The Used Diesel Market Credit: Ford To see what we’re talking about, let’s compare some used diesel trucks to their gas-powered siblings. Typical Listing Price: Diesel Typical Listing Price: Gas 2011 F-250 $14,860 $10,175 2015 Ram 2500 SLT…
This article was originally published by Willow Tohi at Natural News. Americans owe a record $1.25 trillion on credit cards, up 5.9% from a year ago. 13.12% of credit card balances are at least 90 days delinquent, the highest since the 2008 financial crisis. Average credit card interest rates have reached 21%, up from 14.6% in February 2022. Nonprofit credit counseling agencies report a 24% increase in clients seeking help. More than half of consumers carry balances to cover essential expenses like groceries and utilities. American households now carry a record $1.25 trillion in credit card debt, with delinquency rates…
When it comes to recreational activities people seek to engage in on public lands, off-highway vehicles (OHVs) are one of the most controversial. Proponents see it as a valid recreational use on equal footing with hiking or hunting, while opponents worry about the potential impacts to the environment and wildlife. Those in support of OHV use got a huge endorsement from the Trump Administration on May 29. In an executive order, the President rescinded two previous executive orders that limited OHV use. The order does not appear to immediately reopen closed routes. Instead, it directs federal agencies to begin rulemaking…
Late last year the Second Amendment Foundation and New Jersey Firearms Owners Syndicate filed suit against the Fort Lee, New Jersey police department over the confiscation of legally owned firearms belonging to a man named Elsid Aliaj. The police seized Aliaj’s firearms after his wife was taken to the hospital for a mental health evaluation. Though doctors quickly confirmed that she was not a danger to herself or others, it took Ajiaj more than seven months to get his guns back. As it turns out, Ajiaj isn’t alone, and it’s not just one department in Bergen…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he is optimistic about the potential for a resumption in nuclear talks with Iran despite a shaky ceasefire in the war looking increasingly in doubt. Rubio told lawmakers Tuesday in his first public testimony since the Iran war began that the Iranians have agreed to negotiate on nuclear points that they had not been willing to address in the past but would not offer an assessment on what those talks might produce. “They have agreed to negotiate aspects of their nuclear program that just a month ago, just a year ago,…
The last 2 years have brought more innovation in the world of bear canisters than we’ve seen in a long time. New shapes, sizes, and materials have been introduced in the past, but now two brands are offering canisters that can change sizes to suit different adventures. In 2025, REI launched the Traverse, the first modular bear canister. It’s essentially two different-sized bear canisters in one. It’s composed of three sections, the middle of which can be removed and conveniently nests around the bottom section. That way, as you eat through your food supplies, you can significantly reduce the canister’s…
When the courts issue an injunction, telling a state not to enforce a particular gun law, the state is required to stop enforcing that gun law. It’s not rocket science here, and while we can argue back and forth over the mechanisms involved, our system is rooted in the idea that all of the branches of government provide a check upon one another, but also have some degree of respect for the roles each plays. So, when Virginia announced that the state police were going to resume universal background checks, a lot of eyes opened…
A United States soldier and a United Kingdom soldier died Sunday during an Army training exercise in Iraq. The tragedies were announced by both militaries via social media and, in the case of the British soldier who died, a message conveyed to Parliament. The U.S. Army said in an X post that the accident occurred Sunday at Irbil Air Base where the United States has maintained a presence in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. UK Defense Secretary John Healey told Parliament, specifically the House of Commons, that the soldier was killed during a training accident on Sunday. Both soldiers…
The United States ruler, Donald Trump, believes that peace talks with Iran are continuing at a “rapid pace”, while Iran says it has suspended talks after a violation of the ceasefire agreement. Trump oddly made the comments just hours after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had made its statement about a suspension of peace talks. Israel, The United States, Iran, and Russia All Move Even Deeper Into World War III Trump also said “all shooting will stop” between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon, after the president said he spoke with officials from both sides of…
A Utah man is being praised for his quick thinking and armed response to a man who broke into his home in Summit County earlier this week. Deputies with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office had been called out to an apartment complex in Snyderville on reports of a man who was acting violently and threatening people with a pair of sharp scissors. When the deputies arrived, the man took off running and tried to get into several different apartments before he found an unlocked door and dashed inside the dwelling. John Santy had planned for a…
President Donald Trump has tapped Bill Pulte to replace the outgoing Tulsi Gabbard as new director of national intelligence, even though he lacks any background in the intelligence field. The president made the announcement Tuesday morning on Truth Social, saying Pulte, 38, “has deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the Markets, and over 10 Trillion Dollars at Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, a substantial increase from where it was just 12 months ago.” Pule, who is currently the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chair of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, will remain in…
The list of prosecutors in Virginia who say they won’t enforce the new “assault firearm” and “large capacity” magazine ban when they become law on July 1 has grown to at least 13, and we’ll probably see more announcements later today. Virginia Democrats have been lashing out with increased hostility and haughtiness towards those commonwealth’s attorneys who’ve said they’ll use their discretion to not enforce an unconstitutional law, State Sen. Saddam Salim, who was one of the primary sponsors of the ban, demanded these prosecutors drop their “tough guy posturing” and warned that even if…
