The outdoor industry lost one of its pioneers last month. Rodney Johnson, who founded Minneapolis-based outdoor store Midwest Mountaineering, passed away at the age of 76 on October 26. Johnson operated the store for over 50 years, helping an untold number of folks enjoy the great outdoors. Who Was Rodney Johnson? Johnson was an avid outdoorsman, climber, hiker, and paddler. In emails with GearJunkie, longtime store manager and friend, Randy “Rudi” Hargesheimer, recounted that Johnson was a true outdoor fanatic. “Rod was a gear-head and an adrenaline junkie, like so many of us outdoor-loving adventurers. He did everything his way,…
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has quietly retreated from his planned special session on gun control, but he continues to push for a ban on so-called assault weapons when the state legislature begins its 2026 session next February. The odds of a gun ban bill getting through the Democrat-Farmer-Labor-controlled Senate were already fairly decent, but there are a couple of DFL senators who’d been quiet about whether or not they’d support a ban. Now one of them, a supposed moderate named Judy Seeberger, has decided to break her silence and come out in favor of a…
The U.S. Coast Guard is piggybacking on the news of its highest recruiting numbers in decades by soliciting a new potential location for a training center, Military.com has learned.The service announced Friday that its Fiscal Year 2025 accession numbers were the highest since 1991, with 5,204 active-duty enlisted service members–equivalent to hitting 121% of its target of 4,300 members for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1, 2024, and concluded Sept. 30, 2025. It exceeded USCG expectations.USCG, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), today announced a Request for Information (RFI) and market research to identify prospective locations nationwide…
I grew up on a steady stream of books that contained not only really great information, but a lot of high-quality pictures. I could probably spend hours reading and looking at Stephen Biesty’s Incredible Cross-Sections. These days, however, I’ve come to really appreciate the more historically oriented coffee table books that Headstamp Publishing has been putting out. Their latest book, authored by Forgotten Weapons’ Ian McCollum, Forged in Snow: Finnish Small Arms 1917-2025, is available now through their Kickstarter campaign, which has already fulfilled its funding goal, a mere 6 hours into it. Forged in Snow: Finnish Small Arms 1917…
From dawn patrol corduroy to hidden powder stashes, the best women’s all-mountain skis are made for skiers who want to do it all. These quiver-of-one workhorses thrive on everything the mountain throws at you — smooth groomers, wind-buffed ridges, or surprise tree runs with friends. We tested the top contenders in everything from knee-deep powder to East Coast ice, skiing hard at Stowe in Vermont, Jackson Hole in Wyoming, Utah’s Powder Mountain, and more than half a dozen Idaho resorts. What follows is our A-List, the cream of the crop for women’s all-mountain skis. Whether you’re chasing the all-around excellence…
I’ve long said that if you want mandatory gun safety training for people to exercise their Second Amendment rights, rather than mandating it before a purchase, mandate it as part of the school curriculum so that everyone gets it that way, and it’s not a barrier to buying a firearm lawfully. Most of the states that want mandatory training, though, aren’t exactly the kind of states that will embrace gun training of any kind in public schools.But some other states looked at it rather differently.Now, three require it.This school year, students in elementary, middle and…
If you’re an avid whitewater kayaker, take note: Werner Paddles is recalling two of its latest kayak paddles. The paddles may break, posing a risk of drowning. On Nov. 9, Werner Paddles posted a notification that it’s recalling its Covert and Stealth downriver whitewater racing models of kayak paddles. The brand says, “We have identified an issue with the collar of the paddle where the blade meets the shaft.” Basically, the blade can break off from the shaft. GearJunkie confirmed with a Werner team paddler that this issue is due to a problem with the mold and is being addressed…
The Senate reached a tentative agreement to re-open the federal government late on Sunday evening, and if the House concurs with the package approved by the upper chamber the Schumer Shutdown could be over in a matter of days. Once the shutdown is over the House is expected to return to regular business, and that includes a potential floor vote on HR 38, the “Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025” that was placed on the House calendar just before the shutdown began. Under the bill, which currently has 189 sponsors, “a person who is not…
United States President Donald Trump has promised every single American, except those who are “high income”, a $2000 tariff dividend. This dividend would be funded by his tariff policies and is currently under review for “legality” by the Supreme Court. “A dividend of at least $2,000 a person (not including high-income people!) will be paid to everyone,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday. “People that are against Tariffs are FOOLS!” the ruler added, insisting that the policy is contributing “trillions of dollars” to the U.S. budget and will help reduce the nation’s $38 trillion national debt. The tariffs are also…
Watch full video on YouTube
Times Square turned into a hacking hotspot Thursday, not for criminals but for a crowd of curious New Yorkers watching their digital lives flash before their eyes.Cybersecurity firm NordVPN took over a stage beneath the billboards to show how easily personal data can be exposed on the dark web. Volunteers stepped up, handed over a name or email, and watched cybersecurity experts reveal just how much information about them was already floating around online.Brooklyn teen Sally Matounbah was one of the first to find out.“I’ve been getting a lot of spam calls and texts, so I’m pretty sure I’m leaked…
Former National Security Advisor John Bolton turned himself into federal authorities to face charges alleging that he mishandled some of America’s most sensitive national security documents.The 76-year-old former Trump adviser left his Maryland home early Friday morning and appeared later in the day in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, where he pleaded not guilty to all 18 counts outlined in a newly unsealed 26-page indictment. Both Trump and former President Joe Biden have faced similar criticisms for possessing such documents, with the former previously being charged and then having said charges expunged.Prosecutors accuse Bolton of willfully retaining national defense information,…
The sun beats down on the small Japanese island as field artillery cannoneers twist wrenches on massive encanistered missile rounds. It’s September in Okinawa, and here at Camp Hansen, Marines from the 3rd and 12th Littoral Combat Teams (or LCTs) are knee-deep in gritty reloading drills with the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS for short). This is more than just routine maintenance; it symbolizes turning these anti-ship beasts into quick-draw weapons for the next big fight in the Pacific.The scene captures the essence of how the Marine Corps is evolving its littoral warfare capabilities. The 3rd LCT, part of Hawaii-based…
President Trump says he wants to end the war in Ukraine — and he’s turning up the diplomacy. At the White House, he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, pledging to push for peace but holding back on sending Tomahawk missiles.“We had a very good meeting,” Trump said in the East Room. “We talked about peace, about how to stop the killing, and about how we can get this thing done quickly.”Zelensky thanked Trump for what he called “a chance to bring peace back to Ukraine,” adding, “With your help, we can stop this war.” He said Ukraine remains in…
Efforts by some encouraging the U.S. Air Force Academy to posthumously honor former conservative commentator and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk were rejected on Friday, according to the nonprofit membership organization Academy’s Association of Graduates (AOG).Kirk was fatally shot in the neck September 10 while speaking to about 3,000 attendees at Utah Valley University during a Turning Point USA event. The assassination spawned both massive outpourings of support as well as dissention, based largely on political views.”We are grateful to all who have taken the time to reach out by phone and email, and to those who attended today’s…
In a recent article, strength training in your late 50s and early 60s, we discussed the benefits of strength training (at any age) and how to get started if you are new to training. While the title suggests there is nothing after your early 60s, strength training throughout your 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond is completely possible and should be continued in any version you can do it. However, you should consider requesting a more personalized training program tailored to your abilities and goals, provided by a coach or trainer, especially if you are new to training.Here is a sample…
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) might not be directly involved in the new lawsuit challenging California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Glock ban, but the organization’s leaders still had some choice words for arguably America’s most anti-gun governor. On October 14, CCRKBA posted a news item to its website in which it weighed in on the unconstitutional law, the new lawsuit and on Gov. Newsom personally. The lawsuit, Jaymes v. Bonta, was filed on October 13 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California by the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), the National…
Pushing the last backpacking trip of the year to late fall in Colorado’s high peaks comes with a near guarantee of bad weather — but outlandish beauty in exchange. And pure solitude if you get deep enough. I hoofed it deep into Colorado’s Gore Range just past the peak of the fall colors. Cold, wet, and worth it. Outdoor Vitals’ overhauled Shadowlight 60 ($275) carried the load. It’s an ultralight adventure-ready backpack at a competitive price point that proved a solid companion in the shoulder season. The 60L pack has the volume for my 0-degree down bag, my huge puffy jacket,…
A woman in the D.C. suburb of Alexandria, Virginia is warning a trio of late-night visitors to her family’s home that she could exercise her Ssecond Amendment rights if they return, and the city’s police chief is echoing her call to arms. It was Tuesday evening around 10 p.m. when three individuals dressed in Halloween masks showed up at a home and began knocking on the door.”At first I thought it was just a Halloween joke, a little prank,” said Shayla, it’s her mother’s home. “So I said, ‘Happy Halloween.'”But the knocking got louder and…
I only encountered a few on-snow days when Stio’s Environ ski pants didn’t excel at my local ski resort. And that’s only because I prefer ski bibs when I’m slashing (and occasionally tomahawking) through waist-deep powder. But as far as men’s ski pants go, the Environ had me covered through a huge variety of weather conditions brought on by the particularly erratic weather of last season. One day, it was a whiteout blizzard, and the next, a sunny spring corn harvest. The Environ protected my legs from wind, snow, and the occasional tree branch — and looked good doing it.…
The Savage Model 99 was a revolutionary lever-action firearm. A literal revolution made possible by the use of an integrated rotary magazine design. In 1899, lever actions weren’t new by any means, but the Savage rotary magazine opened up the lever action platform to spitzer-type bullets. Lever actions with tubular magazines are forced to use round-nose projectiles so the pointy end of a spitzer cartridge doesn’t impact the primer of the round in front of it. Look at this classic rifle. With that said, it took a number of years for Spitzer bullets to find their way into the Savage…
