Outdoors - Scout Life magazine

The Wimpy Kid’s Guide to Outdoor Survival

Greg Heffley convinced us to share his tips on camping in the great outdoors.

Can You Identify This Animal Poop?

Droppings can tell you which animals have been in the area. Can you identify the scat in these photos?

7 Tasty Ways to Make Pancakes Pop

Pink lemonade? Bacon? Breakfast cereal? Mix in these ingredients to spruce up your next batch of pancakes.

4 Signs That Stormy Weather Is On The Way

Classic rhymes predict that bad weather could be in the forecast.

How to Sharpen an Ax

To keep an ax safe and effective, it must stay sharp. Here's how to properly sharpen your ax.

Keep Smellables Out of Your Tent

A smellable is any object that might attract an animal with a strong sense of smell.

How to Build an Igloo

A brilliant use of engineering and resources, this simple dome made out of snow blocks is both strong and versatile.

How to Build a Snow Cave

A T-shaped snow cave is a quick and efficient way to protect yourself from winter storms.

How to Make a Cranapple Pie in a Dutch Oven

Wow your friends with this delectable pie made in your Dutch oven.

How to Make Stuffing in a Dutch Oven

Fire up the coals and bake this delicious stuffing for a hungry crowd.

How to Make Cornbread in a Dutch Oven

This delicious side dish will compliment your Dutch-oven dinner menu.

How to Make a Tacos in a Bag

Everyone will love this Tex-Mex recipe, and not just because it starts with chips.

3 Wild Plants That Relieve Minor Stings, Burns and Itches

These common plants can help if you have a minor scratch, burn, sting or itch.

Use an LED Light to Make a Firefly Lantern

Want a natural nightlight? Use an LED light to catch some fireflies and make a firefly lantern.

How to Identify and Deal with Dangerous Bugs

Here's how to recognize biters and stingers. And how to treat their bites and stings.

How to Dig a Cathole in the Backcountry

How we go to the bathroom in the backcountry is important. Assuming there are no existing facilities, you have two choices: Use a cathole or pack it out.

How to Cook With a Reflector Oven

Learn to cook some of Troop 1570's favorite reflector-oven recipes.

How to Tie a Taut-Line Hitch

To create an adjustable loop for staking out guy lines, use the taut-line hitch.

How to Tie the Two Half-Hitches Knot

Use two half hitches to tie a rope to a tree, ring or dock.

How to tie the timber hitch

The timber hitch is the perfect knot to use for dragging a log across the ground.

How to Tie the Clove Hitch

The clove hitch is used to begin and end many lashings. Here's how to tie it.

How to tie the sheet bend knot

Here's how to use the sheet bend knot to tie together two ropes of the same or different diameters.

How to Tie a Bowline Knot

The bowline knot is useful for tying a rope around your waist or around someone requiring rescue. Here's how to tie one.

How to Tie a Square Knot

Tying a square knot is as easy as right over left, left over right. Watch our tutorial to learn how.

How to Remove a Fishhook From Your Hand Without Making it Worse

Those fishhooks are sharp. If one gets stuck in your skin, here's how to remove it.

Prepare for Hiking With These 4 Simple Foot Exercises

Simple exercises to reduce the risk of ankle sprains, aching arches and other foot-related injuries.

Frozen Fishing: Cub Scouts go ice fishing

Just because a lake is frozen, it doesn’t mean there aren’t fish to catch.

How to Enjoy Camping in the Snow

With only some basic knowledge and inexpensive gear, you can have a safe, fun outdoors experience in even the coldest weather.

Explore Philmont’s backcountry camps

At Philmont Scout Ranch's staffed backcountry camps, you don't just learn about history. You live it.

How to Build a Quinzee Snow Shelter

A quinzee is a simple shelter made by hollowing out a big pile of snow. Here's how to build one.

How to Sharpen a Pocketknife

A pocketknife is only useful if you keep it sharp. Here's how to sharpen a knife using a whetstone.

How to Build a Survival Shelter

Being prepared to live — and live well — when you’re far from the comforts of home starts with being able to take effective shelter from the elements.

4 Fun Sports For the Great Outdoors

No referee? No sports field? No problem. We've adapted these four sports so they can be played almost anywhere.

How to Find Fossils

Sometimes a rock's just a rock ... and sometimes it's a fossil. How can you tell the difference?

How to perform a canoe-over-canoe rescue

If you go canoeing enough, eventually you're going to fall in the water. Here are tips for safely rescuing a capsized canoe.

How to Skip Rocks

A stone-skipping expert shares his tips to help you successfully skip rocks.

How to Cook Some Goofy Grub

We scoured the Internet for these six strange recipes and oddball cooking methods. Then we challenged a Scout troop to try them out.

Video tips for better biking

You can make biking easier, safer and more fun with these video tips and tricks from bicycling experts.

Poisonous Plants Quiz

Whether you're on a backcountry trek or a walk in the park, how aware are you of dangerous plants? Take this quiz and find out.

How to Make Your Own Hiking Stick

Walking sticks make hiking more fun. Next time you go hiking, step out with a personal walking stick that you made yourself.

Skateboarding Video Tips and Tricks

Learn some basic skateboarding techniques from a world record-holding skater.

Make a Solar Hot Dog Cooker

If you curve some aluminum foil just right, you can cook hot dogs with the sun's heat.

Make Your Own Minnow Trap Using a 2-Liter Bottle

Don't waste money buying bait. Gather your own! It's simple with this easy-to-make trap.

Emergency Preparedness Quiz

Whether you're on the trail or just having fun in the park, it's easy to get into trouble. Accidents happen. Would you know what to do?

Test your skills in 10 emergency scenarios

Test your first aid and emergency response skills with scenarios designed for a First Aid Meet.

Keeping warm on a cold night in an igloo

When done right, an igloo can keep you nice and cozy – even on the coldest winter night.

How to prevent and treat blisters

Here are tips for how to avoid getting blisters and how to treat them.

Forms for planning your outing’s itinerary

Paperwork? For an outing? When it comes to the outdoors, keeping good paperwork is part of Being Prepared. Download our templates to help you get started.