AO First Impressions – Alpacka Raft Aleutian Sea Kayak Packraft

This summer I got an afternoon on a mellow 5-mile river stretch with Alpacka’s new Aleutian, their take on a travel-friendly sea kayak in packraft form. I’m used to regular packrafts that feel more like floating couches than precise boats, so I was curious how this longer, more kayak-shaped d...

By Patrik Orcutt •

Three Mule Deer Hunts That Taught Me the Hard Way

Every hunter remembers the bucks they tagged. But the hunts that teach the most are usually the ones that fall apart. Michael “Micky” Luby puts it plainly: the hunts he botched outright shaped him far more than the successful ones ever did. Steven Rinella made a similar point when he ...

By James Chen •

Modular Box Blind Field Test: Does Orion’s 68VT Deliver?

A modular hunting blind costs far more than a pop-up, so the real question is whether the comfort, durability, and silence justify the jump. After Amanda Oliver ran the Orion 68VT through actual use, the verdict came down to how you hunt and how long you plan to leave a blind in the woods. If [&#...

By James Chen •

Front Line Friday #37: EMS Gear on Patrol - What to Carry and Why

Welcome back to Front Line Friday. This week is a gear week, and the topic is medical gear an individual patrol officer can carry on the body to extend capability in the minutes before EMS arrives. Front Line Friday is brought to you by Dead Air Silencers , whose support keeps this column going e...

By Tom R •

The Sierra Lake That Isn’t on Any Map

Below the snow-cross on the shoulder of Mount Tallac lies a lake that never appeared on a California map. People who knew of it called it Lost Lake, and the trout living there put up a harder fight than any fish I had hooked before. How I reached it, recounted in the November 1951 issue […]...

By James Chen •
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