Built by People Who Go Outside
2US Outdoor is an independent outdoor information hub. We publish practical guides, honest gear knowledge and a curated resource directory — written for people who want to be competent, not just equipped.
One Notebook, Ten Years
It started as a shared document between three friends who kept making the same mistakes: too much gear, too late a start, and a route plan built on optimism rather than a map.
Writing things down changed how we travelled. Ten years later that habit became this site — a reference library for camping, hiking, backpacking, fishing, climbing and the sports that sit between them.
We are not a shop. We do not take payment for rankings. The directory exists because good outdoor resources are hard to find and easy to lose.
180+
Published guides
7
Activity families
24
Contributors
11 yrs
Field notes
Four Rules We Publish By
These are not slogans — they are the filter every draft passes through before it goes live.
Field-tested first
Every guide on this site is based on trips we or our contributors actually took. If we have not been there, we say so.
Honest, not sponsored
We do not sell gear and we do not publish paid rankings. Comparisons are written from a user's point of view.
Safety before hype
We would rather publish a boring, accurate turn-around rule than an exciting line that gets someone hurt.
Leave it better
Access, trail stewardship and leave-no-trace habits appear in almost everything we publish, because they matter.
How We Got Here
2016
A shared notebook
Three friends started logging route notes and gear failures in one document after a wet week in the Cascades.
2019
First guides published
The notebook became a public archive of camping and hiking guides, written for beginners rather than experts.
2022
Directory launched
A hand-organised index of outdoor resources, with no paid placement and clear categories.
2026
2US Outdoor today
Seven activity families, an active journal, and a growing network of contributing guides and instructors.
Who Writes Here
Mark Ellison
Editor in chief
Camping and equipment systems
Dana Whitmore
Travel editor
Destinations and planning
Priya Raman
Safety editor
Wilderness medicine and risk
Tom Braddock
Gear editor
Packs, boots and repairability
Want to contribute?
We work with guides, instructors and long-time practitioners. Send a short pitch with the trip or skill you want to write about.