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We go outdoors to find solitude and the beauty of nature, but also to be closer to our community and ourselves. That was so apparent this month, as hundreds of REI employees, friends and family members took to the streets around the country to celebrate their community. June is LGBT Pride Month, and we’re proud to say that we represented #OutsideWithPride at parades in Washington D.C., Denver, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. Here are some of the highlights. REI Seattle marched with whoops and cheers. (Seattle) When we say “outside,” you say “with pride!” (Seattle) Andreea, REI employee and parade organizer, relaxed in the shade before the march began. (Seattle) REI employees got dancy—and an eggplant joined in. (Seattle) Cheesin’ for a selfie. Tagging #OutsideWithPride, of course. (Seattle) Families that wear fabulous headgear together, stay together. (Seattle) One of our youngest parade-goers, showing off last year’s t-shirt, kept cool. (Seattle) Rainbow headbands, flags, sti

A conversation about training, risk, Taylor Swift and sparkly star stickers Around 8:46 p.m. on June 13, as T-Swizzle vibrated through her earbuds, urging her to “shake it off,” Katie Bono stepped to an elevation of 20,310 feet and slapped some duct tape across her face. She was on the summit of Denali—the highest mountain in North America—in minus 40-degree weather, and her nose had lost feeling about a half hour earlier. She worried it might be frostbitten and the duct tape, she hoped, would keep it warm (and it did keep it from getting worse, she says). She made a faux-runner pose, and another party snapped a couple photos. And then she charged back down the mountain, beginning a 13,000-foot descent. Photo: Peter Dale Katie staggered back into basecamp at 3:00 a.m. the next morning, setting a probable female speed record on Denali, and the third fastest known camp-to-camp time ever. She beat feet from base camp, at 7,200 feet, to the summit of Denali and back in a blistering 21 hour

Magda Boulet lives it up Last weekend, Magda Boulet (43) crossed the finish line of America’s oldest 100-mile race in 19 hours, 49 minutes and 15 seconds—not far behind Cat Bradley, who claimed first less than 20 minutes ahead of her. Last year, Magda got a DNF, but in 2015, she took women’s first. Knocking off 100 miles of some of the country’s most rugged terrain, where average high temperatures push 90 degrees and portions of the California trail’s higher elevations often still have snow, is no easy feat. Finish in under 30 hours and you receive a bronze belt buckle. Finish in less than 24 and you receive a silver one. But finish in under 20 and you’re one of the greatest ultrarunners in the world. Magda is just that. In addition to her Western States prowess, she’s placed first in iconic road races like the San Francisco and Pittsburgh Marathons. The Oakland-based runner competed in the 2008 Olympics (but dropped out halfway through when an old knee injury flared up). Last year, s

Summer low: dry conditions call for extra caution. Image courtesy of Dom Garnett. With some of the lowest rainfall levels on record, 2017 could prove testing for fish and anglers alike. Dom Garnett offers some thoughts on the challenges of low water fishing and the issues facing our rivers. For both coarse and fly anglers, low rivers present a difficult scenario. We might dream of full, healthy waters during the closed season, but often the picture is very different on the bank. This year we have been hit by some of the strangest weather on record, and whether you blame climate change or just freak chance, more extreme weather patterns look set to stay. The driest April for decades was followed by some of the warmest temperatures we have ever seen; including the hottest June day since 1976 . It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out the huge effect this can have on our rivers. New highs, new lows Down to the bones: a drought-hit river. Image courtesy of Angling Trust. While p

Every morning, Cassie Tweed hops on her 1960 Honda Cub and merges onto the highway with hundreds of other motorbikes flowing “like a school of fish” through Ho Chi Minh City. When it rains, the Saigon River floods the streets to her knees. Cassie is the design director for Osprey. She lives and works in Vietnam, a long way from Southern California, where she grew up. “The outdoors was always very much a part of my life,” she says. “I was also into creating, building, making things.” Osprey was her first job out of college, and seven years later, she’s still living her dream. Osprey founder Mike Pfotenhauer was an early mentor. He never trained as a designer, so he had a unique approach that Cassie found refreshing. “From my background with a design degree, we come from a creative world, but we also put structure around it,” Cassie said. “Mike’s a free spirit. It was really good to get that perspective on design.” Three years ago, Mike decided to move the design center and he gave Cassi

Not getting a good night’s sleep is a sure way to dampen anyone’s spirits and spoil an otherwise great trip outdoors. Ensuring you get your allotted 40 winks is dependent on several things, but ultimately a good sleeping bag is key. With the huge array of sleeping bags available, how do you know which one is right for you?     Season Ratings Sleeping bags are often grouped according to a season rating, used to indicate the ideal time of year or temperature for which they are best suited. These are best used as a guideline as season temperatures will vary depending on weather and the country you are camping in.   1 Season Summer use +5°C overnight 2 Season Late spring to early autumn use 0°C overnight 3 Season Autumn and winter use 0 to -5°C overnight 4 Season Winter use -5°C and lower overnight 5 Season Expedition use (arctic or mountain conditions) -10°C and lower overnight   Obviously the better equipped a sleeping bag is for colder conditions, the bigger and heavier it will be. Thi

Would you like to own a prime stretch of UK river, full of super size sea trout and salmon? Well now you can – the world famous Golden Grove fishery is up for sale. The Golden Grove Fishery on the River Towy is widely regarded as the best Sea Trout fishery in the United Kingdom, if not Europe. Situated in verdant Welsh countryside near the Carmarthenshire market town of Llandeilo, this renowned game fishery attracts fishermen worldwide. The 5 year catch record for 3 out of the 6 main beats is an incredible 565 Sea Trout and 51 Salmon. The same 3 beats have produced 25 Sea Trout over 10lbs on the 5 year average. As well as 10.5 miles of exclusive double bank game fishing for salmon and sea trout (locally know as sewin), the estate includes 649 acres of land, including the ruins of the ancient Dryslwyn Castle. The quality of Sea Trout the Golden Grove regularly produces. Owned by the well-known sportsman, Sir Edward Dashwood, with a fishing partner, the Golden Grove Estate offers a uniq

Our readers at Beyond the Tent must be some of the most well-versed campers in the nation. I like to think it has a little to do with the content we provide but primarily it’s the sheer level of experience and a number of nights spent in the wild. I can think of only one group more experienced and that is our great soldiers in the field. These brave men and women, particularly those in battle, are living in some of the harshest environments on the planet and spend days or even weeks at a time on missions away from the base. Combat One created their waterless hygiene system with these men and women in mind. Because of the guaranteed warm temps, the relatively dry conditions and the fact that food is abundant for some of the more dangerous wildlife, summer camping is the most popular. There is no other season that even closely rivals the number of campers that hit the trails and sites across the nation. Of course, summer camping also means exertion under the scorching sun and swelterin