Wild Edibles – Safely Foraging For Food
A little bit of knowledge about a few wild edibles can go a long way toward keeping you safe when you make the decision to finally go a' foraging.
Choosing A Great Summit Pack
The summit pack is one of the most important pieces of gear you bring along on a serious hike or climb.
Forget Debate Drinking Games – Get Your Political Sweat On
Sweat out almost as many toxins as you take in listening to the last 2016 Presidential debate by playing The Manual's Presidential debate workout game.
Modobag: The Scooter Luggage You Can Ride
Soon enough, we all might be throwing our roll-aboard luggage into the dumpster in favor of the Modobag: the world's first scooter luggage.
Nautilus’ “Find What Fits” Event Tired Me Out
Instead of connecting wires to flexible rods, the new Bowflex Home Gym has you punch in some commands on a screen and follow a real-time exercise regimen.
Autumn East Coast Hikes
From Shenandoah to New Hampshire, the best way to enjoy fall is to hit the trail on one of these beautiful east coast hikes.
Amazing Ways To Get Your Coffee Fix
If you love a good dose of coffee each day, and like being a little unique, then you'll love these amazing new ways to make coffee and drink it, too.
Touring Fall Foliage Without Being Touristy
Ah, autumn, those magical months of cool days, crisp evenings, and bright and brilliant fall foliage gracing the bows of countless New England trees.
Everyday Stuff Proudly Made In America
If you like the idea of Made in America, then you'll probably be surprised to find that many everyday items are made right here in the USA.
Made In America: La Casa Grande Cigars
Yes, you can get a great cigar rolled in The Bronx with La Casa Grande Cigars from La Casa Grande Tobacco Company.
Chef Lee Hendrickson: A Charlottesville Taste Maker
Meet 30-yeard-old Executive Chef Lee Hendrickson of Charlottesville's celebrated Red Pump Kitchen.
Keeping It Cool At Camp: Tips For Safe Hot Camping
Summer is the high season for outdoor adventuring. Take some tips from The Manual and keep cool while hot camping.
Three Great Summertime Hikes
When the mercury rises, it's time to hit the shady trails. These three great summertime hikes come with a little something to keep you cool.
Skateboard 2.0 – The Skating Board For The Modern Man
Skateboarding: from fringe sport to globally respected pastime
Five Fantastic Books You Shouldn’t Be Afraid Of
If you’re the kind of person who thinks reading a fine novel is more of a luxury than a necessity, if in fact you think reading fiction might even be a waste of time, then you’re the worst. Slap yourself for me. But not too hard, I’m just trying to make a point. The fact is that […]
The Five Most Influential American Men Who Never Held High Office
It takes genuine character, serious accomplishments, or cold hard cash to influence America.
Spring Onto the Trail: 5 East Coast Hikes to try this season
Today we're talking about 5 great east coast hikes
Alone on the road for 94 hours: a solo drive from L.A. to N.Y.
Coast to coast across the United States of America
How To Open A Wine Bottle – No Corkscrew Required
So many ways to amuse your friends. Just be careful please.
Mr. President Goes To War – 5 Badass Commanders In Chief
Being a veteran used to be an almost essential part of a prospective president's CV.
5 Terrifying Weapons That Are 100% Legal
Anyone from an NRA devotee to a peace-loving pacifist can agree it's crazy the weapons we're talking about today are legal right here in the United States.
Buy Knives. Cut Steak. Alleviate Homelessness.
Part of enjoying a great steak is slicing into that ribeye/fillet/flat iron with a great steak knife.
LA to NYC: Across The US In 4 Days Flat
The cross-country road trip is one of the most hallowed undertakings of American life. Here are three routes that will get you from LA to NYC in four days.
He Died As He Lived – Men Who Died Doing What They Loved
Some men die as they lived, shuffling off that mortal coil while drinking deeply from the cup of life. But they still end up dead, often before their time.
There’s An App For That? Bats••t Crazy But Real Apps
What has enabled smartphones to supplant so many other types of technology? Why, the app, of course.
What Is El Niño, Anyway?
If you’re like millions and millions of mildly quizzical Americans, you have probably found yourself wondering: “Hey, just what is El Niño, anyway?” in the recent weeks or months. The scientific and meteorological communities are abuzz with chatter about this relatively rare weather phenomenon, and their excitement has leaked into the media and then into […]
Chef André Lima de Luca: A Master of Meat. And Fire.
As you may or may not know, Brazilians are a passionate people, and this tendency toward passion is rarely on clearer display than when a Brazilian chef talks about meat. But when you talk to Chef André Lima de Luca, you realize something a bit unusual after a few minutes: he is not passionate about the traditional churrasco-style […]
Man School 101: Gourmet Breakfast in 15 Minutes Flat
Making a majestic morning meal need not be be a difficult, involved ordeal. This meal, which I'll call Fancy Bacon Egg Cup Things, takes about 15 minutes.
Winter Hiking: Don’t Forget to Bring a…
When the weather is warm and the sun is shining, hiking can be a remarkably simple affair: get a pair of good boots (or even a pair of running shoes), make sure you have plenty of water, and… you’re basically set. For a day hike on a prepared trail, at any rate. Hiking in the […]
DIY PLUMBING: KOBALT TOOLS, YOU, AND A LITTLE LUCK…
When it comes to plumbing problems, most people have a common response: they take a step back, nod slowly, and then let out a string of shouted expletives.
Well, This Is Snow Fun: Wintertime Amusement Around LA
A Los Angeles winter means the chance to enjoy some outdoor fun that's only available for one season a year.
Kobalt Tools & You: Sprucing Up Your Pad Before The Family Arrives
There are two kinds of DIY project: those that absolutely must be done that you choose to do yourself (the overflowing toilet comes to mind), and the ones that you could probably avoid indefinitely, but should really take care of (wretchedly ugly paint or tile, for example). Today, I’m relieved to say, we’ll be discussing a few projects […]
Camping Gifts for Gear Heads
This might come as a surprise to you, but not everyone who enjoys camping is an “I’ll chop down this tree and build a goddamn cabin right now” type of person. Some of us like to catch our own prey, ferret out wild edibles, and make campfires by glaring at kindling with such primal rage that it bursts […]
A Gift from the Hearth
Alright, yes, the title of this piece should be “A Gift for the Hearth,” but that would have meant abandoning a clever pun all for the sake of proper preposition usage, and I’d rather be clever than be grammar! (Er… well, case in point.) As winter weather creeps closer apace, fireplaces everywhere will soon be fired […]
Fitness Crazes That Are Genuinely Crazy
Fads come and go. From the slap bracelet to Swing music to McCarthyism, some things can be all the rage one day, and just a wretched, rotting pile of offal the next. This is usually the case because the popular item du jour (which is French for “dude, sure” I think) clearly boasts a dearth of intrinsic merit, and […]
Autumn In the Angeles – Perfect LA Hikes For Fall
Remember how it was well over 90 degrees in Los Angeles about a week and a half ago? Remember how the “fall” came in September only to see Southern California experience record setting heat weeks into October? Yeah… thanks, sunshine and climate change, that was awesome. Anyway, the mercury has finally dropped (though basically no […]
Bo Keister: A Self-Made Act(or)
Bo Keister’s jovial southern accent gives away his roots the moment he first starts speaking: he grew up in Dublin, Virginia, population “3,000 or less” at the time (the 1970s and 80s, FYI), and in many ways he remains a small-town man at heart. But he’s also the brains (AKA “producer”) behind the emergent Hillbilly […]
Hover board? No. Cool Anyway? Yes.
Well, so it happened… the “future” as predicted by the venerable film BACK TO THE FUTURE II has not quite arrived despite the date depicted in the film having come and gone. (Marty, Doc, and Jennifer popped into the future on October 15th, 2015, FYI. Instead of time travelers arriving from the 80s on 10/15/15, instead we […]
Reflections On Rainier: My Hardest Climb (Yet…)
If you want to hear the musing and rambling of this old mountain man, then read on, and I'll tell a tale or two. Tales of a mountain called Rainier...
Mike Mayhall: Stuntman/Story Teller
The route Mike Mayhall followed into his cinematic career hardly fits the standard description, despite the fact that Mike is both an actor and a director.
Manly Meditation
There are myriad ways to misunderstand meditation. People often associate the practice with haunting chants, candle-lit temples, burning incense, and other such eccentricities. Now don’t get me wrong, if you want to sit full lotus in a copper-walled room and clear your mind to the dulcet strains of traditional Tao meditation music, you go for it. […]