Wes Siler is your guide to leading a more exciting life in the great outdoors. As Outside’s outdoor lifestyle columnist, he writes about the intersections of science, news, politics, gear, vehicles and travel, empowering readers to better understand the world they’re recreating in. Wes lives in Montana with his wife, Virginia McQueen, and their three rescue dogs.
Published
The Department of the Interior's proposed regulations contradict the interior secretary's grandiose claims
And why that’s the best news possible for Land Rover lovers
This whole fake-service-dog thing is going to ruin flying for everyone
A moderately unhinged but entirely reasonable rant about how we define the value of outdoor gear
Leaving the highway behind? Here's how to stay safe when driving gets adventurous.
The bipartisan Simplifying Outdoor Access for Recreation Act promises a better permitting process
The ins and outs of overnighting in the actual wilderness
OnX Offroad opens up 985 million acres of public land with off-grid navigation
How to take full advantage of your 640 million acres
French authorities brought the man to safety after he made a 528-foot free ascent
No vehicle is more maligned, yet no vehicle is more useful
A new report officially points the blame for the Paradise fire at the utility's electrical transmission lines
A blind runner finished a half marathon for the first time using only guidance from a dog thanks in large part to the Ruffwear Unifly—the biggest development in guide-dog harnesses since they were invented nine decades ago
Beyond Clothing is turning protective combat uniforms into stylish outdoor gear
And no place has ever been ruined by an Instagram post, either. It's time to stop blaming social media for the world's troubles.
A bill introduced to Congress on May 1 could make outdoor recreation an official treatment option for veterans suffering from mental-health disorders. It's a huge opportunity for vets—and our public lands.
The new tool in the company's Free collection can genuinely be used one-handed, and it's more compact than ever
Plus, the three-row family crossover has got legit four-wheel drive. Competitors should take note.
An official investigation into ethics violations by Trump's new Secretary of the Interior was opened just four days after his confirmation
And the Maven B3's are the highest-quality optics you can easily carry
The all-new car is safer, more economical, and, thanks to its turbo, faster
The Democratic candidate released her comprehensive plan for saving our national parks and public lands. It's impressive, even if it never comes to fruition.
What's really behind all the recent cougar conflicts
The Acting Interior Secretary's confirmation hearing was already absurd. Then the Greenpeace protestors showed up.
The recent pro-conservation rulemaking at Interior is intended to smooth the way for acting secretary Bernhardt’s nomination hearing today
Believe it or not, the brand and badges are irrelevant
The products and approaches that make #packlife possible
A close reading of the President’s 2020 Department of the Interior budget reveals massive funding cuts for everything public-lands related—except for oil and gas
The total package is just much more convincing than the Tacoma or Colorado, and probably more practical than the Jeep Gladiator
The crucial public lands legislation was just signed by President Trump. Here's why you should care.
When a 4x4 influencer vandalized the state's magnificent desert landscape, it was really just the start of the problem
The Trump Administration plans to delist the gray wolf across the Lower 48. Here’s why that's happening and what it means for the future of the species.
The public comment period that will impact a redefinition of what's protected under the Clean Water Act is open through April 15
The definitive guide, built upon real-world experience
The Christensen Arms Ridgeline is high-tech, lightweight, and, paired with a Maven RS.1 scope, reasonably affordable
Watch Travis Kauffman describe the incident in his own words
The lengths to which the Utah Congressman will go to avoid addressing the real issues are getting laughably extraordinary
The former oil and gas lobbyist is the worst-case scenario for public lands
The Gunner G1 is the most useful dog kennel ever made
We were skeptical—until we learned the gruesome details from the scene of the attack
Probably the most embarrassing article I’ll write this year is also, for your crotch, the most important
Stuart Palley captures images of wildfires at night, making some of the riskiest art around
The LiveWire is a giant leap for Harley, if only a small step for the motorcycle industry as a whole
Park rangers, wildland firefighters, and an EPA lawyer have all told me that they're worried they'll lose their jobs if they talk publicly about the shutdown
The most comfortable nighttime experience possible for vehicle-based adventures
It's anything but an unpaid vacation, especially when your job is protecting the environment
The shutdown is hampering fire prevention efforts in the state, even while the President looks to disaster-relief funds for his wall
Eight hundred of the 2,300 Bureau of Land Management staff who remain on duty during the shutdown are dedicated to serving the oil and gas industries
Parks are being destroyed, people are dying, and no one's in charge
A man fell from Yosemite's Nevada Fall on Christmas Day
Is the massive rack-maker's investment in rooftop tents a good thing?
Over 16,000 employees will go without pay and local communities will lose approximately $18 million per day
Three epic adventures you can give any outdoorsperson
You don't have to spend much—or anything—to improve your dog's health and happiness
EPA proposes stripping protections from 50 percent of streams and 110 million acres of wetlands
Safety, reliability, and capability, all in one (relatively affordable) truck
A 7.0 quake struck Anchorage, causing serious damage
A Wrangler-based truck? Um, yes.
Finally, sleeping-pad insulation will be tested to a standardized methodology. Here's why that matters for all your camping trips starting in 2020.
Electric power + a pickup = a match made in heaven in American consumers' eyes. But let's not get too excited yet.
Testing the addition of active suspension and semiautonomous off-road driving
Smartwool's Smartloft is a superior insulation
Debunking various theories currently floating around the Internet
Waiting in the wings is an even worse swamp monster—oil and gas lobbyist David Bernhardt
Putting the deadliest fire in California history into perspective
The Cooper A/TWs are the only all-terrain tire fitted with a true winter rubber compound
Attorney Xochitl Torres Small just won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in a rural district. One of her prominent talking points? Protecting the region's national monument.
Over 150,000 Californians were evacuated last night and 20 million more are under red-flag fire warnings
The Altra Lone Peak 4 Mid RSM is lighter, more comfortable, and more supportive than any other boot I've tested. They're not stylish, but hey: Looking good in the woods is overrated.
Sansho, an eight-year-old Karelian bear dog, was a magnificent serial killer, mentor, and friend
As Wyoming debates whether to charge hikers, I wanted to issue a reminder that this whole pay-to-play concept on our public lands doesn't work
An important PSA about driving safely in bad weather
Now that the House Natural Resources Committee has fallen under Democrat control, it could mean real oversight for the Department of Interior, says Arizona Representative Raul Grijalva
Living your best #packlife is easier than it looks
The world asks: Is Zinke corrupt, incompetent, or both?
One photographer's attempt to find art in fire, even as climate change makes conditions more deadly