Outdoorithm Collective
Stories from the trail
Trip recaps, group-camping field notes, and the long-form pieces that explain what we're actually building. Most of our writing now lives on outdoorithm.com, where it pairs with the campground and gear research we run. A few essays live here, on the collective.
How to Plan Your First Yosemite Family Camping Trip
When to go, which campground to pick, how the recreation.gov release actually works, what gear you need, and what to do with kids — from a family that's camped Yosemite for a decade.
15 Camping Hacks from Experienced Campers
String lights, patch kits, the doormat trick, tic-tac spice racks, and the rest of the field-tested habits that make family trips smoother.
Coming Alive in the High Desert: Four Days at Joshua Tree
Nine households, 30+ people, four days at Indian Cove. The dance circle, the moonlit hike, the 50 mph windstorm, Ryan Mountain with kids on our backs, and the food that held it all together.
Read on outdoorithm.com →
Best Canvas Tents 2026: Springbar vs Kodiak (We Own Six)
Six canvas glamping tents, four years, two brands. Springbar vs Kodiak. Which to buy, when to skip nylon, and what the wind at Joshua Tree taught us.
Read on outdoorithm.com →
How to Build a Campfire (The Way Uncle John Built One at Williams Grove)
A first-time camper named John pulled every kid past 30 people at the propane pits to find a real fire at our group trip in Humboldt Redwoods. Here's how we build them.
Read on outdoorithm.com →
Black Families in the Outdoors: My Father's Memphis, My Daughter's Redwoods
Three generations and one essay. Why my father grew up working the land in segregated Memphis, why I didn't find a hiking trail until my twenties, and what we're building for our four kids. Plus Outdoor Afro, Black Outside Inc, and forest bathing.
Read on outdoorithm.com →
Want to be in the next story?
Every Outdoorithm Collective trip is open to member families. Eight more trips on the 2026 calendar.
Join the Collective