Tom Watson, Author at Guide Outdoors

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Tom Watson

Tom Watson is an award-winning writer who honed his outdoor skills while living in Minnesota and Kodiak, Al...

Tom Watson is an award-winning writer who honed his outdoor skills while living in Minnesota and Kodiak, Alaska. He is a frequent contributor to several outdoor magazines, author of four books: "Sixty Hikes within Sixty Miles of Minneapolis," "Best Tent Camping-Minnesota," "How to Think Like a Survivor," and "Kids Gone Paddlin' ." He's also an avid kayaker and canoer, camper, naturalist, writer/ photographer specializing in paddle sports, outdoor adventuring and self-reliance skills. He resides in western Minnesota. He writes a column on camping/outdoor adventure tips.

Fishing Without a Pole

Most emergency/survival kits include a small assortment of hooks, line and perhaps a few swivels and weights – but no fishing pole.

Paracord: It’s more than just rope.

Paracord is an essential piece of emergency/survival gear. There are several characteristics and properties that qualify cordage as authentic “paracord”. All ‘rope’ is made of strands that are either braided or twisted together. Structurally, paracord uses the kernmantle technique similar … Continued

The 101 on Tinder

Tinder is any dry material that readily takes a spark, match or other intense heat sources and easily ignites.

Choosing the Best Campsite for YOU

Two men camping in woods with chair, cooler, fire, and tent

A good campsite can be defined in many ways depending upon your preferred level of back-country comfort, the lay of the land where you can pitch your tent and to a lesser extent, the season in which you are out enjoying Mother Nature.

DIY Dry Bags

Even if you are a totally committed landlubber, you no doubt have a need for keeping gear dry whenever you venture outdoors.

Ice Fishing with a Niksik

Harvesting fish from beneath the frozen lakes and rivers of the Arctic/sub-arctic regions was a critical part of the subsistence lifestyle for most north-country native Americans. There were typically three methods for harvesting fish: traps/nets, spearing from “dark house”- like … Continued

Insulate Your Tent Floor for a Warm Winter Sleep.

My warmest and most comfortable nights of sleep during a North Dakota winter camp out was while nestled inside a tent pitched in two feet of snow cover.

Making Use of Campsite Snow

It’s the opportunity to put one’s skills to the cold-weather test that makes winter camping attractive to so many back-country campers. One of those tests may be in dealing with all the snow in and around the campsite. Under most conditions, … Continued