Popular Mechanics The Boy Camper: 160 Outdoor Projects and Activities (So Many Projects, Not Enough Time!)

Remember those great summer camping trips from your childhood—the magical ones when you discovered the fish hiding in the shaded swimming spot and cooked a meal over an open fire? This collection of outdoor activities from long ago pays tribute to an age when every kid knew how to bait a hook. And there’s plenty in these vintage pages that children of all ages will still find worth learning...and lots of fun.

We’ve included choice camping and fishing ideas; gadgets, projects, and appliances to construct (including an improved tent peg and an outdoor fireplace); advice for making the most of your time on the water; all the basics of creating a temporary or permanent camp structure; and fundamental skills such as archery. You’ll even discover lesser-known secrets for taking full advantage of a winter camp-out. Campers will be amused and amazed by some of the ways yesterday’s adventurers kept themselves busy. From the fascinating (making a bed of boughs and a paddle-wheel boat) to the fantastic (building a log cabin), everybody will find a panorama of entertaining possibilities represented here.