Outdoor Sports

Push yourself to the max with outdoor sports equipment

The outdoors lend themselves to an impressive list of ways to enjoy your natural surroundings, whether you're camping and fishing or competing in winter sports. Some outdoor sports, like climbing, only require a few items for you to grab before you begin partaking in them, while others, such as fishing or snow skiing, require some supplies for success. Whatever your outdoor passion is, you can find the item you need to enjoy yourself to the fullest. Save money at the same time by taking advantage of our Every Day Low Prices.

Camping

To have a successful camping trip, there are certain pieces of equipment that are must-have items, and these include tents, sleeping bags, cooking equipment, lights, coolers and emergency preparedness items you'll want to pick up. Depending on how many people are camping, you can choose tents that sleep one to two people or ones that sleep seven or more people. Many of these tents only have an entrance and space to sleep on the ground, while some of the larger tents have enough room for you to stand up inside and even use cots instead of sleeping on the ground, sleeping bags keep you warm on cold nights especially if there's no fire and you're sleeping on the ground. Many have extra padding for comfort and zip up completely to keep you pest-free as you sleep.

For overnight trips or longer, you definitely want to have a cooler or two for cold beverages and to keep fish fresh if fishing was on your agenda. Whether you're eating what you brought or what you caught, some staples for camping cooking equipment include a portable gas or charcoal grill, cookware like cast-iron skillets or Dutch ovens and utensils like tongs and spatulas. You'll also want things to eat on and with, and you can buy camping dish packs or paper and plastic items that are biodegradable and easy to pack home with you. The most important emergency preparedness items you can have on hand include a flashlight or lantern, first aid kit and some basic tools, including a knife or multitool.

Fishing

If you're using live or cut bait, all you really need to go fishing is a rod and reel, some fishing line, some hooks and some weights and bobbers. Otherwise, you can get even more detailed and load up a tackle box with artificial baits, lures, spoons and attractants to bring in those fish. Rods vary in lengths; shorter rods are better for boat and pier fishing, and long poles are better suited for surf fishing. You can choose from spincast reels, which are basic reels for beginners; spinning reels, which are common for most kinds of fishing; and baitcasting reels, which are more advanced reels that work for bigger game fish. If you're doing your fishing on a party boat or other offshore vehicle and you're trolling for fish, a trolling reel is your best option.

Fishing line is differentiated by type and the weight of fish it can hold. Monofilament line is the most common fishing line; it's made of nylon and has a single strand. Braided fishing line is similar to monofilament line, only it has two lines that are braided together to create more strength. Less common fishing lines include fluorocarbon, which is virtually invisible underwater; wire fishing line, which anglers use to catch mackerel, tuna and other fish with strong teeth; and fly fishing line, which is exclusively used for fly fishing and very lightweight. A basic bait or circle hook which is a more curved version of a bait hook will catch most fish, but there are others that work with certain types of fish. If you're fishing on the top of the water, you want to use bobbers to keep the bait near the top; weights work when you want to do bottom fishing for species like halibut.

Other outdoor sports

Camping and fishing are two of the most popular outdoor activities, but they're nowhere near exhaustive when it comes to all the fun you can have with outside sports.

• Winter sports The two most popular winter sports are skiing and snowboarding. Most of the things you need to do both are the same, such as the clothing and accessories like goggles, jackets and hats. Many people prefer snowboarding to skiing because you can do more tricks and the initial costs to get into the sport are much less than skiing. Another popular winter sport is ice skating, especially in locations with ponds and lakes that freeze over or have indoor skating rinks. All you really need is a pair of good-fitting ice skates and the motivation to get back up again as you're learning.
• Climbing and mountaineering If you like climbing and aren't tackling steep rock wall faces, the basic equipment you need includes paracord (or rope), carabiners (both locking and non-locking), a harness, hand protection (like gloves), boots and a helmet. Paracord is rated by weight, so if you have three people climbing on the same rope, or two heavier people, you want to have paracord that's rated for 500 pounds or higher. The carabiners allow you to move up and down the rope as you climb without getting snagged. The harness is a safety device that can keep you from falling if you slip.