Sadie Brooks

Sadie Brooks learned to camp the hard way—on a rainy first trip with a tent she had never pitched, a stove that refused to light, and a cooler packed with more optimism than ice. She got through it, learned what actually mattered, and slowly built a practical camping rhythm: check the forecast and the site, pack for the conditions, keep meals simple, and always have a backup plan for rain, wind, and cold. That process—trial, adjustment, and a little humility—shaped how she writes about camping.

Over nine years of camping in national parks, state campgrounds, backcountry sites, and family-friendly loops, Sadie has learned that most camping advice fails not because it is wrong, but because it skips the context. A “beginner-friendly” campsite is not beginner-friendly if the nearest water is far away or the ground is hard-packed. A “great” piece of gear is not great if it is too heavy, too complicated, or never gets used. A camp recipe is only useful if it works on a windy evening with one pot and tired people. With a wilderness first responder background and a preference for clear, field-tested guidance, she writes reviews and guides that start with the trip you are actually taking—then work toward gear, skills, food, and safety.

Her work covers expert gear reviews, beginner camping skills, campsite selection, trip planning, camp cooking, weather and safety, Leave No Trace practices, family camping, and inspiring destinations for both first-timers and seasoned explorers. She is particularly interested in the gap between polished outdoor content and what actually happens at a campsite—wet firewood, forgotten stakes, a stove that works better on a flat surface, and the small fixes that save a trip.

When she is not writing or testing gear, Sadie can usually be found re-pitching a tent in the yard to check a seam, labeling a food bin she swore she would organize last season, or making notes on which “easy” camp recipe turned out to need two pots, three hands, and a backup snack.