Welcome to Do More Dad

My son was two the first time he fell asleep in a boat. We hadn’t caught anything. It was cold, the coffee was gone, and he had a death grip on a rubber worm he refused to let me put on a hook. On the drive home I realized that was the best morning I’d had in months.

That’s what this site is about.

What this is

Do More Dad is where I write down what happens when I take my kid outside. Fishing, hiking, camping, and the stuff in between. It’s partly a journal and partly the guide I wish had existed when I was searching “how long will a toddler sit still in a canoe” at 11 p.m.

You’ll find three kinds of posts here:

• Trip reports. What we did, how long it lasted, what fell apart, and whether I’d do it again.
• Gear. Things we’ve actually used, usually for a whole season, before I’ll say anything about them.
• Fatherhood. The parts that don’t fit in a tackle box. Patience. Letting him lead. Knowing when to call it.

What this isn’t

This isn’t a site about epic adventures. Our hikes are two miles with a snack break every quarter mile. Our camping started in the backyard. Our fish are small. If you’re looking for a thru-hiking blog you’re in the wrong place, and that’s fine.

It also isn’t a site that pretends every trip is magic. Some of them are miserable. I’ll tell you which ones.

A note on the links

Some posts here have affiliate links, mostly to Amazon. If you buy something through one of them I earn a small commission and you pay the same price. It’s how I keep the site free of banner ads. Every post that has those links says so at the top, and I don’t recommend anything I wouldn’t hand to a buddy. You can read the whole policy on the disclosure page.

Where to start

If you’re new, start with the first fishing trip post. It’s the most honest thing on here. Then browse by topic and see what’s useful.

Thanks for reading. Now go outside.