One of the 18 things every man should do in the summer is spend time in a hammock. On a warm, breezy, blue-sky day, hammocks are an incomparably relaxing place to read, nap, or just daydream. 

Initiating these idylls by hanging up a hammock is a fairly simple task. But it does require a little know-how. The right setup improves comfort, protects your equipment, and makes getting in and out much easier.

The guide above covers the fundamentals of an ideal hammock hang, including tree selection, strap placement, suspension angle, and height. Master these basics, and you’ll be ready to enjoy everything from spending a lazy afternoon at the park to sleeping out under the stars.

Illustrated by Ted Slampyak

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

There are few places in modern life where we’re forced into such close quarters with strangers as the humble elevator. For a brief moment, people of all stripes — coworkers, neighbors, delivery drivers, and the guy who just reheated fish in the break room — are pressed together in a small, moving box. It’s a setting ripe for potential awkwardness and irritation.

That liminal space in an elevator also offers a small but meaningful opportunity to practice everyday courtesy. Like all etiquette, it isn’t about stiff formality, but rather a sense of awareness, restraint, and consideration for others. A few simple habits, as outlined in the guide above, can turn a potentially uncomfortable ride into a smooth, frictionless interaction. This is a situation that you actually don’t want to be memorable; if you make it into someone’s stories of an elevator ride, it’s likely that things have gone awry. 

Master these basics to become an elevator passenger with an air of gentlemanly grace.

Illustration by Ted Slampyak

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

A good fitted baseball cap should feel like it was made just for you. You don’t want it awkwardly perched on top of your head or uncomfortably squeezing your temples. You want it to fit like a broken-in pair of gloves or boots. 

The problem is, hats don’t come that way off the rack. Even if you pick the “right” size, you’re working with standardized measurements trying to fit a non-standard head. And most brands only size in quarter- or half-size increments, so the “right” size is usually just the closest size. Add in stiff materials and factory shaping, and most caps start out feeling a little off — a bit too tight or loose.

The good news: that slight mismatch is fixable. You can usually dial in a hat that’s just a little too big or too small. 

Materials matter in how much play you’ll have: wool caps will stretch and conform more easily, while polyester blends tend to hold their shape. Either way, don’t rush the break-in process. The best results come from a mix of light intervention and regular wear. Over time, the hat will do what it was meant to do: mold itself to you.

In addition to getting a hat to fit nicely on your noggin, breaking it in also involves curving the bill (we’re no fans of the flat brim at AoM). The same easy-does-it principle for breaking in the crown applies to breaking in the bill too: while the methods above can accelerate the process, you don’t have to force it — a natural curve will come gradually just by working it with your hands over time.

With that in mind, use the guide above to fine-tune your cap. And if you want to go deeper, check out our full-length article on breaking in a fitted baseball hat.

Illustrated by Ted Slampyak

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

With March Madness getting under way, you may be thinking about what you’d do if you found yourself with the ball in your hands, your team down by two, with a second left in the game. Could you make the game-winning shot?

Like most athletic skills, shooting a basketball is less about raw talent than repetition — building a consistent motion so that your body can perform it the same way over and over again. Proper mechanics start from the floor, using the legs to generate power and the upper body to direct it in one smooth, continuous motion. That’s what makes longer shots feel fluid instead of forced, and why players who rely too heavily on their arms often lose accuracy as they tire.

If you tend to feel like you’re trying to shoot a square peg into a round hole, the encouraging part is that even small adjustments can produce quick results. Use the guide above to work on having a better stance, cleaner hand placement, and a more disciplined follow-through — all of which can help the ball come off your hand more easily and with a more reliable arc.

At the same time, remember that good shooting isn’t about forcing your body into a perfectly rigid set of positions. The best shooters develop a motion that’s consistent but still natural — aligned with the basket, balanced, and repeatable, even if it doesn’t look exactly like a textbook diagram. Rhythm and feel matter as much as form. Practice the basics, then let your shot become your own.

Putting up a decent jump shot belongs in the same category of basic athletic competence as throwing a football or swinging a baseball bat; even if you’re not using this skill to secure a championship, it comes in handy for playing pickup ball, coaching your kids, or just putting up shots in the driveway.

Illustrated by Ted Slampyak

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

Roasting a whole chicken has an undeserved reputation for being difficult — dry breasts and underdone thighs can make it feel like you’re wrestling with the poultry rather than just cooking it for consumption. The preparation method of spatchcocking — which can be done with any bird you want to roast — solves most of those problems in one decisive move. By removing the backbone and flattening the bird, you expose more surface area to heat, which means faster and much more even cooking.

Thankfully, spatchcocking isn’t complicated, specialized, or reserved for professionals. It requires just a couple tools you likely already have and a willingness to make a few confident cuts. There’s no delicate knife work, no anatomical expertise, and no need to worry about perfection. Chickens are tougher than they look and the process is far more forgiving than it appears at first glance.

Once you’ve done it a single time, spatchcocking becomes less of a stressful technique and more of a default three-minute job. It shortens cook times, improves consistency whether you’re roasting or grilling, and even makes carving easier. Use the guide above to dramatically improve your chicken roasting confidence.  

Illustrated by Ted Slampyak

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

Identifying animal scat is one of those outdoor skills that sounds simple until you actually try it. You spot a pile on the trail or in your yard and think, “Aha, I can solve this mystery!” But then you realize that several animals leave behind droppings that look basically the same. This illustrated guide to the most common and notable scat found in the U.S. is meant to give you a solid starting point and to help you narrow the field rather than declare a definitive verdict.

Many types of scat differ mostly by size. Elk, deer, and even rabbit pellets can look strikingly similar at first glance; scale is often the biggest clue. Others blur together because related animals will produce nearly identical scat. Fox and coyote turds, for example, frequently overlap in overall appearance, and telling them apart often comes down to context: where you found it and what else you’re seeing nearby. In those cases, an identification is often an educated guess rather than a certainty — and really, narrowing it down to a couple possibilities is often good enough! 

Complicating things further, scat is highly variable depending on an animal’s diet, hydration level, and overall health. A berry-heavy meal, a run-in with a tasty bag of garbage, or a period of illness can radically change texture, color, and consistency. Plus, the same animal may leave very different calling cards at different times of year.

So think of this guide as simply one tool among many. Pair what you see here with tracks, habitat, location, and common sense. Scat identification is part observation, part experience, and part informed guesswork. 

Illustrated by Ted Slampyak 

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

Making fire from ice sits right at the edge of survival skill and science experiment. It’s one of those techniques that feels like a clever survival hack — and technically it is — but in practice it’s notoriously difficult. Pulling it off requires a near-perfect combination of conditions: bright and direct sunlight, calm air, dry tinder, and most critically, a good-sized chunk of exceptionally clear ice. That last requirement is what makes this method especially difficult in the wild. Naturally occurring ice is often cloudy, cracked, or full of air pockets, all of which scatter light instead of focusing it. 

That said, it’s still possible. A small chance is better than no chance, after all. 

As such, this is still a worthwhile skill to understand and experiment with. You can try it out and get comfortable with it at home by making your own clear ice: boil water first to drive off dissolved gases, then freeze it slowly to minimize bubbles; use an insulated container so it freezes gradually from the top down. Practicing this way lets you focus on shaping, polishing, and aiming the lens without fighting bad materials or poor weather.

Ultimately, you should think of fire from ice not as a reliable backup plan, but as a last-ditch effort in a truly dire situation — as well as a fascinating demonstration of what’s possible when physics, patience, and conditions perfectly align.

Illustrated by Ted Slampyak

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

When winter settles in, keeping your house warm can feel like a constant battle against drafts, cold floors, and rising heating bills. The good news is that staying warm doesn’t always require cranking up the thermostat. Small, strategic changes — most of them unrelated to your heating system — can make a noticeable difference in how comfortable your home feels.

Warming a house is less about brute force and more about efficiency: keeping the heat you already have and making sure it circulates where it’s needed most. From sealing hidden gaps to rethinking how you use everyday features like curtains, fans, and even your oven, it only takes a handful of smart habits to help your home hold onto warmth all winter long. And remember, it’s ultimately about keeping the person (or people) warm rather than the house — it’s okay to wear an extra sweater and have a pile of cozy blankets on hand. 

Whether you’re dealing with subzero temperatures or just trying to stay comfortable without a skyrocketing energy bill, the ten things highlighted above will help get you through. For more detail, and a couple extra ideas, be sure to read our full guide to keeping your house warm in the winter.

Illustrated by Ted Slampyak

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

When disaster strikes while you’re away from home — whether it’s a blizzard that strands your car, a citywide blackout, or an earthquake that knocks out cell service — the only thing that really matters is getting safely back home. That’s where a get home bag comes in. Unlike a full bug out bag meant for longer-term survival away from your primary residence, a get home bag is designed for speed, mobility, and self-reliance over 12–24 hours. It’s the kind of kit you can keep in your trunk or under your desk — light enough to carry, but stocked with the essentials that can turn a scary situation into a manageable one.

The gear inside your get home bag doesn’t need to be fancy or expensive, just functional. The illustration above highlights the core items every man should consider packing. If you work in business casual or professional attire, it’s also smart to include a change of rugged clothing as well: durable pants, a tough shirt, and comfortable shoes can make all the difference if you need to walk miles to safety.

Create a get home bag with these supplies and when things go sideways, you’ll be ready to slip the pack over your shoulders, stay calm, and make your way home.

Illustrated by Ted Slampyak

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.

In an age when every tap, text, and location ping is tracked, there are times when a little anonymity goes a long way. Whether you’re traveling through a dicey region or working on a top-secret project, a burner phone can provide a level of privacy and security that your primary device simply can’t. The ability to buy and use one under the radar is a bit of know-how worth having — even if you never need to use it.

These days, you can actually purchase a smartphone that’s meant to be a burner and has access to the internet and apps. But they’re more expensive, often require some type of account setup or sign-in, and have shorter battery life. It’s best to stick with the simplest available option like the old school flip phone or brick-style model that doesn’t do much besides calls and texts. The fewer features, the fewer ways your anonymity can be compromised.

Using a burner phone effectively takes more than just buying a cheap prepaid flip phone, though. To stay truly off the grid, you need to understand how and when to use it, what not to do, and how to properly dispose of it when you’re done. Follow these steps above to ensure your short-term phone serves its purpose: keeping you connected when needed, and untraceable when not.

Illustration by Ted Slampyak

This article was originally published on The Art of Manliness.