Our Story
Ever since I was a child, I loved the outdoors.
I grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota and spent many afternoons wandering through the woods and wading through the creek by our home.
Throughout my teenage years, I went on many different camping trips all over Minnesota through the mountains of Colorado.
As the adult years hit and my family grew, this passion didn’t change.
However, as an adult I found that camping with my wife and kids was different than going out by myself. It presented a whole new set of challenges that I had to figure out.
In 2012 while attending a camping show with my wife it hit me. I decided I wanted to start a website completely dedicated to family camping. I wanted to show people that camping with their family didn’t need to be complicated at all, but rather, easy, fun, and most of all, it creates life long memories.
Beyond The Tent was the result of this. It is my way of giving back to the outdoor community and hopefully, inspiring you (the reader) to get out into the outdoors.
If you are new to Beyond The Tent, I highly recommend signing up for our Family Camping Quick Start Guide. This is a 5 part email course dedicated to getting you all the info you need to get started family camping.
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The Authors
Ryan Cunningham
I founded Beyond The Tent in 2012. I have camped all over the country, but keep a bit closer to home these days now that I have 7 kids and a wonderful wife.
My absolute favorite camping destination is the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota. I love it there because it is close to home and the beauty and uniqueness are absolutely unmatched. I currently own 4 canoes (WAY too many!) and refinished a Wenonah Voyager Solo kevlar last summer.
Have any questions, inquiries, or just want to talk about camping? I’m the guy to ask. You can email me at Ryan@BeyondTheTent.com.
Jake Walnuts
Jake Walnut is an avid camper and backpacker from the Pacific Northwest.
He’s been writing for Beyond The Tent since 2015. You’ll find Jake writing in-depth and technical content, including gear reviews and camping guides. After nearly 10 years of writing about outdoor recreation, he still enjoys helping new campers select the best gear and plan the perfect trip.
Jake is a big fan of hiking, camping, and backpacking. Aside from his home Cascade Mountains and Olympic Peninsula, the beautiful Sawtooth Mountains in central Idaho are his favorite camping destination.
Cait Csiszer
Cait is a mom out of New Jersey and loves to get her young kids into the outdoors. Cait will often write about camping games, activites, food and RVing.
Kelly Cunningham
Kelly is a mom of 7 and my wife. She is amazing in every way. Hard to believe, but she might be even more passionate about the outdoors than I am!
Kelly loves getting the kids out in our camping trailer and visiting all the Minnesota State Parks. She also has a passion for the Boundary Waters unmatched by most outdoorsmen!
How We Handle Reviews
At Beyond The Tent we only give our 100% honest opinions in our reviews, you can count on that.
Most camping items reviewed on Beyond The Tent have been purchased by us, this means that you get an unbiased review.
Occasionally we will receive products from manufacturers for review. We make it 100% clear to these manufacturers that good reviews cannot be influenced. If we like their product, we say so, if we don’t like it, we say that as well.
A Note About Photos In Reviews
Often times you will see the photos in my reviews show me using a product in my back yard and not out on a major camping trip. There are a few reasons for this.
First, I decided a few years ago that having to worry about getting photos for a review and testing out gear on my trips was a real bummer. I want to enjoy my camping trips and not worry about work at all.
Second, I’ve found that not every new product I test out is amazing. When I’m out camping I have my favorite gear and that is what I want to bring. If a product is amazing, it will make it to my favorite gear list and i will start brining it. If I say a product has become a regular on my trips, that is the ultimate compliment!
This is why most reviews start in my back yard. I can test them out, learn about them, and if they fail, no trip ruined!
Links To Products – Affiliate Links
Throughout Beyond The Tent you will find links to the products that we mention, review, or discuss. These links are typically affiliate links. This means that we get a commission if you purchase the product after clicking on our link.
These commissions do not affect you, the consumer and cost you no extra money.
Our commissions typically range from 1% – 8%. These are a big part of how we make money here at Beyond The Tent. If we recommend a product, we link to it with an affiliate link. If we don’t like a product, we typically won’t link to it.
On-Site Ads
Just like TV, newspapers, magazines, and other forms of content, ad revenue makes what we do here possible. Ads help pay for this website and all the wonderful content you read here. Please help support Beyond The Tent (and other sites) by not using ad blockers.
Tina Hornsby
Monday 10th of February 2020
I really enjoyed your video on the $35. Coleman sleeping bag. We also used your information this past summer when our family went to the Olympic Peninsula. My daughter and I are making plans to do the OCT this summer and we have been looking at the gear we will need. One of the items is the small portable stove you are offering in your contest. Fingers crossed. Thanks for your posts and all you do. Tina Hornsby