Pros: The articles about far away places; Product reviews
Cons: Covers too many topics; Hard to find a good subscription price
The Bottom Line: This magazine is good and outdoor fans of all stripes will find something worthwhile within. But it attempts to cover too many subjects and often loses its way.
Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Outside Magazine Subscription
For fans of everything outdoor related, an assortment of magazine publications exist to tickle your fancy. There are magazines related to hunting; fishing; travel; and other activities and the majority try to saturate your appetite for information on a specific subject area. But there is one magazine that combines many different aspects of outdoor life into one publication. It is called Outside, a magazine dedicated to enjoying the great outdoors.
Features of This Magazine:
Each issue of Outside is between 120 and 150 pages in length and contains the following sections:
Between the Lines- This is basically an introduction into each issue, complete with a short blurb about a topic related to the current issue and a short biographical sketch of some of the contributors to the magazine, complete with references to the stories each person helped write.
Letters- A couple pages in length, these are letters to the editor and they usually talk about articles from the previous issue.
Exposure- This section is known for its photos, with two colorful or unusual pictures taken from places all over the world. Included with each is a short description of the picture.
Active Traveler Directory- This is an advertising section, found near the end of each issue, complete with phone numbers and web sites to consult to purchase adventure travel.
Parting Shot- Found at the end of each issue, this is a picture with or without backing text, depicting a person, place, or an unusual thing from around the world.
Besides these departments, each issue includes sections with titles like “Dispatches”, “Review”, and others that highlight fitness, outdoor gear, travel spots, and other assorted material. And there are typically four to six longer articles unique to each issue that cover an outdoor topic in greater depth.
Cost to Subscribe:
This magazine carries a base subscription price of $19.95 for twelve issues. If you search through the internet, you should be able to find some better deals. I had little trouble finding this magazine selling for the reduced price of $16- a price that works out to $1.33 per issue, representing a savings of 66 percent from the $3.95 cover price. Other web sites list this magazine in the $15 to $20 range.
Customer Service:
To start a subscription or look up facts on this magazine, just visit the web site, outsideonline.com. In the web site, you can also access information about the magazine and get an idea what it’s all about. If you would rather phone- in your subscription, the number is 800-678-1131.
Final Thoughts:
“Outside” is a publication designed for those who love everything about the outdoors and who love to stay fit. This magazine is written and designed to appeal to both sexes and to people of many different age groups, income levels, nationalities, etc.
I have been reading Outside for about six months now and the main thing that surprised me about this magazine was its varied array of outdoor- related topics. When I first heard the title, I assumed this was a magazine about enjoying the outdoors, but I was only partially correct. I thought it was a magazine about hiking, camping, and enjoying the “back to nature” lifestyle. Well, it does cover these topics, but it also covers several others, like fitness, travel, sports, and even some political discussions on occasion about environmentalism and other hot topics.
My favorite parts of Outside are the articles that cover lesser- known places of the world. Reading about popular topics like traveling to the Grand Canyon; watching the Tour De France; getting proper exercise; etc., is ok, but it is the type of material you can read (and probably have read) hundreds of times before. What I like is the coverage of some of the world’s secret corners; like an expedition to central Africa or a travel adventure to the Maldives. The pictures and stories that accompany these places are often fun, informative, and visual.
Outside, like I stated before, covers a wide range of topics and this is both and asset and a liability to this magazine. On one hand, it is nice to find such a broad base of subject matter in one publication because there is usually something here for everyone. But on the other hand, this attempt to discuss so many different things can prove to be annoying and confusing. In many ways, Outside tries to cover too many different subject related to the outdoors and because of this, it often loses focus. Also, there is very little space dedicated to each topic, so it will not be adequate for those who like to immerse themselves in a specific subject when they pick up a magazine.
The cover of each issue of Outside features a person wearing little clothing, and often standing in a large body of water. Outside is an equal opportunity exploiter, with a cover shot that sometimes shows a woman and sometimes a man, but almost always in a swim suit or some other clothing that reveals plenty of skin. The magazine doesn’t want to limit its customer base or turn anyone off, so it makes sure to show an equal number of women and men on the covers each year.
Advertisements cover about 40 percent of the pages in each issue of this magazine. They feature products like clothing, food, cars, travel spots, sporting goods, and outdoor gear. They cover a wide range of products and services just like the magazine itself.
Overall, Outside is a good magazine, but I can’t rate it any better than three stars. Some readers might appreciate the varied topics, but I think it goes a little too far. Outside is like a combination of “Conde Nast Traveler”, “Fitness”, “Backpacker”, and “Men’s Health” all rolled into one. It attempts to cover many things in a relatively small amount of space, making for inconsistent reading from time to time. It’s still a decent magazine, but many readers will not like the constant jumping around from one topic to the next.
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