TruOutdoors is a club at Truman State University for people who love the outdoors! We are a club for people of all experience levels who love to be outside, but especially people with an interest in backpacking, hiking, and camping. Welcome to our landing page! 

Aside from our backpacking trips, we hold bonfires, study sessions, and group hikes--all weather permitting of course.

We currently hold open hikes most Saturdays (weather-dependent). Meet in the Rec parking lot at 1pm for carpooling out to Thousand Hills.

Our first backpacking info meeting will be held on Thursday, February 8th from 6-7pm in BH 305. This meeting will have trip-specific information, and attending such a meeting is not a commitment to attend.

For more on the club, and more trip info, read on!

• I am an inexperienced hiker/camper/backpacker? Yes!

• I have never attended meetings before? Yes!

• I don't want to attend an trips, I just want to hike/attend bonfires/study on the quad with you? Yes, of course!

• I'm not sure if I enjoy hiking yet? Yes!

• I'm a "slow" hiker? I'm clumsy? I'm out of shape? Yes! (Though for those attending backpacking trips, we strongly recommend conditioning prior to the trip to avoid injury.)

• I am [insert any class rank here]? Yes!

• I am an international student? Of course! In fact, our trips specifically are fairly popular with this demographic due to the high price of staying in the dorms over a break compared to the trips.

Each semester, TruOutdoors hosts a student-led trip to a wilderness area in the United States. We carpool using cars borrowed from students in the club and stick together the whole time! Fall trips take place over Midterm Break, usually in mid-October, while spring trips take place over Spring Break. Spring trips usually take place over 7 days out of the 9 total days of Break. 

In fall 2023, we went to Hercules Glade in southern Missouri. Last spring, we went to Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas, and fall of 2022 brought us to the Buffalo National River in the Ozarks.

THIS SEMESTER, Spring 2024, we plan to visit a few different areas in Kentucky and Virginia, including Red River Gorge and the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. Interested? Read on.

You will get to see a beautiful wilderness area that you have (probably) never visited before, gain experience in wilderness exploration and camp set-up, and bond with your peers.  Also, if you enjoy stargazing, this is a great opportunity to see some dark skies and get great views of the Milky Way!

But don't take it from me, a faceless entity, take it from people who have attended backpacking trips with us in the past!

We expect this trip to come with a fee of around $100, with gear like sleeping bags, backpacks, and tarps available to borrow at no cost. (Thank you to Dr. Carter for his ongoing generosity towards our club!) These fees are NOT to pay anyone in the club, and are only instituted to pay for the collective cost of gas and campsite fees. The trip fee does not include food, as we each bring our own food onto the trip. The fee is a near estimate because it is dependent partially on which cars we bring and the price of gas.

You will also need suitable shoes, which cannot be borrowed. Hammocks are sometimes available for lending, but it is preferable to provide your own. Overall, compared to the price of a spring break vacation or staying in the dorms, the trip is an affordable and enjoyable option. More specific pricing will be listed when available.

P.S. Being a club member, without attending trips, is totally free. In case that wasn't obvious. You can't put a price on the great outdoors!

TruOutdoors can accomodate up to 15 people on a trip like this. In the future, if interest in the club grows, we may be able to bring more participants! But believe us, when you're actually on the trip, 15 feels like plenty. We do not typically have excessive competition for these spots, but we can't guarantee placement until February 25th.

When deciding who to bring on trips, we take into account a variety of factors, including: past club participation, class rank (e.g. freshman, junior), hiking experience, ability to provide a car, and compatibility of goals. Despite what you may be thinking, we do not universally privilege folks with more experience or higher class rank over those with less. In fact, we seek to select a mix of participants with varying levels of experience and age in order to create a diverse experience and to continue the prosperity of the club. We love to introduce people from all backgrounds to backpacking, as long as they meet us with enthusiasm and a willingness to learn!

Consider attending our first interest meeting: Thursday, February 8th at 6-7pm in BH 305. Second informational meeting, with more in-depth info: Thursday, February 22nd from 6-7pm, also in BH 305. Until then, you are more than welcome to email truoutdoors@gmail.com or ie88642@truman.edu (president's email) for general information or to join our mailing list or GroupMe.

We do not have regular, general body meetings due to the fact that we don't like to waste anyone's time! Weather permitting, we offer open access Sunday hikes at local areas, as well as open-house -style (i.e. come and go as you please!) study sessions on the quad.

The spring backpacking trip is not without risks. We work in consultation with our Risk Manager and use common sense to keep everyone safe. We are never intentionally engaging in dangerous activities, and as such these trips should not carry danger beyond the normal risks associated with backpacking, hiking, or camping in wilderness areas. However, TruOutdoors trip leaders are NOT certified wilderness guides. We are just student leaders with lots of backpacking experience who seek to bring our fellow students along for the ride!

(Truman State University is not responsible for any risks associated with club events held by TruOutdoors, an independent RSO.)