Magazines are having a moment, per the NY Times: “Independently produced print magazines with an emphasis on fashion are experiencing a boomlet of sorts, making waves for their striking design and high-quality production.”

I’ve collected a handful of the modern mags – buying one is treat akin to buying a new vinyl record – but the vintage versions are truly something special. Despite their relative recency (the oldest I’ve got was printed in 1961) they show ads, clothing styles, typefaces and design choices that feel very different, very pre-Internet.

Modern outdoor periodicals above: Rouleur, Summit (resurrected in 2024 after a three decade hiatus), Amateurs, Mental Athletic, Modern Huntsman, and Adventure Journal.

Vintage Summit editions: probably my favorite, design & layout -wise. Even their table of contents sparks joy.

Vintage Mountain Gazette – more than an outdoor recreation mag, Mountain Gazette published a wide range of National Geographic-style editorials on mountain culture, often featuring aspects of local peoples’ mountain lifestyles.

Early 2000’s Alpinist editions. It’s interesting to see the differences in Arc’teryx & Patagonia ads, and to see how their brand identities have stayed fairly stable, even as their design aesthetics have changed:

Utah State University recently launched an outdoor magazine archive. See their incredible collection of covers here.

Last modified: April 12, 2025