Home / Series / Failure is an Option / Aired Order /

All Seasons

Season 1

  • S01E01 We Swapped a Trailer Wheel With One From My Bike

    • February 23, 2024
    • Outside Watch

    Mountain bike wheels put up with a lot, and for the most part, they stand up well, no matter how big and heavy the rider is. But what if the rider is a 1,500-boat anchor? The short answer is: Better than we thought until it didn’t, and things got ugly fast.

  • S01E02 Skimboards Are Cool; Skimboard Hovercrafts Are Way Cooler

    • February 23, 2024
    • Outside Watch

    Skimboarding looks fun until you try it and discover it’s insanely hard to do and insanely easy to get hurt trying. To remove the sketchiest part—running, jumping, and falling in shallow water—I built one that glides seamlessly on a bed of air. The best part? A beach and ocean are 100% optional.

  • S01E03 I Made a Houseboat Out of Basic Car Camping Gear

    • February 23, 2024
    • Outside Watch

    Everyone knows “boat” stands for “bust out another thousand,” but who doesn’t want to ditch their rent or mortgage for a life on the high seas? It turns out it’s way easier—and cheaper—to build your own floating home than I ever imagined, provided you don’t need to be dry, or to sleep.

  • S01E04 I Tested My Climbing Gear With a Tractor

    • February 23, 2024
    • Outside Watch

    Climbing scares the crap out of me because I’m an engineer, and I know I make mistakes—who’s to say the person who made my rope didn’t make one also? Fortunately, my friend has a tractor and all manner of heavy things with which to try and convince myself that I have nothing to fear.

  • S01E05 I Solved Packrafting With a Bike … Sort of

    • February 23, 2024
    • Outside Watch

    I get why people like to pair packrafting with mountain biking – it’s a great way to get to really cool riding zones. It’s also uncomfortable and exhausting, but what if we figured out how to replace all that paddling … with pedaling?

  • S01E06 I Unlocked the Secrets of Performance Enhancing Helium

    • February 23, 2024
    • Outside Watch

    What if all those blood dopers and pill poppers have it wrong? What if the secret to running faster, jumping higher, and generally winning in the outdoors is a naturally occurring gas that’s cheaply available at your local party supply store and has the added benefit of making your voice sound really funny?

Season 2