Chase Banger wants to hear your best camping story
Long Days magazine’s editor on launching a print magazine in 2025, summer outdoor reading and why camping is the thread that links us all together.
Written by Cam Fenton
In a world of social media, AI and online algorithms, starting a print-only magazine is a bold, some might say foolhardy, move. But in 2025, that’s exactly what Chase Banger did. That December, he packed dozens of copies of the first issue of Long Days, a new Canadian outdoor publication, into envelopes and sent them off across the country.
“Somebody joked when I launched Long Days, ‘don't forget us when you're rich and famous’,” Banger said. “Neither of those things will ever happen with a print magazine, but that's not my goal.”
Instead, Banger wanted to create a place for “human stories” centred on the backcountry. He didn’t want to focus only on the biggest, boldest or most dangerous adventures, but instead provide a platform for stories about what the outdoors mean to everyday people.
“The whole ethos is bringing the backcountry to wherever you are,” Banger explained. “I live in a city; I work a desk job. If I were commuting, I'd be flipping through my phone. [With the magazine] you can be sitting on the subway, commuting to work, and be immersed in the backcountry, even though you're somewhere else.”
It’s meant to tap into something that Banger thinks is both very human and very Canadian: a love of the outdoors and a connection to the natural world. For some people, it was forged through childhood camping trips, canoe paddles and hikes. But for others, it’s a more recent discovery.
“[During the COVID-19 pandemic] a lot of people turned to the outdoors when they couldn't do anything else,” said Banger. “Camping really grabbed people in a way. I don't know why, maybe the immersiveness of it, but I do think that has probably changed the outdoor community forever.”
It’s why camping is at the heart of the stories that Banger picks for Long Days. Because no matter what your method of travel is, be it a boat, a bike or just your feet, camping is the thread that connects every big backcountry adventure.
“There are so many universalities between each mode of camping,” said Banger. “You will feel the isolation, whether you got there by canoe, foot or bike. You will feel tired as hell at the end of your day, but it'll be worth it. You'll explain what you did to your coworker, and your coworker will think, "What the hell is the matter with you? And you won't quite be able to explain it in words.”
And so far, Banger’s strategy seems to be working. After releasing Issue #1 of Long Days last December, he circulated a call for pitches for Issue #2 in early 2026. Hundreds of people submitted, something Banger credits to both the first issue and his ability to pay his contributors.
A journalist by training, Banger has worked in marketing for the past few years. In both jobs, he’s seen writing becoming “drastically devalued over the last few years” thanks to social media and artificial intelligence. With Long Days, he wanted to push back on that and prove that there was a place for longer-form outdoor writing.
So far, the response is exceeding his wildest expectations. Issue #1 is nearly sold out, and preorders for Issue #2, which was released in June, were even higher.
“People who are telling me ‘wow, you know, I grew up reading these kinds of magazines, I miss them’,” said Banger.
Part of the appeal, Banger thinks, is that Long Days doesn’t look like other magazines on a newstand. It’s printed on heavy paper and meant to sit on coffee tables and bookshelves. He also doesn’t include gear reviews and has a strict limit on the number of ads inside the magazine.
“A lot of the print media that's available is like maybe 50, 70 or 85 percent advertorial content, meaning it's either an outright ad or it's a paid-to-be-featured kind of arrangement,” said Banger. That’s not what he wants in Long Days. He’s committed to keeping advertising in Long Days to less than five percent of the pages. It’s why of the 128 pages in the magazine’s second issue, only three are advertising.
“That's really intentional to make sure that most of the 128 pages are filled with content that is going to make you think and help you feel like you're back in the backcountry,” said Banger.
That’s because, at the end of the day, Banger wants Long Days to feel like a bridge between day-to-day life and those beloved but fleeting moments in the backcountry. A magazine that can take your couch or your commute and turn it into inspiration for your next night under the stars.
You can buy copies of Long Days at all three of Mount Waddington’s locations or online here. We also have a wide selection of books, from adventure memoirs to guidebooks, stocked at all of our stores. Come by and find your next summer read or ask one of the staff for a recommendation. You can find more information about Long Days, including how to subscribe or submit a story for an upcoming issue, here.
