35+ Skills Every Man Absolutely Must Know

Sep 14, 2007 | Outdoor

skills men must knowLooks like Popular Mechanics just came out with a “25 Skills Every Man Should Know” list.

Frankly, for a list geared specifically to men, looks like either some females or desk-jockey IT guys threw in their two-cents. Sure computer stuff is good to know (specially knowing enough to back-up your stuff), but I just can’t see any of those “skills” even making it into the top 100. IMO, computer stuff is cross-gender — doesn’t skew male or female so it shouldn’t even be here.

That said, here’s Popular Mechanics “How-to” list followed by; skills I feel should be added, and skills that should be removed.

25 Skills Every Man Should Know

  1. Patch a radiator hose
  2. Protect your computer
  3. Rescue a boater who as capsized
  4. Frame a wall
  5. Retouch digital photos
  6. Back up a trailer
  7. Build a campfire
  8. Fix a dead outlet
  9. Navigate with a map and compass
  10. Use a torque wrench
  11. Sharpen a knife
  12. Perform CPR
  13. Fillet a fish
  14. Maneuver a car out of a skid
  15. Get a car unstuck
  16. Back up data
  17. Paint a room
  18. Mix concrete
  19. Clean a bolt-action rifle
  20. Change oil and filter
  21. Hook up an HDTV
  22. Bleed brakes
  23. Paddle a canoe
  24. Fix a bike flat
  25. Extend your wireless network

Skills that should be added. How-to…

  1. Change a flat tire
  2. Jump-start a car
  3. Tie a tie
  4. Wash Clothes
  5. Tie at least five different knots
  6. Build a lean-to
  7. Suture a wound
  8. Stop arterial bleeding
  9. Drive a stick shift (manual transmission)
  10. Navigate by the stars
  11. Identify poisonous snakes
  12. Trap small prey
  13. Identify edible wild plants
  14. Signal using Morse Code
  15. Order a bottle of wine (good to know and chicks dig a guy who knows his grapes)

What should be deleted. How-to…

  • 2. Protect your computer
  • 5. Retouch digital photos
  • 16. Back up data
  • 17. Paint a room
  • 25. Extend your wireless network

What are your thoughts on this? Toss out your add/subtract items and let’s see if we can’t get this man skills to 100.

Reader Additions

  • Tell a joke. Not some silly one everyone has heard, a real “story joke” that’s really damn funny
  • Tell at least one campfire “scary” story and as well have a really good poem memorized like “When You Are Old” by William Butler Yeats
  • Know how to throw a punch
  • Choose a good wine without seeming pretentious
  • Deliver a eulogy with substance that will leave everyone with a tear in their eye and a slightly crooked smile on their faces

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1 Comment

  1. Wolfgang
    Wolfgang on April 5, 2009 at 4:13 am

    I like what you’ve removed however I’d keep “paint a room” because anyone can slather paint on a wall, but it takes a wee bit o’ talent to make a room appear evenly painted.
    That said I’d add that a real man should be able to tell a joke, and not some silly one everyone has heard, a real “story joke” that’s really damn funny. A real man should be able to tell at least one campfire “scary” story and as well have a really good poem memorized like “When You Are Old” by William Butler Yeats. A real man can throw a punch, choose a good wine without seeming pretentious and know how to caress a woman’s back just so. A real man deliver a eulogy with substance that will leave everyone with a tear in their eye and a slightly crooked smile on their faces. A real man doesn’t monopolize a conversation and knows when to say No. And a real man knows when to stop typing about being a real man.