Banana Republic, and its outlet store Banana Republic Factory, have some of the biggest discounts of the bunch right now. (It helps that Banana Republic has gotten good again, à la Gap.) ...

At a shop in Missoula, state workers turn used American military surplus equipment into wildland firefighting engines.

It takes just 15 minutes to mix up these especially moist banana chocolate chip muffins. They're a great way to use up overripe bananas.

Our writer interviewed more than a dozen college students about the best college backpacks. By a landslide, the winner is the North Face Borealis Backpack.