25 Skills Every Man Should Know: The List, Ready for Your Debate

As Glenn Reynolds writes in his new PM column, traditional knowledge of how to build and fix ordinary things—around the house and in a jam—might be on the decline. With our lives becoming more driven by technology, blue-collar labor has been replaced with more white-collar employment, and teenagers are becoming better at programming Web sites than swinging hammers.

Here at PM, where we at least try to do everything, we spent weeks fine-tuning our list of "25 Skills Every Man Should Know," debating over whether certain items were too basic, too challenging or just too obscure. You can find a full how-to rundown of each one in the October issue of Popular Mechanics, which just hit newsstands. But for now, check out our carefully selected list below, then offer your own arguments and suggestions in the comments section below, or tell us how to perform your must-know skill by writing to us here...

The List: How to...

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

I’ve done all of them- except 4, 8, 18, 21, & 25.....

and I am a chick......

Have had boyfriends WATCH while I change the oil, change a tire, and even put in a rear differential.....

dang I miss knuckle draggin’ neanderthalls!

“They left off “Change a diaper””

My dad had to babysit his little granddaughters one day, and it soon became apparent to him that a diaper change was necessary. The last time he had changed a diaper was for his own kids, and they were cloth items that fastened with big pins. Faced with an unfamiliar paper-n-plastic thing and no pins at the ready, he was able to grab the duct tape out of the trunk of his car and save the day.

26. Fry a Turkey
27. run/hookup electrical wire and outlets
28. shoot a pistol with some accuracy
29. manipulate MTV files
30. program cellphone for wife
31. grow vegetables
32. Cook on the grill
33. change brake pads, roters, oil and filter, wiper blades, tires
34. cut and split wood
35. dock a boat

10 more for starters

Maybe the should add.

1. Laugh

2. Titrate

3. Find a contractor to mix concrete and build a wall.

4. Maintain your car so you won't need to patch a leak.

5. Conjugate a verb.

6. Explain Why to a kid.

Excellent additions. When I realized that feminazis were going to proliferate, it was time to teach boys how to cook, clean, sew ... and intuition has proven correct. The chance of a young man in this day and age, finding a gal who can do anything more than “order out” and use a charge card is becoming more and more rare.

I can handle everything on the list except #s 5, 16, and 25. I'm way too old to be good with puter stuff.

Incidently, # 1 is not a good example. A makeshift patch on a radiator hose without the proper material for the job seldom, if ever, holds for more than a couple of minutes unless you have one of the few good kits made just for that purpose in your trunk, and even those only hold long enough to hopefully get you to a repair shop or an auto parts store for a new hose. And a roll of duct tape is NOT a good repair kit.

1. Patch a radiator hose - Yes.
2. Protect your computer - Yes.
3. Rescue a boater who as capsized - Never done it, probably could in a pinch.
4. Frame a wall - I can’t even draw a straight line.
5. Retouch digital photos - Sure.
6. Back up a trailer - Never tried.
7. Build a campfire - Yup. I can even burn the whole damn cabin down if you want me to.
8. Fix a dead outlet - Fix it? Replace it for $.39 at Home Depot...and wire it myself.
9. Navigate with a map and compass - Yes.
10. Use a torque wrench - Yes.
11. Sharpen a knife - Yes.
12. Perform CPR - Did it in high school health class.
13. Fillet a fish - Yes.
14. Maneuver a car out of a skid - Yes but the people in this state can’t drive in snow.
15. Get a car unstuck - Eventually, yes.
16. Back up data - Yes.
17. Paint a room - What idiot can’t paint a flat wall?
18. Mix concrete - Never done it. Doesn’t sound hard.
19. Clean a bolt-action rifle - Yes.
20. Change oil and filter - Yes.
21. Hook up an HDTV - Of course! I live for this stuff!
22. Bleed brakes - Not well.
23. Paddle a canoe - Yes.
24. Fix a bike flat - Sure...by replacing the tube.
25. Extend your wireless network - Yes.

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