Personally, a "landout" is a field landing, airports are maintained
runways usually intended for public use (though you can have private
airports), airstrip usually means a private grass or dirt strip that may
or may not be well maintained (but you can have public airstrips, like
state emergency fields). Based on my definitions, your friends did not
land at "airports" (the "port" part suggests to me that planes come and
go with some regularity and dependability), but might have qualified for
"landout" status from your description of the fields.

If you land at a towered airport with a 7000 foot long, 100 foot wide
runway, it is definitely NOT a landout! Call it a "landaway", say you
"didn't make it back", but save "landout" for when you have to be picked
out of a farmers field!

Oh yeah? I bet if you landed at ATL (or Edwards AFB) in a glider, it
would be just as exciting as any "field landing"!

To me, any landing that isn't where you wanted to land before takeoff
is a landout. It could (and usually is, in modern glass) be at an
airfield, or it could be an off field landing in a meadow. The
criteria is that I was forced to land by the weather (or other
external factors), not at my predetermined destination.

In southern Illinois where I've been flying lately, there are nice
paved or grass, public or private airfields/airstrips everywhere - it
just doesn't make sense to risk damage by not using them if at all
possible. And a marginal final glide into a private airstrip 5 miles
short of home is a landout!

In Arizona, where I've done a bit of XC, you are foolish to not
landout on an airfield or ranch strip - there often isn't any
alternative. An off field landing in the desert is often accompanied
by one very broken glider...

Seems childish to insist that you have to pass up smarter options in
order to claim a landout! And let's face it, it's an ego thing - "if
you aren't landing out, you aren't trying", etc...

Kirk
66