General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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I'm taking a handful (5) work colleagues up a mountain this weekend (Tryfan in Snowdonia). The mountain is a Grade 1 scramble route so it's not overly simple. The group is very inexperienced. I...
I've heard this is possible but I'm not sure on the details. Can someone elaborate?
What potential dangers / precautions one should take into account when sleeping outside in sub-Saharan Africa? (Let alone countries with unstable political situations.) Just with a sleeping bag, ma...
Looking for an idea of the characteristics for a rod (length, action...) before I go shopping. Using small lures, commonly 2-4g bladed spinners or 12 g Toby, going after small brown trout and Arct...
Recently a friend and I were offroading in the local mountains and while ascending a trail a storm blew in. We were out in the open near the top of the mountain when lightning started. We weren't s...
Sometimes I read articles about climbers having freed a route. For example: "Lynn Hill freed the Nose". What does this exactly mean in terms of how they climbed it? Specifically: Are they not al...
I quite like my pillows to give a lot of lift - I usually sleep with two relatively beefy ones. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find a good equivalent whilst camping, with the normal pillows p...
So the UIAA sets a major fall (fall after which to retire your gear) to be a fall factor of 1.77. Now I was wondering what would count as a major load (load after which to retire your gear) ? 50 k...
I have seen a number of hammock posts which replace the traditional tent structure by incorporating a waterproof bivi as top cover. Have any Outdoors.SE used a system of that description and can...
I was recently browsing around a well known outdoor shop when I noticed a confusing array of insole products. They seemed to be a very confusing array of entirely different looking insoles all co...
(This question is related to How can I improve my footwork while rock-climbing?) What are common rock-climbing footwork mistakes and how can I spot them? More specifically: When I started climbin...
Recently my girlfriend and I were invited to go camping with our friends at a cabin in Flagstaff, Arizona. My buddies have already left and we're supposed to leave tomorrow to go and meet them up ...
I marked my single rope so I can find the middle when rappelling and also to give my belayer a warning when I'm on a route of unknown length. I am going to purchase a set of half ropes soon for so...
For trad climbing, I normally carry shoulder-length slings racked on my harness, set up in Alpine draws at 1/3 their full length. When I'm leading and need to extend my protection, I either use the...
I've recently started sport climbing outdoors and was looking for some definitive safety information published by some reputable organization (i.e. American Mountain Guides Assocation, AMGA), but I...
I have looked into a number of solutions to power 12v devices: Goal Zero battery packs (too expensive? $300+) 12v sealed lead acid battery with adapter (too dangerous? impractical to recharge? ≈$...
I'm considering buying a personal locator beacon. As I understand it they should only be activated in case of dire emergency. What happens if it is set off accidentally while at home? What about s...
I recently had my first scuba dive. And the other instructor here was referring to something that is related to air Embolism as I overheard, that one should not surface too rapidly after a deep div...
I was doing a sport climb recently where there was a pretty good distance between bolts, resulting in long rope runouts. Falling before the next bolt could easily cause a person to deck on a ledge....
How should I set up a two-layer dome tent for 2/4 people in deep snow (waist height)? Do I need some additional equipment (snow shovel)? Insulation under the floor (further than the sleeping pads)?...
Let's imagine for a moment that you're solo hiking somewhere you've never been before and take a fall off the edge of a trail, injure yourself (to the point of limited mobility), and become entirel...
I make heavy use of my MSR Whisperlite Internationale, the version from 2010 or so. Virtually always I use unleaded gasoline in the small 11 fl oz (325 mL) bottle. I carry a larger bottle for ca...
I was camping recently and someone was complaining that they were finding it hard to sleep, as their new self inflating mat was much more slippery than their old foam one. Is this a real effect, a...
I was reading through the AAJ, and I came across a report from April this year when somebody died due to an anchor failure. The webbing was joined with some masking tape at the ends, instead of kno...
This question reffers to "single" alpine climbing boots used for mountaineering with a stiff 3/4 to full shank, not heavy duty backpacking boots or "double" (plastic) boots. I have owned two pairs ...
In Ontario where I live and do most of my climbing the routes are not clearly marked. Guide books also lack clear approaches and thus it just turns into a big guessing game of what route you're on...
I purchased a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) and followed the link printed on its back side (beaconregistration.noaa.gov). Following the instructions on the page, I am somewhat put off by the messag...
What's the best knot for turning a piece of cord into a loop? The cord would then be used for a prusik so needs to be very secure and load bearing.
By technical skills I am specifically referring to advanced ropework and rock climbing skills. I understand that Aconcagua is achievable with good fitness, equipment, self-awareness, medical skill...
I'm a beginning surfer, and I want a longboard. How do I select one? How much should I pay? What is good width and length, etc.?
I'm going to go camping soon and would like to have a dependable knife that I can use when I'm there. What do you guys recommend? Not to be that guy or anything, but I'd prefer if it was American ...
I have an MSR Elixir 2 tent with footprint that is great for my spring/summer/fall rock trips and is made of quite durable fabric. It has worked quite well at very cold temps and has very effectiv...
I have a 5 year old Haglöfs Para M5. I've used it for on average 30 nights per year, perhaps 150 nights in total, with one long trip and some 8 short trips per year. I store it uncompressed in a ...
I'm finally going to take the plunge and trim all the excess cordage and belting off of my pack. How much strap material should I leave to allow for adjustments in gear (adding layers for cold, ...
Reading this answer and especially the comments leads me to questions: Should one use Aspirin in high altitudes? Should one use it as a precaution or only when actually getting headache or othe...
For canoe camping with a large group (say 10-15 people) for 3 days, what/how much should we pack for cooking equipment/supplies (minus the actual food) and eating utensils? The group is relatively...
I recently brought a buoyancy aid to use when kayaking. One thing I noticed when purchasing it though was the 50N rating. All buoyancy aids I looked at seemed to have a 50N rating and I vaguely rem...
I'm planning to camp over rocks and snow in a The North Face Assault (TNF Assault). It's necessary to buy or make a footprint? There's not one for this model at their website. What you recommend?.
This question is sprouted from Brick Wall Rating I occasionally climb in places where it seems unorthodox, such as a brick wall. I've found that even with the plethora of hand holds that buildings...
This weekend I came down to Vuodnabahta along the spectacular Ávttje-canyon. The Norwegian Tourist Association (DNT) marks trails with cairs and red painted T-marks. The local Sami organisation i...
Can people recommend books or online resources on self-rescue for roped climbing? As a beginning trad leader, I think I should have a basic understanding of topics like how to escape a belay and ho...
I'm currently in a French overseas territory, and almost all of the dive centres and clubs here use the CMAS system. Whenever I've booked in for a dive, the dive centre has looked at my PADI qualif...
I am thinking of digging a six feet narrow hole, and filling it in with a piece 2ft wide piece of sewage pipe, and using that as barrel style root cellar. The reason I want to go so deep, is that I...
I have an abandoned quarry near my house, in which I would like to make a hiking route. Almost all of it is enjoyable hiking and easy scrambling, except one part, which requires climbing (estimate...
Hi I am a new boulderer and have climbed many difficult routes, or official ones for that matter. Currently when I am not able to go out the local region, I attempt to send the side of my house. Th...
I've come across a Kelty Kids carrier. The tag says 'Kangaroo', and the date code on it is F11-95, style 21959030. I've called Kelty and looked on their website. The problem is that the Kangaroo...
Most "fish attractants" are actually just mechanisms to cover up human scent (as this article here as well as this one point out). They don't actually attract fish, but they mask any fish-negative ...
There is emergency equipment to survive nights, like emergency blankets and bivouac packs. As opposed to this, if you plan to stay overnight on winter trips (e.g. in the Alps) you don't just want ...
I'm looking for a good starter tent for my wife and I. We primarily do light backpacking (anywhere from 3-5 day trips in summer/fall) and would like a tent that balances comfort, weight, and space...
I would like to do a winter bivouac but have no gear for it yet. Especially the choice of a bivi pack is really tough for me because I'd prefer to be able to use it also in summer as a rescue item ...
