General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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I've recently heard an opinion (from a sailor that attempted to beat a 122 day, westward route, around the world sailing record) that freeze-dried food is actually very healthy, as it contains less...
If mountain rescue teams in the UK were searching for a walker or climbing caught in an avalanche, would they start with a transceiver search? given that transceivers are infrequently carried by wa...
After several trips with poor fitting hire ski boots, and having had no end of trouble finding suitable fitting hire boots at the current resort, I went and bought a fitting pair. The boots have be...
I'm looking for a decent fridge with a 12V-outlet to use in the car for car camping. When I say fridge, I mean something that can keep products cool at 4°C/39°F, regardless of outside temperatures,...
I was recently convinced to buy a pair of trekking poles for backpacking. But how long should they be? What is the optimal length to adjust my trekking poles, when carrying a heavy pack? I have t...
I have old cross country skis which require those boots with a flat end with three holes which you insert into three pegs on the skis. I'm looking for the name of that style of boot in order to be ...
Where are the wildest places in the south-western US? By "wild" I mean places where evidence of people or their lasting effect on the land are minimal. Particularly, I am looking for places with ...
I recently bought a pair of Meindl Ohio winter boots. I am generally happy with them, but I have noticed that, after a day of wearing the boots, the tongues of each boot tend to migrate outwards. ...
In 2009 I successfully completed the AFF course, after a stop due to the birth of my son I'm going to resume regular activity. I currently have 31 jumps, all carried out by renting the equipment, ...
I need to select a pair of shoes for when I go out to Yosemite this weekend. The weather has been fluctuating like crazy - last we checked, there was a foot of snow on the ground, but now the lowl...
I have several friends with full beards. After talking at length with one, he started to convince me the protection it offers might be worth it. So, I thought I would come and ask. What are the P...
I will be walking up Snowdon in Wales, 1085m, this February and am looking for advice on what jacket and trousers to get. Weather supposedly is windy, may be snow-covered and probably wet. Should ...
Some ice axes are labeled as “B”, others as “T”. What’s the meaning of these letters and what are their practical implications?
Possible Duplicate: What is the most efficient food to take a for a 12-15 day hiking trip? A list of suitable foods for a long hike I normally carry brown rice, oatmeal, instant potato...
I have, unfortunately, not had the opportunity to go climbing (and thus use my climbing equipment) for a couple years. I know that such equipment, especially the rope and webbing, can degrade over ...
The 161m (0.1mile) rule in Geocaching is a pretty infamous one. However, the rules also state this: Please don't hide a cache every 600 feet just because you can. The two main goals of the satu...
As English isn't my first language, I don't know the English words for different knots. Any translator fails on this part too. Can someone point me to a source? edit: Please also describe synonym...
I've been top-roping for several months. About a month ago I found out how much fun bouldering is. I've been getting quite a few scrapes on the knees working certain routes, or from falling. I'm...
I always try to avoid taking much delicate on a hike, but sometimes it either can't be helped or I decide I want to take it anyway (camera would be the prime example!) How can I best pack such equ...
I've registered some caches in Poland. It strike me that reviewer from GeoCaching was asking how I'm supposed to service caches far from my home location. In the meantime I moved to Germany, which ...
For my first aid kit, all of the medications are repackaged. I use nalgene snaptop vials like these. I have found that even permanent sharpie marker rubs off fairly quickly when hiking. I can...
This is just a climbing terminology question: What is the difference between a Fingerboard and a Hangboard? Maybe there is no difference at all? Maybe it's subtle? I have been Googling around an...
I have been trying to get my weight down on longer backpacking trips. I have already taken to buying very strong soap and using very little, but I was wondering is there something I can replace the...
In many European countries, dedicated long-distance hiking trails are marked with a white-red marking, like in the photograph below: Source: Wikimedia Commons. I've seen this in at least The Net...
I already asked if I had to change the food for winter. Since freezing is a major concern in winter, which types of food are more suitable because they are less inclined to freeze ?
I have currently no place of permanent perspective (from the geocache's point of view, I think it should be about 5 years, to be able to service cache in that time). So I'm thinking about creating ...
I mostly hike in bear country, which limits how much food I can take to the volume of my bear canister. This excellent question dealt with foods that are great on a trip where food-selection criter...
What exercises exist for increasing your strength in order to increase the amount of draw weight you can pull back on your bow? I was told just push-ups but, is there anything more that can be done?
So, I've taken my AST1 (see here for info, it's a Canadian course), and I'm starting to get into backcountry skiing. Just wondering what people would recommend for beginner terrain? Specific examp...
Every year at the beginning of the spring, I do preliminary hikes and do some light maintenance (removing broken tree from the trail etc...) but this question made me realize to what extend should ...
What are the snowshoes criteria that I should look for if I want to snowshoe on a hilly terrain ?
Should I always take a hard hat if I go scrambling? Scrambling (also known as alpine scrambling) is a method of ascending rocky faces and ridges Quite often when I'm out on ridges in the UK, ...
Apart from the obvious like price and location(s) what should I look for when choosing a sailing club? Some of the things are difficult to assess, tips on assessment are welcome. I want this quest...
This comment raises the idea that PLBs may not be allowed inland in the UK. A later comment refuted this, but I never even considered they would be disallowed anywhere, but simply rented one and to...
Possible Duplicate: What hand and finger exercises help with climbing? I'm looking to get a product that will improve my finger grip- have been looking at powerballs & grip masters b...
Has anyone got any good tips on how to (cheaply) waterproof a geocache or letterbox? Those pill pots used to work brilliantly - one inside the other - but now they seem to be rather hard to come by...
I often find when Geocaching ordinary pencils don't seem to leave much of a mark at all, especially if the log is wet, and especially on the smaller logs pens are difficult to "get going" without a...
Down sleeping bags and down jackets should not be stored in the stuffbag, but as loose as possible. Tents, as far as I know, can be stored stuffed as long as they are dry. Are there any other mater...
How does the performance of genuine fur garments, as might have been used traditionally, compare to that of down and modern synthetics? (Insulating power (wet and dry), water repellency, and any ...
I just started rock climbing recently (by the way, it's awesome!). I tend to tear up my fingertips though when climbing on rough rock or for long periods of time. It takes a couple days for them to...
Tyvek generally comes in 4' and 5' wide sheets. To make a suitable tarp, footprint, groundcloth, etc. I will need to sew together a couple of sheets. How do I seam seal the Tyvek to prevent leaki...
I think I should've donde this ages ago, but, well... better late than never. Could you recommend a good insurance that covers climbing? It could be a travel insurance or a medical insurance. I'm...
I'm spending the weekend in San Francisco, and after a week indoors at a conference I'm keen to do something outside. My plan had been to ride the trolley down to Fisherman's Wharf, hire a bike and...
Almost all outdoors activities require having a certain quantity of water to prevent dehydration. Many types of jerky or Freeze-dried foods contain high amounts of salt. Should that be considered? ...
Should I change my food habits for my winter activities? Is simply increasing the quantities or choosing food with higher calories enough?
What is a self erecting tent? What are the advantages of a self erecting tent as opposed to a tent that isn't, and what are the disadvantages?
This year, a Danish citizen went missing without a trace in the mountains of northern Sweden. It is not the first time; in total, ten people are registered as missing after venturing into the mount...
I'm a non-skier right now but am thinking of going on a ski trip. As far as I can tell there are two options for learning. On a dry ski slope before I go Start my trip with learning What the th...
It's late October and in cold, northern hemisphere climates, winter has arrived, and moderate northern hemisphere climates will follow soon. In my area, small lakes are already frozen and people ha...
Stealth Camping definition: Stealth camping is the act of quietly finding a place away from people where you can camp for the night and then quickly slip away in the morning without being detec...
