General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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There are a few camping mugs with a carabiner handle. I wonder how it makes sense? I mean wouldn't it be more flexible to just take a separate carabiner with you? You would be able to use it for...
Most of the locks on rivers in the United States are built for commercial traffic. like barges to navigate the river system. I know they exist and I have seen them on television, but that is all I ...
Last weekend I went to the range with a youngster. Naturally he was very curious and asked me a lot of question. One of them was, why there even was a cock feather which needs to be pointed away fr...
Sometimes due to a high ridge or other land feature, the time that the sun comes over the horizon and gives direct sunlight is different from the time calculated by a sunrise table. From personal ...
If someone where to fall through the ice on a lake or a pond, what would be some correct ways of rescuing them? This question is inspired mostly by this video, where one person gets too close to t...
On some backpacking trips a car could be left for a couple of weeks, what can I do to ensure that when I return the mice aren't inside and the squirrels are leaving the wiring alone?
One of the things you can do with a retired climbing rope is to decore it (remove the main center section), and turn the sheath into rope bracelets. The last time I decored a rope I cut it into a...
After picking berries, you are often left with a pail full of berries, some leaves, some sticks, pieces of stems, sometimes little white worm creatures and some dirt. Is there an easy way to clean...
If one were to hike during the night and sleep during the day, what differences in navigation would one have to take into account? In my experience you are more on instruments (such as a compass o...
While in the Wind River Mountains, I found a bronze plaque that marked the spot where a person's ashes where scattered, and while that was done in the early 1930s, it made me wonder if it would sti...
In addition to getting a trigger with a lighter pull weight, I also have the option of switching from a single stage to a two stage trigger. What would the pros and cons of doing so be?
While reloading some cartridges, I was on the last step of crimping the bullet into the brass case, and made and mistake and the brass was compressed wrong. The other reason for removing a bullet ...
My standard procedure when hunting is to hunt with a round in the chamber, safety on and as soon as the day is over or while getting into a vehicle to remove the bullet from the chamber. This can ...
When car camping, I use a solar charger to charge my electronics. Sometimes I can place it outside, and other times I will stick it on the dash to charge things. I can tell that putting it on the ...
House cats will play with their food i.e. catch a mouse then let it go and then recatch it over and over again before finally eating it. Do mountain lions exhibit similar behavior?
Having a sense of community on a backpacking trip can mean the difference between enjoyment and misery. It can also be the difference between backpacking as a team instead of as random group of peo...
If I want to create a 3D archery course in Germany on public land, which authorities do I have to contact? First of all I need to know which authority administrates the land but also if I have to t...
If I want to create a 3D archery course in Germany on public land, which authorities do I have to contact? First of all I need to know which authority administrates the land but also if I have to t...
Am I allowed to bivouac in the German Elbsandsteingebirge (Elbe Sandstone Mountains)? If no, is it considered as a peccadillo/unenforced law (Kavaliersdelikt)? In both countries ((Czech and Ge...
I want to go on a trip to Sweden next summer. However, the plan was to do a little roving in the untouched nature. Note: I'll bring my own field target with me to not harm any nature. Roving c...
On backpacking trips, I would like to avoid dew because it means either waiting till the sun has come up and dried my stuff off or packing wet things and drying them later. My experience is that d...
Once, I was waiting for bats to come out of a cave (I knew there were some in the cave) and they never came out that I could see. While it was after hibernation and the bats were definitely awake ...
It can be a real pain to lose or forget something when backpacking, especially if you have to backtrack miles to retrieve it. Are there any tips to avoid this?
There are foam sleeping pads with a reflective surface on one side like this one with instructions to use the reflective side for maximum warmth. I don't doubt that it is warmer, but I do wond...
Sometimes people rappel without a backup prussik, such as when canyoning and sometimes an auto block needs to be adjusted. In either of these situations, is there a way to stop yourself in the midd...
According to the answers at Does water in the sun get purified from or polluted by algae, fungi and bacteria? & Can sunlight be used to purify water? water in special containers can be purified...
One of the arguments made against PLBs is that people will use them in non-emergencies and put rescuers in unnecessary peril. This definitely does happen from time to time as in this case in the G...
Currently bicycles are prohibited in federal wilderness areas in the United States. However there is a bill in the House of Representatives that would remove the prohibition. As one can imagine, t...
Sometimes while navigating with map and compass, the advice is to aim off i.e. to aim either to the left or right of the intended destination, as opposed to straight for it. Why and when would one...
While backpacking in the Wind River Range in Wyoming, I had to cross this bridge. The piece of paper on the left support said, Due to recent high water events, this bridge may be damaged. As...
Here is what I would consider a regular Bic butane lighter. However I have noticed that you can buy High Altitude lighters such as this one. Is that just marketing or would a regular lighter n...
Basically, I have one large backpack and if I end up going for a much shorter trip, say for 3 days instead of 2+ weeks, I am going to end up with empty space in the backpack. From a stability and ...
Looking for solutions for screen covers for the inspection port on a sunfish. In the Q&A What to look for in Marine Grade Expanding Foams we learn that water in the hull of sunfish can be an i...
I wanted to take a bow-hunter course (DBJV) following the guidelines provided by IBEP and EBF. However, all the regulations seem to be for compound bows. Is it even possible to take the exam with a...
I have a .357 revolver. The rounds have a significant amount of kick. When I go out target shooting the kick makes it unpleasant to shoot before I have gone through a full box of ammunition. So...
I am always amazed when there is a rain cloud moving across the country dropping inches per hour of rain as it goes. In my imagination I try to visualize how the cloud could have carried all that w...
In theory Styrofoam is a closed cell product meaning that is water proof. In practice it tends to absorb and hold water It can take months to dry out very saturated Styrofoam. As a rule Styrofoa...
Inspired by the question Where should a person who can't hold a paddle sit in a tandem kayak? "One friend was born without arms" Many life jackets are vests that are in part, kept on the person by...
Skinning out deer is complicated when it comes to fiddly parts like the ears. This is especially true for Antelopes. How to correctly skin out the ears of an Antelope?
If one is out fishing and someone gets a fishhook stuck in them, what are the different techniques for removing it?
I was sitting and thinking last night... If you have gas and loose stool (diarrhea) and you are squatting over a cathole in the wilderness how do keep your pants and foot wear clean? Related ...
There are a couple of long hikes that I am thinking of doing, both are 70 to 80 miles (110 to 130 km) long one way. I would like to do a yo-yo (140 to 160 miles, 230 to 260 km) without a resupply. ...
I've a rattan recurve bow here which needs to be tuned. However, I'm not sure which oil to use. Which oil should I use to "burn" (with a hot air gun) a rattan recurve?
I've a Bear Archery Super Kodiak from 2013 with 40 #. I shoot 8,2 gpp arrows on it. Recently I heard that I should not shoot a BCY 425x string on it since the high amount of vectran somehow harms...
We use Coghlan's Camp Soap when camping, it is available in handy containers at most stores that have any amount of outdoor supplies. But we can only find it in the 4oz bottle, we would like to ...
If you are sleeping in a rainstorm it would be warmer to sleep under a tarp, since otherwise you are going to get wet. It would be rather difficult to enclose a space with a tarp to the level that...
The "Lech Fall" in Austria is a huge waterfall with a small peninsula on its inflow. This picture gives a nice overview: From Wikimedia I was standing on that peninsula and experienced extremel...
I live about 45 degree north latitude. Other then at the Equinox, daylight is seldom 12 hours. Sometimes it is more sometimes less. The summer sun can last 16+ hours. I understand how and why th...
Something curious happened this weekend. One of my field-tips broke inside the shaft. The actual point and the thread of the tip got separated. The problem is that the thread is stilled screwed in ...
We visited Neuschwanstein lately and since we were with kids, picked the common tourist path up to the castle. The hike is extremely stressful (for me at least) because you wander on a tarred way w...
