General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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It seems like the back quiver has only disadvantages compared to a bow or side quiver. Yet many archers - including Byron Ferguson - choose to go with them. What advantages (besides looking aweso...
Sometimes while backpacking you have to cross streams, and from a weight point of view, it would be nicer to just cross in your bare feet, instead of bringing an extra pair of shoes along. These ...
When firing a flare gun in the air, what is the risk of accidentally starting a forest or wildland fire? Does the flare go out completely before it touches the ground?
For the locking caribiner that connects the person's harness to their rappel device/ropes, should the locking caribiner's gate be toward the top or bottom of the setup when using a screwgate type l...
Hearing someone above you yell ROCK when climbing is a scary experience because that means that an object (usually a rock) is plummeting down to the route towards you. Hopefully you are wearing yo...
There is a technique for navigation known as dead reckoning, what is this technique exactly and when would it be useful?
Imagine you are sitting around ready to begin; you have your gear spread out, and your helmets are off. How should you place your helmet so that it doesn't wander off?
If I am in a survival situation with a knife as my only cutting implement, and I need an axe to chop trees (because I know burning through them is not practical) how would I make one? What attri...
When I was searching for boat inspection plates amazon example I saw a review where someone had bought one to install in the top of their RV fresh water tank to make cleaning inside easy. I though...
I was reading all of the answers to Are there any situations while backpacking that would require a watch? and surprised at the number of answers that said you need a watch so you would know how lo...
One of my favorite things about backpacking is the absence of time constraints, you eat when hungry, sleep when tired and sort of track how much time is left until dark. Would there be any situati...
Snowboards are often described with the term "Rocker". It seems like a kind of shape or something. What exactly is meant by a "Rocker" snowboard and what are the advantages or disadvantages?
It is good practice on a hiking or backpacking trip to leave a written plan behind with someone. Then if you fail to return by your estimated date Search and Rescue will have an idea of where to lo...
Carabiners like this, are marked with the force rating. The one in this picture is rated, 20kn the long way 8kn the short way 5kn with the gate open Why are carabiners so much weaker when ...
Let's say that you are out backpacking and a bear spray canister accidentally goes off and gets on your skin or in your eyes or onto your clothing? It can't be a pleasant experience as it is meant...
If I am trying to find out which way is north at night, and I can see stars, but not the North Star or the Southern cross or other recognizable constellations, because the terrain is limiting my vi...
While Dyneema is in use for cordelettes for quite some time manufacturers started bringing long ropes made of dyneema on the market. The benefits are obvious: Less weight, less volume and no water ...
Sometimes compasses are less accurate than we would like them to be. They can be thrown off by their surroundings, have their polarity reversed, become demagnetized, develop air bubbles or be take...
My hiking poles have started making an odd, springy noise with every step. The noise sounds like the poles themselves are vibrating each time I plant them into the ground, and it starts about an mi...
Backpacking sleeping pads come in two basic types, foam and air, with some of the air pads being self-inflating. What are the pros and cons of each and how would one decide which type to get?
Assuming I have memorized the major Latitude and Longitudes as they relate to the world, as shown in the image below and that I know how to identify latitude & longitude with a compass. What e...
After reading @Aravona's question on the best time to pick sloe berries, I was wondering where I should actually go to find sloe bushes. I think I can recognise them from pictures online, but are t...
Last night I watched a film about a crew that sailed from New Zealand to Patagonia, with a stop in Antarctica, taking over two months to do so. One of the things that caught my attention is when ...
There's a strange thing going on since a few days ago in the office. Suddenly we recognized a blue tit flying like crazy up and down on our window. It looks quite average, a beautiful bird, not lik...
On a backpacking trip with multiple people, it is all but guaranteed that disagreements will arise. Pace, food, wake-up times, route and chores are some of the common sources of friction. Backpack...
I need to convert the spine of my Goldtip and Easton shafts to the AMO static spine standardization. They've their static spine declared as for example "500" which translates into a deflection of "...
I am hiking in the wilderness, a round trip to civilization and back is at least 24 hours. I know where I am and I can return to the same spot. If my hiking partner dies, how can/should I protec...
One of the surest ways of purifying water is distillation water is boiled and only things that evaporate at or below 100C are captured. This does lead to the potential issue of things like petrole...
Sulfur has been used for centuries to get ride of nasty little bugs that infest the warm places we like to sleep. Assuming I have found natural sulfur sources can they be used to effectively and s...
According to a google search sulfur is widely available in nature. Volcanic regions and hot springs are common sources of it in elemental state. Less obvious sources are iron pyrites (iron sulfide...
One of the recommendations for sleeping warm is to empty your bladder before bed, When your bladder is full, your body is expending energy keeping that liquid warm. If you empty it out, your bo...
It accompanies me for quite a while. I see a lot of outdoor-people wearing braces ("suspenders" in USA/Canada) instead of belts. Also, a lot of outdoor brands have braces in their range, such as th...
A recent question Walking through an active railway tunnel during a long distance walk brought up the topic of pedestrian access on train-track right of ways. In many areas of the world train trac...
Propane is naturally odorless, the smell we associate with it is the result of adding ethyl mercaptan. Is it possible for the ethyl mercaptan to deteriorate, bind with something in the tank or s...
I often use Google earth to plan trips. One part of that is marking paths and seeing how steep they are. However Google Earth severely underestimated the steepness of slopes. For instance here i...
Stu Miller's Dynamic Spine Calculator asks the user for the "strike plate position". How do I measure and add it correctly to the calculator?
Stu Miller's Dynamic Spine Calculator asks the user for the "strike plate position". How do I measure and add it correctly to the calculator?
While navigating or orienteering with a map or compass one of the essential skills is the ability to find your position on the map with the aid of the compass. This can be important if you need to...
This question is not as simple as it seems, and a few minutes of googling did not drop the answer in my lap. A comment at I never adjust for true north. Is this bad practice? suggesting that: ...
When you are in a sailboat, and you start getting gusts and choppy water, how do you describe what's happening to your boat? Can you say that it starts to "flounder," or is there a better word?
After answering this question, I am wondering when it would be useful to cook with a solar stove. It certainly wouldn't make sense in an area that is constantly overcast or when speed is of the es...
We have a bird feeder in the garden and fail to attract Blue Tits. Which food should we put in there?
Obviously, the solution to this problem is to pack food that everyone enjoys eating. However, according to Murphy, this doesn't always happen. Also, sometimes the best tasting food is ruled out by ...
If someone were to get an open wound in the back country, say a knife slipped while cooking dinner and sliced the person, how would you treat that? We already have one question about using whiskey...
Its always been cool to be climbing a mountain and look down, and realize that you are high enough that there are clouds below you. Here are some pictures from Wikipedia of what this looks like. ...
Last time I was on vacation in Italy, I decided to go barefooted for a run on the beach in the evening. Lovely idea, wasn't it? It was not! The beach felt like a volcano! Which gear or techniques...
I have a pocket transit and on the back are a bunch of numbers. They can be seen in these images here, here, and here. What are these numbers used for?
There are 59 National parks in the US. Of which 49 are in the Continental US (lower 48). There are 52 weeks in a year. I would like to take a year and spend about a week camping and exploring eac...
When I'm out in the woods I often find huge pieces, like for example a car tire or even something bigger, or huge piles of trash. Of course I can't take that with me on my hike to bring it out. W...
When I'm out in the woods I often find huge pieces, like for example a car tire or even something bigger, or huge piles of trash. Of course I can't take that with me on my hike to bring it out. W...
