General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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How do I pack a backpack to prevent injury to my back and keep it comfortable while hiking?
I have been seeing a bird that looks like a cardinal but has black wings and has an orange-red color. Closest photo I've found is the hooded oriole, but this is Michigan and early March. Any ideas ...
I'm going on a backpacking trip later this summer and on the list of things to bring is 3 yards of duct tape. I don't want to bring an entire roll of duct tape because it would be heavy and cumbers...
I see lots of schools around different states and countries that teach wilderness skills and they seem to vary a lot in their basis (that is, what qualifies them to do what they do). Some are led b...
Can anyone help me find more of these lures? I love them so much but can’t find them anywhere. Does anyone know where to get these or what they are called. It has a paddle tail and a ribbon tail ...
I was snowshoeing in Quebec and saw these birch trees completely removed. There were fine what appeared to be teeth marks. The was moss that was left trees.
People have speculated that women hiking in bear country during their menstrual cycle might increase their chances of a bear encounter. Is this true? What can be done to minimize risk? Related que...
I'm fascinated by bats. I love to watch them fly around, although I've never seen more than a few at a time where I live in a suburban area in Massachusetts, Northeastern Unites States. I'd love ...
Knowing how many mountain lions are in an area is important for conservation, as it would be important to know if the population was in decline or to set the number that can be taken by hunters in ...
When venturing out into the wilderness, what are crucial things I should bring?
I was recently crossing a lake that is commonly used for swimming and recreation. When I was swimming back to the shore, I was constantly nervous that my bag would be stolen, along with the keys in...
I have a Venture Kayak Easty 15 and it has developed a flat spot on the bottom center just below the foot rests. What is the best method to return the bottom of this kayak back to its original conv...
I have a pair of quite old Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork Flicklock trekking poles. After much use and abuse the tip on one of them has finally gotten bashed in (the carbide tip has either broke...
I have been out camping a few times, once with a group, the other times with my girlfriend. Although I enjoyed those times very much, I often wondered what would it feel like to enjoy the complete ...
I was going through this amazing post here at TGO which talks of trekking solo. As far as I know of TGO culture, this question here might sound a really opinion-based question, or rather a too broa...
Molded kayaks are usually made of polyethylene, an otherwise extremely durable material which can be damaged by the sun. The used market is full of kayaks manufactured ten or twenty years ago whic...
I was born on ski's and switched to snowboarding and now on the return to skiing. However I intend to do both downhill and skijoring in the next season (skiing with my dogs) I am having trouble de...
In the past I was only occasionally walking barefoot, on relatively short distances, on the earthy surfaces. But I'd like to train my feet to be able to do much more - including walking on harsh su...
What sort of rope would be ideal for glacier travel? I have a 10mm 60m rope, but this is quite heavy. Would a 9mm 50m rope be suitable for a team of three, crossing glaciers in the Swiss Alps?
What do climbers do when stuck at high camps because of weather? Example Everest C2, C3 etc. when stuck for multiple days. Is this time spent inside the tents exclusively? I assume because of weigh...
I am in process of immigrating from Russia to Canada. While I've fallen out of... Well, everything that includes movement... I have plans to resume wilderness trips after I finish immigration proce...
I have recently moved from Sweden to Canada. In Sweden, I always bought ethanol for my trangia ethanol stove at petrol stations. Where can I buy such ethanol in Canada? Is it sold at petrol stat...
According to Wikipedia, slingshots did not exist prior to the invention of vulcanized rubber. Slingshots depend on strong elastic materials, typically vulcanized natural rubber or the equivalen...
I am practicing falls with a self belay device indoors and I am tying the rope to the anchors so to fall on a single strand of rope as I would in real life. I used the figure eight on a bight but ...
Given comparable contstuction and insulation betwwen a pair of gloves and pair of mittens that are designed for winter / below 0C conditions, at what temperature range would mittens be preferable t...
When travelling the backcountry in high snow, do snow shoes or skis perform better? By "perform better" I mean how tiring and fast travel is. Is there a general answer, or does it depend on the co...
I am from Morocco where we use something called Sardine paste to catch sargo. It's a dough that contains sardine and flour and beach sand. it's very effective but it doesn't work in all conditions,...
What exactly is meant by the terms "wet" or "dry" glacier? This link here seems to point to the existence or absence of a film of melt-water below the glacier. This has an impact on how the glacie...
Several offshore sailors are considering the use of specific Chinese locking carabiners with personal tethers, to keep us attached in violent conditions. Specifically... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/...
Do you recognize these flying insects that seem to enjoy broccoli flowers? I have several almond trees around, and bees are busy these days but I'm not sure these particular insects are of any ben...
I have two half ropes from Camp that are basically unused, but are slowly getting old, and I would like to know their age. Is there a way to do that? I know the name of the model: Camp Plekton 8....
There is a gravel parking lot with trees on either side that I pass on my way to work and there are always a couple of cottontail rabbits hanging out under and next to the cars parked there. Why a...
I'm exploring primitive shelter building in northern cool temperate climates. I mean primitive as a compliment: the prime, first, original, indigenous, low-tech/base-tech. Things like the Haudenosa...
I know that eating bananas is one way to turn yourself in to a mosquito magnet. The potassium in the bananas apparently attracts them to whomever eats them. Whenever I meet someone who says they al...
If you are in a survival situation in the woods and really hungry, and you are unsure about which plants are edible, can you eat pine needles?
If I want to go to some contry, with no specific region in mind yet, I often have trouble to get good topographical information for hiking beforehand. I usually find it rather difficult to discove...
My wife is due to under take her Lowland Leader course in then next couple of months and she has been advised to gain experience using Harvey Maps as well as the more familiar Ordnance Survey maps....
I spent one night outside, at -28 degrees F, in an -40 arctic bag. I had no tent, only a small poly tarp between the snow and my bag. I stayed fully clothed but barely slept due to being so cold al...
What are uses for red spruce (picea rubens) by humans in wilderness settings (e.g. in primitive technologies, bushcraft, wilderness survival, low-tech rural livelihoods, frontier homesteading)? Whi...
Climbing anchors usually have 2-3 redundant protection points, which distribute weight. So if one point breaks, this will not be a catastrophic failure. However, what should I do in practice if th...
I am preparing for a Himalayan Expedition which requires trekking pole.Trekking altitude 16000 ft and melting snow. I haven't used any aluminium/carbon fiber poles yet. I usually find a wooden hik...
Ever since I read a book called Misty of Chincoteague as a child, I've wanted to see the Wild Chincoteague Ponies, on the Eastern shore of the United States. I believe there are two herds on Assat...
I am reading Three Among the Wolves by Helen Thayer, who is best known for walking and skiing to the North Magnetic Pole accompanied only by her husky, Charlie. In a subsequent trip, she and her ...
I am a big fan of zinc oxide products for minor outdoor injuries, e.g. zinc oxide tape for blisters on feet, or products like Sudocrem for sunburn and so on. They certainly seem to help the healing...
A fire piston is a very old way of starting fires, predating friction matches and works on the same principle as a diesel engine. Basically, you use it to light a piece of tinder and then start t...
I've picked up a surplus used aircrew Beaufort Mk 10 Immersion Suit (for aviation use, but I think there's more likely knowledge among watersports enthusiasts). It needs latex socks adding to the b...
I bought Aku Slope boots with Gore-tex at a good price and as it turned out they have punctures in one place, which are probably minimal when I check them inside the shoe. I do not want to use the ...
Certain calibers such as the 300 Winchester Magnum are often called flat shooting. What does that mean and why would a hunter care that the caliber is flat shooting when selecting a rifle to go h...
Related to the idea of a flatter shooting cartridge, and the reason why a flatter cartridge makes it easier to hit the animal within the vital area, is the concept of point-blank-range. What is po...
