General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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When it comes to arrows, a term which is often mentioned is "F.O.C.". What does it mean? Why is it so important? How can I measure/calculate it?
I am thinking of hunting wild boar in Texas, which I've never done before. All info and videos I see mention the calibers they use and I don't really hear about people using 30-06. Is that just t...
Oscillating temperature readings result in inaccurate altitude data. I currently have no solution or explanation. Can anybody help? In this case the route is completely flat. As soon as the temper...
While shopping for a portable generator I noticed that some very similar seeming generators, have drastically different prices. Presumably there is something besides a brand name that makes a 1000...
I have a set of titanium cookware that I use for backpacking. It's a small set for one to two people and consists of two little pots and one cover/frying pan. Mostly, this set gets used for boili...
If you had a climbing rope anchored above you on either a sheer cliff or a really steep incline, what is the minimum amount of gear that a person would need to ascend the rope without assistance fr...
The Distel Hitch and Prussik both appear to be slide and grip knots, used for ascending a climbing rope. I have heard of people using Prussik many times more often than Distel Hitch. Which is a b...
I witnessed a bizarre scene on the James River in Richmond, VA, USA (1000 yards west of Mayo Bridge if you want to examine Google Maps). It was on a large rock in the middle of the river, where nea...
There's a couple of small piles, about 3 inches across on my mom's back deck on the outskirts of Terre Haute, Indiana in the US. The pieces are firm but flexible as if they are plant matter, not su...
I'm planning what will realistically be my first backpacking trip. It'll be in Yosemite this summer. I've already been going through checklists of things we need, the trails we'll take, what we'll...
Do any mountaineering / Alpine style waterproof trousers come in short legs? I have a 29" inside leg and I've really struggled to find anything to fit.
How do I develop my kayak “Eskimo roll” from something I can do most of the time in a calm lake or pool to something I can trust to work close to 100% of the time in real sea or river conditions?
I have heard many people say that eating snow actually can increase dehydration since the energy required for the body to heat up and melt the snow is greater than the benefits received from the mo...
Senario: I am leading the climb with 2 ropes. I reach at the first pitch. I put myself on the self anchor and built a master point. Now I want to top belay 2 climbers at the same time. They both w...
In Dean Potters and Sean Leary's 2010 attempt to take the speed record of The Nose at El Capitan in Yosemite, Dean Potter has something white on his legs (and arms?): What could this be, and whi...
I saw a youtube video where this guy skinned a spruce tree stick and ate the bark while claiming it is nutritious. That got me curious since trees are everywhere and this could be a great tip so I ...
If you read old books from cold areas, it's not infrequent to run across the idea of rubbing snow on one's feet when they got frozen or frostbitten. However, subjectively, it seems to me that this...
It is said that Southeast Texas is overrun by wild boars. However, I have only seen sign of them within national park borders-where hunting is not allowed-and all google search results return paid ...
I've been a Boy Scout for seven years now, and as I'm moving from high school to college I'd like to get into solo backpacking. I live in the lower peninsula of the state of Michigan. I don't fores...
I would like to prepare for a long route (700 m altitude gain, 12-16 hours, including descent, with alpine start), one like which I have never [successfully] climbed before. It involves many sectio...
When camping in areas where mosquito-borne diseases are endemic, what options are there in terms of mosquito nets? The mosquito nets I've seen are meant to be hung above a bed and tucked under the ...
I need clothing for kayaking in the summer. I already have the "heavyweight" equipment - thick neoprene longjohn and a whitewater cag. But for places where I need less protection from cold and inju...
I'm looking at improving (actually starting) my training regime. My local climbing Gym has just installed various campus boards. How do you use these to train effectively? What's the technique p...
I am travelling to Goa in March and I am mostly crazy about water. Elementally, closest to it. Started swimming an year back and still a very naive swimmer but mostly comfortable with it. I want t...
Although I'm primarily asking about caving, this is a problem that exists in any activity that moves through the landscape: walking, cycling, kayak touring, etc. A natural tendency when on the mov...
I spotted something in a rock pool. It was swimming but appeared to surface to breath, or maybe eat. The location is Madeira, Portugal, just above sea level. I would expect the water to be saline...
I am climbing for quite a while now and would consider myself a beginning-intermediate climber. I feel my technique has significantly improved over the last year. I am very heavy (1,80m and ~100kg)...
I was lucky enough to be given an almost new double skin popup tent. Where I'm camping right now it's got windy a couple of times and rainy a couple of times. A friend of mine who is camping in h...
I'm a bit curious about this since the day I read an infographic tip from a veterinarian. The reason stated by her is that it helps to not enlarge the site of the snake bite. Is this correct? Bec...
I am looking at taking a WFA (Wilderness First Aid) class and there are a couple of outfits in my area offering it. Namely, SOLO, NOLS, and The American Red Cross. I have heard nothing but great th...
What are the practical aspects of using good quality hiking boots (e.g. ones shown below) for climbing? Arguably, an outdoor enthusiast might be involved in various sorts of activities from hik...
I am wondering if anyone else has experienced fear/panic that gets in the way of bouldering, and what their tips are for dealing with this. (There is a prior question on fear in lead climbing, but ...
This question was borrowed from a comment on this question. But what is meant by an "aggressive" climbing shoe? What is the difference in a non-aggressive shoe? And when would you use one over the ...
Warning: Contains details that may be too graphic for some cat lovers. Today's New York Times has an article titled Man who Strangled Cougar Cited a Lesson from His Cat. See He's no Chuck Norris...
I've heard that pouring boiling water into a Nalgene-style bottle is either completely fine or definitely going to kill you. Which is it? Are there any scientific studies demonstrating exactly wha...
Can I view OS maps for the UK online for free? I want to see both the Landranger and Explorer maps if possible.
I am considering going on a guided hunt with an outfitter. This is the first time I've done hunts for game that you can stock your freezer with. I keep coming across the statement that the outfitte...
I cross-country ski in the winter, usually not more than 2-3 hours, but it can get quite cold, -15, -20°C, and I'm often on a frozen lake exposed to wind that rapidly rips the heat out of anything....
Inspired by a comment by Kate Gregory I just have to ask this question: What to do on your spare time while being at the campsite? Being outdoors several days while having good friends around an...
The question is should we prepare to snow hiking in the end of April going to Toubkal? How can we predict or make educated guess on snow level? Is there any resource we can monitor snow level in ...
There are a lot of options for trying to prevent mosquito bites (DEET on skin, permethrin on clothing, mosquito nets while sleeping, etc.), but what about after you get bitten? What is the most eff...
For car camping near the snow line, is there anything that can safely be used as a heater while sleeping? For example, how large would ordinary hot water bottles need to be, to comfortably emit he...
I like to track the path when I cycling or hiking (e.g. this). Now I use my phone for this purpose which is totally inconvenient because of the battery. So, I looking for something which can track...
Do any kid size (205 mm or 32 EU) ski touring boots and bindings exist? The smallest size I'm able to find is 220 mm, 35 EU.
I know that cold weather can be dangerous, especially if one is not in proper winter wear. But I came across a video whereby a person is seen digging ice for water and bathing in an icy, mountainou...
Conditions: I live near a wide (~1000ft or 300m) and fairly deep river across from the area where I work. This area is slightly earthquake prone -- near a fault line that has had multiple magnitu...
I need a new mainsheet (the rope that controls the boom on the main sail) for my sunfish. Many of the online sailboat stores, are selling 8mm FSE Orion for the job. My local Hardware store does ...
For some time, I have been following both European and American long distance hikers and a few things stood out to me, gear wise, and I was curious if someone could shed some light on it. For examp...
I recently came across a gif file showing a gang of turkeys circling what appears to be a dead cat. It appears to be a structured formation as the turkeys are trotting at the same pace and spacing ...
On a hike a while back, I was going up the less favored side of a large hill. Due to recent geological activity, the hill side had sort of cracked/split creating a 5-10 foot wide pathway along the ...
