General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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I've read that it is bad to use treated wood for a trailer bunk for a pontoon boat because the chemicals would react with the metal and cause problems. If I am going to put plastic slides on the b...
We have lots of tent pole segments and I'd like to repair one of our poles but the cord is stuck on the inside of the tip. I had to just cut the cord just so I can work with the tip alone. Any tip...
So the title says it all. If I am scavenging wood in the wilderness, does some of it burn toxic? If so what kinds. This question is derived from this answer.
According to the scale on this Wikipedia page (the International Scale of River Difficulty), what are the types of kayaks in the following list that are suitable to occasionally handle class 1 and ...
Natives from regions which are really hot and have a high sun intensity are wearing sometimes white/bright and sometimes black/dark colors. I mean there has to be a better strategy in terms of ...
The outside of a down jacket is usually made of nylon or polyester, which is inflammable. While trying to build a fire, is it safe to wear this jacket? Or will the flying embers be enough to set t...
I think the title speaks for itself. I have done a basic google search and I do not find the references to be sufficient. I'm looking for a short synopsis that would educate a layman such as myse...
Does anyone have a recommendation for a mountain hike to catch the sunrise and is within driving distance of Vancouver, BC, (< 2 hours)? What are winter conditions like?
The Outside Online article How to Fuel for a Solo, Unassisted Antarctic Crossing starts with "Colin O’Brady thinks it’s possible—but just barely—to haul enough calories to traverse the continent. H...
We purchased a small potted live Christmas tree. We want to plant it outside. The ground is not frozen, can we plant it the day after Christmas or do we need to wait until spring? Each year mill...
Because of illness in my family, I cannot travel far from home for awhile, and have to be able to return quickly if necessary. However, I will be in Boston at the end of February visiting MIT and ...
Which natural (non-synthetic) fabrics are good for hiking winter weather? I know cotton will generally trap moisture and invite hypothermia, while wool is warm but heavy. What other natural fabri...
Questions like these two have made me wonder about my own answer in the first linked question. I have to admit, I haven't 'tested' the kits I put together. I have some wilderness survival trainin...
Could you please provide information regarding the tools (hook, swivels, hooks, main line, line for hooks, floaters, stoppers etc) and right distances & dimensions among each tool needed to cre...
I buy live shrimp at a bait shop on the weekends and use most of it but I always have some left over that I have been throwing out. Is there a way to save recently dead shrimp in the freezer to pre...
Thirty odd years ago there was a fad for shoes generically called snow joggers. It was a super lightweight boot in appearence -- usually 6-8" tall, but with a very light construction throughout. ...
I'm currently looking for a couple of things for a Nepal trekking trip. Two things are a good hardshell and a thick fleece jacket. I once had a super cheap fleece + hardshell which I could "zip in"...
My girlfriend often complains that a route or boulder was created for tall climbers. In my experience that sometimes is true: I easily get a hold, she has to jump. However, Lynn Hill proved that a ...
Obviously by anyone's definition, you need to reach the top to successfully climb a mountain, but after hiking to the top of Guadalupe Peak, where the peak is at 8,751 ft, but with a prominence of ...
In movies, sometimes the character will put an ear to the ground and then hear people moving a long ways away example. Does this actually work in the wild at all or is it just insufficient for any...
I was reading a recent answer and found this statement for the great majority of users, Gore-Tex boot liners fail anyway, and sooner rather than later if any real mileage is being covered. In f...
This question is prompted by a real accident, in which a young, healthy and experienced hiker I knew was found dead from hypothermia ridiculously close to civilization. The assumptions behind it:...
While hiking in western Sweden in October this year, I came across a bunch of feathers on my trail: To me it looked like the leftovers of a small to medium bird of prey, which was seemingly eaten ...
What is your opinion: Does it make sense to train rock climbing wearying a weight vest or a small backpack carrying a small amount of weight (let's say 1-3kg or 2-6.5lb) to mimic the actual weight ...
I'm tall but rather small-boned, and my XL drysuit has always been marginal on the wrist and neck seals, which are neoprene with a smooth lining, rather than the more common latex. This is much mo...
Inspired by @ShemSeger's possibly invented knot, I'm curious to see if anyone knows anything about this knot: Final knot: Reverse deconstructed: It's basically the same idea from a double fi...
Wikipedia lists these common pack animals Camel Yak Reindeer Goats Water buffaloes Llama Equines including horses, donkeys, and mules Dogs (packing and sledding should have different values) E...
Inspired by a space blanket being included in emergency winter kits, I wonder if there's any rigorous study about whether these things actually work and in what ways to best use them. In my own ex...
I live in a city in Ontario, Canada. If city coyotes are not showing signs of aggressive behaviour the city does not normally do anything. My concern in my area is that this is a pack of at least...
I am doing little kayaking and just a bit more skiing (the seasons for both are very short where I live). Both of these need helmets, but I feel reluctant to buy 2 items, each of which will see lit...
Where can I get a handle for my Ugly Stik GX2. My handle fell off into the lake. I found the screw on the other side but the handle is gone. I couldn't find a single replacement parts dealer so far.
I was looking at youtube videos and I want a pack basket for backpacking. I don't want to weave one myself, and ones that are made by a professional can be $200. I saw some videos where people made...
Is it safe to cook and or heat using "cow chips"? Cow dung, also known as cow pats, cow pies or cow manure is and has been used to fuel fires where firewood is not available. Ruminant manure co...
This question is specific to the hot water tank in an RV. In my case it is 6 gallons, propane heated and insulated with the only exterior contact the access panel, as seen in most standard RV's in...
On longer dives, let's say over an hour long, the air from the cylinder becomes rather dry and can cause a dry throat - what are possible ways to have a drink when scuba diving? Are there alternati...
I like to hunt on foot, walking through the desert. I mostly shoot jackrabbits since those are plentiful in my area. However, I still haven't found a good system for carrying the animals back to th...
I put up a bird feeder in my backyard over the summer and have been enjoying taking care of the birds. Unfortunately, sometime in the fall a hawk decided to start hanging around my yard. I shoo him...
Firstly a preface: all training's good and especially overhead training where the environment's so unforgiving. Plus lots of practice. Where around the world are dive locations where you must ha...
My girlfriend was walking the dogs this am when she came across what she thought was a road kill rabbit. One of the dogs ran over to the "dead" rabbit and tried to take a bite out of the stomach. T...
I would like to go for a week on skialp tour with kids (3 adults, 3 kids ~8 years old) this winter (end of December to January). I would like to go from hut to hut as some kids are too small to sta...
Okay, besides the emotional preferences, like "in close touch with nature", fun or personal preferences (and so on), is there any rational reason to pick a bow over rifle? I mean things like "it'...
I feel like hats are quite popular among hunters and other outdoor-people which are mainly active in the woods. Also, a lot of outdoor brands have hats in their range. Which rational characteristi...
I am new to hunting and am looking at various options. I am considering doing some hunting for mule deer in Montana. But I am unsure of an appropriate caliber for them. To increase my shooting skil...
I am trying to find some binoculars for hunting. I generally zero my rifle to fire at 100 yards. I really can't imagine shooting animals much further than this distance, although for scouting and g...
There has been some discussion on this question about whether or not hunting would increase or decrease the likelihood of a mountain lion attack. I have seen some websites saying that it does not, ...
Lately I saw a lot of people hunting with spears. Not the primitive type of spear but rather a high-tech one. It looked like made out of carbon or something. I think they were from North America. T...
So, this is likely a very very dumb question but I came across this question about wild boars while researching boar hunting and I was wondering if an axe would be at all useful against a boar if i...
I have 2 aluminum mess kits. One is a Boy Scout branded one from the 90's and the other I just bought recently for my son. Both was bright and shinny metal but I put them in the dishwasher before...
I have a group of friends who live in Florida, United States. One woman is blind. One man uses a wheelchair most of the time, although sometimes a cane is sufficient instead, or a friend to lean on...
After a season of skiing in rental boots of all sorts, I want to buy my own pair. My options are: a local shop in a country where there's no snow and the prices are so high, online deals that ...
