General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
Filters (None)
They are said to be little patches that simply stick onto clothing, lasting for 12 hours. They are made from "natural ingredients" and DEET-free so I have my doubts. How well do they work?
While hiking about a quarter-mile from the South Platte river I found these shells in a gravel bank. Most but not all had turned white, and they were in what looked like a gravel bank/deposit ...
Seen in November in the Rincón de Ademuz, Valencian Community, Spain. I'm not sure whether the "tail" is a stinger or just wing cases, and I didn't want to find out! This was a pretty large insect...
Found in the woods next to my home in central Connecticut, USA Trying to identify, i am putting it on a shelf in my room and would like to know what it is
I'm planning a backpacking trip to Juneau with some friends next summer and was interested in taking the North Ridge route to Bullard Mountain (see: https://www.summitpost.org/bullard-mountain/9303...
Some of the Yosemite Valley parking lots have communal bear boxes as do some of the trailheads because you are not supposed to store your extra food in your vehicle while you backpack. Bears can't...
I live near Pittsburgh PA, and I just saw a stink bug, possibly the first one I have seen all year. In the last couple of years they have been a major pest. Now they seem to be mostly gone. Where...
In my ongoing effort to cut tent weight we have replaced stakes, changed ground pads, and we're looking at replacing the guylines (no really, it's amazing how much cordage weighs!). At what diamet...
Are there any suggestions on what footwear to wear in a wet climate (specific: Vietnam in September)? The use case would be mostly walking on streets, with occasional hikes in easy but slippery te...
I saw this from r/ontario for Ontario Canada. Can someone pinpoint this on Google Maps? I wanna say ceder right at the top end by the island campsite Some other Redditors commented Opeongo?...
I'm shopping for a new tent and considering a model that comes in two different colors-- bright orange and dark green. Purely-aesthetic preferences aside (ie, like orange more than green), are the...
I saw this from r/ontario for Ontario Canada. Can someone pinpoint this on Google Maps? The OP annunciated "Stouffville area", but someone else wrote I was going to guess Uxbridge. Open horizo...
I hiked Mount Hoffman in Yosemite today and at the top there was this metal plate bolted to the rock with 4 metal rods welded to it. On the side you can also see some rivets so possibly there was s...
In the US, there are plenty of interestingly named features along with lots of really repetitive ones. If I wanted to find out how a mountain/creek/river got its official name, where would I find ...
I am thinking about making some trekking pole baskets with my 3D printer in PLA, the originals having been worn out a long time ago. PLA has problems with heat, how does it do with cold? They won'...
Wolves are going to be removed from the list of animals protected by the Endangered Species Act (pending litigation). They were already delisted in Montana and Idaho and had a hunting season in Wy...
There are several higher altitude forested areas that I go hiking that have burned this summer and I am wondering about how they will be next summer. Dead trees falling on you is always a concern w...
If one were to go looking for cottontail rabbits, what time of day would be the best? I have noticed that it seems like there are more out and about in the afternoon than in the early morning.
I have a 3d printer, and right now I am only using PLA which has a relatively low melting temperature (hot car in the sun or dishwasher would be enough to warp it). I am interested in printing some...
With theis KML circular generator, and this STL generator it is possible to create round 3D printed maps like this one. However, the KML circle isn't perfectly round and that leeds to the bumps on...
Was using a space blanket for warmth over the weekend and found it to be really crinkly, it was really noisy with any movement at all, even just breathing. Are there less noisy/crinkly space blanke...
This weekend I was sitting next to a pond and multiple times there was a crow who had something white in his mouth flying down from a tree to within several feet of the pond's surface, drop the whi...
Lately there has been so much wildfire smoke that it was unpleasant if not quite harmful to go outside. I was looking at the weather websites for a forecast to try and predict when it would be bett...
I have a camping trailer that we keep stocked with food and beverages. When we head out on an impulse trip, it stocked and ready to go. Most of the supplies are canned or dried, so we don't need to...
Looking at a new pair of earmuffs that a NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) or 34 DB. However the fine print says that said rating is for continous noise and not impulse (like gunfire). Why would they be...
I'm looking for easily obtained fuels for an open-cup stove, such as a Trangia, in case I need to top up while travelling. I have a small simple DIY open cup spirit stove, for boiling water when b...
I'm planning on Annapurna base camp or Manaslu circuit trek in December (mostly the end of December). I know December is the winter season in Nepal and is expected to be quite cold at that time. Ha...
I was sorting some old camping equipment at my parents' house and found several butane canisters for a camp stove. One of them has some rust on the metal around the shoulders; it's slightly pitted ...
I have some experience towing with an upright bike I am considering getting a recumbent trike, as my back side does not last as long as my legs. With an upright bike I automatically move my weight ...
Wag bags are used in areas where human waste has to be carried out. How many wag bags should a group pack per day given that plenty of people will try to avoid pooping in the outdoors and that numb...
A few nights ago I saw some minks in the grass right next to a seasonal irrigation canal that is dry most of the year shortly after dark. The irrigation canal has no fish or crawdads in it, because...
As the summer goes on, the cottontail rabbits are getting bigger and at the same time I am seeing fewer of them, presumably as predators whittle their numbers down. What percentage of baby cottonta...
I just saw this small winged bug out in a prairie would anyone know what kind it is? Top view Side view
Sometimes a horse will become what is known as barn sour where all they want to do is hang around the stable/corrals and not go on rides. While on rides, they will keep trying to turn back and once...
Exactly that... I've done some searching and it looks like a catch-22 situation: To be able to move there you need to do commoning already. But to do commoning, you need live there already. (Hmm.....
It looks like I'm going to be living in Nairobi for a few years. Along with all of the other amazing opportunities for adventure around here, there's this giant mountain just over the border. Since...
I keep seeing trail runners who instead of a small light backpack, have a running vest with small front pockets and then one on the back. What is the advantage of a running vest over a small backpa...
One should never let middle age men sit around drinking and reliving the glory days of their youth on a holiday weekend. I think I may have agreed to a mid January Presidential traverse in the Whit...
I thought about trying unconventional breeds for hunting. I stumbled across the "Akita", which was initially cultured to hunt. However, it seems that it's pretty much a common house/pet dog nowaday...
The last time I went fishing, there were numerous times where I could tell that the fish were nibbling on the fly because it would move the strike indicator ever so slightly, but they wouldn't actu...
At what temperature does rain gear become a liability? If it is a couple of degrees above freezing and you are wearing rain gear to stay dry. It helps keep hypothermia (too cold) away. If the temp...
The last time I was in looking for fishing gear, they also had a bunch of "tactical" pants. They seemed like they would be decent pants for outdoor activities. What exactly makes a pair of pants "t...
If you have tracking set on your GPS device and you forget to turn it off overnight, for instance, the track distance will continue to increase even though the device is not moving. What is happeni...
I have an Ursack to keep my food safe from bears, but above treeline the problem isn't so much bears as it is marmots (who are unfortunately accustomed to people). Would an Ursack keep the marmots ...
Once in Yosemite Vally, I saw a sign that one fork of a paved trail was marked as handicap accessible because it was less steep than the other fork that led to the same destination. How steep/what ...
I've been hanging these fat balls for a good while and they're intact. Previously I was hanging a feeder filled with seeds (for birds) in front of the window and that was also intact for a while; s...
I need to adjust the derailleur on my bike, I don't have a bike stand because I am on the bike trail. I have three options for pedaling while adjusting the the derailleur. Turn the bike upside dow...
When shoveling snow in the winter, if my gloves are warm enough to keep my hands warm, they tend to sweat and get the gloves wet from the inside out. How can I prevent this?
What equipment is necessary for driving on 4x4 trails and rougher forest roads in the Northeast United States? This would include safety equipment, recovery equipment and any other equipment neede...
For short trips, lithium-ion batteries to recharge your camera/phone/GPS make more sense. For something like the Appalachian Trail where batteries aren't going to last the whole trip, a solar charg...
