General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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Both poison ivy and poison oak can cause a red rash on the skin due to an allergic reaction to the chemical urushiol in their oily sap. I've heard people say that they are allergic to either one o...
We were attacked by Giant Honey Bees (Apis dorsata). A friend and I were ensuring the safety of others and got away with 30 odd stings. We had proper hiking attire, and buffs to cover our faces....
Lately, as I boil water in a steel pot, it is making the pots very dark brown, and the inner surface of the pots seems to have changed to feeling rough and scrubby. Can anyone help with this? A...
If I'm struck by poison ivy, what should I do? Is there a way to suppress the itch?
I've spent most of my working life outdoors (forestry mostly), but have not done much hiking, which I now intend to do. When working outdoors, my clothing consisted of a wool shirt and waxed cotton...
In a standard kayaking class, you're taught solo self-rescues using a paddle float and assisted rescues using another kayak. Then there are eskimo rolls. But I've also heard about other self-rescue...
I am putting together my first multi-day winter expedition and am looking for some advice. During Dec 2018 to February 2019 I am planning a solo traverse of the Cairngorms in Scotland, camping wil...
Kayaking is a lot of upper body and core strength, with an amount of lifting as well. Outside of the good weather kayaking season - winter months for Sit on Tops for example - what are good ways to...
Some background: I go fishing 3-4 times a week at a local river for catfish, carp, perch, bass, and sunfish. My favorite bait for catfish (and the one that I find most consistent) is fresh cut pe...
During the summer, I always hear this sound. It's like a long "hissing" sound. I assume that it is some sort of insect that produces this, and it's usually during warmer days. It can be heard ...
I'm looking into buying some chaco sandals and tried on pairs with the extra toe strap and without. I've heard chacos can be uncomfortable to wear in and I'm wondering if the extra security provide...
I would like to setup a solar charged/battery storage system for an RV/small camper environment. Initially with one solar panel, one matched battery pair; but also allow the battery(ies) to be cha...
I have LowePro Photosport BP 300 AW II backpack for hiking and a camera. The old model of this bag had the proper straps to fix the tent but in the new model (which I have), I don't know how do I...
I have seen a survival kit that has been spoken well of by many reviewers: the SERE Air Force Survival Kit. SERE stands for: survival, evasion, resistance, escape. It is a rather small kit fitting...
One of the techniques while navigating in the outdoors is known as contouring, what does this mean and when would it be useful?
In the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, national parks are in IUCN Category V rather than II. Are there any protection levels stricter than what UK National Parks have?
I caught this fish yesterday in St. John river in Canada. My father and I don't know what it is. Fish like this have been caught recently (this Summer). Apparently, the fish was caught using worms.
I found a bunch of hair jigs inside an old tackle box that has been stored in attic. Several of them appeared unopened, but there was a yellow powdery substance in bag. Anybody know what substance ...
Out of all my dive gear, the item that is the hardest to dry is the BCD. If the weather is nice then it is not an issue, just put it outside. The issue is drying my BCD when the weather is rather i...
Basically as the title states. I placed my tent under a tree at the weekend to give a bit of respite against the torrential rain while setting it up. Said rain has mixed with sap laden leaves (whic...
I posted an answer for a recent question about a forest fire that started after your hike began, that said: Presumably you registered at the trailhead, and you have a friend who knows where you...
The situation: you are backpacking and are above timberline. Streams are ubiquitous, you are well equipped so exposure is not a problem, the entire party is uninjured and healthy. But a large, r...
I've been using the Victorinox Swiss knife for a long time now. One thing that has baffled me is the saw blade on most of their multi-tools. The saw is around 2-3 inches long (depending on the mode...
I like to run around lakes and through forests. But when the spring comes and it is wet with high humidity, many little flies and mosquitoes are flying in the air. Thus, sometimes some of these in...
Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) can be carried during outdoor activities to use in case of an emergency. But are there any guidelines on what exactly constitutes an "emergency"? For example, what a...
Suppose I'm caught in a heavy thunderstorm while lying in my tent, on my foam sleeping bad, in my nice waterproof tent. Suppose I have a good campsite so I don't need to worry about flash floods. ...
I'm a beginning trad leader, having done about five easy fifth class leads. I've had some formal instruction, but don't currently have access to a teacher or mentor. I'm finding that I'm extremely ...
I occasionally place slings on rock spikes as trad climbing protection. If the spike is not very tall or thick the slings can become easily dislodged as the rope passes though the quickdraw/carabin...
When I hunt grouse I usually wear hip waders to be able to cross small creeks and to not get my pants wet from dew. My problem is that I get a lot of junk collected in my waders, and specifically...
I have climbed indoors and outdoors for several years, both top rope and sport, and I somewhat recently took an outdoor trad climbing class. In the class, we placed protection while on top rope and...
Say you have a cooler of frozen food and ice to last for several days or weeks of river-trip / car camping. To keep things as a cold as possible for as long as possible, is it better to leave the c...
We found this snake in our backyard today. It was stuck in a mesh we use to protect a small fish pond from falling debris. Just wondering if it's dangerous. My kids play in the area where it was f...
I got into a 'discussion' with the vice principal of the school I work at. He was worried about the dangers inherent in our fairly extensive outdoor program. I pointed out to him that an analysis...
When I buy used windsurfing equipment, what should I check it for? Obviously, visible damage would be bad, but what else? I have read that one shouldn´t buy old boards from the 80's since they are...
What can we do to bring water loss from breathing down to the absolute minimum possible? Techniques or devices useful to adventurers with no frequent water access is what I am looking for, such as...
One of the older fairy tales is The Ugly Duckling where the one oddball of the bunch is considered ugly by the other ducks but turns out to be a swan at the end of the story. From what I have read...
I have several paper Ordnance Survey maps, but I don’t know how to easily access the back of the sheet without ripping or damaging my map while trying to unfold a very large area of paper. Are ther...
Assuming it's very impractical to get down to reach the tree line; and that the wind is changing direction very often - so a setup with several sides closed would be preferred - what would be a goo...
Next month, my kids and I are enrolled in a canoe building workshop in the Lake District of the United Kingdom. At the end of the 4 days we will have a 17ft canoe weighing between 16 and 22 kilos...
I have come into possession of two standard 30 litre food barrels, but no method of carrying them while portaging. I have heard of people carrying two of these at a time, possibly using an external...
When I was a boy, my father and I were unexpectedly swept into a log jam (pile of logs the size of a house) on the banks of the Elk River while canoeing near our home. Somewhat similar looking ja...
I have wood canoe paddles, currently after being out in the water, I bring them in the house and lean them against the wall in the corner. They actually look pretty nice and kind of add to the home...
I've seen cairns while hiking in mountains and they are usually easy to distinguish from natural rock piles. However, I am a bit confused by what makes a duck and what distinguishes it from a cair...
I purchased a couple of used water-proof barrels for keeping things dry in the canoe. They are easy to open and close, so in theory they keep your stuff dry and they float. The lids clamp on (ima...
I found these structures in a fairly inaccessible area of the creek. The oven like construction is made of bricks (which can be found around in the creek bed itself due to runoff) and mud for the s...
I am looking for a machine washable sleeping cot (metal/aluminum frame off the ground). I have seen that most cots are made out of a water resistant material (nylon/polyester/canvas) 600D. I have s...
Bee hotels or houses are supposed to allow solitary bees the chance to lay eggs - however there seems to be some controversy, that they only attract pests? Considering the decline of bees globally...
One of the downsides of an alcohol stove is that the alcohol is all but invisible when it burns, and so the danger is that you won't realize its going and burn yourself. I have heard that adding r...
I have a Nemo Morpho tent with inflatable airbeams and have somehow managed to lose the included foot pump. I've found a few US retailers with a replacement pump in stock (called 'Nemoid Foot Pump'...
I've been feeding the local birds at the exact same spot at the local park for quite some time now. Unfortunately for me, today as I was minding my business as usual, a bee decided to sting me. It ...
