General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
Filters (None)
My husband and I are learning to Scuba dive this year with a friend. We're doing the SSI courses, which require a large number of dives to progress through each qualification. Open Water through to...
I know what camping is, but what are frontcountry and backcountry camping?
Setting aside the benefits of cardiocavascular exercise in general, what are the risks to hikers/climbers with high blood pressure at various altitudes? Is there an upper ceilling/threshold that...
I work in ecologically sensitive areas in NZ and my ropes routinely get soiled. I have been asked by the Dept of Conservation to clean and disinfect my ropes to minimise the chances of accidentall...
Are there any weather, or at least temperature, archives for mountains? I have read that this information is very spotty, that it is not recorded for many mountains. In searching for this data, ho...
I was planning on a trip to Philmont Scout Ranch this August but it closed the back country for the rest of the summer. My troop already has group tickets on a flight to Colorado with Delta. I was...
I mostly climb at a rock climbing gym, and I can climb for hours until my forearms run out of gas. However, when I climb outdoors, usually the reason I have to stop is because the skin of my palm...
I was reading this question and the first thing that popped into my head is what do you use to mark the middle of the rope? I was taught not to use any kind of marker on the rope (because there's ...
I'm seeking recommendations on the best places to camp in Western MA. Preferably not busy campgrounds, and with access to good hiking. Thanks!
After seeing this question which had this animation: I was left wondering whether this behavior was "normal" or at least healthy. I know sometimes when an animal exhibits odd behavior there's so...
I have a Lowe Aline Attack 50 pack from around 2000 and recently much of the inside has accumulated a sort of brown powder that is either, I suspect, some kind of mildew, or the remains of the deco...
Yesterday I went to the beach when I get in the water everything was fine the water not cold the sea very clear. Then I started feeling little stings at all my body.I thought it was my idea. When...
In the backcountry, we should bury solid human waste (i.e. poop), and we are told to carry out toilet paper. According to this answer on tissues, for some kinds of waste the ecological impact is s...
According to this answer to "what gear should go in the brain (top most compartment)", the brain compartment usually ends up becoming the knick-knack / catch-all pocket, for small items items t...
In Malaysia, the country I'm from, almost nobody puts up bird feeders. I have just bought a bird feeder from overseas, but the birds don't seem to know what the feeder even is, as they may not have...
We have been using older water filter bottles with charcoal filters. These are easy to drink from a combination of squeeze the bottle and suck will quickly fill your mouth with a swallow of water. ...
A lot of hikers carry denatured alcohol for cooking. Is there any risk to using it as an antiseptic for cuts and lacerations?
I am disabled in the wildness, there are no natural water sources available. I have 2 gallons (7.5 liters) of water. The only practical solution is to sit and wait for rescue. I will be resting i...
Some terms may not be global, inline descriptions for questionable terms A motorhome is RV with an engine (as opposed to a camp trailer that is pulled by another vehicle). Many people will tow a ...
When downhill skiing (although I assume this would apply to cross-country skiing or snowboarding as well), when should a gouge caused by a rock or other obstacle be considered large or serious enou...
The alcohol used for cooking is poisonous. Denatured alcohol, also called methylated spirit (methylated spirits in Australia and New Zealand) or denatured rectified spirit, is ethanol that has...
My husband and I scuba dive together often, and he really wants to get the chance to scuba dive with cuttlefish (and why not they are super cute!). This can involve night diving. What dive sites a...
I have been considering a folding bike, it would be multipurpose, for short rides of 10 miles or less. I think I want multiple gears, as it may be used as part of Canoe Advventures My primary mot...
I was recently at a music festival in a field here in the UK. It was a nice hot day and I was staring up into the lovely blue sky. I noticed there were high numbers of seagulls circling above, seem...
We're going to an area in France where the expected daytime temperature will be 30°C or higher. We use a light brown (beige) coated cotton tent. We have to decide whether to put it up in the mor...
I will be hiking the Laugavegur trail alone and have been looking for good hiking maps (1:50 000) online. My google searches yield no good results. Where do you even begin to look?
So I have heard this saying a lot and would like to know if and why this is true because the leaves are upside down now and I have always been confused by this because some have told me nay and som...
I've heard this multiple times from different people that while buying a hiking shoe, always go for one size larger than what fits you perfectly. The most recent one being a local store where I wen...
Sun Dolphin manufactures one or two 10' sit-on-top kayaks for under $350.00. I know they would be suitable for a day of recreational paddling on a calm lake or river. But could they reasonably be u...
If an individual walks with a pronounced duck-footed (splayed) gait, and is actively trying to correct this, is there any harm for the individual to begin rock climbing. I feel like a lot of edging...
Poison oak season has begun around here, with fields full of the nasty stuff growing everywhere. I tend to dress conservatively in areas I know have poison oak, to avoid getting exposed in the firs...
There is a method of finding north with a watch described here So you point the hour hand of your watch at the sun. Halfway between your hour hand and the noon mark is south. How accurate is ...
In season 3 episode 1 of Survivorman, Les Stroud uses a guitar and a can of some consistently shaped chips made from potatoes of an unknown brand <cough>Pringles</cough> to make a trap ...
Where can I hunt for rabbits with slingshots do I have to ask land owners or could I go into a forest away from people and hunt there?
There is an area that I would like to explore at daytime and at night time. I have seen only two foxes in that area during the day time. One of the locals told me not to go out at night because fo...
Inspired mostly by this answer, if I were to decide to buy a set of throwing knives for just for fun, what exactly should I be looking for? I do realize that throwing knives are not legal everywhe...
Every time I have slept in a snow cave, I have woken up to a ceiling that was noticeably lower than when I went to sleep. Is there a good rule of thumb for estimating how much lower it will get? ...
At any given time in our yard, we have at least 20 birds, up to the same number of squirrels, 15 or so chipmunks, and a few rabbits. Our many feeders and birdbaths are mostly under big trees and ne...
I am going to Philmont Scout Ranch in the Rocky Mountains in New Mexico, USA, this August. I am planning on using the Eureka Timberline 4 tent, which weighs about 8 pounds. I am doing a 7 day trek ...
I have got this annoying issue when bouldering: a sheared callus on the small finger: I would like to tape this and continue climbing (with extra caution). I am not an expert in taping, and any ...
My wife and I recently bought an inflatable, tandem kayak. I grew up canoeing and we've had many enjoyable outings on the water together, so I thought two-person kayaking would be relatively easy....
From this answer, -148 °F has been survived inside a snow cave, and this question is asking for the unadjusted temperature, which leads me to wonder how much the wind chill would matter. If you ha...
Currently, I use this cooking setup and it is pretty convenient when the travel space is tight: However, its BTU potential is understandably modest and I would sometimes like to cook a soup or b...
Related to this question, I have had better luck with the smaller energy drink/V8 juice cans than standard 12 oz pop cans. The other question on the site mentions both beer and Redbull cans. Is th...
This question was prompted by my answer to Under what conditions does heating a backpacking tent artificially make objective sense?. In my answer, I mention the possibility of hiking across Antarct...
I recently upgraded to a modern backpack and I'm stumped as to how to tie accessories down to it. My previous backpack had tie-down points on the bottom of the pack that I could attach long straps...
This question asks "Are the Goldtip and Easton spine declarations AMO/AMA or ASTM??", What exactly is the difference between AMO/AMA and ASTM spine declarations and what difference does it make?
The book Minus 148 Degrees is written about a winter climb of Denali in which a rapid weather change forced the climbers to seek refuge in an emergency snow cave. The title is a reference to the c...
I was wondering if there is a list of the tallest mountains in the world where you can walk or scramble up to the summit? As opposed to using even basic rope skills?
Is there any reason to pick bow-fishing over rod-fishing. As far as I know it's extremely difficult to aim for fishes beneath the water surface. This makes me wonder if there is any rational reaso...
