General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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When trimming weight there are a lot of options. Lighter gear, less gear, etc. One of those options is to take an existing pack and trim off "unnecessary" extras. For instance, I have (no kiddin...
Assuming I am not allergic, or showing signs of allergic reaction, what's the best way to treat multiple yellow jacket (a type of wasp) stings in the outdoors while hiking/backpacking? My key conc...
The cold weather has finally hit the UK and once again I am tempted to buy something like Yaktrax Pro Ice Grips. For those of you not in the UK we get some snow each year (enough to make everythin...
I've heard that iodine water treatment tablets can have negative side effects. Is this true? If so, what are some healthier alternatives?
When I'm home running or on a day hike, I prefer to pierce the skin as soon as a blister forms and drain all fluid from a blister to reduce the pain and further irritation/inflammation. In this cas...
I'v been told that walking with a heavy foot-fall will deter snakes. Is this really true?
During certain times of the year, some of the hiking trails near where I live wind through herds of elk standing on or near the trails. What precautions should you take when hiking among elk?
What should you be putting into your pack when you head up to a tree stand, beyond your gun or bow and ammo, to hunt whitetail deer?
I worry about carrying a fixed-blade knife on my hip, because if I fall or wrestle my kids or whatever, I worry I could get stabbed. I've had pointy blades push through a cheap sheath before. I st...
The newsletter from the Virginia Wildlife Rescue League reported the following incident. A man, his partner and her 4 year old daughter were walking in Farquier County (a rural county), when they ...
I am a first-time knife buyer. What should I look for in an all-purpose, lightweight backpacking knife? I aim to use it for cutting trail plants and fish. My top priority is a knife that doesn't ...
In my opinion, the priorities when selecting trekking food are: maximizing calories per kilogram not easily spoilable, especially in hot weather reasonably priced variety throughout the trip I...
I am concerned about these things: The health impact to my dog. My dog's sleep and my sleep: my dog snaps at the mosquitos all night.
Tents are described being either single or double wall. What is the difference and when is one preferred over the other?
Each has their purpose, I'm sure. So for what activities is each better? When would I use one over the other? What about half-serrated blades?
I live in the Arizona desert, and during the summer, despite my best intentions, I always seem to end up doing some hiking in the summer heat. What is a good formula to figure out how much water ...
How would someone grade a bouldering problem they've created? What would one have to look out for when grading? When bouldering, does a highball mean a more difficult grading?
This question about how not to make anything touch the outer wall of the tent implies that doing so lets the outer tent leak water through. I never head this problem with my vango mirage tent durin...
I was camping at around 1500m in the Italian Alps, and around midnight I heard howling that sounded very much like a wolf. I know there are wolves in the area (a friend of mine was lucky enough to...
I have this double canvas swag that tends to sag in the middle. What options do I have to fix this problem and keep the canvas from sagging too much?
Assume a team of 2-3 people intend to traverse a very exposed ridge at altitude. What are the main hazards and how can they be mitigated? The type of ridge in question is covered in snow (various ...
I have this tent: Fjord Nansen Tromvik II. It's very well built and thought-out, lightweight (around 2kg / 4.5 lbs) and is a pleasure to sleep in during summer / early autumn. However, since it's ...
I'm buying a double sleeping bag for travels with my girlfriend. Parameters (of the bag, not the girlfriend): 1500g of goose down, 680 in³/oz (393 cm³/g), 90/10% down/feather, rated to -9...-15°C T...
Say, I want to tie a rope between two trees, and I want it to have as little sag as possible. I have attached the rope to one tree and I'm trying to tie it to the other tree while pulling it to cre...
Similar to Serrated vs flat-edge knives, I'm wondering what the strengths and weaknesses are of folding knives versus fixed blade knives? What are fixed blades good for? What are folding knives no...
I need to replace some guylines on one of my tents. I normally use some paracord lying around but they have been getting tripped over more and more. I found some glow in the dark paracord, but be...
I want to travel by canoe from Ohiopyle State Park to Cumberland, MD on the Youghiogheny, Casselman and Potomac Rivers What are the navigation considerations? Also I will have a bike and trailer ...
A fish stringer goes through the gill and mouth of a live fish, providing a way to keep them captive and alive in the lake or river they are caught from. I would imagine the key to survival is how...
I am pretty sure that from a bear's point of view a llama counts as food, but as its not possible to put a llama into a bear can or suspend it from a tree branch, how would I keep it from being eat...
Tent vs bivvy bag - different camping experience, protection from the elements, comfort and weight? What are the pros and cons of both? Is it even a valid comparison - e.g. is it viable to rely on ...
When backpacking in freezing weather, water in a canteen often turns to ice. I am looking for a canteen that Will not burst when the volume of water increases due to freezing Will make it possib...
I'm actually shopping for a new sleeping bag and am a bit in doubt about a question that I do not find treated anywhere: By investing an arbitrarily huge amount of money I can buy a sleeping bag to...
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'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...
There are many places where a special regulation for a river or stream includes tributaries "above" or "below" a particular landmark. If the tributary more or less parallels the main river, does th...
For a multi-day backpacking trip, what is the ideal weight of a backpack? And what is that max weight that no sane human should go over?
I am a staunch proponent of leave no trace. I don't carry dish detergent (sand and small rocks work much better on stainless steel anyways,) and I don't use soap or shampoo, not even of the biodegr...
While camping with some friends in Anywhere National Forest, I found a deer tick on a friend. After removing it with tweezers, is there anything else I should do? Should we abandon our trip immedia...
How do I know what type I should use when I'm planning a camping trip?
I know one can compare backpacks by the following: Content (in liters) Number of external pockets (for quick accessable water bottles for example) Hip belt available or not Waterproof / Water res...
DEET is an effective mosquito deterrent, but there are many reasons it cannot be used. Per the CDC, cuts, eczema, and being a kid are all problems if you want to use DEET. What proven alternative...
I would like to have bullet points for 3D archery. I just think that they look better than combo/field tips. However, I was suggested that I shouldn't use them for 3D archery. What are the disadva...
I've picked up a hand chainsaw for the woods as it's cheap and an amazing bit of kit. UK law states the legal carry for a knife is less than 3 inches and must be a non-locking folding blade. Wi...
This summer. I will be camping on my own at a coastal caravan park located between 2 towns. In terms of safety (theft) and other things, what do you advise?
This will be my first tent camping trip in my life. And I don't know what to wear to the showers. I usually sleep naked in the summer so my preference is for just wrapping a towel around my waist a...
There are plenty of bird identification app or books or websites, is there anything similar for dinosaur tracks? I get that identifying dinosaur tracks is hard, if I remember correctly there are o...
Are there any gender-specific climbing (or other) harnesses? For example a chest harness?
In order for knives to be useful, they need to be sharp. If I am sharpening one myself, how do I know when I am done? What would be a simple easy test of whether a knife is sharp enough?
I need to bring two branches of a palm tree/bush together. So I need a knot that is secure under tension but can also be progressively tightened. What knot would you recommend?
I spent one night outside, at -28 degrees F, in an -40 arctic bag. I had no tent, only a small poly tarp between the snow and my bag. I stayed fully clothed but barely slept due to being so cold al...
