General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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It is imperative that climbing ropes are in excellent shape so they don't split while someone is climbing. How do I properly inspect the rope when I'm about to start a climb?
I'm not actually asking about the fashion items, the kind celebrities buy for their dogs... but actual outdoor designed dog boots. What is the purpose of dog boots? Why / when would you use them?
I'm looking for buying a new recurve bow for field archery. I currently shoot a Hoyt dorado and I love it. I have two sets of limbs for it. One #35 set that I use for field and another #50 that I u...
In 2015 I am planning to make a solo traverse of the Olympic National Park in Greece, including a summit of Mount Olympus. I am a former soldier and team medic with considerable experience in th...
Since May 2015, the German Elbsandsteingebirge (Elbe Sandstone Mountains) has so called "Trekkinghütten" (trekking cabins). However, due to the fact that they're pretty new, there aren't really any...
I am a whitewater kayaker and my GF, who does not kayak, sometimes accompanies me on river trips. She loves the outdoors and is never bored when I am boating (besides driving my vehicle from the pu...
Let's say I shoot 180 fps with a 400 grain arrow. I choose a new shaft and tune it, so that I get a 350 grain arrow. Is there a rule of thumb how many fps adds to the 180? I'm searching for someth...
Because they rely on radio signals, GPS units generally do not work underground or underwater, but what about a plain ol' magnetic compass? Are the magnetic fields of earth present at all depths? ...
Every year, in late summer, in Maine, at night, I hear a noise coming from the trees. It sounds like a cardinal's chirp (http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Cardinal/sounds, fourth sound do...
This question asks why we don't apply the layer principle on trousers. Personally, I disagree with the pretext of the question: I certainly do apply the layer principle on trousers when cycling in ...
If someone wants his job to take place mostly in the wild, what kind of career should he look into?
I've got a 1960's flask. Can it still be used safely? It's in very good condition with no rust or flaking at all. I've cleaned it well and it seems to be OK.
Most people I know and myself store food in bear bags. However, I have heard that some parks have banned bear bags and require canisters. I've also heard there is a bear in New York that has figure...
Hi I'm going on my first backpacking trip in April on the Appalachian Trail. I can't seem to find a bear bag. I see bear canisters but they're far too big and bulky and the other bear bags I found ...
This site has a good explanation for how to hang a bag PCT style. This may seem obvious but, once the bag is suspended with this method, how do you get it down? Short description of the PCT metho...
People traveling in the wilderness can acquire infectious diseases. These can be caused by organisms such bacteria, viruses, protozoans, or fungi. They can be transmitted through drinking contamina...
Every year on the AT (Appalachian trail) Norovirus sweeps through like wildfire and the problem only increases as trail density increases. What are the best methods for minimizing risk of contract...
I used to clean my arrow-shafts with acetone before I applied glue. However, I was told that I should be more careful with it, because of its toxic vapors and stuff. Which breathing mask is recom...
I was reading the BBC news today and there was an ad for an inexpensive "5 in 1 Outdoor Survival Gear Escape Paracord Bracelet Flint / Whistle / Compass / Scraper" I clicked on the link and saw t...
Wikipedia has a list of Long-distance trails in the United States I exported the table to excel and found there more than 150 trails listed, totaling more than 74,000 miles. Another resource wit...
I'm putting together a kit list for hiking and the last time I went on a big hike I wore a breathable t-shirt, but I didn't find it that comfy and it also tended to start to smell quickly. Any tips...
Monkeys are funny, as well as dangerous. I have already asked a question about how one should go about camping where there are monkeys around: Camping and Monkeys. The best advice would be to avo...
Looking at flotation devices (life jackets) they are rated Type I, Type II, etc. What do these rankings mean and what type should I by?
On a new Hults Bruk's Kisa axe, the cheek isn't entirely smooth and has shallow indentations in it. The blade is nice and sharp, whole thing feels sturdy. Where do these indentations in the cheek ...
I've read one one of the US national forest or wilderness websites that when camping in the wild, one should camp at a certain distance from a water source. Should I understand a water source to m...
I have had a pair of Brasher Air 8's for some years now, but will get rid of them as they feel heavy now that I am getting older and more arthritic. However, whilst they are size UK 7, on each heel...
There was an invention that allowed you to boil water by putting a bag of chemicals in a bowl with some water and/or food. I don't remember its name and I would like to use it while hiking. (other ...
I have recently discovered the lean-to, a shelter with three walls. It seems considered as a shelter with more proximity to the nature. I have some worries though, regarding the wind and the war...
What's the big difference between Dehydrated and Freeze-dried foods? What are the pros and cons to choosing one over the other for backpacking?
I'm ordering beadheads for fly tying, and am thinking about getting slotted beadheads to use on jig hooks. The main application will be nymphs to be used as the point fly in a two or three nymph se...
I'm pretty new to skateboarding and I've ordered my first "real" deck. The shop mailed me which ABEC I want to have for my ball bearings. The ABEC scale is an industry accepted standard for th...
I might be in the market for a new Benelli R1. But I can't seem to get a straight answer on where it is made. Obviously, I know that Benelli is a Beretta company and the Benelli address is listed i...
I've been "swimming" once in a while for years, while on vacation for example, and never had a problem. Recently I've been learning the crawl (freestyle). I've finally got myself up to 20 meters ...
While trying to answer Why static rope rather than webbing for toprope anchors? I immediately thought about splices in long pieces of webbing. For example, REI says that spools of Blue Water webbin...
I just bought a merino undershirt (first layer on the skin) made by icebreaker, and realized that it is somewhat oversized. I enjoy that it´s long enough to be tucked into the shorts, but it does n...
On my next vacation, I will be camping in a tent on a designated campsite. I saw somebody use a hammock for lounging during the day last time, so quickly got a cheap hammock from eBay, with a "let'...
I went for a walk last night in my local woods. I took a pair of binoculars with me. It was quite a cool evening (not that cold). Every time I put the binoculars to my face though to look at someth...
Modern flashlights have brightness up to several thousand lumens which is great. However it's not clear how bright a flashlight I might realistically need. Suppose I want to go on a search party s...
In a similar manner to this question: When describing my PADI qualifications with a CMAS diver, is there a well know equivalence table? How do the PADI qualifications match up to the SSI ones? Is t...
Carabiners are obviously essential in certain circumstances, such as with any type of climbing / rappelling. But are they a good tool to have generally as well, and if so what might be some example...
I hike in western ghats of Maharashtra India, where temperature in the afternoon varies from 35 degree Celsius to 40 degree Celsius with high humidity (more than 50%). On my last hike I perspired ...
It is understandable why it is tiring to walk faster than one's normal pace in order to keep up with someone younger and/or fitter than oneself. Simple physics: one is exerting more energy per uni...
When we camp in rainforests or even country side forest, we are supposed to be very careful about Reptiles, especially Snakes. In India out of the many venomous snakes, I have found Pit Vipers to b...
Several of the places we hike every year have trout. I'd like to have some fresh fish on a couple of those hikes but I'm pretty new to trout fishing and I don't want to carry the weight of full fi...
I am new to bow hunting and I am getting my stuff set up and I was wondering what factors are important to consider when purchasing a bow trigger release system?"
My friends and I are setting off on a hike this Friday through Michigan's UP. I've been watching the forecast which, to be fair, is never accurate in Michigan. Nonetheless, it shows a good amount o...
In a bike accident, I managed to damage a softshell jacket. The damage consists of some smaller holes, and the manufacturer provided me with a patch kit that is basically a piece of the material th...
I was recently packing my own dehydrated meals for hiking using mylar bags and oxygen absorper packs. The oxygen absorbers come in packs of 10. Generally the process is to prep all your bags and ...
Many pre-packaged meals are designed to cook in the pouch by adding boiling water. If I am making my own meals with mylar pouches, would it be safe too cook them by adding boiling water to the pou...
I have a pair of Blacks (own brand) leather hiking boots - they were probably a poor choice to begin with to be honest. They look a bit like this: http://www.brasher.co.uk/catalogue/products/new-...
