General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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I've been using a topo app on the PC for years that lets you, among other things, trace a route on the map with the mouse, then it gives you the distance and height profile for that route (even tur...
I've recently started making my alpine (or "trad") draws by girth hitching one end of a sling to the gear side carabiner and then clipping and passing the rope side through as usual. The girth hitc...
I should say I haven't ever done anything very outdoorsy, but I would like to make sleeping outdoors a part of the bicycle touring which I hope to do. But a worry for me is that I have always had p...
Is there kind of a checklist what to consider before going on a day hike? Like which preparation should one take, things to pack (not detailed, like "food"), useful information (weather forecast e....
Is there kind of a checklist what to consider before going on a day hike? Like which preparation should one take, things to pack (not detailed, like "food"), useful information (weather forecast e....
I'm riding a pretty standard "binding setting" since ever. Just didn't bother me yet because I always was extremely fit. Lately I recognized that it's not that easy anymore since I got older ;P and...
This might be off-topic so I understand if this gets closed. I'd like to set up a kind of treasure hunt (perhaps geocaching) for my friends. I was thinking that I could take pictures of places (si...
Within Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema, is the Zona de Reserva, for which special permits are required: The Spanish fir forest and other areas in the Reserve can only be visited at certain ...
I have used the Mega Mid tent almost exclusively for hundreds of nights out over the last many years. It's versatile, well ventilated, light... but has this pole sticking straight up the middle. I...
In boating, I know that having the right of way is much different than driving, what are the rules and how does this work?
I've a Bear Archery Grizzly recurve bow. Bows from this manufacturer are commonly equipped with two threads to attach a Bear Archery bow quiver. You can see them in this image: If I attach an o...
We recently had the question Can you get burned by boiling water on everest? and not to long ago the question Why aren't there any electric stoves that can be used for cooking where you can't build...
At sea level, pure water boils at 100°C. In my hometown, water boils at 97°C, and being at a higher elevation we always had to boil or cook our food longer than the recommended times given in recip...
Is there a good rule of thumb for number of people in a boat? I looked on the Hull Idendification plate, but it only had the HIN and max horsepower on it.
What is the process for boats becoming "winterized"? Do all boats need to become winterized and is this a one-time process?
So, from a non-hunting archer's point of view, the arrow length is drawLength + 2" - fineTuning Is there any difference for a hunter or is calculated just the same way?
I've a Bearpaw deluxe fletching jig. Simple and easy to use, the jig is made of a high-quality combination of metal and space-age plastic. Change from 3 to 4 or even 6 fletch settings with...
So this is one of those things that I've grown so accustomed to that I've not really put any effort or thought into looking for a solution. I've just "dealt with it" to the point of ignoring it for...
What is a good rule of thumb for tent floor length relative to height? I'm tall and looking for a backpacking tent. How many inches more than my height should I look for in the floor?
I'm absolutely harsh when it comes to littering in the woods. After a break I take an extra turn to check if everything was picked up. Someone accidentally left a tissue on the last tour and I put ...
I have a Kokatat fleece union suit, which we kayakers also refer to as a "bunny suit", which I wear under my dry suit when kayaking in cold conditions. I also wear it when snowboarding or XC skiin...
Climbing.com has a video showing how to tie a barrel knot in the end of a rope. To me (and many of you, I suspect) this knot is the very commonly-used double overhand knot. Confused, I looked fo...
Yes, mayonnaise. It is sold unrefrigerated, and is an essential component of any back-country sandwich. Has anyone reached its limit and had it spoil on them? (I haven't. Of course, I've never had...
I'd like to know which kind of arrow would slow down or kill a bear, which vital spots should I aim at, which kind of bow should do the job, more specifically, against black and grizzly bears? "W...
Cairns are small stacks of rocks used to mark trails. These can be especially useful above the tree line where other trail blazes would be inappropriate or unsightly. This answer discourages their...
Most of my prior hiking experience has been in areas that are not home to bears, so what precautions should I take to protect my camp (and myself as I am hiking) from bears. I am aware of a couple...
I need points with a diameter of 17/64. I assume that it means 0.265625" (6,746875 mm). But which diameter is meant by this number? The thread or the point's "head"?
As a former member of the Swedish home guard youth, I was told during a survival exercise that you could eat only freeze-dried food for about two weeks. Young and green as I was, I swallowed the st...
I am new to bow hunting and I am getting my stuff set up and I was wondering what inserts to use for the following Easton shafts: 9.5 gpi 400 axis third generation N-fused carbon arrow shaft, noc...
I'm thinking about sailing a part of the Danube, alone, on a self-built raft. I have no experience sailing rivers on any serious basis. I'm considering a raft for a number of reasons: It's chea...
I have heard of aspects of sails and keels, and it seems that taller skinnier sails and keels have this higher aspect ratio. What is it and what does it do for your sailing?
Let's say I'm camping and I slept close to a river (50ft) and when I woke up a bear was searching through my stuff, what should I do to avoid him? What to do if it notices me? And last but not leas...
In order to configure my Aladin diving computer, I built the interface as described here. The software "DataTalk" can be used to configure the diving computer. However, the Windows version (which c...
I was looking for a loan on Kiva and found this loan in Lesotho (Africa) The product people are borrowing money for is the ACE 1 Ultra-Clean Biomass Cookstove which sounds fantastic. It is designed...
Possibly the most common injury I see when hiking with groups is when someone turns or rolls their ankle. Assuming that access to a vehicle is not feasible, what is the best way to deal with the i...
I live in a country where hail can strike suddenly and unexpected at any time of the year. I am trying to figure out if in COMMON weather data available to me, I could find patterns that may indica...
Some of the United States' most famous National Scenic Trails are the Appalachian Trail (AT), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), and Continental Divide Trail (CDT), and when you have hiked all three you ca...
If you're on a multi pitch route and you decide to abandon the climb and retreat(say the weather has turned unexpectedly). What is the minimum amount of gear you should leave behind as a rope ancho...
For the first few arrows I often have the problem, that the string rubs over my lips. I need to concentrate on turning the face more to the target. However, these few arrows are sometimes that ha...
One complaint about using the Munter hitch for belaying is that it twists and kinks the rope. After doing a full rope length rappel with a Munter hitch down a slightly overhanging face to the base ...
Lets assume I am abseiling multiple pitches with some tuber device and at some point at a belay I dropped the device. How do I improvise something that does the braking while descending? I still ha...
When you're following a pitch on a trad climb, what is a good method for racking and handling the nut tool? My goals are to be efficient but not to drop the tool. My current system, which I'm not ...
In the context of a long hike (AT, PCT, CDT, LT, etc.): What are the advantages and disadvantages of double sleeping bags over two individual sleeping bags? How do they compare to single sleeping ...
I have read that Rob Hall's body (who died very near the summit in 1996) was discovered. However I have not seen any validation of that. I just watched the movie Everest and I'm curious. Has it bee...
I'm planning on getting out to try some Pike fishing in Sweden this autumn. Never tried it before so I could do with a few basic pointers on equipment, suggestions for the following: a) Rod type, ...
This weekend I forgot my expanded-foam sleeping mat and was cold during the night. The environment was an autumn forest. There were plenty of dry fallen branches. However, I couldn't work out a w...
I'm planning a trekking in Torres del Paine (Chile) and El Chaten (Argentina) and my actual backpack has 50l and I'm afraid 50l isn't enough for a 20 day trip with 10 days trekking. A friend of m...
Usually when I climb I take plenty of rest between attempts however, yesterday I decided that I wanted to test myself and climb 25 problems at my local gym. I chose problems that were below my leve...
I know that there are exceptions to every rule. Like for example not all plants with leaves in groups of 3 are poisonous. Also there is mimicry in some plants to deter animals from eating it even ...
In practice, how precise is a pedometer for estimating your progress on a trail? For example, if I'm to hike 10 miles, how far should I expect to be from the 10 miles marker? Is there data compari...
