General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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Everyone knows an undercammed piece is bad. Does any data exist on how bad it gets? In other words, how does the strength of a cam placement change with the retraction angle?
How do you modify Cam slings with a straw as described here for easier removal?
I have gone through the answers of question When is it not OK to leave feces behind? It did answer a part of my question "I would really like to know how and where exactly do I select this area?" I...
Me and a friend are thinking about trying two handed fly fishing for salmon and sea-run browns in northern Sweden. We both have been fishing for these same species with single-handed rods, but have...
How to cross a Crevasse when its absolutely unavoidable? What gear/equipment is/are required? What are the things that one should look for when choosing where to cross? Is it the hard ice from whe...
I recently made a toprope anchor extending from a tree about 15' over the edge of the cliff using 1" webbing. The webbing was looped around the tree using a figure 8 follow-through, with sufficient...
I like to read for a couple of hours after getting into my sleeping bag, and I don't like to use the tent unless the weather is bad. So usually I am lying propped up against my pack (food removed)...
How free climbing compares to other styles of climbing is well explained in the question Bouldering vs aid climbing vs free climbing vs free solo climbing and more specifics are given in What does ...
Rock climbing topos have various standardized symbols, such as xx for a bolt anchor, or a dashed line for face climbing. In keys of symbols, I've sometimes seen SB defined as a "sling belay." What ...
I work in the outdoor industry and I had never had any issues with blisters whilst hiking for years. Then one weekend I wore a pair of high heels out for a wedding and got blisters on my heels. No...
In a few episodes of "Man vs. Wild", survival expert Bear Grylls was seen jumping off a cliff into a pool of water below. He made some rough estimation of the depth of the pool before making the de...
Last year my wife and I rented a couple of SOT kayaks and used them to paddle around our local lake. We enjoyed it so much we have decided to purchase our own this year. We are looking at some entr...
My home river has a minimum size limit of 50 cm for keeping atlantic salmon, while I have seen online that some other places have a maximum size limit above which fish cannot be retained. Why is th...
Cottage industry: an industry whose labor force consists of family units or individuals working at home with their own equipment a small and often informally organized industry Withi...
I'm after a new pair of gloves for the winter. I've found plenty of gloves online but I'm wary of buying them as I want some really warm winter gloves (for use in -10C or less). In a shop I can try...
When people discuss Acclimatization, it is generally observed that they refer to higher altitudes, or colder weather. While, acclimatization is not only applicable to higher altitudes and/or cold ...
I am an experienced hiker/hillwalker and plan to tackle the Trotternish Ridge on Skye , possibly a few other coastal walks, whilst also taking a reconnaissance look at The Cuillin. My plan is to s...
I think it would be fun to climb all the Munros as a single long distance type route. The wikipedia page indicates that several people have climbed all the Munros as a continuous round. Where can...
I recently read an article stating that to access Banff National Park, you need several permits: A park permit, a backcountry permit and, if you want to, a fire permit. I also read about these per...
When on holiday, I want to get as far as possible from civilisation — the furthest I've come is seeing only a single cairn during a full day. In Scandinavia, hiking and camping is permitted unless ...
What re the best quality walking, trekking maps for Spain? In the UK were pretty lucky as we have the Ordance Survey (a government body that maintains all topo maps). Is there an equivalent in Spai...
The book Sierra de Grazalema: Complete Guidebook to the Natural Park includes a chapter on canyons, describing two routes: one Garganta Verde and one through the Garganta de las Buitreras. Both re...
We're planning a trip to walk from Macugnaga (Italy) to Saas-Fee (Switzerland), probably as a 2-day hike over the Monte Moro pass through the Alps. The trip is planned for August 2015. Has anyone...
Often when planning food for a backpacking trip, I rely heavily on a very large amount of extremely varied trail-mix, and only throw in some jerky and a scant few "cookable" meals for variety. I ha...
I use an ENO hammock when I camp and I have always wondering if a snake would want to slither into my hammock while I'm sleeping. Note that this hammock is open, as opposed to a Hennessy hammock, w...
I read tobacco leaves can be used to prevent leech bites. I'm unable to find tobacco leaves so can I use cigarettes instead?
I occasionally use a very long stretch of twine to transport light gear (<1lb) between my partner and I when we're camping out ~30m from each other. Unreeling and reeling this twine is extrem...
I was just informed that our group is going to have a Gam-off, technically known as a Gamow Bag. While I have never seen one such thing and so I don't have any experience with them, I browsed the ...
Is there a specific method which would help one with an injured (say, broken) arm to rappel down a rock? It is very much possible that one may hurt his / her arm for some or the other stupid / maj...
I recently read in a local organization report log that a group of inexperienced and stranded hikers gambled up a route and had to take a risky way down the hill. In the process, a guy got badly ...
I have some common knowledge about knots used for Climbing and Rope-care. There was an incident last week, where I needed a Seat-Harness which I didn't have with me. I needed one for tying up a fr...
I had never been a gifted kind of a climber being more fascinated by Backpacking than Rock Climbing. Its been almost 2 years that I did some genuine climbing. And, I am planning to resume it very s...
Why do mountains like K2, Nanga Parbat and Annapurna (36 successful attempts, 47 failed) have higher fatality rates than, say, Everest or Cho Oyu (79 successful attempts, 28 failed)? (source) Can ...
I'll be trekking through a dense monsoon forest which has a sizable population of king cobras and vipers. I'll be at least 5 hours away by walk to the nearest human settlement and another 1-2 hours...
Along with trekking and camping, I am too involved in musical instruments that I play. And, I always have had a thought of carrying my six-string with me on some long hike for entertainment during ...
Winter is coming! Very quickly in Belgium actually, much faster than I'm used to. It's also the first year where I spend a lot of time outside. Soon, that could be a lot of time outside... freezin...
I can't figure out how to put the kelty pdsi back in its stuff sack as small as it did before and can't figure out an easy way to get all the air out
There are knots that have similar sort of a structure or a look-alike looping which can easily confuse someone who is not seasoned in knots and safety associated with them. As a thumb rule, beginn...
How long can you leave a synthetic sleeping bag in compressed its stuff sack before you lose insulation? 2 days? 2 weeks? 2 months? The manufacturers say "long periods", but don't define it.
Yesterday I was out in the woods and had a runny nose. When I wanted to blow my nose I looked for maple leaves, because I knew what they were. Not sure if the list of bad choices is small enough ...
In the experience of users of this site, does intense stress hamper acclimatization? I recently experienced much more difficulty in acclimatizing in an area where I frequently visit. The only dif...
I am planning a long hike in England which is part of E2 trail. Apart from all the documentation and legal processes that I need to follow to be in England, are there any specific local procedures...
I am a regular climber and a hiker. Having an experience of more than 600 hikes and around 30 technical climbs, I have realized that during rock-climbing, the climbers are bound to face Honeybees w...
The title may itself sound a little weird, indeed it does. But this I have observed over the time, when I take a look at my shoes. I think I have a strange walking style, in which I probably land a...
I have observed a strange thing happening with me these days. In India, month of March to May are of Summer with extreme heat, May to be worst. Midday, the mercury rises up to 40oC. I was walking o...
While reading Hermann Buhl's tour book* of the Nanga Parbat expedition in 1953 (yielding to the first ascent on third of July, Buhl did the final ascent solo) I got curious about the height differe...
While I was re-reading this question where there is a lot discussed about impact of higher altitude on the physiology, acclimatization and things around it. Though, I have had put in an answer in t...
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?
I've got a Kelty Typhoon 2 tent, from the mid-1990s but still in good shape. I haven't noticed any leaking from the fly, but I'm thinking it might be time to re-seal the seams on the fly before I t...
I built a spreader using steel double lock snaps from a NIB fall restraint lanyard and a 27 kn 50" webbing loop. I ran a bowline with blight to each double snap and one to where my steel 50 kn auto...
