General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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Is it harmful for our health? How thick should the foam be around the body to be okay down to 0degC with warm clothes underneath? Is there enough foam for this in a 500ml can (average man)? Or two?...
Since I mostly climb trad style, I don't use quickdraws for leading outside of the gym. I use alpine quick draws (two biners joined by dyneema slings) which offer benefits of adjustable length, red...
Considering a scenario that one is hiking a lot in the indian sub-continent, what is better in order to mitigate the issues one may face due to bright sunny day? A hat or a simple cap?
There has been a lot of lot of discussion about whether the shoes should have ankle support or not. I have seen the discussions (not just on The Great Outdoors, but elsewhere too) that ankle muscl...
I'm doing the popular tourist trek from Lukla to Everest base camp in late April / early May. I know the minimum temperature is on average -1 Celsius (30.2 Fahrenheit) in the Khumbu region at this...
While reading this question it stuck me as odd that a fifi hook is mentioned on par with a daisy chain. Not being trained for aid climbing, I'm not sure why I'd want to use a fifi at all. The only...
I am new to aid climbing, still practicing on easy and short walls. I am getting the feeling that if you use adjustable daisies you don't need a fifi hook anymore, but I could be wrong and miss som...
I enjoy doing quite extended treks in the backcountry that rely on us (mostly 2-4 people) being independent from any kind of civilization for up to two weeks. For me the foremost problem in these ...
On my last couple of dives, I've noticed that my feet tend to float up during the 5m / 3 minute safety stop. It seems to be more of an issue when doing a safety stop using a line to ascend, but I'v...
When being the last one to abseil you obviously need to make sure that when you are down, you can retrieve the rope. While the most common way is probably to use twin/half ropes and to put one rope...
I wanted to buy a new backpack. I like one particular one (mainly due to the price) but the problem is i do not know that will i be able to tie my sleeping bag or sleeping mat to its bottom. I kno...
What are some of the common things people do that are avoidable and contribute to accidents and injuries when climbing?
I know how the last man rappel. While practicing at a local place, I saw one of the groups using a kamikaze knot for rappel and rope retrieval after the last man rappelled. Kamikaze and Sheepshank ...
What tackle do I need for catching bass on live bait in fresh water? Fish: Largemouth bass, Northern pike and Smallmouth bass Mean depth of lake is 8ft.
I just went on a 2 hour hike and was seriously annoyed by many insects that tried to get a bite of me. Through years of experimentation on hikes, I have so far arrived at using a 75% DEET solution ...
I am doing a silly adventure : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6LRvj6-7OQ I'll be riding a russian made sidecar on the frozen surface of the baikal lake. Departure from Irkursk and circle on and...
While perusing my gear this morning, it occurred to me that I hadn't bothered to buy or make a stove for backpacking. On the whole, I'm not a big fan of hot food, even when I'm a mite chilled. Wh...
On big, serious routes (Dreamcatcher, Jumbo Love, etc), who puts the bolts in place and how? Are the bolts there before the "first ascent" or does the first ascender put them in place as he goes? I...
I've dismantled several fire-rings in an area that has many fire-rings strung out between a major trail and a river. (Colorado, 8,500 feet). These are not official camp sites. Over the years, pe...
Basically this question, only for New Zealand (both islands). I know that the Freedom Camping Act exists, which basically allows camping everywhere unless it's forbidden. So, where is it actually...
According to the Centre for Outdoor Ethics: "The use of campfires, once a necessity for cooking and warmth, is steeped in history and tradition [...] the natural appearance of many areas has ...
I am planning a hike on the Appalachian Trail. I have never hiked in an area with bears. What safety precautions should I take to avoid them (or for them to avoid me) and what should I do if I enco...
(I know this is subjective, but I'm really at loss with all the confliciting advice I get from my friends... help me stack-exchange! :) ) Hey, I'm planning on doing 2 months trekking in New-Zeal...
I have begun adventuring where I drive to a boat launch on a river near a bike trail, put the canoe on a trailer, and tow the canoe up the trail with the bike. At another boat launch I put the can...
I plan to do a short hike (3-4 days) on the Appalachian Trail in September in Connecticut. What safety precautions should I take? What wild animals (and wild people) could I encounter?
I want to drive to Hearst Lake (map here) and explore the area on foot, but I am unsure what wildlife precautions I should take at a high altitude. Do grizzly, black bears, mountain lions, elk have...
i have a bunch of several-feet-length strips of webbing (polypropyrene) and was wondering if tied together, it can maybe be used as a climbing rope?
I intend to hike and camp where the forecast temperature is around freezing. It can get windy in exposed areas, but I would be starting low and camping amongst the snow gums. During the day air t...
I'm not sure what kind of climbing ropes they are exactly, but the ones I saw online (a bunch of them...) are usually twice as thick (10mm~) as most paracords (4mm~) yet the paracords claim to have...
Choosing a trail gun is proving more challenging than I would like. What handgun calibres are powerful enough to provide some protection against aggressive bears? I want something manageable en...
Dock leaves are the wild cure to stinging nettles, right? Everyone knows this. But how do they stop the stinging? What's the mechanism?
I have a very nice sleeping bag which has been kept stuffed as compressed as possible in a backpack for a couple of months. After reading about the negative effects of such actions, I was wondering...
I am in Toronto, Canada. From mid May to mid September, there is a ton to do outdoors. Fishing, hiking, canoeing ,kayaking , sailing, camping etc etc. In winter, January to March , there is skiing...
I just learned about the via ferrata route in Banff on Norquay, but if you don't go with a guide then it's considered trespassing. Are there any via ferrata routes in the Canadian Rockies that are ...
I just bought an MSR Sweetwater pump for a trip next week. I'm pumping a few quarts now to clean it out, and notice that there is constant dripping water out of the pressure relief valve at the to...
In some areas, such as the western US, wildfires are common during the summer dry season. "Fire safety" advice usually centers on not starting a wildfire, e.g. extinguishing or avoiding campfires....
I, unfortunately, am in the situation where my down sleeping bag has been stored in a compressed state for approximately 11 months (it was bought and used once before this). I have read in many pl...
I have a ProForce All Weather Shelter, which is listed as being "210T rip-stop nylon". On a recent outing, we had four hours of rain overnight and it leaked on me the entire time. Upon closer ins...
As a child, I remember walking with my family over the Gornergletscher to reach the Monte Rosa-Hütte. I remember the same for crossing Vadret da Diavolezza. In both cases, we did not have crampon...
Wild camping is not permitted in Belgium, but I heard about places where this is allowed. Well itś not exactly wild camping but almost. Where are these places? are there any hiking trails associate...
I consider buying my first tent. I do night-day hiking (once in several months). I am still a newbie. I have very hard choice: either to buy 1-person tent or to buy 2-person tent. Currently price...
I have never used a Rappel Ring before but I am told they are really useful. Apparently, if you're trying to rappel in a situation where you have to leave gear at the top to get down safely: use a...
In bear country, we are told, never eat food in your tent. I no longer live in bear country but I may return in the future. If I eat food in my tent now, does that mean that, from a bear's point ...
Esbit tabs can't be lit with a firesteel, unless you grind (produce a powder) some of the tab up first (here's a video about how to do that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHRmWVitRyE). A firestee...
I was told that a pair of Red Wing Irish Setter boots won't work for going to Philmont Scout Ranch, because they've never seen them (according to Philmont outfitter boots department). I'll be doin...
My fly rod says 5/6 wt, and the instructions tell that it can be used with lines of both weight classes if I make the proper adjustments to my cast. My question is what would these adjustments be?
I realise that's a pretty big area, but we're going to be there for 6 days and we have a car so we can go prettty much wherever. We're not big on climbing - anything requiring equipment is out, we ...
My friends and I are planning our first backpacking trip and the date is less than a month away. We just have a couple of loose ends to finish up on. We were wondering what the best method to tie...
I have a pair of wading sandals (made by Keen and designed for water sports) to which I added a few metal studs and have been using for wet wading while fly fishing in shallow streams. Now I wonder...
I have been spending many hours by the water recently and usually try a lot of flies before I find what is working on a particular day. The question is: what to do with all the flies that got wet a...
