General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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When I'm hiking with my friend, some of the time we hike together, but sometimes we hike seperately, and may be some kilometres apart only to meet on the agreed location for the evening. Our next ...
Is it safe to go backcountry hiking in the Tundra's of northwestern Russia, e.g. the Kola peninsula, such as the Khibin mountains? There is some heavy industry around there; can one safely go aroun...
There are a few questions regarding safety of water purification, one regarding expiration date, another regarding iodine, but I know that there are more than one types of water purficiation tablet...
I'm debating what equipment to buy to prepare for a cold weather in mountain terrain and felt it might be useful to test what different temperatures feel like while wearing chosen equipment. My com...
The Norwegian directorate for nature management publishes a map of wilderness showing how far away a particular area is from heavy technical interventions, such as roads, electricity lines, hydro l...
We've completed the Annapurna trek from Bhulbhule to Muktinath in 11 days without special difficulties or knee aches. How much harder would the Haute Route be? Would you consider doing the Tour du...
I have a boat lift in my boat house. I'm concerned that leaving the lift in the water will cause the carpeted bunks and metal cross beams to deteriorate more quickly. Should I keep it up or down w...
During the fall season, fallen leaves from deciduous trees such as maple, oak, etc. can be found in abundance. Dead leaves can be gathered and placed under your sleeping system in order to sleep mo...
I'm debating between carrying a larger water bottle and a smaller one. A larger one means I'll have to stop less to filter water, but it means I'll be carrying more, at least for a period of time. ...
I already asked if I had to change the food for winter. Since freezing is a major concern in winter, which types of food are more suitable because they are less inclined to freeze ?
What are the legal issues when entering school areas while searching for geocaches? Some caches are located in such places. The first is available without problem for children and teachers, but wha...
My hiking shoes starting having problems with the insoles, so I got replacements. However the replacements I have are "Trim to fit." How do I get the proper shape so that I don't end up with any ...
My wife gets itchy hives if you stays out under the hot sun for too long. They go away within a day but is uncomfortable. I am wondering if anyone else who loves the outdoors experiences this and ...
In the past, I have gone backpacking with some fairly expensive, heavy water purification tools. But the more I read about water safety in California's Sierras (here and here), the less I think the...
So I've been running to work as my form of commuting and I've been getting by with my Gregory Z45 internal-frame pack for carrying whatever I need for the day. What bothers me about this pack is t...
What is a self erecting tent? What are the advantages of a self erecting tent as opposed to a tent that isn't, and what are the disadvantages?
I just moved to Virginia (Fairfax County) a few months ago. I've done some hiking around the area, mostly by the Potomac. With Spring starting I want to get in to some fishing. Can anyone give me s...
Possible Duplicate: Training to prepare for oxygen deficiency in the high mountains My girlfriend and I are looking to do a portion of the Annapurna pass (Jomsom trek). She has climbed K...
I went on a hike with my wife the other day in Norcal. This place had a creek that led into a cave that you can swim in. We both left our backpacks at the cave entrance and then swam through it to ...
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...
Whenever I see clothing articles geared toward hiking and backpacking that discuss layering (base layer for wicking, mid layer for insulation, etc.), they always seem to discuss these things in ter...
Are there any foods that should be off-limits when backpacking because they have a negative impact on performance or well-being? I am thinking that candy-bars and very greasy foods might be candida...
I used someone else's Wisperlite Universal for the duration of a trip and it looks like the only functional difference is a jet that can be attached for burning propane. Can I purchase just that je...
In winter your hand and feet (especially toes and fingers) may get painfully cold or you may even stop feeling them. How can you warm them up? This usually happens, when it's below 0°С or when it'...
There is a local shop that sells small brand name gear for pretty good prices. I am looking at their harnesses and quickdraws and would like to know: 1) Whether the equipment is safe - say compar...
I have seen a tool that helps drain the last of the fuel out of your isobutane fuel canister, and then pierce it to make it easy to crush. It's a simple little gadget that looks like a can opener. ...
At a casual look, grass with a bit of surface water on it can look very similar to a potentially deadly marsh, and in many rural places there can be lots of both after it's been raining! In dry wea...
There's some discussion here about SPOT vs. PLB. The article recommends that PLB's (Personal Locator Beacons) are more reliable than SPOT (Satellite Communications), a comment says this is not tru...
In honor of National Ice Cream Month, does anyone have a good back-country ice cream recipe they could share? Bonus points for ones that don't require ice (ice field, glacier, etc.)
Why is it advised (here at Outdoors) to tie a bowline knot with its ending on the inside ("Standard Bowline") and not at the outside ("Cowboy Bowline")? See pictures below. If you're unlucky the e...
I have been mountaineering for about four years now and one of the things I have learned is how important a good knife really is. A knife that is sharp, durable, and can take a beating can make a ...
The steering on my Yamaha 50TLR outboard motor is very stiff. What can I do to make it easier to steer?
When choosing a water bottle for hiking, a very distinct choice I can make (amongst all the other types of materials and hardiness, size and so on) is weighing up whether to purchase a "hard" plast...
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.
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...
Geocaching.com has a listing of fundamental placement guidelines that include legal and and other restrictions like cache saturation. What are some more informal guidelines to follow when placing a...
From a beginning fisher: Can I, say, float a raft out into the middle of a lake, with several fishing lines/hooks/bait hanging into the lake, with the whole thing tethered to the shore by a long r...
What should I look for in a suntan lotion for a nude camping trip? I don't know what to look for when it goes on the whole body. Are there any ingredients that I should watch out for?
In an episode in the tv series "I shouldn't be alive", crew members of a yacht racing team got caught in a violent storm and found themselves stranded in the Gulf of Mexico after their boat capsize...
Do folding (or telescoping) cross-country skis exist and if so are they useable? Update: Or are there small cross-country skis that are short enough for easy transport, yet still capable of provid...
Tyvek generally comes in 4' and 5' wide sheets. To make a suitable tarp, footprint, groundcloth, etc. I will need to sew together a couple of sheets. How do I seam seal the Tyvek to prevent leaki...
I've been climbing off and on since I was a teenager, but one thing I've never done much of is taping my hands. As I gained more experience, it's value is now apparent. What are some good techniq...
Obviously cross/back-country skis can be damaged by skiing over things like rocks, stones, gravel and asphalt. What about other, softer objects exposed when the snow starts to melt, like sticks, ro...
It is a rare day that I head out into the winter wilds without a flask of sumpt'n-sumpt'n in my pocket. A nip helps one to relax, can mildly embolden timid skiers in my group, and gives one that fi...
I really enjoy surfing and would say that I am intermediate level or definitely over the beginner curve. Anyway I am looking at these 4 boards right now and need to know what experience you guys ha...
I went camping a week ago and it was so cold. I woke up many times at night shaking because of the cold. I have a cheap and old Wal-Mart sleeping bag, and I am thinking about buying one of these $1...
This summer I'm planning to mount my first 4000 m mountain in Switzerland. So far I only got around 3300 meters while hiking and had no problems. However 4000 meter an above is definitively a diffe...
These days, almost every sleeping bag sold is given a thermal insulation numeric "rating", either the USA version or the more accurate European version. But vintage bags did not have this industry...
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 ...
Every year at the beginning of the spring, I do preliminary hikes and do some light maintenance (removing broken tree from the trail etc...) but this question made me realize to what extend should ...
