General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
Filters (None)
I purchased a couple of used water-proof barrels for keeping things dry in the canoe. They are easy to open and close, so in theory they keep your stuff dry and they float. The lids clamp on (ima...
There is a crack about 12 inches (30cm) long on the edge of my Sunfish sailboat. I am not sure if the crack is all the way through the fiberglass, or just the gel coat. It is on the corner betwee...
I have heard references to gelcoat being a water proof application for a fiberglass boat hull. I have always considered fiberglass as inherently water proof. There are several industries surroundi...
Post-monsoon we have lots of flies and insects in the forests. I was hiking up an easy trail last weekend. It got dark and I still had a couple of hours of walking distance to cover. With no light...
I want to install a deck plate in the top of the fresh water tank of my camp trailer (RV) to allow for cleaning the inside at the start of the season. The product I am looking at recommends "Lubri...
Sunfish have a closed hull with which includes Styrofoam type blocks secured in place with expanding foam. Everything is sealed at the factory. The Sunfish hull has 4 major fiberglass parts:...
While climbing Killi (Mount Kilimanjaro), we were reminded to drink constantly until we reach the summit. I noticed that when I did stop and take some sips of water on the final push, I initially ...
I want to test a shrinking tube as my arrow winding. Commonly I've used the normal yarn and glue combination. However, I wonder how to apply enough heat (at least 120 ° C) to the tube without d...
I want to screw a board in my house to mount indoor climbing holds, like an indoor wall. so a piece of board with evenly spaced screw holes in it that accept the standard screw mounts for climbing ...
I'm seeing great tips on here about swinging arms and legs to warm cold feet and hands in frigid conditions, but it dates back a bit. I'm looking to include 'field-tested' info on this in a magazin...
I am currently living in the Galápagos Islands. They have no drinking tap water, and the water they provide is not recommended to drink. I got an acute gastroenteritis from it. Here they told me it...
I have recently developed an interest in mountaineering. There seems to be so many skills to learn (and master) for mountaineering. Although I know it will take a few years to learn (although I'd...
In Western Ghats, India where I hike, the grass grows tall in the monsoon season. It very well exceeds human height (taller than 7 feet). Last month on a hike the trail suddenly went into such gras...
I'm curious as to the difference between an oar and a paddle. Does it have to do with shape, material, or size? Is it solely related to the type of vessel for which it's used? In other words, c...
I have recently taken up bouldering/rock climbing to learn some rock climbing techniques and learn rope skills. In my research, I have come across two types of climbing: static and dynamic. Altho...
Gelcoat is available in 2 formulas, one has wax (finishing), one does not (layering). Both need to be mixed with an agent to cause it to harden. Gelcoat that is exposed to the air stays tacky, this...
While researching my answer at In a boat repair, what would cause Gelcoat not to harden? I learned about amine blush. Amine blush is a waxy layer that forms as most marine epoxies cure. It can be...
When I was younger, during the late 1960's and 1970's, my Dad had a personal-size sailboat, called the Sunfish. He loved it because it was lightweight, easy to sail on his own, and had room to inc...
One of the arguments made against PLBs is that people will use them in non-emergencies and put rescuers in unnecessary peril. This definitely does happen from time to time as in this case in the G...
Several decades ago, I read a book written by a man who rescued and raised two wolf cubs whose mother had been killed. He was sure his wife would welcome the cubs, but he was apprehensive about the...
Sometimes climbers/mountaineers will say that they are getting an alpine start. What does this mean and why would they want to do this?
I have seen a lot of trail signs and one thing I noticed is that sometimes they have the distance from one point to another like, Phelps Lake 4 miles Death Canyon Shelf 8 miles and somet...
I, an experienced climber who knows how to rappel, would like to take some people on a scramble route that requires rappelling into a notch. The other people on the trip have standard top rope clim...
Sometimes people rappel without a backup prussik, such as when canyoning and sometimes an auto block needs to be adjusted. In either of these situations, is there a way to stop yourself in the midd...
To simul-rappel, the technique goes as follows: Prepare to rappel as usual, passing the rope through bomber bolts; Tie knots on both ends of the rope; Attach your personal anchoring system (PAS) ...
When car camping, I use a solar charger to charge my electronics. Sometimes I can place it outside, and other times I will stick it on the dash to charge things. I can tell that putting it on the ...
I do laps at the pool quite often and when I do front crawl I breathe out with my face in the water. I tried to do the same at a lake (it was quite warm actually but choppy conditions) but found i...
I am looking for a knot that can be used to tie bulky objects together. Usually I would use compression straps to tightly strap a tent to a bike handlebars, but I only have paracord at the moment....
I recently started lead climbing in the gym after taking a lead climbing class. So far, I've only led with someone I know from the class who I watched lead belaying a number of times during the cl...
I was recently hiking around Finland with my girlfriend and we came across several trees that seem to have been had at by some sort of animal. I'm quite curious as to what it may be and any help wo...
I started harvesting pine nut cones from the piñon trees in my area yesterday and am a bit worried about the crop. From the cones I have been able to open I notice that most of the nuts are undevel...
Assessing potential lead climbing partners for competence and safety asserts that a lead climb belay is more complicated and has higher potential for a serious accident over a top rope belay. I...
These blue berries are growing in clusters on a medium size bush in Southern Ontario, Canada. What are they, and are they edible? Here are some details: The leafs are leathery and slippery. Th...
I've been thinking about buying a canoe for a little while now. Growing up my family had an aluminum canoe so I've been looking at aluminum canoes in addition to the plastic canoes commonly seen in...
This Fall, there are a lot of large fires burning in the pacific northwest of the US and the air quality on many trails and mountains is poor as a result. This makes hiking and climbing unpleasant...
Recently I was camping in the local mountains and while showering a storm blew in so I took a shower in a thunderstorm. Some people said it was very dangerous. The showers were basic structures out...
On a recent multi-pitch climb, we encountered a strange situation: The wall was basically divided into three parts: 200m of climbing, a large steep grassy part where you untie from the rope and wa...
Sometimes when hunting elk, especially archery, you will hear elk calls and be unsure whether it is an elk or a human using an elk call. How could one tell the difference?
I was having a debate with my friend on the definition of "Sport Climbing". We both agree it means rock climbing with no pre-setup ropes on a bolted route. I think regardless of whether this rout...
I know I shouldn't indulge in something like going on a beach while wearing shoes with breathable fabric. But, it happened the other day and now I still feel like there is some sand hidden somewhe...
I have hiked in years past up to 12,000 ft but normally topped out around 8,000 ft when doing day hikes. Problem is that I'm in my 60's, haven't hiked in 3 years and live at an altitude that tops ...
Some I've noticed: V0 – hanging by one's arms; shifting weight for balance; pushing with one's legs V1 – pinching, edging V2 – laybacking, pockets, backstepping, flagging V3 – 'more strength'? ...
This answer mentions, The single most effective thing you can do to improve your acclimatization rate is to get in good aerobic shape before starting your trip. It seems plausible that being ...
A comment: One little thing that I understand differently: Sport climbing did not evolve from trad climbing (at least not in the modern sense), but more of artificial climbing. Using gear f...
I've been looking for places to find bats in their natural habitat, rather than around the house. The author of this question saw some bats in a lava tube. I've never heard of a lava tube before, a...
hopefully this is not a duplicate as I've searched for an answer on here before posting. I found this but there seems to be conflicting views on certain aspects of the question. What I would like ...
I am looking for an article that was published in either Rock and Ice or Climbing Magazine around 1999. I know the area and route of the article topic as well as the author's name. I may even have ...
I recently got my new Osprey Atmos 65, and I really want to attach some patches that I bought online. Will normal iron patches work or can I sew them on instead? Will it damage the backpack?
UPDATE - 26 OCTOBER 2017 I just received an email from JanSport Customer Service (after I had sent them the pictures you see below). They still maintain that the subject backpack is a Cascade mod...
If you are hunting elk in a team of two people with one attempting to call it in and the other to kill it, where should the caller be in relation to the hunter?
