Posts tagged gear
A friend was asking about grappling hooks the other day, apparently they'd seen a mountaineering program where the guy carried a grappling hook. We couldn't quite figure out why, I've never seen an...
I have been walking/running/hiking in my huaraches for about half a year now and have worn through 3 pairs of laces. I have been using accessory cord used in climbing as lacing material, since it h...
I'm going to buy a one-man packraft, capable going some wilder stuff. For the beginning I would like to try it with a used one. What should I look for when buying a second hand packraft?
After rappelling near waterfalls, or during the rain, the harness often becomes wet and hard to remove -- particularly for inexperienced people. How can I instruct someone in how to remove the har...
I have a backpack that I often wear on my (outdoor) walks to and from work each day. The walk is 30 minutes one-way and mostly in an open field/park area, so in the afternoon it's usually warm enou...
It's pretty common to use 1 oz Nalgene bottles to hold the spices in a spice kit for backpacking as they are waterproof and the right size. Image Source The problem comes when trying to label t...
I just got back from some time skiing, during which I wore a backpack to carry my off piste gear and water, etc. I saw many of the ESF (École du Ski Français) instructors wearing front mounted pouc...
I was going through the REI website for some of the products and I stumbled upon this one here. It's called Y & Y VERTICAL Classic Belay Glasses The product punchline says: Stop wrenching...
I'm a snowboarder. In preparation for a skitour trip, I was on the lookout for splitboards. But it turns out that even renting them can be a bit of a hassle and/or is quite expensive. As availabil...
I noticed a few archers who have a different kind of quiver (different from a back-, bow- or side-quiver). It's kind of a pocket where the arrows are literally "plugged in". Just like in a bow-quiv...
What kind of mittens is Les Stroud wearing? Is there a name for them? I'm interested to find out about them and what it costs for a pair.
I have a backpack that is about fifteen years old. The interior surface becomes a little sticky from the deterioration of the coating or material. How to repair this?
Reading through are other packrafting questions it looks like it would be a neat activity, especially since there are quite a few beautiful alpine lakes that would be neat to float across and they ...
Inflatable life vests and PFDs that I have seen so far are meant to be inflated in emergency (either by mouth or CO2 cartridge). I didn't use them myself but they don't look like they could be defl...
I would like to use the wind to propel my packraft on passages over lakes. Are there any lightweight and/or improvised sail systems? Especially: how do I erect a mast on the packraft without it be...
I love hiking and I'm starting to love longer cycling trips too. I've done combined cycling/hiking trips (cycling to the trailhead of a hike). Last summer I met someone who carried an inflatable ra...
Sometimes people will keep notes or things they see in the outdoors or keep a journal and paper getting wet and then wrecked is a big problem. The other obvious use is printing maps off from the...
When climbing single pitch routes, it makes sense to carry as little as possible while actually on the route, as almost every eventuality can be easily dealt with by simply lowering back to the gro...
We have long carried a backpacker's solar water heater on our trips. The bliss of warm -- nearly hot -- water in quantity for washing one's filthy self is worth the small extra weight -- especiall...
I have been reading some "make your own gear" forums, and making waxed canvas bags seems to be a popular craft. I recently did a little research into ripstop nylon (for another SE, here), and it s...
I would like to hike part of the Alps that go from France to Slovenia, but I'm not sure what type of equipment I'll need. I'm wondering if I need to bring crampons; I have Icetrekkers (Diamond Grip...
Whenever I browse knife shops or online stores I see many fixed-blade knives whose handles are essentially just a piece of paracord wrapped around the tang. From my anecdotal experience this also s...
When I'm cross-country skiing, I usually wear glacier glasses to protect from the intense glare off the snow. When I'm moving, they usually stay clear . Whenever I stop though, my glasses seem to ...
Are there any gender-specific climbing (or other) harnesses? For example a chest harness?
When buying stuff I have never cared whether a specific thing is a female or a male model. All I care about is the fit. Since I am tall, a lot of female oriented equipment, e.g. skis, wouldn't even...
It looks like I may be able to spend couple months from March in Newfoundland. During my last trip I noticed a great number of hauntingly beautiful bogs, right by the road - thus one could effortle...
I'm in the market for a backpack for fast paced multi-day hiking (away from food up to 1 week). I've tried some of the really big backpacks (65L) and found the padding bulky. I've tried some good o...
Most backpacking backpacks have both a big main compartment and a "brain" which goes over the top of the main compartment. Image source When packing, which gear should go into the brain?
Does anyone know the strength of an ATC when used in a multi-pitch set up? It occurred to me that the entire weight of a climber is resting on the strength of the ATC clip and not on any carabiner....
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 use a backpack to commute on foot. It has one vent channel on the back to cool the back, but the problem I think is my shell. Heat builds up on my back and I get sweaty. As a cyclist, I have a n...
This is my assortment of lures/bait: (The can is Gulp! Earthworms) I went fishing and caught my first fish today with the golden spoon in the red box to the 2nd far right (below the daredev...
So I am going on a 6 days wildness hike. I have a down sleep bag that can comfortably cover up to 3 degrees if I have thermos on. I am considering getting a sleeping bag liner. Main concerns are: ...
I'm actually shopping for a new sleeping bag and am a bit in doubt about a question that I do not find treated anywhere: By investing an arbitrarily huge amount of money I can buy a sleeping bag to...
The laces on my hiking boots broke years ago, and instead of going out of my way to buy a replacement pair, I replaced them with some lengths of paracord I had kicking around, albeit with the inten...
Many bicycle panniers are made of waterproof material. Backpacks are not, necessitating built-in or separate raincovers. Why don't backpacks use the material that waterproof panniers do? Unlike ...
I just purchased a daypack to stuff inside my larger backpack while travelling. It came with cinch-straps but I'm not sure of the proper way to use them (if there is one). The daypack is a North...
I'm an intermediate level kayaker but have only paddled plastic boats. I'm looking for a kayak to do multi-day trips in on the ocean. What are the differences between plastic and fiberglass?
Backpacks that we use are typically categorized in litres (Or liters if you are an American English follower). Whats is the point? Why don't we have backpacks that are categorized as for example ...
I have been told that electronics can possibly interfere with avalanche beacons (cell phones, radios, etc., but even flashlights). Is there any truth to this? A source would be helpful, ideally fro...
I have a very old backpack (10-15 years old) that is perfect for one day or weekend hikes. The problem is that the inside material has started to peel off and it leaves small bits of yellowish plas...
On flat shoes, like the Merrell Proterra's, is it possible to use gaiters (for snow)?
Given some paracord, is there a simple check that I can make to check that it's genuine and not the cheaper knock off stuff? Number of strands seems like the most obvious point, but is there anythi...
I've seen various images / comments online of how people decide to store their kayaks. Some people wall mount them, some have a rack, some stack them with padding, some hang them (horizontally / v...
I have two pairs of collapsible poles made by Black Diamond (Traverse and Expedition 3). I tried using them for cross-country skiing on groomed trails, but the baskets I was using (the trekking and...
I intend to go camping in Scotland (mainly the Isle of Mull, that is Western, central Scotland) next week, i.e. last week of May. I have read quite a lot about the weather and know I should prepare...
I usually do sport-climbing so I've never owned a static rope. However, most rope-related Q&As in TGO.SE don't bother specifying dynamic vs static ropes. I've been told that for rappelling (o...
I'm interested in how Viking era1) hikers carried their gear and provisions while out and about on foot. My focus here would be longer walks in civilian life, e.g. to get from farm A to farm B. I.e...
I like to carry a daypack that doubles up as a travel bag for a 2-3 day trip, so I don't have to repack my work gear into a travel bag. Last year I found an excellent candidate in the Osprey Radial...
The motivation for this question is the impalement question. The impalement question asked what to do in a particular catastrophic accident if Phones are dead, you don't have a PLB, and if yo...
