General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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In early summer in the high mountains, snowfields may lie over rivers. These rivers may be otherwise tricky to ford, and it can be very tempting to use the snowfield to cross the river. However, ...
Can I use my Sawyer filter when the city issues a boil order? Or could there contaminants such as viruses present that require boiling? How about other filters such as carbon filters? I'm confiden...
Where can I find a good elevation profile of Tahoe Rim Trail? This website has an elevation profile based on GPS data points. However, it is not laid out in a very useful format. I'm looking for s...
I've used muzzleloaders for years without a problem, but heard that the nipples can fail catastrophically, causing injury to the face. Is there a way to tell when it's time to replace them?
I have come across two good products for carrying the water during expeditions. I wonder which of them would be scientifically better to have along. Yes, I agree that this question may sound lik...
I have an expedition planned in Himalayas, around the Mt. Kanchenjunga region. I believe at higher altitudes, apart from preparation (both physical and psychological), one has to be sure about a fa...
When swimming in the ocean I often get rashes where I have skin to skin contact, especially where my arms move against my torso and where my thighs move against each other. What can I do to prevent...
I know I am supposed to put food-related trash inside my bear canister. Should I also put used female hygiene products and ziplock bags holding used toilet paper inside my bear canister over night?...
Do any of the Scafell Pike ascents cross rivers/lakes? I want to hike Scafell Pike, but I don't want to be looking at rocks the whole time. I'd prefer to lake or stream/river scenery. Does anyone k...
On my treks, I often need to ford rivers — on my last trek (3½ day) I forded five, including four on a single day (not counting >100 smaller streams). My current practice is to take off my boot...
While planning my trip, I was looking at some trails. They all say x amount of hours, but I didn't know if that was to the peak or if that was back and forth. What is the general rule?
My dog enjoys hiking. I haven't taken her on any overnight trips yet, but would like to try some summer/fall backcountry camping with her (i.e., what I think Europeans call wild camping -- not car ...
I just bought my first pair of mountaineering boots. I know hiking boots need to be properly broken in before taking them on the trail, but what about plastic mountaineering boots? These are extre...
I've researched extensively and yet I'm still not sure what to do for rainy/freezing temperatures. If I don't want to bring a beanie, how do I apply the layering principle to my head? Is it enough...
The general advice I have heard for surprise lightning storms when climbing is to retreat. Since retreating quickly is not without danger itself and often is not even all that quick (I personally h...
There are two main factors that cause me to get thorns in the feet when hiking barefoot: Usually, the forest ground consists of many layers - grass, beneath it rotten leaves, beneath it grass roo...
I have an old 20' racing sailboat where the outhaul is mostly missing. The wire is there at the end of the boom, but there's no rope coming out to cleat it. How can I run a new rope through the boo...
Greetings Outdoor experts, I recently moved to USA, and looking to bootstrap myself for hikes, camping and other outdoor activities. I have not bought a proper outdoor setup earlier, rather I car...
A friend is about 7 months pregnant and was told not to buckle her waist straps on her backpack. When during pregnancy should a woman stop buckling the waist straps?
How do female-urination-devices like the Shewee and the GOGIRL perform on backpacking trips that are at least a week? Do they start smelling? Do they attract bears?
How to learn to find north using moon phases? I'm looking for easy-to-remember rule of thumb, at best some simple graphic. It's quite trivial by full moon. Since full moon is in direct opposition ...
I was wondering if there was a way to make a fire pit and start a fire in it, and have a way to protect the ground beneith it as much as possible. I don't really know how I could manage to do that...
Does anybody have experience with BOTH the Lone Wolf Assault II vs the Muddy Outdoors Hunter Pro? Please keep the discussion to this comparison. I'm leaning towards the muddy, it's lighter, and che...
From my experience, I've only ever used hard shells simply because I've always thought they were made for more treacherous weather. However, I recently saw a video by Patagonia that claimed soft sh...
For rainy/snowy conditions, which layer, besides the hard shell, should have be hooded? There will be times that I will be hiking for long durations, but for the most part, there are little to no a...
The previous founder wrote in cache log that he had dropped a trackable called GeoKret. I've found it, but I don't know how to log it? I can't find it on GC site.
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...
I want to put a zip line in my backyard for my kids. I'm looking for advice on what type to use, safety tips, and installation advice.
Mosquitoes are the one of the most disliked petspest, but they don't seem to take it to heart. When I go fast through their territory, they seem to have problem with biting me (but if there are e...
I've always wondered about the permanent "hooks" (it seems the proper term for them is "anchors" — pitons, bolts, etc.) that are placed in the some rock climbing routes to help climbers. Since they...
I'll be camping in Scandinavia during the winter, but I can't find any 1-person 4-season tents on REI or similar sites. Do these things exist? Could it be that I can't find them because it's highl...
Is (more or less planned) emergency overnighting with usage of hammock and/or canvas tent considered wild camping in Europe (especially in Germany)? In many countries, such as Germany, wild campi...
Today on the short geocaching trip I've barely escaped hail storm. It wasn't very long, but I was without any special equipment. Light umbrella would survive a few minutes, and my jacket would prov...
Over the next 6 months I will be training for my first marathon. This means I will be running 4 times a week, with at least one long (10-20 mile) run each weekend. I have run several half-marathon...
I was geocaching a bit and I've found in many caches the warning not to cache in the night during the winter because of hunting season. My question is, have such limitations a legal basis, and if ...
What are the dangers of swimming in natural bodies of water? In essence I would like to know about all types of waters, but I am mostly interested in sea because it is most relevant to me. Like man...
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...
Growing up we were always taught to never step straight over a rock or log because it is a good way to step on or startle a snake that you cannot see. However, on a lot of hiking forums I see it a...
As stated in the title: is there any evidence that the hormones etc that the body produces during intercourse increases one's likelihood of encountering a bear in the back-country?
Today I received an e-mail from Arc'Teryx stating that Fall 2013 ushers in the arrival of technical DOWN and NEW GORE-TEX® Pro technology. What is technical down? I assume it is some sort of ...
I recently moved to US (New York) and planning to go hiking to all nearby places - NY, NJ trails. Some hikes require that I wear waterproof shoes, and some hikes doesn't specify any. I first thoug...
How can I tell when my minimal running shoes go bad? Let me explain. Conventional Wisdom The conventional wisdom of marathon runners is that running shoes will eventually 'go bad'. That is, at s...
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...
We are 5 friends on vacation. Each of us has a smartphone but most have no experience with GPS. If we were only 2 or so I would suggest geocaching for getting practice. But with 5 it would just lea...
Blisters are usually happening if you walk much more than you are used to, or the shoes are much harder than those you usually wear. For example on multi-day trekkings in heavy trekking shoes. The ...
I cooked a couple of times but I was just aiding a colleague that also brought all the ingredients and had the know-how. And I have a poor memory, obviously. How do you cook yours? What recipe do ...
I would like a watch that would give me access to the raw data it records. Not some magic transfer to the cloud where graphs are built on the fly for me. The data-points that I'm interested in ar...
I was planning on making the famous TMB, "Tour du Mont Blanc" by bike ? Is it possible ? Is it authorized ? What are your recommandations ?
I am going for a two week trip in two weeks. We are two people, with bicycles and backpacks. Small sections of the trip pass through rocky trail with steel ropes. The weather is summer, but the pos...
