General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
Filters (None)
If you notice a loss of pressure in an inflatable boat/dinghy while underway, how can you prevent or slow the loss? This is most important in full inflatables. Even if you are in shallow enough w...
Many years ago, I was reading a book in which the Chamonix guides of the 1940s and 1950s were featured. It could have possibly been Annapurna by Maurice Herzog, but I just don't remember. Several...
Are the stitches on Adidas shoes' foot (out sole) part for decor only, or do they have a purpose for more durability via sewing and gluing? (see on linked image, foot part with white stitches) I ...
I've read that hammocks are a very light way to travel through the wilderness. You just need the hammock, a cover, and a light sleeping bag, but there must be disadvantages compared to taking a ten...
I have a 120cm nylon runner that I want to use to tether me to an anchor bolt while cleaning the anchor. The runner has a small fray (pictures below). Is it safe to use?
Whistles are often used for emergency signalling, it would be good to know how far that signal can travel and still be recognized. There are plenty of factors that would affect the distance, so ho...
Does anyone know if the forearm grab/hold (both people holding each other's forearms) provides more grip/strength then the normal wrist to wrist grab (similar to traditional handshake) if you are t...
I regularly use a machete to clear brush. I must be using the wrong technique for the tool ... or the wrong tool given my technique. In order to maximize the speed of the blade, I rotate my wrist...
On the Genshtab (Генштаб) Soviet military maps, I can read that this ford through the stream Вертный has a stony bottom, a depth of at most 4 dm, and a width of 29 m (under typical circumstances)¹....
I went and applied grangers DWR treatment to my waterproof cycling jacket and put it in the dryer for a few minutes to set it. After my first couple rides, it appears there are a few small spots wh...
In addition to my question about how to light a Son of Hibachi portable grill, I want to know which charcoals I should get. Which characteristics should I have an eye on?
I am wondering about the "cross country like" aspects of Alpine Touring gear. I am in Ontario Canada, where hills as small as 75 meters can be referred to as "mountains". I'm a relatively experie...
There's a question on the site seeking information about foraging food in Sweden. One of the answers says any wild food in the forests of Swedish Lapland can be foraged and removed except "protecte...
Michael Strogoff by Jules Verne (1876) describes how Siberian hunters used to hunt bears with nothing but a knife. This was ideally done with a single lethal blow, to damage the fur as little as po...
If I want to build an igloo to keep me warm in a snowy climate, how can I go about this? What size blocks should I cut? How big should the entrance be? How can I mitigate the risk of the igloo co...
In spring 2018, I intend to visit Bears Ears National Monument. Not any more; President Trump has declared to reduce the size of the monument. The area I intend to visit, around the Valley of the...
I have pretty much always worn 100% cotton shirts when hiking but I have been reading more and more about the amazing "wicking" properties of other fabrics. Is there one that will keep me cooler ...
When you're sailing upwind (in close reach) and there comes a stronger blast of wind, how should skipper behave? Should they turn away from the wind (because modern yachts are constructed so that w...
I'm collecting ideas on this topic. I'm using a DIY alcohol stove made of a soda can. I have seen a guy refilling the same stove using this, but he doesn't explain where he found it, or how he bui...
In this excellent answer, LBell quotes the U.S. definition of wilderness: (1) generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man's work substanti...
I've found these tracks just a couple of days ago on the Ursa beach near Cabo da Roca, Portugal. I'm not familiar with the fauna of this place and the only possible candidate I've found for now is ...
On Amundsen's polar expedition they had, Of instruments and apparatus for the sledge journeys we carried two sextants, three artificial horizons, of which two were glass horizons with dark glas...
Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I was snowboarding. I liked it very much, and I got used to it very quickly, as I was skateboarding before. The only thing I did not understand was how to ...
Having read about the recent foot traverse of Antarctica by Colin O'Brady I was wondering which means the polar explorers of former, pre-GPS times used to determine that they had reached the North ...
I am a novice sailor (at best) and natively German-speaking, so the question might contain incorrect use of sailing terms and further misconceptions - thanks for any pointers in comments. In high ...
We were out on a night hike. A helicopter showed up, by behavior it was search and rescue, looking not too far away from our group. It might have simply been doing training, but if it was a real ...
This question (Calculate true north with a compass and map) got me thinking. I rarely bother adjusting compass bearings for magnetic north. Is this bad? I understand the theory but I just rarely bo...
I'm working on a novel. The main character recently (six months ago) lost her arm above the elbow. She's attending a summer camp, and I'm wondering if, with proper planning (and probably a mountain...
In the comments of the accepted answer to this longstanding question: Water filters - why sand and rocks? the makings of a debate started, but no definitive consensus was reached. I'm going to do m...
Last spring, we went to the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, United States. We don't like places with captive animals, unless they're work is essential for the survival of life on the planet. We m...
My mother gave me an old rod that I think she just found and I need help identifying it. There are some pictures below. The whole group of pictures is here. Its only identifying marks is a sticke...
If you want to walk on a glacier you usually do this roped together as a team. How to walk as a roped party on a glacier? What I have to pay attention to when knotting the rope? Related ques...
I just saw a documentary where they investigated lakes inside of glaciers. They rapelled in big crevasses and even dived in those sometimes huge water reservoirs. The scientist had a regular looki...
While there are a number of recognized sub-species of Canada geese, this question pertains to the main species, Branta canadensis. This answer to a question asking how many hours a day Canada Gee...
A quick search online shows there are dozens of different types of hiking socks, with different materials, thicknesses, and properties. In general, what should you look for when shopping for hiking...
I'm curious what the differences are between alpaca wool and merino wool. Say for hiking in hot weather and cold weather, using socks and base layers. I'm especially interested in the durability ...
For a multi-day backpacking trip, what is the ideal weight of a backpack? And what is that max weight that no sane human should go over?
I have hives that are close to a field that gets sprayed each year, any help to protect my bees would be nice.
We're planning to walk / run the entire 275 miles (443 km) of the A5, from London to Holyhead. On Page 5 of the Official Highway Code, it states that: Pedestrians MUST NOT be on motorways or sl...
Have the good fortune of having sparrows around my house. I feed basmati rice + big bowl of water to sparrows. I sprinkle basmati rice and other grains in the balcony. The sparrows flock once in...
I am in the market for a kayak and am wondering what type of kayak or what features I should look at given my requirements. Here's the details you'll probably need to help me out: I'm 6'1" and 21...
My wife and I are going to buy some hiking boots as we've been using regular tennis shoes anytime we go on a hike. What are the things I need to keep in mind when looking for a good set of quality...
Is it safe to girth-hitch nylon webbing through my harness tie-in points and then shorten the webbing via an overhand loop (assume it is too long) and clipping the non-bight part to the bolt in the...
We've had at least one discussion about what to feed birds in the crow and raven families in our yards. This question is about the most effective way to do so. When setting up the feeding areas o...
I heard two terms 'back country camping' and 'front country camping' but I don't know what the difference between the two is. How are they different.
I have an older plastic Coleman canoe. It gets a lot of abuse I have noticed some weak spots that may be a problem in the future. I looked around online and seems that they are made of High-densit...
I'm on holiday near Sechelt right now, and have been hiking the trails and powerline right of ways. On several occasions I've come to the end of one trail, and can see the start again on the other...
I am considering taking a few skiing lessons soon (never skied before), and the amount of specialized gear seems to be a lot. I hike a bit, and have good merino socks, which are great for warmth as...
We have a woodpile, protected from wind and precipitation, under the eaves of our house. Earlier, perhaps a month earlier, I several times saw two chipmunks emerging from, and going back into the ...
Found this rock on a river bed in north GA while snorkeling. I can not identify it. It appears to be granite with crystal growing inside. There or deep holes and pockets on bothe sides and rathe...
