General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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We have several used gear shops locally, which also sell climbing shoes. I'm looking to start climbing and I am considering buying used shoes to save cost. Is it ever safe to buy used shoes, and ...
I'm particularly curious about their footwear.
I am 179-180cm (about 5.9ft) tall. I bought a Thermolite Reactor Compact Plus sleeping bag liner. By specification it is 183cm, (6ft), however I did not count that the "head-end" also wraps one's h...
I will be going to a ski resort in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. It’s also very popular for winter hiking and has a lot of routes set out. Because I can’t go skiing this year I’d like to do some hiking...
During my recent ski touring trip I have forgotten the protective mesh of my climbing skins in the car. I have noticed my mistake when on the top of the mountain, but by then it was way too late. N...
In one of the Hornblower books, "We're weathering on her" said Hornblower; his eye was aching with staring through the glass, and his arms even were weary with holding the telescope to his eye,...
This weekend I was out for the third time on my MSR Lightning Ascent snowshoes. I'm pretty happy with them, particularly the traction on ice or heavy crust. However, the bindings are driving me cra...
See this article on plogging, from the Washington Post Swedish Fitness Craze Coming to the US (March 06, 2018): Have you recently spotted people toting trash bags while jogging? Or their hand...
I'm looking at an 11lb-capacity propane canister (2 1/2 gallons). The canister itself ostensibly weighs 13 pounds. If filled to the max (which you're not supposed to do anyway), is the maximum this...
A recent post said: a black bear can kill a man (or a dog) with a single swat of its paw. I suppose anything is possible. But is it realistic? Has it ever happened? Googling 'man killed by ...
Are there any possible risks of exercising (body weight, calisthenics only) at high altitudes? I'm talking of altitudes above 4500m. The whole premise is not to lose muscle mass. Background: I'll ...
A group of four family and friends including two senior adults is contemplating about camping at Zion National Park in mid-December. I wonder: How cold (in terms of real feel -- sometimes past...
I've often heard that it is the altitude and exposure that makes Everest most challenging, but technically speaking, it's not a very challenging climb at all. Supposedly, if base camp for Everest w...
Is there a relative scale to which one can estimate the size of a shark by looking at its dorsal fin? I know it will differ from species to species, but is there a general guideline maybe for each...
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 have two large dogs - a German Shepherd and a Presa Canario. I hike alone with my dogs in black (not grizzly) bear country. Do I still need to hang my food? Or will the three of us be able to c...
For a very long time now, I've believed and taught that burning Rhododendron or Mountain Laurel in a campfire will make you sick because of the toxins in these plants becoming airborne then inhaled...
You can go into almost any pet store in the UK, especially the big chains, and see first aid kits for your dog. Is there anything specifically required for a dog first aid kit, or will a human fir...
How can one cross a barbed wire fence safely? Assumptions: Height of the person: 5.8 (172cm) Distance between barb wires is roughly 9 inches (20-22 cm), Fence is 4 to 4.5 (120-140cm) feet tall, no...
I have a pair of salomon rocker 2s with z12 bindings on a demo plate. Would it be advantageous for my skiing performance to remove the demo plate and have the bindings directly on the skis? I norma...
I'm an absolute beginner about boats, but let's say I want to buy a boat to use in the canals of my city (Amsterdam), but also for "long" trips, to other cities, coasts. Trips that require days to ...
Me and my girlfriend will go there in January and we plan on hiking for a week or so. Unfortunately there are no maps or books available for NZ hiking in my area. Could you recommend some for me? ...
This summer I am heading out with three friends to galavant through the American west on little more than gas money and a dream. The trip is looking like 2 weeks or so. Assuming I already know abou...
I am planning to rent a campervan during a 1-month trip to New Zealand (South Island) which is self-contained, however, does not come with a shower. I wonder whether it is ok to use a solar shower ...
Suppose a leg is wounded (either from a gunshot or a knife) and there is significant bleeding. We see in movies that a fabric is tied around the place of bleeding to decrease/stop bleeding. My q...
I normally use synthetic leather boots for trekking. But recently I had a bad experience with a very cheap pair of boots and I had to walk 3 days in wet boots. So I was wondering if someone can g...
I spent some time in a wigwam today, and due to the wind conditions, it was very difficult to keep the smoke out. Are there some tricks one can use in a situation like that to make the wigwam more...
In the same Hornblower story that inspired this question, Hornblower tricks the French captain by acting as if to tack, but stopping and swinging back. When the French try to do the same they are u...
On the east coast of the United States where I live, various species of birds migrate South (sometimes West) for the winter. Some stop briefly on their long trek, others have been here for months. ...
The more common way of belaying is called PBUS which stands for Pull, Under, Brake, Slide. What is the correct way to do this (including illustrations)?
I'm trying to increase the hummingbird population in my yard in Northeastern United States. I grow certain types of flowers specifically designed to keep them happy, and have often found them drink...
An avid novice angler with some experience with bass fishing, I recently moved to northern Atlanta. I love the cultural dynamics here in Atlanta, but haven't had a chance to meet other anglers. I w...
Let's say you want to be a voyageur, canoeing on a river like the North Saskatchewan. (We'll leave aside the current state of the beaver pelt industry.) What do you have to do differently to trav...
I have a problem with one hand that has bad circulation, this means that if my hand gets cold and wet for extended times I get chilblains which are more than a nuisance. The problem is that I hav...
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 know I could just carry a bottle, but scavenging is much more fun. What is a good source of vitamin C in the wild? Have spruce needles really got enough?
This summer I will (once more) go for an extended trek in the very north of Sweden (and/or Norway). The region we'll likely end up in will be around the big trekking routes Kungsleden/Padjelantaled...
It's spring here in the Northeastern United States, and we're getting a large influx of the wonderful birds who will spend the summer and fall with us. Although we feed and water birds, and any oth...
Imagine the situation. You are somewhere in the montblanc massif crossing a glacier and you come across a pair of climbers. You/ I are well trained in crevasse rescue, but are not a certified guide...
Decades ago, there was a proposal that there should be no-rescue zones for backpackers, in which backpackers would be entirely on their own, and rescue by government agencies would not be permitted...
In another question someone posted a photo of a skier going up an apparently extremely steep slope on skins. This slope looks so steep that skinning would be really difficult (especially on an icy...
I'm looking to replace the line in a traveller on a catamaran and I need a very hard wearing sheath due to the nature of the setup. Is dyneema the way to go here?
Last week, while exploring tree snowboarding at Big Sky, MT, I ended up in a tree well. I was up to my waist and was able to crawl out. But it felt awkward and I see how I could sink deeper. My qu...
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 was recently in the mountains of Snowdonia in thick snow. It was about 2 foot (about 0.6m) in places. It was a lovely day just after Christmas so it was quite busy too (even a few snow boarders o...
I am planning to learn snowboarding for the first time and would like to take some classes. I am trying to plan a visit to a ski resort and for that I am looking at the weather report shown below a...
I'm planning a 3 day hike (somewhere between early June and early September) in the New Hampshire's White Mountains, specifically the Presidentials. I'd like to avoid the biggest crowds and would...
This is possibly a little of a generalisation but, why are indoor grades easier than outdoor grades? Having climbed at many many indoor walls (all over the uk) and done multiple outdoor climbs (b...
I was making the last of my approach to Mt Ritter when I saw this salamander. It was probably 3-4 inches long and around 4:30 in the morning, I think the forecasted temperature was around 40° Fa...
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...
