General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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How can you verify that a water filter still works? I've had one for several years and I suspect it may not be working. Is there a way to test and make sure that it still filters to the factory s...
From a comment on the How to select paracord question I was curious, what is the benefit of paracord over hardware store yellow twisted poly stuff? The yellow stuff is cheap, readily available, fl...
Paracord is widely considered a must-have for wilderness survival, and there are hundreds of tutorials for making bracelets out of it, etc. With this popularity has come a glut of people selling "p...
What is a good and easy way to fold a (50-100') rope for storage so that it resembles a caterpillar and has no loose ends getting undone? Close to the way it comes folded in a store like this at th...
My outdoor gear has been relegated to the garage but I want to keep it off the ground, I have a beam and paracord and am using a double fisherman's bend and a midshipman knot to keep it elevated bu...
As pointed out in a comment by cobaltduck in the question What type of rope to use for the mainsheet of sunfish? the proper name for rope when used on a boat is line. If I go to the store and buy ...
A z-pulley or z-drag is a way of gaining leverage to pull a rope tight or to pull an object or person closer to the anchor. It is commonly used to tighten Tyrolean traverses, recover pinned boats i...
I've noticed that some icebreaker clothing is labeled as "black sheep" merino wool and the same with other brands, so I am wondering if someone can explain or link to something that explains well w...
I am new to snowboard. I am not yet prepared to spend a lot of money on it. I know a special jacket for skiing is better but won't it suffice to just use normal urban jacket for skiing in the begin...
I own several down jackets but my favorite and warmest doesn't have the best colors. It's black which is great but shoulder area is orange. It's an LL Bean jacket. Is it possible I can dye and ch...
I have a bunch of dirty hard-shell pants and jackets. Are these safe to put in the washer and dryer? If not, how should I clean them?
I have a waterproof/breathable rain jacket which has a few holes in it (caused by a minor bicycle crash, in case that information is relevant). They are not too big, about 5mm across. How can I pa...
I have recently taken up golf but have been a keen hiker/outdoorsman for a while. I am struggling to find a compelling reason to invest in "golf-specific" waterproof clothing. Is there any rea...
I have a trouble with my membrane jacket. When I am crouching or moving around, my jacket rises up in the back and doesn't go down when I stand up straight again. How can I prevent the jacket from ...
A lot of the fatal accidents in Yosemite National park come from people getting swept over waterfalls. Yes, the falls in Yosemite have fences and warning signs and yet people still ignore them. If...
Recently we visited the alps in Bavaria. We hiked near a lake which had a lot of foam swimming on it. It was not spray from the water but rather a really dense dirty foam. Comparable to shaving foa...
I'm using a multi fuel stove (MSR Dragonfly) for a 10 day ski tour, how much fuel should I allow to provide sufficient water for cooking and drinking. Meals will be mostly dehydrated just-add-water...
Drinking too much (and wasting it) or insufficient water quantity can be dangerous. The current method that I am using to judge if I am doing it correctly is urine colour: clear white - if water ...
Many years ago I read that buffalo hunters would drink the liquid out of buffalo's eyes to gross out the greenhorns and tenderfeet (people new to the West). Attached to this anecdote was a claim th...
While trekking, I prefer having fruits in the real form, not dried ones and no pulp or juices. When carried without being squished fruits like apple, litchi and strawberries don't rot in a couple ...
I went to get almonds at Walgreens and my friend said he would get me a bunch from the beach. And he proceeded to give me 4 almond fruits. I had seen these many times on the trees (here in San Ju...
When scuba diving I use a weight belt for my weight system - my BCD does have an integrated weight system, but I am still working on my weight distribution for trim, and total amount for buoyancy. ...
Everyone knows that fires are a big concern during droughts, but can they also cause a drought elsewhere? I currently live just on the East side of the Canadian Rockies. All summer long fires have ...
This bird showed up on the website NextDoor. A bunch of people were saying it's a Cooper's Hawk. To me it's clearly a Peregrine Falcon. My reasoning is: there are Peregrines around here all the t...
I have a PUR Hiker Microfilter and a Katadyn Water Microfilter sitting in my closet that I only use once in a great while (I don't go on overnight backpacking trips very often). Whenever I do plan...
I intend to use a dry bag as a bear-bag to store my food while camping and I was going to hang it. I had read in another post that a dry bag would not limit the bear's sense of smell as a bear bag...
I am not much used to Camping in Cold areas. But I have been told by hikers that Hypothermia is something that I should be very careful of. Since childhood, it has been like, I don't catch cold ver...
I noticed I have to pee more than usual out in cold weather. Does anyone have a scientific explanation for that?
In a situation where you don't know when you will find water again, is it better to ration the water you have over time (and ever increasing dehydration) or to drink it to quench thirst as soon as ...
When I went to Stok Kangri trek, while climbing down from the peak, on the snow-filled slopes, I felt terribly dehydrated. I was having ample amount of water throughout the climb and yet, I felt de...
Its somewhat wrong to say a leak, I should rather say a small hole. But how would you go about sealing/fixing it? I know many of us would say, "Why so much trouble? trash it, and get a new one", b...
For an incoming trip, I am considering buying a camelback hydration system. There are two options available at my local preferred dealer, and I would like some advice on which one to choose. The ma...
I saw an ad today for a pressurized hydration pack. My first thought was "why?". I can't imagine a scenario where this would not lead to (a) more weight, or (b) greater risk of failure... neither...
I'm asking this just for curiosity: Imagine your are alone in the wilderness without any resources since a few days. You're dehydrated and you find a bottle of an alcoholic liquor in your baggage. ...
If I'm going to be climbing a mountain, would drinking a small amount at altitude have any negative effects (besides general alcohol effects)?
Shenandoah National Park allows alcohol, but it's a bit far from me for a one-night getaway with family. Do you know of a list of camp sites in Northern VA which allow alcohol?
In the past week I've seen two answers mentioning electrolytes; one about the grand canyon and one in an answer on a question that was actually about wildlife, but where other desert dangers were d...
I've heard from a tour leader that you shouldn't drink tea in high altitude because it makes you thirsty and cause problem in blood circulation. Is this true? Should'nt we drink tea in high altitude?
If I want to transport a litre of a hot liquid, what's the best option? Use a single one litre flask Use two 500 ml flasks. (Preferable due to the distribution of weight across two people). Whi...
A friend of mine asked a experienced long distance hiker, how to drink during such a hike. The answer was, drink 0.1l water per hour and then you are fine. Is this correct and can anyone add some ...
When choosing a water bottle for hiking, a very distinct choice I can make (amongst all the other types of materials and hardiness, size and so on) is weighing up whether to purchase a "hard" plast...
Recently, I've started drinking more and more tap water instead of buying bottles all the time (which is usually absolutely no issue in Germany). I like to use a bottle for that not fill a glass a...
I'm debating between carrying a larger water bottle and a smaller one. A larger one means I'll have to stop less to filter water, but it means I'll be carrying more, at least for a period of time. ...
I want to buy a canteen, and I have choice between aluminum, stainless steel, enamel and various kinds of plastic. I had canteens before that made any liquid taste horrible after just few hours. ...
I have two old hydration bladders, both of which are no longer usable (in one the cap is broken, in the other the internal bag is ripped). Spare parts appear to be unavailable. Is there anything go...
In the past, I have gone backpacking with some fairly expensive, heavy water purification tools. But the more I read about water safety in California's Sierras (here and here), the less I think the...
After using water bladder, how to dry it thoroughly besides simply pouring out the water content so any remnant of water inside it is cleanly eliminated?
The bite valve on my Osprey water bladder is covered in a black mould. It's not very old and this is the second valve I've had on this. It seems to be impossible to remove and seems to grow no ...
I normally use cheap, lightweight water bottles to carry my water when I'm hiking. However, sometimes I'm with people who use bladders such as a CamelBak, and I offer to go and fill water bottles, ...
I have a normal waterproof backpack. Last weekend when I went camping, I lethargically packed it, and the whole bottle of edible oil got spilt inside. I have tried cleaning it with salt water, luke...
