Search
Roland Muser wrote a book, Long-Distance Hiking: Lessons from the Appalachian Trail, based on surveys of 136 long-distance hikers, each of whom spent 3-6 months on the trail. Some relevant quotes (...
Freedom of the Hills has a chapter on rappelling that includes a detailed discussion of this topic. Tie it "uphill" from the belay device or "downhill"? Downhill. If the Prusik is downhill f...
Someone who has overweight isn't normally able to carry more, so weight isn't as important. The height would be more adequate... Muscle strength isn't much important when you go on long hikes... St...
Generally, thorns will not dissolve in the body. Very small ones may work their way out, but they may not. Treat them and any other sharp objects as possible sources of infection. The first thing ...
A hunting rifle with a telescopic sight (called a 'scope') can also be used as a basic telescope to view distant objects (called 'glassing') but note this practice this is considered by hunters to ...
The breed of dog will make a difference, but most "backpacking" dogs will do just fine in the open or under the tarp with you. A dog's metabolism works differently than humans, and they generate ...
I think it will be entirely random, depending on the airline, the airport and the individual security people who x-ray your bag. I've had climbing gear rejected and put into the hold one one trip, ...
I think you won't be able to do much with your existing rucksack, but there are many out there specifically designed to avoid the sweaty back. Deuter make a range of rucksacks with their Airstripe...
The best practice for climbing is to actually go climbing. I have wasted both time and money experimenting with training setups at home for practicing climbing, and I have mostly been disappointed....
There is a product called naked surf that you can apply as a liquid rash guard.
The simple solution is not to rub your arms against your torso. If you can't do this, you can buy things like rash vests, that a lot of surfers and kayakers use, or even house fat or Vaseline like ...
When on long backpacking trips, what I do is to take a day at a time. I have seen many lose morale when they start to think about the number of days left in front of them. For me, taking a day at a...
On canoeing trips, especially with a lot of people, I schedule at least one "stay put" day for every two or three moving days. This allows different people to do different things: hike up to a hi...
When hiking with small children, you can boost their morale by throwing candies in front of you and pretend to follow the trace of the easterbunny, or something like that. In my experience all of t...
We are planning to do the Auyuittuq traverse next summer in Canada's Arctic where we must cross glacier-feed streem that can ve wide, deep and swift. Respecting shoes to cross rivers, we are looki...
What is your intended use for those joined ropes? If your life depends on it (you tagged your question with "safety"), I would not recommend using drastically different sized ropes in the first pla...
For California I have had great luck with Tom Harrison maps. Most sporting goods stores, rest stops and tourist information places carry those. The Quadrangles for download on the USGS website some...
The answer to this question depends completely on the weather and on how plentiful water is on your route. In the Sierra, the answer is typically zero, i.e., there is almost never any need to carry...
The liner acts as a climate control mechanism for your body through a reduction of moisture and an increase in circulation. The synthetic fiber content acts as a wick to pull the moisture away from...
I like the question although I am not a geocacher at all. If I want to allow strangers to enter my garden I have to give some kind of permission I guess. I understand that you don't want to make a...
It is/was a popular pastime for environmentalists to chain themselves to the rails, and worse, to throw hooks onto the catenary. Trains catch these hooks and rip the catenary down. For this reason...
I met a fellow from Holland using a Wheelie to hike across Canada. This was his third or fourth summer hiking across Canada and he recommended the Wheelie for anything close to what he was doing. ...
As far as I know you should be able to survive for quite a long time. I often hear about ocean racers who have just freeze-dried foods to eat and they live on that for more then 2-3 months at a tim...
Heel hooks and toe hooks will probably hurt... My biggest concern is due to the individual toes this might make small foot holds uncomfortable. With a traditional climbing shoe the pressure is div...
Polishing a blade means sanding it with very fine compound (more than 2000 factor). Specialized pastes exist just for that. For example:
