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Bears have a seriously sensitive nose. I can't remember the correct values, but they have magnitudes more smell receptors than a bloodhound (I just looked it up, a bear's nose is estimated to be 7 ...
While I'm not too familiar with this brand, a 2013 article on BackpackingLight (largely paywalled) discussed recent developments in canister stoves, most of which are now manufactured in Asia. I t...
You sharpen the secondary / backbevel (the 15 degrees) when you do not get that hair-popping sharpness form the 20 degree angle. Or you use the 15 degrees to get a knife with a thick bevel to razo...
Make a big fire. This may sound silly and couterintuitive, but the reason is pretty simple. If you make a small fire you need to put your stuff pretty close to it to have any chance of drying it i...
I only wear hiking boots if there is significant off trail or heavy scree. The last dozen or so expeditions (1 week + trips ~50 lb pack) I did I mostly wore MEC reef boots, or divers boots, sized ...
Real examples abound. The best one from a story perspective is Wallace's "Lure of the Labrador" An entertaining read for so many bad decisions. They were out 5 months, expected to live by huntin...
To my knowledge, all popular routes in the United States require packing out all waste. Here are the rules for Yosemite, which has good guidelines applicable everywhere: http://www.nps.gov/yose/pl...
First, a good place is where you can fit your tent's guy lines. What is the weather (forecast)? good weather: sunny, clear, stable distance to the fireplace, water and toilet go close to the ...
I wouldn't label this as a "myth" tout court because it may depend on the very single piece of gear, I mean it's material, design, and manufacturing. While one carabiner may not suffer from being d...
Project Remote was started by a scientifically-minded couple to quantitatively determine the most remote locations in each of the 50 states mainly using the distance to the nearest road or town and...
Most of the "untouched" places left in North America are that way for a reason, no one wants to touch them. There are loads of barren desserts in Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona that people do...
This is a broad question, so here's a broad answer: The coastal ranges north of SF are heavily forested and have narrow steep valleys.... and hillbillies and marijuana farms. Although as you go in...
Two other answers have given methods for measuring this on-site. The trouble is that there's a lot of behavioral and sociological research showing that this doesn't really work. Once you get to the...
TL;DR: Look for manufacturer standards associations (UIAA, CE, ISO): Climbing Gear Strength Rating and Testing Standards The general rule of thumb about gear in Rock Climbing is when you have a...
Etiquette varies a great deal according to locality. In the same way that trad/bolting ethics does. Best practice would be to see if your guide book has advice for the area you are climbing in and ...
When aiding, you can use a slip knot to tie off a fixed piton close to the rock face (if the eye is broken). You can do the same thing for a chickenhead if its shaped in such a way that the rope mu...
For a novice, momentum, and fear of falling, matter more here than in most things you'll do on the wall. Statically reaching on an overhang is very intense. Use your legs (generally) to push/prope...
Having the rope behind your leg massively increases the chance of being turned upside down when falling, this is quite dangerous but is avoidable with care! Perhaps to answer your question more...
You can use the common technique with the poles to measure the slope angle like discribed by @EverythingRightPlace. There is also a ski-pole-sticker that you can attach to your pole and then simp...
This applies to most sport situations, but there will by some exceptions. This assumes you have draws or other proper gear at the anchors that are not part of the fixed anchors. Just led the route...
Switzerland again: all farmland and forest area is owned by someone who has to give you permission. However, I never bother, but I apply strictly no/low impact techniques: Cooking only in designa...
I had similar problems and I used hiking poles for some time. I however discontinued the use of hiking poles as I like to have my hands free and I do not like the additional weight. What really mat...
If the water is sufficiently clean that you are willing to eat the fish, it's clean enough to use to bleed the fish. Dirt as such isn't poisonous. Clear water isn't necessarily safe. Two ways ...
a fence for horses or cows, Take a grass straw, wet it a little bit, hold it against the fence, if it ticks in your fingers it means the power is on. i always do that do double check before put my...
Combining alcohol and wood burning in one stove is not easy, as both media ask for completely different designs to burn efficiently. Consider to carry one cookset for alcohol (burner, pot stand an...
