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Nail polish is the way to go. Everyone I know, including myself, uses it to identify whose gear is whose.
Unfortunately nail polish would probably gunk up the locking mechanism. I wouldn't put nail polish on any moving piece of a carabiner. You can use nail polish to mark your gear so you know that i...
The following references from a few major rope manufacturers cover rope care thoroughly. Please see the bottom of this answer for a summary. From Bluewater Ropes: Avoid stepping on your rope. ...
Yes! This is a rewarding and awesome experience. I have three children that I take hiking all the time. My youngest is almost a month old and he hasn't been out yet, but will as soon as he has a bi...
I am planning my first multi-day hike. I haven't selected a pack yet. I do not know which size pack I need. I see that packs are rated in liters. That got me thinking since some white garbage bags ...
Trying to stuff your gear into a plastic bag will only give you a lower bound on the pack size. As with many parameters, the backpack size in litres is more to compare different models, not to be t...
I have noticed that preparing a backpack for a 1-2-10 day trip can take up to 3 hours. I would like to cut this time way down. Concerning this, I have had several ideas: Have a the pack outfit...
For a 2 day adventure I wouldn't bring any extra pairs of boots. Just the one wearing. A set of clothes (wearing) and a spare one. Have multiple layers. Hiking in the snow would warm you up good, a...
Other tidbits I've heard from local** guides: Wearing red increases your risk of being struck by lightning Burning egg shells will anger forest spirits and cause nightmares and illness The quicke...
Though there is no scientific answer, you can make use of some experience-based guidelines. They vary much and none is "true". There are some of our local considerations: Our club's empirical thr...
Don't split it. Not all people on a trip are equally strong. There is a bunch of other group stuff too. Look at the total group gear when dividing things up. Having one person repsonsible for ...
I used to apply the 30% rule, and for out of shape adults it works pretty well. But I worked with teenage males, ranging from the 70 lb dripping wet grade 7 to the 160 lb lean as a rake grade 12 j...
There are a few differences between the SOT kayaks and a touring kayak that you'll want to consider. Length SOT kayaks tend to be shorter and wider than touring boats. This can make SOT's a lit...
I've recently retired a rope (dynamic) and a harness. They're both in very good shape, but just over 8 years old. Common sense dictates I throw them away, but I wonder if there are other uses I can...
Entire books and multi-day training classes are built around thus topic. Climbers spend months either following a more experienced leader, or taking risks and learning stuff the hard way. Lead ro...
Water resistant down has interesting properties which make it appealing for outdoor applications. However, it is not widely available and seems to be only offered in certain fill powers. How is th...
You propose packing food deeply in your backpack. I'd specifically recommend against that. Bears (and other wild animals) have vastly more acute senses of smell than humans, and they won't hesita...
Expedition weight relates to the temperature rating and level of activity. It usually means cold and low activity. According to REI expert-advice section. For cool conditions, thermal underwea...
I just purchased a daypack to stuff inside my larger backpack while travelling. It came with cinch-straps but I'm not sure of the proper way to use them (if there is one). The daypack is a North...
I love doing routes with 3 people. Once you are efficient at it, those don't take much longer than going with 2 people, you have someone to talk to when the leader is taking forever, and you have a...
The most obvious thing is an emergency blanket. It will add a lot of extra insulation per gram. It'a good to have one in you bag on any trip. However, a mere blanket is definitely not enough for a...
Best I found is to freeze. I know it's against the point of having as fresh as you can but cut in meal portions. Then freeze. wrap in freeze paper then pack in soft lunch cooler. it can be attached...
I have gone through several filters, and have cleaned them many times. There are a few steps to doing this though. What you'll need... muriatic acid, 2 buckets, long plastic stirrer, face mask, h...
Another brand is Platypus. I have their "Hoser" line, which has some differences from the models you show: The hose is detachable. The bag has only one opening, with a screw fitting. You fill ...
We did some research on this once and the results were kind of sad. For major backpacking brands of sleeping bags (say, Marmot or Big Agnes) the major differences between sleeping bags for the two...
