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I posted an answer for a recent question about a forest fire that started after your hike began, that said: Presumably you registered at the trailhead, and you have a friend who knows where you...
In the absence of the DWR, it would still be waterproof, but not breathable. The DWR coating is to keep the rain off of the layer of Gore-tex but does not provide the waterproofing. Once the DWR c...
Do they work? Yes...but you need to know why... The Key, Like Most Things, Is Understanding How They Work The material on “space” blankets was actually developed by NASA for the purpose of use in...
Sometimes on a hot, humid day, we see lightning off in the distance. If we're out on a trail or camping in the evening, it's even brighter. It seems to be traveling in almost a sideways motion. We ...
If I stop to take a break in cold dry windy weather, I am perfectly happy tossing a big puffy belay jacket on top of my shell if I can get out of the wind. If I cannot get out of the wind, I will u...
I'd advise against plugging in a 30 to 15 amp converter and using it directly. If something short circuits in your 15 amp cabling it might not be enough to trip the 30 amp breaker (if there even is...
There are two main schools of thought: the "fast and light" / "light is right" / "rope, rack, shirt on your back" camp and the "be prepared" / "safety first" crowd. When taken to extremes, blindly ...
Acid rain usually has a pH of around 4-5, while normal rain is around 5.6, and pure water is 7, or neutral [1] [2]. To give that in perspective, acid rain is less acidic than orange juice or soda,...
Go to your local fishing shop. They usually can give you some solid advice. Good fishing gear does not have to be expensive, even for larger fish. Once you get really specialized, you might need an...
In addition to the good answer from @whatsisname, don't forget about the possibility of gear and/or placement failure. If you're leading, you have precisely one piece of gear catching your fall. ...
Some articles about microfractures: We dropped 30 carabiners from heights of 21, 40, and 109 feet onto concrete, filmed the impact on high-speed video, and tested their ultimate strength. ... ...
Mountaineers doing technical alpine routes certainly use rock pro under wet or icy conditions. However, the kind of routes they're climbing are typically not the kind of high-angle stuff that you h...
I consider a couple of factors when it comes to dropped gear: Some equipment is pretty easy to inspect. A carabiner has one moving part (the gate, possibly a second, if it's a locker). Nuts and h...
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...
Before I started to trad climb, I was using mobile protection in an alpine environment. As a consequence, I never fell into a piece of gear and belays (that were not bolted) were save by location, ...
It depends on the amount of rain and on the surface you are running/walking on. Now, there is unquestionably a threshold where the amount of rain makes the time exposure factor so significant that ...
I assume based on the [backpacking] tag and the phrases "miles away from civilization" and "most contents of a pack are essential" that you are specifically talking about back country camping and n...
Separate answer because I feel it addresses a different point than the other answers As stated in the other answers, you should of course teach basic clipping and leading techniques, making sure t...
In my experience and opinion, sleeping outdoors in below-freezing weather can be pretty miserable. Certainly there are people who enjoy it, but if you've never tried it you don't know if you're one...
From this article on SectionHiker: If you only hike on days when there’s zero percent chance of rain, you aren’t going to do much hiking. Sooner or later, you are going to get soaked through-an...
When building a fire in any weather condition you need some kind of starter. If you are expecting to experience wet conditions a great planning step is to store some starter in a waterproof locatio...
With dedication you could learn to climb at a top-rope or bouldering climbing gym without professional instruction. The key skill there is belaying, and you could learn that from videos. However ...
Climbing accidents very rarely are a result of mechanical failure, and almost always a result of human error. Traditionally, climbers built their own climbing gear as you've mentioned, I personal...
Get out. You can quickly cool down when it's raining out, in particular when the rain is horizontal and it's 4°C outside. You say there's no shelter anywhere near. Then walk as fast as you can t...
Theoretically, run. Practically, slowly jog or briskly walk so that you don't slip and fall. The TV series MythBusters initially tested this with artificial rain and found that walking was better ...
