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To be honest I was dubious about getting something that I thought was gimmicky, but my son’s Scout troop was selling custom Buffs to raise group funds so I ended up buying one. A Buff is just a tu...
When hiking in the cold you need to be able to sweat but not get cold. A good choice would be clothing that can breathe well and is lightweight and layered. Materials made with a natural wool mix ...
This question really made me curious as my wife has asked me the same thing. If you end up finding a better solution than anyone on this site can provide, I ask that you would please share it. I s...
A pant or snow pant that stops wind, like the Patagonia Guide Pants or goretex shell pants would be good. I'd say the same for the top, and outer shell that cuts wind, with the fleece underneath, ...
Skiing is a sport where taking lessons pays off very quickly. Skiing is not an inexpensive sport: a lift ticket, lessons and rentals will cost you several hundred, but if you set aside about 3-5 da...
Every ski resort gives lessons, and that's how you should begin. You can rent skis, and they will help you get them on, etc. Dress in clothes you would wear to go sledding. Remember that you wor...
If you are into ultralight/lightweight backpacking, nothing tops BackpackingLight. They do a lot of scientific testing, and the articles are very thorough. It is a pay site, but it's something li...
I see that a good option on the sodium is to buy the components (vegetable medley, cooked beef, green peas, etc.) which are all lower sodium than the premixed meals. Instead of buying dehydrated/ ...
Botulinum toxin is particularly tough, as is Bacillus cereus. B. cereus is more likely found while camping. But your goal is not so much to kill everything as reduce the level to the point wher...
The CDC says Picaridin and DEET* are the best, with Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus** being something of a shorter-lasting runner-up: Of the active ingredients registered with the EPA, CDC believes tha...
As other answers say, don't just try it. A good negative indicator is skin irritation. I've read that particularly with berries, if you crush some berries and rub some of the juice on a patch of s...
Besides DEET, the CDC lists: Picaridin (Cutter Advanced, Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus, and Autan (outside the United States)) Lemon Eucalyptus oil (PMD)** (no examples given) IR3535 (Skin So Soft ...
I have camped in the Okavango delta, Kalahari desert and on Kilimanjaro. I would not try sleeping outside, tent is a minimum. On one of the trips we had a 4x4 with a roof tent. That was very prac...
There is one more important technique you can use that I was taught in New Zealand, where you have to cross rivers all the time. If you have a group of people (at least 3), you can greatly enhanc...
The figure of 8 knot can be used instead of the bowline. It has a somewhat higher breaking strength. It is also very easy to untie even after being loaded. You might want to consider the alpine bu...
If it's not actually raining, leave as many vestibule doors/tent doors as possible completely open. Within reason, setup somewhere that will have breezes but hopefully not so exposed that a big wi...
The above advice is quite good, just wanted to add on thing to consider regarding food in bear country. You have probably heard the expression "a fed bear is a dead bear". Giving up your "smelly"...
I tend to look on the livefortheoutdoors site - it has a fair few reviews, not loads, but those it does have are pretty comprehensive and (in my eyes) well written and balanced.
I often use Outdoors Magic when trying to work out what to buy! Another magazine in the UK I subscribe to is Trail, there parent website, "Live for the Outdoors" can be found here. There is also Ge...
As a rough guide to waterproofness - 5000mm is generally rainproof but won't necessarily stand up well to torrential rain. Around 15000 should be fine in that context. If you go higher than that th...
When I was in the scouts a few years ago we used to use patrol tents with natural fibre guy ropes. We were always taught to slacken the guys off when it started to rain because the ropes shrink. ...
The only meaningful thing I can think of is that the R-value of a pad is crucial to being warm in colder conditions. If the manufacturer of the foam padding you are buying provides the R-value (or...
If it doesn't need to be pretty, a cost effective option is spinnaker repair tape (nylon cloth tape, for example, see products on this page). It is designed for repairs to yacht sails so it is dura...
Personally I would - unless perhaps you definitely know that for the particular area and route you're taking the risk is minimal. Just because others may not be as cautious doesn't necessarily make...
You're right it's very rare to see anyone wearing a helmet whilst scrambling in the UK, that doesn't mean it's not a good idea though! As with a lot of safety equipment, it comes down to personal r...
