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With your hand on top of the head of the axe and holding it down by your side, the spike should come down to about your ankle. This will feel quite short, but when walking on steep ground (which yo...
I would say you need things in this order. Only #1 is required: A harness. You can't climb with a rope unless you have one. Shoes. You can get by with runners, but climbing shoes make a world o...
If you are in bear country, I agree 100% with everyone - cook somewhere else. 100m away minimum. In winter, not in bear country, getting out of your tent to cook sucks. Fortunately, many mountai...
I almost always hike in tennis shoes (court shoes) if it's reasonably dry and free of snow. I use them for climbs, day hikes, and backpacking. I don't have ankle problems, so I don't the ankle supp...
If you need to walk on a compass bearing in poor visibility, stand still, and send someone out in front of you on the correct bearing for a distance (probably as far as you can see). Have them stan...
Your equipment list will depend on whether you are: Free soloing (climbing without protective equipment; not good for a beginner!) Top roping Lead climbing Assuming that you aren't Free soling,...
Getting a pair of boots that correctly fit is very important. Go to a reputable hiking shop and having a knowledgeable assistant give you multiple types of boots with different fits and see which f...
If you run out of fuel, have engine trouble, run aground soft, when there is no immediate danger to the marine environment, the boat, or the persons on board, then towing is just towing. If a vess...
Here is my magic blister treatment method. You need to have this stuff in your kit: Lanolin: Yes, otherwise known as sheep grease. Sold in pharmacies as an aid for breastfeeding mothers. It i...
Hiking in the desert? As much as you can carry! I tend to prefer packing more water than less, and especially in a desert area where if something goes wrong, your access to resupply is very limited...
"Better" might be the wrong question. Here are few alternatives: "Safer" - Canister, hands down. Depending on where you are, bears have been known to study brilliant bear hangs, find the critical ...
I hiked all of the Pacific Crest Trail (~4000km) and the Continental Divide Trail (~4200km) wearing shoes 1.5 sizes too large and 2-4 widths too wide (i.e. normally size 11.5D but wore 12.5EEEE). ...
Too much toe room is only a problem if you have too much movement in the shoe due to the size. That can cause blisters. If you have to have a bigger toe box, then a larger shoe could be a good solu...
I have a feeling this question is going to come up a lot on this site... as I mentioned here it is an old and persistent myth that full leather boots will necessarily have a blister-inducing break-...
Boiling kills everything -- giardia, cryptosporidium, other bacteria, and viruses. 185°F (85°C) for a few minutes will do it, and boiling for one minute will do it. (Boiling is lots of big bubbles,...
In addition to the obvious stuff regarding climbing equipment in the other answers, I would add: Woolly hat (it can get chilly waiting for your turn on the crag) Gloves (there's a type of glove, ...
It takes more than 4-5 days to have problems from a limited diet, as long as you get enough of short-term things like salt (which is not normally a problem). Even so, I usually take some Flintstone...
I think it depends on how rigid your soles are. If you're wearing flexible soles, and you need to edge your toes on a ledge, then that gap at the front of your shoe can cause the sole to bend and ...
This gets into the realm of "personal preference" but I would suggest only tie those things on the outside of your pack that you don't want at the end of the day. Anything on the outside will tend...
The Gore-Tex trail shoes I'm wearing right now have the Gore-Tex layer on the inside (between my socks and the outer suede/synthetic). I'm not sure that you can do anything to fix that layer once i...
If your sleeping bag, or its compression bag, doesn't have straps around the outside, you'll need at least four pieces of twine to strap your bag down. Two to loop around the sleeping bag, and two ...
Some crampons have a heel lever that clamps down on the sole at the heel of the boot. These are more stable, but they don't always fit things like rubber boots. Steel crampons will stay sharp, but...
It depends a bit on your circumstance, but it's fair to say that the 3 options you provided would each be okay, given the right circumstance. If you are close to the treeline, it might well be wor...
I suggest using a bow drill. It's a little tricky to start, but once you get the hang of it you can get pretty good at it. For wood selections, you generally want to stick with the following: Ob...
You should keep the bite site clean (make sure you got the whole tick out, and didn't leave the head behind, still in the skin). This is to avoid infection. Then, watch the area to look for a ras...
