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You can't. Bring a lighter and matches :) I've seen so-called fire starting "experts" who say they can start a fire with sticks using a spindle or bow, but it almost never works in real life. They...
Many fish will strike at any moving object of roughly the right shape. Generally shiny is better when improvising fake bait. However you can almost always catch a bug or worm of some kind to put ...
Dig a bit and search for worms. Look under some old rocks or break open a rotting log and grab a couple insects. If you have a bit of granola or a raisin, or something similar, try that. If you ...
The only advantage I see to a folding knife is its size when collapsed. I always carry a folding knife in my pocket, but when hiking I have a fixed blade strapped to my pack. I prefer to use my fix...
I like the native american fish trap (fishing weir). It's relatively easy to build if you have the right access to a stream. The basic idea behind this trap is to create a funnel that the fish f...
When bitten by a rattlesnake: keep the patient still. keep the body part/limb bitten below the area of the heart. do not constrict blood flow. Remove jewelry, other articles of clothing or any ac...
Medical care is needed immediately. Get it quickly. The Sawyer Kit is actually reported to reduce the severity of bites, but does not replace the need for care. It may buy you some extra time th...
Some, not all, do indeed come in two sides, and which one you use depends on the reason you use it. One of the sides strongly reflects heat. A hypothermic person therefore wants to have that reflec...
One time in the Bihor mountains I watched a group of locals catch quite a remarkable number of fish by hand. They would walk upstream fairly fast running creek, two of them actually in the water, ...
You cannot effectively navigate a bearing without a compass. However if you loose your compass, break it, or otherwise forget it, all is not lost. You will need several items to fix this situatio...
Until just a few years ago I would have said tweezers. I use a tick key these days because it removes without squeezing the tick. I get between three and a dozen ticks a year (they like me), ...
As far as compasses are concerned I look for several things: Sealed liquid needle enclosure Creates a much easier to read measurement. Latching lid, to cover the needle and housing. Rotating b...
You can actually reach in to the water and grab the fish. No running or chasing. You just quietly get in position, and then when it's time, you quickly grab the fish. Thomas Elpel describes the pr...
I would inspect your rope long before you get to the crag, rather than just before you're about to use/need it. Rope inspection is essentially going over the whole length of the rope, looking for ...
Mosquitoes love me, so I've had opportunity to try many variations of repellent. Most of the things you mentioned are effective immediately after application. For me, the difference is how effect...
I would suggest using a Kydex or plastic sheath. You can also buy Kydex inserts for your leather/nylon etc. sheaths as well. According to Grant Lamontagne at the Multitool.org Forum: The nice ...
This might sound a bit daft - but you could be holding on to the rock too tightly. Your other questions indicate you might be pretty new to climbing, and it is common for beginners to make this mis...
Just additional two cents, but don't underestimate the visibility of a green laser pointer at night. In survival situations and with light fog, a green laser pointer shooting up in the sky will mak...
This is an extremely deep topic which has entire forum sites dedicated to it. However I will attempt to summarize the key points for the average enthusiast. First - Don't ever travel into uncontro...
Use an ammunition box - commonly found at Army/Navy surplus stores or on eBay/Craiglist for ~$10 USD, depending on the caliber size of the box. .50 caliber boxes are larger than, say, 30 caliber. ...
This is one of the reasons I always hike with at least one extra pair of socks and tend to wear shoes that shed water quickly as opposed to being water proof. If you're in a consistently wet enviro...
After dealing with a lot of wet feet issues I have learned some tricks. Keeping feet dry While hiking, use gaitors that come above your socks and divert water away from the wicking material. Kee...
Laws vary greatly by region, and are subject to being changed at any time. That being said, there are a few sites I used when looking up the knife laws in California. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
A tent may give you slightly more protection than sleeping out in the open, but not much. If a bear wants at you, the fabric of the tent is no match for his sharp claws. Bears, both black and g...
Carry extra socks and a couple of kitchen-sized trash bags. When you soak a shoe or boot, squeeze out the wet sock and let it start drying on the back of the pack. Put on a dry sock. Then put the t...
