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I assume that you are somewhere where the normal situation is that tap water is safe to drink. The order not to do so can result from analyses (water samples) failing the microbiological or chem...
I would just like to add a comment about your "in the summer" bullet point. A few years ago I went to the southwest to hike in Utah canyon country. I had some smartwool socks. I wore a clean pair ...
I don't know what's recommended. I carry a Sawyer Extractor for snakebites. I've used it on a spider bite and various insect bites. It works by using a vacuum to extract the venom or whatever has e...
They key to all smelly shoes is bacteria. From a prevention perspective, I always wash my feet before they spend a prolonged or arduous of time in shoes or boots. A good spray with an anti-bacteria...
If you are being asked to boil water it has a biological contamination. Boiling would have no beneficial effect on chemically contaminated water. With this in mind, any chemical treatment would be ...
"Waterproof" means that no water will penetrate. "Water resistant" means that there exists a limit of exposure at which water will penetrate. Watches are normally water resistant to a particular...
Your ice will keep longer if you drain the water. If you want to prove it to yourself, get 2 cups. Fill one with cold fridge water and leave the other empty. Put an ice cube in each and see which ...
It's really simple. The universe wants everything to be the same temperature so if we left the cooler in a sufficiently large, constant temperature environment, the cooler and all its contents woul...
I would not advise putting wet socks anywhere near anything that's preventing you from getting cold if it would generate a risk of hypothermia through decreased insulation or increased heat conduct...
When we get cold vasoconstriction occurs. This prevents the blood at the extremities being subject to heat conduction away from the body. This is not an adaption, this is a reaction. The body emi...
For me, as a thumb rule, when on high altitude treks, I do not go for any food which is digestion intensive. i.e, any food which required a lot of oxygen to get digested is not favorable. You can...
What you are looking for is a walkie-talkie / two-way radio / private mobile radio with voice control. Normally, to communicate with a walkie-talkie, you need to press a transmit button. Some mod...
I've used a double liner (one inside the tent, one outside) before, and it was very effective. When I was in high school, I went on a multi-day backpacking trip where it rained every day. This wa...
If you put down a ground tarp that is significantly larger than the tent (and by significant I mean more than an inch or so), tuck any extra under the tent, otherwise rain will hit the tarp and the...
Well, having done both I can safely say that the haute route was harder for me. I've finished the Annapurna in a relatively good condition last year, and finished the haute route with 2 kneepads, a...
The Khibin mountains and the neighboring area are very popular places to visit in Russia, especially for hiking. There is one relatively big town there - Kirovsk, and you can start your trip from t...
Yes it does dry shoes much faster. When long distance hiking it is definitely a nice thing to be able to stop in town and dry your shoes overnight using newspapers. It will draw a lot of the dampne...
Yes, they dry faster. Newspaper ink got messy for me so instead I've used packing paper (the stuff that they wrap shoes with in the shoebox) for similar, yet cleaner, results. I've reused it many...
While airflow does dry shoes, it is much less effective than physically wicking moisture away using towel, some or paper. Capillary action is very effective at removing water from anything, and wi...
I'd probably go with a foam roll mat under you, as your biggest heat loss well be conduction through the metal bed. As the space isn't that great, the cap shouldn't need insulation, but this will ...
You might want to look at Reflectix, an thin, well-insulating material used for car windshield shades, among other things. You can get it at any hardware store. My only concern would be that it's...
There are two kinds of USGS maps. Two articles on directionsmap.com explain the situation: US Topo – A New National Map Series. Larry Moore, May 2011. US Topo - A New National Map Series, 2012 ...
A hat. Or a cap with a sun shield. It covers the back part of your neck and ears from harmful sun rays. Also, make sure that the cap is UV protective. A simple hat might not do the trick of blocki...
In my experience, you need to calibrate each guidebook or website to your own experience. As a case study, I can speak from experience with two guidebooks describing hikes and treks in the same re...
The protectiveness of sow bears towards its cubs is generic across all the types of bears. There might be a difference in the aggressiveness of a type of bear but this is purely based on how comfor...
