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Use common plastic bottles from sparkling beverages. They are lightweight. When they are empty, they can be smashed thin and take almost no space (you can do the same which a half full bottle, push...
Both sport climbing and trad climbing are a form of lead climbing, which means the first climber to go up is not protected by a rope from above. A sport climber uses quickdraws which, as you mentio...
General rule is to be flexible. Small plastic bottle gives you absolutely no flexibility. Big plastic bottle gives you more flexibility. You can fill it fully or only to the half, or one third. ...
Single use water bottles are nice, like Steed mentioned. I use those a lot. The downside is that most filters don't readily attach to those bottles, which means I often wish I had a third hand when...
Backpacking trips force people to live at a radically different pace than what most people are used to. There's a lot less stimulus that we get in a city. Most outdoorsy people find it wonderful,...
If you normally have a coffee in the morning then you will be fine with a coffee in the morning out on the trail. It is part of your daily routine. It is useful to have something like red bull or ...
In general they are not considered dangerous because they rarely attack humans. You should not run away from coyotes as they will consider you a prey if you do. Under extreme circumstances they may...
Coyotes now live in our area in significant numbers. There was a den on our property this winter, and a few months ago there were four pups romping around in our back yard. We hear them howling p...
A few points to add here: Coyotes are not know to be aggressive towards humans. But always remember that coyote is a wild animal. It is not domesticated and hence it's very difficult say with cert...
Animals are attracted to a variety of scents: food, salts, blood, etc. It looks like you've already encountered animal thievery concerning your trash and that should be a good indicator that it wo...
If it has any scent at all, put it in your bear can. If you're worried about cross-contamination between your trash and your food, bring a trash bag you trust. I keep my food in a plastic bag but ...
I have been recommended to carry a tin can, filled partly with gravel. This will rattle and oust snakes, boars, bears. I have no idea how effective this would be. Playing a musical instrument sho...
Wind-chimes where originally designed to keep wildlife away, for example Wolves don't like sounds they don't know, that's why it will keep them away. So it's safer (to play an instrument) than not...
You could make some checklists of the local common flora & fauna and try to turn it into some kind of friendly competition to see as many as possible. I know this is at least a great motivator...
Approaching Scafell Pike from Wasdale Head in the west, Wastwater is a beautiful lake and Lingmell Beck a pleasant river. Once you start to climb, you can take the interesting Corridor Route which...
Well in my personal experience, I've never faced any issue with caffeine while on a trek. As mentioned by Rory, if coffee is a part of your morning ritual, it will not make much of a difference. To...
Well established treks like the Annapurna circuit are rated by multiple trekking agencies. I would use those agencies rating as a reference point to differentiate between multiple well-established ...
A Sheet Bend is designed for joining two lines of different size. If you need additional security use the Double Sheet Bend http://www.animatedknots.com/sheetbend/
I would check with Svenska Turistföreningen (STF). Their contact details are bottom left on the linked page. They have answered in English when I tried and have details about when bridges marked on...
I've taken the liberty to bold 2 questions I believed where the main questions of your post. Are there animals that are simply not afraid of much bigger humans? Yes. A variety of animals have ada...
If I was going to rappel on it, and the bulk of the knot wasn't an issue, I would tie a figure-eight in a bight of one piece of rope, then attach the other rope to it using a rewoven figure-eight. ...
Agree with ppl, don't think it is a big problem, but even for variable filling bags it could mean that some of that expensive down may not be used the way you would prefer. A quilt may be a bit dr...
It would depend on the shoe. A full leather shoe would "Breathe" less because the air has more difficulty circulating all the way down to the toe and back. However, on a good "breathable" shoe, i...
You should always focus on improving the technique instead of strength - you will gain strength automatically while you are climbing. To climb better just climb. The same goes with overhangs, the ...
Down is actually a pretty durable insulation, and if it is properly cared for will last much longer than any synthetic insulation. Some people use the same down sleeping bag for decades, but there ...
