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There are some potentially dangerous answers here. The two colour blankets are used as follows: Protection against cold - silver side to the body. Protection against heat - Gold side to the body. S...
One threat I've heard of is "heavy gases" (Carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, etc.) collecting in valleys or craters. Normally gases on a volcano will simply blow away, but some gases, being heavie...
Some of us, when adventuring, go to far off remote places, in very cold or wet areas, and carry everything with us on our backs. But not everyone does that. Some people only car camp, in the summe...
This may sound a little too weird to most of the people, but trust me, nothing worked better (and ultimately hell a lot cheaper) than a normal canvas shoe with its sole slightly brushed with a sand...
The answer to your question is no. North America is a huge region. Even California is vast and varied, e.g., we have miner's lettuce at low elevations, but not higher up. For a given subregion, e.g...
Down is fairly easy to measure in terms of loft when you lay out the old bags. Basically, if the feathers are so crushed that after a proper wash and fluff you don't have a bag that holds up the fa...
The category of shoe you are looking for is an approach shoe, the name comes from their use by mountain climbers as their shoe of preference for approaching a climbing pitch. They're lighter than ...
If it is steep enough to count as a climb I use rock boots. Hiking boots are only useful when walking on trails where you need tread to grip. Smooth rocks are best climbed with the kind of smooth ...
It's good for a question on SE to be focused. However, there is a broader context here, which is that you want your activities to be (a) safe and (b) comfortable and enjoyable, so that you'll want ...
Three thoughts: If the snow is thigh-high, then you should be either using touring skis or snowshoes to "float" over the snow. You'll expend way less energy. Seriously, I can cover probably 10x-...
-20 celsius is not particularly cold, but 3 weeks summer hiking experience is not particularly helpful. You might not kill yourself, but you probably won't thank yourself, either.
An unhurdled slip-and-drop would be fatal without a doubt. If this is the case, then maybe you need a belay. However, if the snow is sufficiently deep and soft that you're sinking up to your k...
Short answer: I use both. But then, I don't have particularly light weight gear. For weekend hikes (my home is in Germany with hills and abundant forest) usually the tarp or nothing at all (or m...
To get an official answer to this question, I decided to email the National Park Service at Yosemite NP. The park ranger said: Bears are attracted to "food" odors. When talking about food stora...
Energy bars (and protein bars, power bars, etc) are typically dehydrated in order to improve shelf life as well as increase the ratio of calories/nutrients to weight. Their longevity and energy pe...
Please make sure you know what you are doing before you attempt this feat. Just because you have successfully rappeled there before, does not automatically mean you were/are qualified to do so. Ve...
No, There is no practical scenario in which you would want to use urine for anything other than waste removal from the body. If anyone is trying to make plans which involve relying on urine as a ...
Yes, you should seek medical expertise. From healthcentral.com: When the skin has thawed and rewarming is complete, cover the damaged skin with bandages and warm clothing. Contact your d...
Whoever told you C1 are aimed at 'more advanced users' than C2 is plain wrong. Crampon grades are really about where and how you plan to use them, rather than how good you are. Here's a typically...
Just to add to PPL's answer. The UK National Health Service has good practical advice on this also. It's available here. But to summarise some of the relevant points: Treatment for frostbite de...
I have used both for night hiking, and I like a headlamp way better. The main reasons are that it leaves the hands free, and the light is aiming roughly in the direction I'm looking. I made my ow...
A flashlight is in my experience much better for traveling at night. This because: It throws out a more powerful beam than almost any headlamp - The problem with a headlamp is that any bright eno...
Here's a detailed article on hauling called Hauling 101. Summary: Use a pulley Back up your pulley Use a safety line or tie yourself in independently Attach a 40 foot piece of static line (7 ...
Snow blindness in simple terms is burning of the cornea and conjunctiva due to UV rays. At higher altitudes, the UV rays are more as less atmosphere is there to absorb these UV rays. Hence there is...
If you'd lost, broken or simply didn't have any googles, I know in the days before effective UV protective eyewear, explorers would wear goggles with thin slits cut into them to reduce the amount o...
