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According to this source its name arose initially in the US where unfamiliarity bred distrust, and because the occasional disaster, likely with the Flat Figure 8 version, caused both knots to be br...
The European Death Knot is commonly used for joining two ropes for an abseil. I would not say it is "not considered safe" - e.g. the British Mountaineering Council's website lists it as a possible...
For certain purposes, the offset overhand bend is not just safe but safer than any known alternative. The alternative name "European death knot" is a joke referring to the fact that to the uninitia...
I don't understand why you're so centric around protein. There are protein bars, some of which contain over 20g of protein. There are also freeze dried meats which is actually more protein dense(hi...
This actually happens to be pretty relevant to Physics(so it's kind of odd it was migrated away from the Physics.SE). You were actually on the right track with the penguin idea and increasing your...
You should keep in mind: DEET is not an insect repellent that will prevent insects from landing on your skin! DEET is a contact poison that will be very unpleasant for any insect who gets into cont...
On my treks I usually keep a trail journal. I only bring a pencil and some eraser (i.e. super light-weight), and use this to write about the journey, draw small maps/diagrams and sometimes even ske...
Merino wool (e.g. IceBreaker shirts & long underpants) is very warm compared to its pack size and weight. It combines well with most other outdoor clothing like fleece - and you'll be wearing l...
Some parks require you to have a bear canister. Here in the Rocky Mountains if you camp up in the mountains(no trees to sling a bag) you're usually required to have a canister, not because of bears...
To carry raw eggs, leave 'em in their shells, put them in an old peanut-butter jar (plastic, watertight, wide mouthed). FILL the rest of the jar with water and close the lid. The water keeps the e...
I started out cooking actual meals, which was time consuming and required a lot of clean up. Its not practical to pack out waste from food prep cleanup(like waste water), and I started to realize i...
In our neighborhood two small dogs have been snatched off the leash by coyotes (on the trail that runs along between houses and the preserve). Be very wary.
It's very rare that coyotes ever attack humans, so I wouldn't worry about that. Small animals are another story. I always shake my head when someone puts up a "Lost Cat" sign on a lamppost in my ne...
Look at the average heights of the worlds top climbers and very few of them are over 6ft tall. Being tall is an advantage when you start climbing but the harder it gets and the smaller the hand/foo...
It boils down to the point what one could really do in such a situation. When I trek in India, I do come across such situations that beg some action from me and other sensitive people around. I def...
I do a lot of strength training when not backpacking, and try to keep my protein up around ~140 grams per day, on average. I asked a related question over on the fitness.stackexchange.com site, and...
The most efficient "food" you can carry is the body fat you can afford to lose. In our younger days, we went on 12 to 14 day backpacking trips, with a much more varied diet than suggested in the o...
I love these situations "It tried it once, and it worked, must be safe"...... I am so glad aviation and car industry don't work that way. The answer has to be No, its not safe with ropes of diffe...
Combing through the 2015 issue of Accidents in North American Mountaineering, here were the four mistakes that I saw over and over: no helmet not placing any pro, or climbing unroped starting too...
I honestly can't say for certain until I actually fish at a place, but off the top of my head I'd say: 8ft+ rod if your'e fishing from the shore, and 6ft rod if your'e on a boat. Mono-filament 10...
Approaching this from a physics standpoint, the primary reason people slip on ice is due to low friction. I personally think this is not the case, but rather, the low friction is the gunpowder to t...
I take a raw chicken and leave it in a lidded bucket in the garage for 2 to 3 days, along with a a good dose of fish sauce. Sometimes it gets so putrid, I can't use it without retching and gagging....
My best solution for this is to wear a pair of flexible running shoes with spikes. The spikes are at the front; walk towards your toes to make sure the spikes dig in. Team them with warm socks for ...
I do not know a definitive answer to this question, but as there is no other reply so far I will share what I know: When aiding in Yosemite a fellow climber used nuts for this purpose. You pull ba...
Yaktrax advertises products intended to help with this, which might be less damaging to interior surfaces than crampons. You can find some SE discussion on those kinds of products here. Keeping a...
