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For water-resistant or water-proof gear, I apply a DWR (durable water repellent) finish via aerosol spray about once or twice a year to gear that absolutely needs it (rain shell, rain pants, hiking...
Well by the looks of it, It'll hold up in a bid of rain, but no downpour or any hard wind. Plus side on this tent is that the rain fly will keep some direct sunlight of of the inner tent. And it lo...
Ben Crowell already answered the "why minimalist" angle better than I could have, but he didn't specifically talk about Vibram FiveFingers (hereafter VFF). This is intended to complement his answe...
In a sense, yes. While mountains don't literally "make their own weather," they do sometimes provide additional catalysts to create localized disturbances which you might otherwise characterize as ...
Here in California, our mountains influence our weather in a particular way. We have a Mediterranean climate and big mountain ranges inland. Storms build up out on the Pacific, and they blow in tow...
I have three tents, including an ultralight Big Agnes Fly Creek 2. The others are dome tents, including a Eureka Tetragon 2 and a Big Agnes four man tent. The Fly Creek is extremely light, but I ...
There are quite a number of options, although the 4000 foot requirement pretty much limits it to the White Mountains of NH, the northern Green Mountains of VT, and a few peaks in ME. It's not clea...
For tents that erect outer first, pitching in the rain is no different to any other time, just don't leave the dry inner out in the rain while putting the outer up. The outer will get wet on both s...
You can improvise a tent-like shelter with a sturdy rain poncho and some cord. Tie one corner to a tree a 18" (~1/2 meter) off the ground, then spread the poncho in a diamond shape. Pull the corn...
First of all a tent is made from two thin layers of fabric, expecting it to have sufficient thermal efficiency to retain heat, even with the door closed is perhaps a bit ambitious. Any heat built u...
As others pointed out zippos might leak fuel, make a good choice and use a reliable one. I would prefer zippos over disposable things simply because it is greener, not producing garbage, and also i...
High and Dry Find a flat area. Make sure that flat area won't pool with water if it rains. There's really not much else you need to be concerned about in a well forested area except for critte...
I think your going to struggle. Let me explain why: Scotland has a very different climate to the US. Scotland is a northern region warmed by the Gulf Stream. At the same latitude in the Americas t...
Sleet As snow descends through the atmosphere and the air warms it melts and turns back to liquid (rain). If rain or partially-melted snow falls through a layer of sub-freezing air, sleet forms as...
There's an excellent ski term glossary here from the Tetonsandwasatch blog, which includes words for snow, some of which I find hilarious. Some of my favorites: Chunder – Generally, chopped up,...
A long time ago (when I was teenager) I had one of the early GoreTex jackets. I had this Jacket for years and years and used it constantly. Over time the fabric wore out and it started to leak. Thi...
You can't really force anybody to like anything. When you try so you will most likely discourage them even more. What you can try to do is convice them to give it a shot (what you did) and prepare ...
I am looking for shoes that I can wear for all day long in moderate outdoor conditions, both in rainy and dry conditions, at +10°C..+15°C (50°F..60°F). My feet sweet quite a lot, so breathability s...
I have a nylon rain jacket that I wear to walk my dogs when it rains. It seems that no matter what clothes I wear underneath, I always end up very sweaty. I've tried long sleeves, short sleeves, qu...
Last summer, I went camping with my family for the first time. We bought a second hand tent, similar to the one on the picture below. We had a great time, but after a rainstorm that went on for 24 ...
First of all You might need to look into getting a new impregnation for your second hand tent. This can be done either yourself using sprays or wash-in-products (and in your case a probably huge w...
My two concerns for trekking in wet weather are safety and comfort. The safety issue here is primarily hypothermia, which can be a real risk even in the upper 40s or lower 50s (F), if you're wet en...
You don't say exactly where you're going in the UP, but my wife and I spent a week backpacking in the Porkies last year and it rained every day, for at least several hours. I also took a long trip ...
I recently took a short camping trip with a couple of friends when we encountered some intermittent showers. I foolishly forgot to check the forecast and forgot my waterproof jacket. I was handed a...
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). It's naturally occurring, and to get a level of toxicity to animals you would need to get to 450mg per liter. Unless you're operating a mine or using literally ton...
