Search
I have researched this occasionally over the years. Ivy Block, Tecnu, and Ivarest all have preventative lotions. The oil may still spread, but it is a good first step. As an alternative, the fore...
The last time I was attacked by leeches I thought I'd taken enough precautions such as pulling my socks over my trousers and avoiding walking through particularly wet areas or long grass but I stil...
I have a similar extreme reaction, so this is what I have learned: Tecnu works pretty well after you have been exposed, but before the rash develops (I realize that is a pretty short window of opp...
First of all, DO NOT bring anything smelly into your tent. This includes food, tooth paste, deodorant, or anything else that has a smell. Also, keep fires away from the tent. I recommend setting u...
You should keep the bite site clean (make sure you got the whole tick out, and didn't leave the head behind, still in the skin). This is to avoid infection. Then, watch the area to look for a ras...
Here's a brief summary of what I can let you know. I should say this will apply more to the Eastern parts of the state, either North or South. I live in Arizona, which has similar difficulties... ...
I have done a good deal of hiking and backpacking in the Eastern US (mostly in New England), but I recently moved to California. What are the major differences in terms of preparation or equipment...
Most of my prior hiking experience has been in areas that are not home to bears, so what precautions should I take to protect my camp (and myself as I am hiking) from bears. I am aware of a couple...
Okay - I found that both my Langmuir (Mountaincraft and Leadership) and my Mountaineers (Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills) have pretty good advice about lightning. I would advise anyone pla...
I suggest using a bow drill. It's a little tricky to start, but once you get the hang of it you can get pretty good at it. For wood selections, you generally want to stick with the following: Ob...
I've recently been getting into the hobby of Geocaching. However, I'm finding there are many, particularly in cities, that I just cannot find no matter how hard I look for them. They tend to be ver...
In general, I wouldn't recommend it, although it would probably be alright for a short trip. First of all, a bear has no fear of a dog, and they aren't really going to be too deterred. The fact th...
It depends a bit on your circumstance, but it's fair to say that the 3 options you provided would each be okay, given the right circumstance. If you are close to the treeline, it might well be wor...
As far as I know, there is no way to stop the bleeding with out constant pressure. On the bright side, you only give up 1-3 CCs of blood due to leech bites. The problem with leech bites and hiking...
When trying to start a fire by rubbing two sticks together, what does one need to consider? I am assuming I can't just grab any two sticks and start rubbing... Should they be dead or green? Har...
Although leeches are relatively harmless, and you are not likely to bleed out from a bite, the blood stain on your clothes can be off-putting to your hiking buddies. Is there any effective way to ...
We all know the general lightning guidelines, but what if I am above tree-line and caught in a freak lightning storm. Is it better to: Run like mad to toward the trees Lie flat, and find religio...
I've heard various rumors that dogs might help keep bears away, or might be a bear attractant. Is there anything more concrete than anecdotal evidence to go on? From the companionship end, they ar...
Some crampons have a heel lever that clamps down on the sole at the heel of the boot. These are more stable, but they don't always fit things like rubber boots. Steel crampons will stay sharp, but...
If your sleeping bag, or its compression bag, doesn't have straps around the outside, you'll need at least four pieces of twine to strap your bag down. Two to loop around the sleeping bag, and two ...
The Gore-Tex trail shoes I'm wearing right now have the Gore-Tex layer on the inside (between my socks and the outer suede/synthetic). I'm not sure that you can do anything to fix that layer once i...
This gets into the realm of "personal preference" but I would suggest only tie those things on the outside of your pack that you don't want at the end of the day. Anything on the outside will tend...
Looking at the picture of your new pack, those 'smallish straps' appear to be compression straps to pull in your backpack once you've packed to stop the weight inside from shifting. I'd say they're...
To add to some of the answers already posted: External: The biggest advantage is how forgiving an external frame pack is. Since the load is hanging on a frame, you can get away with more casual di...
I recently upgraded to a modern backpack and I'm stumped as to how to tie accessories down to it. My previous backpack had tie-down points on the bottom of the pack that I could attach long straps...
